At Pentecost, we are invited to reflect on what Francis calls the “holy operation” of the Spirit within our lives (Later Rule X, 8). The Holy Spirit is the key that opens the meaning of every virtue, every passage of Scripture, and every human encounter.
Francis believed that because God is Spirit, He remains fundamentally invisible to the “eyes of the flesh”. To recognise the presence of Christ – particularly in the Eucharist – one must possess “spiritual eyes”. Without this internal illumination, we see only bread and wine, or merely the flaws of our neighbour.
For Francis, the “vivifying Spirit” is what enables us to know, believe, and truly “see” the Lord acting in our lives. It is an invitation to a faith grounded in a deep, interior awareness of God working beneath the surface of ordinary life.
Perhaps the most mature aspect of Franciscan spirituality is the distinction between the “Spirit of the Lord” and the “spirit of the flesh”. For Francis, “the flesh” refers not only to bodily desires but also to the ego – the “private will” that seeks to own its virtues and claim credit for goodness. True poverty of spirit, he taught, is found in those who do not “appropriate” their own will (Admonitions 2). In contrast, the Spirit of the Lord leads the believer toward a “pure and simple peace” and a humility that does not seek recognition. In this light, our mission is not something we accomplish for God, but something we allow God’s “holy operation” to accomplish through us.
Francis warned against a purely intellectual or “scientific” approach to faith, saying that “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6, Admonitions 7). True wisdom, for him, is the Son of God living within the believer, and the Spirit is the true interpreter of the Divine Word. It is only through “putting into practice” what we hear that we can move from “knowing words” to “becoming the Word”.
Finally, the Spirit unifies the diverse gifts within the body of Christ. While there are many graces and ministries, there is only “one and the same Spirit” who works everything in everyone (1 Cor 12:4-6). In his later years, during a time of great trial, Francis received a revelation that the Spirit was the true founder and “governor” of his Order. This was his ultimate act of surrender.
As we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit, we are called to “desire above all things” to have this Spirit of the Lord working within us. Francis’ legacy invites us to set aside the desires of the flesh, open our “spiritual eyes” and let the breath of God renew us. Only then can we share the mission of repairing our broken world.
Friar David Au OFM
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