Attaining for himself a simple and very worn frock, St. Francis ventured off into the wilderness at the time. He lived off of the land, ate only what the Lord provided either through almsgiving of others or the berries of the field.
St. Francis of Assisi Embraces "Lady Poverty"
In his search for peace and this higher truth that he felt for a moment in his vision of God, he became very close to nature, the animals, the plants and even the elements and the seasons. St. Francis of Assisi was alone, living off the land and seeking God in the simple beauty of the world around him.
War had tarnished his view of humanity forever. He felt that there must be a better way, and he felt that only in relinquishing all worldly goods could a man find peace and almost in a sense lose the madness.
"Lady Poverty" Becomes St. Francis of Assisi’s Bride
He had often spoke of how, when he got married, he would choose the most beautiful and worthy bride to be his wife. At the time, no one knew that in his holy madness he was referring to his love of Lady Poverty, which was the name he gave to the state of life he had chosen.
Lady Poverty was the most beautiful thing to St. Francis of Assisi, and as the years would go by, it became absolutely vital to him to live in complete poverty at all times. Once he had embraced her as his bride, he never wavered in his entire life.
The Holy Gospels and Lady Poverty
Lady Poverty represented to St. Francis of Assisi the pure and unsullied path the gospels laid out for all Christians. And though many told him it was impossible to live this way, he never accepted that as being true. And somehow, he had the interior discipline to weather and accept all manner of hardship brought on by nature and all the elements around him, including hunger, thirst and lack of shelter.
In the accounts of St. Francis of Assisi’s life, it was said of him that he would become like an angel when he spoke of Lady Poverty.
The Sacred Exchange Between St. Francis and Lady Poverty
St. Francis of Assisi so loved Lady Poverty that he wrote about it in a document entitled The Sacred Exchange Between St. Francis and Lady Poverty wherein he has a discussion with his bride about her immense beauty to the Lord:
“How great must be your dignity, then, and how beyond compare your stature! He left behind all the ranks of angels and the immense powers – of which there is a great abundance in heaven – when he came to look for you in the lowest regions of the earth – you who were lying in the mud of the swamp, in darkness, and in the shadow of death. All living beings held you in great contempt. All people ran from you and, as far as they could, cast you aside. Even though there were some who couldn’t escape from you , you were no less contemptible and despicable to them.” He went on to say, “ But after the Lord of lords came, taking you as His own, He lifted up your head among the tribes of the peoples. He adorned you as a bride with a crown, exalting you above the heights of the clouds. Yet, even though a number of people, ignorant of your power and glory still hate you, this takes nothing away from you because you live freely on the sacred mountains, in the strongest dwelling-place of Christ’s glory.” The Sacred Exchange Between St. Francis and Lady Poverty - St. Francis of Assisi
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Sources: Saint Francis – A Film by Michele Soavi, Francis of Assisi Complete Writings in Three Volumes, The Saint, The Founder, The Prophet – Compiled by Regis Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., J. A. Wayne Hellmann, O.F.M. Conv., William J. Short, O.F.M., The Little Flowers of St. Francis – By Raphael Brown, Saint Francis of Assisi – By Thomas of Celano, God’s Fool: The Life and Times of St. Francis of Assisi, By Julien Green, Clare of Assisi, The Lady – Translation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, Translation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., and Ignatius C. Brady, O.F.M., Clare of Assisi: Her Spirituality Revealed in her Letters – By Claire Marie Ledoux
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