TWO WORDS AT ASSISI | KAIROS GLOBAL | SEPTEMBER 2026

Author: Geoffrey Merz 

Audio

Intro: Geoffrey Merz reflects upon the intense and abiding joy with which St Francis lived his poor, simple, and humble life.

‘Follow Him.’ These were the words St Francis spoke into the silence of my heart as I knelt before the San Damiano Cross in the Basilica of St Clare. 

In the years leading up to this moment, I had been captivated by the life of St Francis. My heart was set on fire by his radical obedience to the Gospel, unwavering generosity, and fervent life of prayer. After getting married, my wife and I travelled to Assisi to seek St Francis’ intercession for guidance in living a holy married life. I was hoping that he would reveal something powerful to us. Maybe to move to a far-off country or some other adventurous idea that would give me something concrete to hold on to. However, as my knees rested on the cold terracotta tiles and I gazed up at the beautiful cross – the same cross where St Francis first received his call to rebuild the church – the words I heard were much simpler: ‘Follow Him.’ It was an invitation not to cling to Francis or some lofty ideal, but to Jesus. 

In hindsight, it was not surprising to hear those words from St Francis. That same call – coming from the Gospel of Matthew – was what helped shape his life of poverty and mission. If you would be perfect, go and sell all you have and give to the poor, and follow me (Matthew 19:21). Yes, be poor, serve the poor, and even more importantly, follow me! Francis did not delay. He gave up everything and dedicated his life to serving the Church. 

It was his pure-hearted and devoted obedience to God that drew me to St Francis. He was a no-excuses kind of man who didn’t let his fear or pride get in the way of imitating Christ. When he heard, ‘Sell all that you have,’ he did it! When he was called to ‘Rebuild My Church,’ he literally started rebuilding the San Damiano Church. When he vowed to live a life of poverty, it meant keeping nothing as his own.

Most amazingly, St Francis did not live such a poor, humble, and simple life in misery, but in intense joy; not in the fleeting happiness of things going the ‘right way’ or achieving success, but in the abiding joy of being in relationship with God and following Him faithfully. 

As I read more about St Francis or gazed at a statue of him, that same joy burned in my heart. Joy was something that so many people saw in him. He was the poor, ragged, itinerant man who led those who once persecuted and mocked him to give up their former ways of life and join him as a friar. They knew he had something (despite having nothing material), and they wanted to join him in finding it. 

How could he be so joyful despite the challenges he faced in his life? A powerful story from Little Flowers of Saint Francis by Ugolino Brunforte explores St Francis’ perspective on joy. It details a discourse between him and another friar, Br Leo. They were travelling the bitter, freezing, rainy fifteen miles from Perugia to their home at the Porziuncola. As they walked, St Francis instructed Br Leo not just about joy, but perfect joy. 

He led him through a series of goods in a poetic manner, drawing him closer and closer to what seemed to be perfect joy. Each phrase opened with, ‘If the Friars Minor could,’ and the examples followed: ‘Raise the dead after four days…sing like angels…preach and convert every person to faith in Christ.’ He then concluded each time, ‘Please write and note carefully that this would not be perfect joy.’ So what then could it be? 

Francis then presented a situation to Brother Leo where the porter would reject them when they arrived at the Porziuncola gate. What would their response be if he did not recognise them and left them to starve in the snow? Francis exclaimed that if they could endure this cruel injustice with total patience, faith, and love – without complaining – then they would achieve perfect joy. For Francis, accepting suffering and injustice with love was the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit; it was a place of closeness to Jesus. 

For a while, this story remained unimaginable for me. How could someone have that much acceptance of life’s events? One day, though, it all began to click. I was driving to a soccer match for a team that I played for at the time. It's the kind of league where everyone is a bit out of shape and makes up for it with a few extra elbow thrusts and shoves throughout the game. While I love playing soccer, I was tired. Constantly getting knocked down without fouls being called was wearing me down. I felt like turning the car around and skipping the game.

At that moment, the story of St Francis and Br Leo popped into my mind. I began to realise that by accepting each moment, I could find joy on the field. I needed to let go of my opinion of what a good or bad match would look like. If I got pulled down and no foul was called, could I accept that in faith, without complaint? What if I tore my ACL? Surely that would make for a miserable night, right? As each possibility entered my mind, I felt my faith being strengthened that whatever unfolded that night would be exactly what I needed. This filled me with new life. I raced to the park ready for kick-off. 

Before the game started, I felt inspired to share this message of faith. I encouraged all of our most unruly teammates not to argue back with the referee, but to play our game with a smile. They took it in with a nod. I ended up playing one of my best games, somehow scoring three goals. However, my joy was not in the result. It was in the gratitude that God was with me, no matter what happened. 

It may seem at times that scoring a lot of goals or having success would be an easier path to joy. But often, these situations can lead us closer to pride than humility. God knows of our needs, but He asks us to surrender everything to Him. He knows that if we empty ourselves, we can then be filled with His Spirit, the source of all joy. 

Of course, this can be hard. There are so many things I want to take with me on the journey that I think will be helpful. But at some point, it all catches up. ‘But Lord,’ I tell Him, ‘I can’t keep following you! I’m tired! And look at all the things I’m carrying with me.’ In response, He looks at me with love. And I hear the simple truth: ‘Will I not feed you and provide for all of your needs?’ When I hear that, I cannot help but surrender everything; I know that He will provide. I can then be free, on the move with Jesus, receiving just what is needed each day. 

So, let us take inspiration from St Francis today. Let us live in the joy of opening ourselves completely to God. In the challenges, crosses, and sufferings, let us find joy in being with Jesus and receiving everything from him. With that confidence, Jesus’ words to His disciples may come more fully alive in us: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 16:24-25).  

Geoffrey Merz lives in Florida, USA, with his wife Rose. He works for Amoris Christi and has been involved in Jesus Youth for the past 10 years.