UNGLAMOROUS LOVE | KAIROS GLOBAL | SEPTEMBER 2026

Author: Anil Israel

Audio

Intro: Anil Israel shows us how we can grow in our relationship with God, through lessons from the life of St Francis of Assisi.

The year 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi. The Jesus Youth movement adopted him as their patron saint because his life of radical discipleship perfectly mirrors the movement’s core mission to live out the Gospel in the modern world. 

There is a lot we ought to learn from the life of St Francis. He lived a lavish lifestyle as a youth, enjoying partying with his friends. Despite being engrossed in a worldly way of living, God had His own way of attracting Francis to Himself. As a prisoner of war and struck by severe illness, Francis began to question his worldly ambitions and search for deeper meaning. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me (John 6:44). Francis’ spiritual awakening brought about an interior transformation from a lover of pleasure to a lover of poverty. There is always hope. No matter how far I might have strayed from a godly lifestyle, God can bring a dramatic change in me in an instant. Change is possible. With God everything is possible (Matthew 19:26).

Francis famously abandoned his wealthy father, Pietro di Bernardone, in 1206 by stripping off his clothes, renouncing his family inheritance and declaring that God was his only true father. He would rely on God’s providence for all his needs, placing his trust in abandoning all earthly possessions. Francis’ drastic embracing of Lady Poverty echoes: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2).

Recognising Christ in the suffering, Francis embraced a leper. He began to live among lepers in the marginalised communities outside Assisi’s walls, serving their needs and thus reorienting his life from one of self-protection and personal enhancement to one of self-sacrifice and concern for others. Francis reminds us to put kindness in action. Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17).

In 1208, Francis heard the Gospel reading from Matthew 10:9-10 during Mass, which told the disciples to take no gold, a second tunic, sandals or walking stick. He felt immense joy, declaring it was what he desired with all his heart. He stripped off his shoes, discarded his staff and travelling bag, and wore only a rough woollen tunic tied with a cord. He embraced a life of begging, penance and preaching. God’s holy living word is divine power at work – turning ordinary into extraordinary – turning sinners into saints. 

‘Francis, rebuild my church’ is the famous command Jesus spoke to St Francis in 1206 from the crucifix at the San Damiano chapel. Francis first thought he meant to fix physical stone buildings but later learned it meant to renew the whole Christian community. We are all called to mission. We all have our own unique contribution to make towards the mission of the Church – to spread the good news by living transformed lives.

In 1219, at the height of the Fifth Crusade, Francis of Assisi audaciously set out to meet Sultan Malik al-Kamil of Egypt.  This was an act of spiritual courage and bold witness. Where am I when asked to stand for the truth? Am I willing to let go of my human pursuits and embrace my divine calling? My innate call is the fundamental call to love. Am I willing to embark on the way of true love? 

Francis of Assisi received the stigmata, featuring the five physical wounds of Christ, on 17 September 1224, during a spiritual retreat on Mount La Verna in Tuscany, Italy. He is historically recorded as the first person to experience this mystical phenomenon. Christ paid the ultimate price for the redemption of mankind. Francis participated in the sufferings of Christ. He is called the second Christ because his life, radical poverty, and the physical receipt of the stigmata closely mirrored Jesus’ life and suffering. I may be the only Gospel some people will ever read. Am I willing to grow into the image and likeness of my crucified saviour and let Christ be formed in me?

To grow into the image of Christ is to grow into the image of love. The world around us, on the other hand, strongly compels us to pursue the broad, deceptive path that leads to destruction. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). The path to eternal life is not easy; it requires commitment, discipline and sacrifice. Embracing the way of love as Christ loved us requires divine assistance – supernatural grace from above.

To be humbled and humiliated, to be mocked and spat upon, to allow oneself to decrease so that He may increase in me, I need to learn to let go and let God, to give up my selfish ways and to embrace His self-emptying ways, to be willing to radically reorient my life and embrace the transformation He has planned to work on me – after all it is His doing. Since I cannot save myself, I need to let Him save me.

This, me letting God be God – is an expression of my ardent love for Him. The measure of my love for God is proportional to the depth of intimacy in my relationship with Him. 

When a couple enters the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, they pledge to one another: ‘I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.’ This assurance of being there for one’s beloved is another way of expressing: ‘you can count on me.’ The intimacy of our relationship with God is likened to a spousal relationship, meaning God is saying, ‘My child, you can count on me.’  My response to His loving invitation describes the measure of my love for Him. Am I willing to respond ungrudgingly to let go and let God, to live good and love God – thus embrace the call to be a sign of His unglamorous love?