OCTOBER 4, 2026 FATHER RETO DAVATZ
Over 800 years ago, St. Francis of Assisi said, “I have done what was mine to do. Now, do what is yours.”
Today’s readings remind us that God wants us to be fruitful in whatever we can be. Throughout biblical history, he has shown us what that looks like, and in the lives of the saints, he has patterned lifestyles and spiritualities that we might emulate. As goodness itself, God always attracts, and over the past eight centuries, through the fruitfulness of people like St. Francis, we have come to know other facets of God’s loving goodness.
What comes to your mind when you think of St. Francis? He must be more than bird baths and dreaming about poppies. To truly get to know this man is to realize that God wished him to become someone who could inspire others to imitate him as St. Paul imitated Christ, but also, to find their own deepest self, since the kingdom of God lies within us.
For Francis, this also meant taking time to pray in secret, where the Father sees in secret, by going to caves and spending time in overnight prayer asking what God’s will was for him. Not everyone is called to found a new religious community, but God wants all of us to be lights in the world, as he was the light itself. We received a candle at our baptism, one that was meant to be kept burning brightly.
Imagine 800 years of Franciscanism, and that’s just one type of charism amongst many. I felt called to this 17 years ago. My life as a Franciscan Conventual friar looks different than that of St. Francis, but his spirit compels me forward as I, too, desire the Father to see me and hear me in the most secret part of my being.
Why? Because I know that is where true joy lies, and that is what the source of St. Francis’s joy was. We are called to produce the fruits of the kingdom. For Francis, this became an urgent calling.
Remember, God is always calling. As we know, he sent his only begotten Son to us, so we know the Father is serious. And that fact, the fact that he died for us, tells us just what lengths he is willing to go in order to reach us.
So, like St. Francis, let us in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, make our requests known to God. After all, God is the one who began a good work in us and who will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.
