Jon M. Sweeney > Quotes

“In 1955, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion—its message becomes meaningless.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages

“well-meaning Christians almost killed the faith eight hundred years ago”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.9”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages

“Under no circumstances should the brothers receive money when they go out begging, cause it to be received by others, seek it or cause it to be sought, for any house or place. Likewise, they should never go out with any person seeking money or coin for such places.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Francis of Assisi In His Own Words: The Essential Writings

“as to describe the impact of Francis on his era this way: “ [His life] closed the reign of Byzantine art and of the thought of which it was the image. It is the end of dogmatism and authority. Uncertainty became permissible in some small measure. It marks a date in the history of the human conscience.”3”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Light in the Dark Ages

“In one of the most personal of all the writings of Francis we possess, this one from 1226, Francis writes a note of encouragement to his closest male friend, Leo...

"I am speaking to you, now, as a mother would, because all of the words we passed between us on the road together I am summarizing in this message and bit of advice. If you ever feel the need to for my counsel, I suggest that you turn to this letter.

"My advice is this : In whatever way you feel called to serve the Lord, and to make him happy, to follow his footprint and his poverty, do that, and do that with my blessing and with the blessing of the Lord God.

"If you ever want to come and see me, Leo, for the sake of your soul or for any other reason, come, by all means, come back to me.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“God's jugglers" would express a personal, emotional faith with joy and song that reminded the people of the troubadours they'd heard in the public square, as well as ancient Italian folk traditions of song, dance, and carnival. The earliest Franciscans were interested in passion, fervor, and ecstasy— an intimate approach to God that was both playful and unpredictable.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Your heart's desire
will fill your mouth,
your actions, and your labor.
You will know what you
love by what you
say, where you go,
and what you do.
Your heart's desire
is easily revealed.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness & Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way

“It is also instructive to pause and consider what Francis did not speak about. Nowhere in his writings does he ever mention his mother, for instance. Only directly does he ever speak of his father.... He was— at least at some level— a disrespectful son; he believed that he couldn't ultimately respect his earthly and heavenly fathers, both.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“With the help of the Gospel, which he began to listen to carefully, Francis began to break down the barriers to friendship inherent in his old worldview. Every person, he began to see, was at the most basic root the same.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Where Francis self-consciously modeled his actions after the Jesus he met in the Gospels, many later saints read accounts of earlier saints like Francis in order to chart their paths and make their decisions according to what the blessed are supposed to do.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“We are to go throughout the world encouraging everyone, more by deeds than with words, to do penance for our sins and to live with the commandments of God fresh in our minds.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Francis of Assisi In His Own Words: The Essential Writings

“The people who observed Francis in the earliest days of his spiritual movement witnessed him and his merry band of men acting, at times, like "God's jugglers." Francis himself called them "jongleurs de Dieu." Jongleur is a medieval French word meaning a wandering minstrel, a public entertainer, a professional storyteller. A jongleur was a troubadour— which also sometimes meant that he was an acrobat, fiddler, dancer, and poet. Troubadours were soulful in ways that made others want to hear and be entertained by them. By identifying himself as one of God's jugglers, Francis claimed who he wanted to be, and it looked very little like a priest.”
― Jon M. Sweeney

“Francis's expressions of friendship came from his heart in an uncalculated way. We see Francis befriending without judging, noticing and responding to people's needs, and expressing love simply because that person has been created by a God who says that every created thing is good.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Francis wanted a new kind of spiritual life that was somewhat unpredictable and without guarantees, putting him in less contact with religion and more contact with the living God.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“One way to express Francis's approach is to say that his life was focused on orthopraxy (right action) over orthodoxy (right belief).... The Gospel was not something to believe as much it was a vocation to a changed life.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Perhaps, when that begins to happen, you will start to see that the purpose of your life is not to find some map to tell you where to go, but to see that your deepest longing is to catch a glimpse, at least, of how you are to go—whatever your path.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness & Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way

“[Francis of Assisi was one of the] signal figures who are catalysts for rapid change”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Nothing can bring you to know God.
Well, not quite; there is something,
but it is an unknowing, a forgetting
of yourself, an utter emptying.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness & Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way

“Don't expect great fanfares or grand gestures. Listen
into the wilderness within; love yourself boldly, beyond
all that you've done well or failed to do. Begin today.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness & Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way

“May the Lord give you peace," was Francis's most common remark to people. What a contrast this was to the apocalyptic fear-mongering of most other wandering spiritual groups in those days, and how different it was even from the doctrinaire preaching of the new Dominican Order.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“When people tell me they don't believe in God, I usually ask, "What God don't you believe in?" They invariably go on to describe a God who is judgmental, vengeful, overbearing, unloving, or whimsical. "Oh, I don't believe in that God, either," I say.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“He responded to each person he met as if he were already a friend.”
― Jon M. Sweeney

“Emptiness If I hope to find You,
I need to let go of all I think I need
to know, turning from what I desire
to become the emptiness You
cannot resist.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, Meister Eckhart's Book of the Heart: Meditations for the Restless Soul