The 2,000th Irenic Thought

“Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord our God
for up to now we have made little or no progress.”
~Francis of Assisi

This is the 2,000th post placed at this blog since it opened on March 10, 2005. I'm not sure how many people have stopped in during that time. The counter which reads 297,167 visits started over a year later and doesn't include the folks who now read these posts over on Facebook. I hope the content has been helpful enough to justify this minor corner of my ministry. I am also thankful in an angry blogosphere that I not only named the blog "Irenic" meaning "peaceful," but that the content and comments have remained just that.

I do want to burst one bubble though. I hear from people who imagine me up each morning sitting with a cup of coffee and thinking of what to share. The truth is that I sit down once every couple of weeks to spend an hour stacking up blogs for a couple of weeks. I set them to autoload with Blogger. They are set to launch at 5 a.m., but sometimes post later. Then they autoload into Facebook using an RSS feed feature. This is sometimes early and sometimes late, but happens automatically, whether I am starring off thoughtfully into space with my coffee, sleeping late, or already on the run.

The thought for the day is Francis of Assisi's story of true joy:

What true joy is: A messenger comes and says…that my brothers have gone to all the unbelievers and converted all of them to the faith; again, that I have so much grace from God that I heal the sick and perform many miracles: I tell you that joy does not consist in any of these things.

What then is true joy? I return to Perugia and arrive there in the dead of night; and it is winter time, muddy and so cold that icicles have formed on the edges of my habit and keep striking my legs, and blood flows from such wounds. And all covered with mud and cold, I come to the gate and after I have knocked and called for some time, a brother comes and asks, ‘Who are you?’ I answer, ‘Brother Francis.’

’And he says go away; this is not the proper hour for going about; you may not come in.’ And when I insist, he answers, ‘Go away, you are a simple and stupid person; we are so many and we have no need of you. You are certainly not coming to us at this hour!’ And I stand again at the door and say: ‘For the love of God, take me in tonight.’

And he answers, ‘I will not. Go to the Crossiers’ place and ask there.’ I tell you this: If I had the patience and did not become upset, there would be true joy in this and true virtue and the salvation of the soul.’

Would that our joy could not be dampened by unfair treatment of others! That's the Irenic Thought for today. Drop by tomorrow for another.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Blogger