Reporting on the conversion of Saint Francis, in his second Vita Celano refers to the mystical experience of Francis: ‘It is the mysteries of God into which Francis penetrates; indeed, he is led to perfect knowledge, even if he is not educated.’ In addition to Celano, it is particularly Bonaventura who employs a mystical terminology to describe the event of the stigmata: the ardent desire of Francis to be close to Christ, his enchantment with God, the deep feelings of compassion, the abundance of love, the experienced joy, the inflammation by the Spirit, and the transformation through the visible signs of the stigmata. All these words of the presentation derive from the realm of mysticism. Bonaventura seeks to describe Francis who has been transformed in Christ and his mystical experience. The portrayal of Saint Francis as a mystic constitutes the beginning, within the Franciscan tradition, of an extension in the possibility of knowledge through the realm of mystical experience. Thus, Franciscan history offers a large number of mystics, particularly in the Franciscan women’s movement, such as Angela of Foligno or Margaret of Cortona. Even Clare of Assisi is often portrayed as a mystic. For these women, the mystical way of knowing has special links with a life of penance in the spirit of St. Francis. Franciscan mysticism is based on the triad of classical mysticism according to Pseudodionysius: purification, inner enlightenment and perfect union. The special feature of Franciscan mysticism is evident in the fact that it does not attach any particular importance to extraordinary experience and is more oriented instead around the daily experience of the goodness of God; this makes it a mystery of daily experience of God accessible to every believer. The challenge of this mysticism is to redirect all senses and all affections to God, the Highest Good, Himself. It is of particular importance to make oneself available to the Holy Spirit and to His work throughout one’s life in order to achieve the works of God in this world. A life with this orientation then leads to genuine familiarity and union with God. This familiarity and union with God is not simply understood metaphorically but is experienced quite concretely as an indwelling of the Triune God in the heart of the believer. Another topic of Franciscan mysticism will be the theme of marriage. A classic theme of mysticism is taken up here: the marriage of the soul of the believer with the bridegroom Jesus Christ. But the Franciscan tradition lends this theme a nuance of its own. The marriage takes place between Francis and his bride, Lady Poverty. Lady Poverty is the real lover of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, and she has now been entrusted to Francis, who resembles Christ. This is how the topic and a concrete life in poverty themselves become an area of mystical experience.
© 2020 JBF, MZF
Franciscan Note 