“What Francis did should never solely define who he was–for he was a man who believed in a God of love and action. His behaviors and attitudes must never be devoid of his passion for God. It was not our of his ambition to become a saint that he loved and served God, but rather it was out of his life-long struggle to love and serve God that he became a saint. He didn’t relinquish his earthly possessions in order to receive something from God, but rather he relinquished his earthly possessions so he could more fully embrace the love for God he already had. He didn’t care for the sick in order to gain Christ’s love, but rather he cared for the sick because of Christ’s love.”
Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) in Mystics, Mavericks & Miracle Workers: A 30-day Journey with Some Saints by Eric Sandras and Jason Chatraw (Boise: Ampelon, 2007) 46.