800 Years of St. Francis · Day 21 of 31 · Wednesday, October 21, 2026
One winter’s day, the story goes, Francis was walking with Brother Leo toward the Portiuncula (a small chapel nearby), and he began to explain what perfect joy is not. It is not in working miracles, speaking every language, or converting the whole world. Then what is it, Leo finally asked.
Francis answered: Suppose we arrive at the door tonight, soaked with rain, frozen and hungry, and the brother at the gate doesn’t recognize us, calls us frauds, and turns us away into the snow. If we bear that patiently, without anger, thinking lovingly of him, write down, Brother Leo, that there is perfect joy.
This sounds strange to modern ears. We assume joy depends on circumstances going our way. Francis locates it somewhere circumstances cannot reach. It flows from the conviction that God loves us, and no closed door can take that away.
I don’t think Francis was praising suffering. He was describing freedom: the freedom of a person whose peace is no longer held hostage by how the world treats him. That kind of joy is quieter than happiness, and far more durable.
Notice today: Is there a closed door in your life right now? Might joy be waiting on the far side of your response to it?
Perfect joy isn’t found when everything goes right. It is found in how we meet what goes wrong.
At San Damiano: The Joy and the Loneliness, a mid-week retreat for leaders on what we leave behind, and how to change it. More information coming soon.
Day 21 of 31 · 800 Years of St. Francis: A Daily October Companion · spiritualbreak.com
Reflection © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS.
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