St. Francis was always legendary for his radical divestment of all material possessions. And we say all, we do mean all; famously, when he renounced his inheritance, he gave up even his clothing to his father, on the spot, so that the bishop (who was thankfully present) had to cover him with a cloak. Only by embracing this radical poverty, this beloved Lady Poverty, could he fully embrace his Lord, Jesus Christ, Who Himself gave up all His glory to become a man like us.

This love for Lady Poverty was passed to his brothers, as well, and one of them, less than a year after Francis himself went on to glory, wrote this delightful little book. The sacrum commercium, the holy exchange, is an allegorical representation in the grand tradition of medieval allegory, perhaps its finest. St. Francis climbs a mountain after Lady Poverty, who is neglected at the peak; they reach the peak, and Lady Poverty speaks to the friars; they come back down with Lady Poverty with them, ever to live according to her claims.

This little book, a short but moving text, provides a piercing insight into the spirituality of St. Francis, and a great lesson for all living Christians.

Praise be to Christ the King!

Purchase in Print (Latin-English) | PDF (Latin-English) | HTML (Latin) | HTML (English) | UTF-8 (Latin) | UTF-8 (English)