The Cloister of the Universe

Last updated on: January 9, 2017 at 11:50 pm by Kyle Cupp

The Cloister of the Universe 2017-01-09T23:50:05-05:00 Kyle Cupp

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In her book, The Humility of God, Ilia Delio illustrates what it would mean to believe in a God who is complete, self-giving love:

What would the world be like if Christians actually believed in a humble God? If following a God of poverty and humility led them to abandon their opinions, prejudices, and judgments so they could be more open to love others where they are, like God? Francis went about the world following the footprints of Christ, not so he could look like Christ, but because they were the footprints of divine humility. He discovered that God descends in love to meet us where we are and he found God in the most unexpected forms: the disfigured flesh of a leper, the complaints of a brother, the radiance of the sun, in short, the cloister of the universe. The wisdom of Francis makes us realize that God loves us in our incomplete humanity even though we are always running away trying to rid ourselves of defects, wounds and brokenness. If we could only see that God is there in the cracks of our splintered human lives we would already be healed.

What would a society influenced by this Christian perspective look like?

Image: “St. Francis Kissing the Leper” by Genece Cupp

Kyle Cupp is the author of Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Quotes

Theology

Ilia Delio

St. Francis of Assisi

The Humility of God

Previous Post

November 24, 2014

Preparing for Advent (Patheos Book Club)

Next Post

November 25, 2014 To Fight Racism, Change the System

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Confessions Culture Current Events Family Life Hermeneutics Humor LEGO Sets Mindless Monday Question Personal Philosophy Policy Politics and Society Quotes Religion in Pop Culture Series Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many friends came to speak with Job?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Two Three Five Four