Franciscan San Francisco

Franciscan San Francisco

Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in hear, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10

Who was St. Francis?

One of the most beloved of all Catholic saints, St. Francis was born to a wealthy cloth merchant at Assisi in Umbria. the Gospel of the day told how the disciples of Christ were to possess neither gold nor silver, nor scrip for their journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff, and that they were to exhort sinners to repentance and announce the Kingdom of God. Francis took these words as if spoken directly to himself, and so soon as Mass was over threw away the poor fragment left him of the world’s goods, his shoes, cloak, pilgrim staff, and empty wallet. At last he had found his vocation. Having obtained a coarse woolen tunic of "beast colour", the dress then worn by the poorest Umbrian peasants, and tied it round him with a knotted rope, Francis went forth at once exhorting the people of the country-side to penance, brotherly love, and peace. Living humbly amongst the poor and according to the Beatitudes.

Who was St. Clare?

St. Clare is said to be the first Franciscan woman, belonging to the second Franciscan order, the Poor Clare’s or the Poor Ladies. In 1212 the heiress from Assisi left her father’s home to join the friars in their ministry. St. Francis cut off her hair, dressed her in minorite habit and she then received her life of poverty and penance and seclusion, where other woman began to join her following and became later the Poor ladies now known as the Poor Clares.

What is Beat Attitude?

Beat attitude comes from Beatitude, as Rob gives numerous examples of in Beattitudes Beattitudes. Allen Ginsberg’s Dharma Bums, Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America and countless other works from many writers and poets also allude to the same idea of beat attitude.

The idea as I understand it stems directly from St. Francis’ interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, where the Beatitudes derived. To live in poverty in order to understand the truths and the realities of life, spreading love, a message and living a righteous life in search of enlightenment.

In an 1986 interview by Jonah Raskin for American Stream Allen Ginsberg says,

We [Beats] got the bottom-up vision of society. We saw wealth and power from the point of view of down-and -out people in the street. That’s what the Beat Generation was about-being down- and -out, and about having a sense of beatitude too . . . don’t wait to be discovered. Discover yourself. Publish your own work and circulate your work.

Ginsberg (1986)

The Beats spread their message and lived their life in search of enlightenment as they remembered the “meek” and lived among the poor, uninterested in living a life of luxury but more concerned with community and self discovery. Jack Kerouac hit the nail right on the head when he said,

Beat doesn’t mean tired, or bushed, so much as it means ‘beato,’ the Italian for beatific: to be in a state of beatitude, like Saint Francis, trying to love all life, trying to be utterly sincere, practicing endurance, kindness, cultivating joy of heart. How can this be done in our mad modern world of multiplicities and millions? By practicing a little solitude, going off by yourself once in a while to store up that most precious of golds: the vibrations of sincerity.

Kerouac (1958)

-Loren