Renunciation, when real, is powerful. On a recent trip to Assisi, Italy I studied the life and teachings of St. Francis – a much beloved mystic in the Franciscan line. Because he was filled so totally with love for the supreme living being, God, he wanted nothing from this world. He lived simply and austerely with both the realization of seeing God everywhere and the longing in his heart to be with Him.
Such extraordinary renunciation gives us a glimpse of another world, another reality. The 6 Goswamis of Vrindavan are examples of renunciation in the Bhakti line. They practiced as did St. Francis – fully facing the Lord and full giving back to the world.
The renunciation of one means the enlightenment of many. Thus, true renunciation is a gift to those of us still locked into our little lives. Here is a poem I wrote in Assisi:
The giving of everything
Means the having of nothing
And the having of everything
In the heart of Assisi
We felt the heart of Saint Francis
In simplicity and poverty
His arms wide open
We are all poor
Until we are rich
In other ways
The generosity of renunciation
Spilled into our lives in Assisi
We gathered drops
In the cobbled pathways
of our soul
To keep and give to others
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