Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi

Joint Journey of Spirituality: Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi

Ed Curran

 

Despite the seven centuries that separate them, Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi seem to have followed identical pathways through their spiritual journeys. What’s more, they also appear to have experienced similar life events along their paths of spiritual calling. They were both ascetic, prayerful, religious, and unique, and didn’t allow criticism from others to divert them from the journey. Today, they are both venerated by people of all faiths as well as by people of no faith at all.

Family of Origin

We know Francis’ father was a cloth merchant, so Francis’ needs were provided for. His family belonged to a growing middle-class group. Gandhi’s family was part of the Vaishyas or middle group in the Hindu caste system. This group was composed of tradesmen and farmers. Gandhi means “grocer.”[1] There is limited knowledge of Francis’ early years, but we know he traveled frequently with his father to France as part of his father’s commercial business.[2] We are also aware that Francis liked to party with his friends. Gandhi was shy socially. Despite warnings from his family about his association with a peer they considered a bad influence, Gandhi defended the friendship and tried to convince his family that he would change the negative behavior of the peer. However, it was his peer who led Gandhi into experimenting with smoking, drinking, and breaching the Hindu diet. He even exposed Gandhi to prostitution.[3]

Military Experience

As with many young men in the medieval times Francis lived in, Francis was outfitted for fighting and went off to the local conflict between Assisi and Perugia. In the battle, Francis was captured and held prisoner for about one year. During this captivity, Francis appears to have been held in a cave in deplorable conditions. Recent research seems to indicate that because of what he witnessed in war as well as experienced as a POW, he may have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, best known as PTSD.[4]

Coincidently, Gandhi is also reported to have suffered PTSD, although for a different reason.[5] While attending to his dying father, the young husband allowed his lust for carnal pleasure to tempt him into abandoning his father in the middle of the night to awaken his pregnant wife for sex. His father died that night, and his wife lost the child. The deaths, as well as the missed opportunity to be with his father in his father’s final moments, devasted Gandhi.

Gandhi did not fight in battle, but he served as an ambulance driver and nurse in both the Boer War and African conflict in South Africa. Gandhi tells us that war was an eye-opener for him. In his autobiography, he states that initially in Africa he believed what the British told them: Black people and, to a lesser extent, brown people were inferior to the white occupiers. Eventually, Gandhi came to believe that all civilizations had much to offer, and no race or nationality was superior.[6] In war, Francis and Gandhi saw many horrors. That was a game changer for each. The military experience for both icons appears to have had such an impact on their spiritual journeys that it would lead them to pacifism for the rest of their lives.

Christian Spirituality

Francis was a practicing Catholic, so his spiritual pathway as a Christian was obvious. Even though Gandhi was raised Hindu, in his family home he had exposure to the sacred texts of various religions. He admitted he was a great admirer of Jesus Christ, particularly with respect to Jesus’ moral teachings as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount.[7] When Gandhi went to London to study law in a Christian country, he was contemplating becoming a Christian. He would later say that he couldn’t find any Christians living there. Nevertheless, he seemed to practice values congruent with Christianity throughout his life.

Embracing Poverty

Francis’ vow of poverty is well documented. When he disowned his father and family, he chose an ascetic lifestyle for himself and forbid his friars to own anything. He believed that the desire to protect possessions led to fighting for them.[8] Consequently, he and the friars became mendicants for food and lodging. Along with economic poverty, Francis also chose poverty of spirit. He attributed all accomplishments to the Lord. On his deathbed, Francis asked that all his clothes be removed so he could return to the Lord in the flesh, the same way he came into the world.

As a lawyer, Gandhi could have earned sufficient funds for a comfortable lifestyle for himself and his family. Instead, they lived on an ashram, a Tolstoy community farm, where they shared all resources.[9] When he traveled, he always went third class on the train. Rather than a professional attire of suit and tie, his dress was that of a poor farmer. He, like Francis, practiced humility, never thinking he was better than anyone else. Also like Francis, Gandhi died with no money, no property, and no valuables.

Epiphany / Mystical Experience

Francis’ initial mystical experience was on the road to Spoleto as he was returning to battle. He heard a voice questioning him about serving two masters.[10] The voice instructed him to return home, which he did by leaving the military. Later, while praying in San Damiano Church, he heard another voice telling him to “rebuild my church.” He responded literally by gathering stones and rebuilding several churches. Subsequently, he had a mystical experience during an interaction with a leper. Thereafter, he focused on a life of serving others, which included bathing the wounds of lepers.

Gandhi experienced two epiphanies. He first left his family to study law in London. He did obtain a law degree, but London was a learning epiphany for him in so many areas. Examples include comparative religion, politics, nutrition, economics, health, and other fields of study that would lead him to new horizons. In the years to come, he would travel to South Africa to serve others utilizing this learning, including in the advancement of major class action lawsuits.[11] Just as Francis served others in a leper colony, Gandhi became an ambulance driver and nursed wounded soldiers in South Africa. He was honored for risking his life to serve all wounded, regardless upon which side they fought.[12]

Fellowship/Ecumenism

Francis’ initial group of friars consisted of twelve men who received approval from Pope Innocent III. This small group was expanded so the comradery and fellowship would eventually reach all Europe and the world. Francis sent his friars in teams of two to preach God’s message. The fellowship concept was further extended to women by way of an order of nuns called the Poor Clares and, later, to lay Franciscans, both male and female. Gandhi’s initially formed fellowship was within the ashram where he resided. As he advocated for many through his class action lawsuits and his political activities, that fellowship spread in South Africa and throughout India. It broadened for race and religion.

Even though Francis lived before the Protestant Reformation, the mutual respect he shared with Sultan al Malik al-Kamil of Egypt during their interreligious dialogue demonstrated trust and openness characteristic of future ecumenism. The result of their encounter led to admiration of each other’s faith. Francis returned to his order of friars and implemented a prayer schedule borrowing from the five-times-daily model practiced by their Islamic brothers and sisters. The Sultan’s admiration for Francis showed in his allowing Francis to travel safely in the Holy Lands controlled by Muslims. A fellowship continues today with Franciscans as custodians in places of Christian worship in Muslim territory.[13]

Gandhi demonstrated ecumenism at the community farm where he, other Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived. He established a prayer time in which each faith group took turns reading from their sacred texts. Through this activity, interfaith fellowship was promoted.

Passive Resistance / Satyagraha (Truth Force)

Richard Rohr, in Eager to Love,[14] tells us that Francis essentially started a pre–Protestant Reformation. During that period, many Catholics were uninspired by the church leadership and direction. Francis rejuvenated the spirit within followers of Christ by showing them what Jesus was telling us in the scriptures. Francis challenged authority in a respectful manner since he did not wish to foment anarchy. One example was his protest of the Fifth Crusade, in which he obtained plenary indulgences for Catholics within Italy, so they didn’t have to go to the Holy Lands to fight. By doing so, he prevented some killings of other human beings.

Gandhi also challenged authority with no intention of overthrowing the establishment. His goal was to change unjust laws. He even said it was one’s duty to protest unjust laws.[15] Gandhi’s protest movement was called Satyagraha, which means “truth force.” Examples of it were his famous salt march to the sea for the purpose of objecting to tax on a basic subsistence item; his call to khadi—that is: to boycott overpriced English-industry fabrics for clothing and, instead, buy or make Indian fabrics; and his “Quit India” campaign to force England to grant independence. Gandhi was cognizant that all these movements violated the established order, so he willingly accepted imprisonment. He spent six years of his life incarcerated in India and almost one year in South Africa.

Body and Soul / Bramacharaya

Francis identified with Christ’s agony by neglecting and abusing his own body, which he termed “brother ass.”[16] He did this so he could be closer to the Lord. Fasting and eating only small portions when he did eat allowed him to relate spiritually to Christ’s suffering on the cross. He would throw his body into the cold snow to avoid temptations of the flesh. His behavior contributed to many medical problems, including GI issues, malaria, TB, and even total blindness. At the end of his life, he needed assistance with all activities of daily living.

Gandhi assumed a different posture in caring for corporal needs. He studied nursing and nutrition, and exercised regularly. This enabled him to be in excellent physical condition right up to the time of his assassination. He, like Francis, did fast, but he fasted scientifically with a strategy to win over others to a belief. He believed in Brahmacharya, which is “self-control.”[17] This philosophy signifies that by carefully selecting all food going into the mouth, one essentially controls the thoughts, words, and behaviors that come out.

Spiritual Confidants

Francis was known to have special relationships with a select few friars. Clare, known as Chiara, meaning “light,”[18] also had a special bond with Francis. Her own vocation of the religious life, for which she left nobility and wealth, was to follow the example of Francis. However, she also served as a consultant for Francis in guidance and spiritual direction.

Gandhi had two male secretaries in whom he confided, but his main support was his wife Kasturba. However, there was an incident in the ashram when Kasturba refused to take her turn cleaning toilets used by Dalits / untouchable class. Gandhi dragged her to the edge of the farm and discharged her to the streets, recognizing she’d have no support system given that her family would not take her back. He soon realized his behavior was in conflict with his evolving beliefs and reconsidered. Gandhi and Kasturba would eventually become one in a spiritual union. She died before he was killed. Gandhi described her passing as losing part of his soul.[19]

Authors / Preaching the Word / Truth

We know Francis wrote the Canticle of the Creatures.[20] This beautiful poetry is a testament to creation, ecology, and the importance of seeing how the entire universe is one. In addition, he has left us the Rule of 1221 and the Rule of 1223, which essentially are guides to imitating Christ.[21] These rules help friars minister to others and preach the word of God. Seeing Jesus’ death on the cross through the lens of love, Francis inspired many through this nuanced interpretation of the Bible.

Gandhi wrote Hind Swaraj,[22] which means “home rule.” The central theme in this writing was to encourage his fellow Indians to cleanse themselves spiritually before petitioning England for independence / home rule. His advice grew out of his belief at the time that India was not yet ready for self-government and needed self-change. Gandhi wrote about his own shortcomings in his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Gandhi felt God is truth and truth is God. He said, “all truths are partial [to us] because we can’t know everything.”[23] He would later go on to develop a newsletter. This was printed in his native Jurat language as well as in English, so people within his country and around the world could read it. One might say he did his preaching of word through this format. Gandhi expected feedback from the newsletter readers. His purpose was to have a dialog, so they could discover the truth together.

Conclusion

As one travels along the path of Francis and Gandhi, one discovers a joined journey of spiritual awakening. Exploring these journeys of a simple life, one sees that because they had nothing, they had nothing to fear. They both arrived at the same destination, which allowed them to pursue a path connecting with a higher power, be content, have peace of mind, and promote peace for others. Francis said “it is better to suffer for peace than triumph through violence.”[24] Gandhi echoed these sentiments when he cautioned others that maintaining one’s dignity is paramount, because then one won’t even fear death.[25]  

Despite Francis’ journey happening in the thirteenth century and Gandhi’s occurring in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, Francis and Gandhi can serve as models for us today. If we try to minimize our wants and needs, we may find that in emulating a simple lifestyle, we will join them and find new meaning in life. Our mission in life might change, but as we travel this new spiritual journey, we may also discover their same inner peace.