In his blog, DatingGod.org: Franciscan Spirituality for the 21st Century, Br. Dan Horan, OFM, expounds on a modern take on the richness of the tradition of St. Francis. Francis was no animal-loving hippy. Rather, he was a much deeper Saint with a passion for justice, the earth, and all of creation.

Br. Dan likens a relationship with God to dating — learning more about a person through your relationship with them. If we remove the sexual and amorous side of dating and focus on the “getting to know you” part, there is an opportunity for us to have deep union with God — even deeper than we might expect to have with anyone else. A book by the same name is well worth a read.