Perennial Wisdom
Perennial Wisdom is a podcast for seekers and curious minds. Each episode explores philosophical and spiritual traditions for universal truths and enduring ideas to help you (and me) never stop learning how to live.
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St. Francis on the Paradox of Joy
In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi to uncover a countercultural and liberating truth: true joy is not found in comfort, success, or status—but in humility, simplicity, and love.
Today’s meditation encourages releasing worldly desires and demands to find joy through surrender. Whether you're experiencing success or struggle, it provides a way to access a deeper, lasting joy—one that cannot be taken away by external circumstances.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube
Episode Transcript
The following is a transcript from “St. Francis on the Paradox of Joy” from the Perennial Wisdom podcast (Ep. 245).
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Today, we journey with St. Francis of Assisi—the saint of simplicity, the lover of birds and brother sun—and we sit with one simple, yet powerful idea:
Perfect joy is not found in success or comfort, but in humility and love.
Now, granted that may sound strange. Paradoxical. Maybe even unappealing.
But stay with me.
You see, St. Francis didn’t define joy the way the world usually does. He didn’t seek it in admiration, recognition, or pleasure. He found it in letting go.
In descent, not ascent. In being emptied of pride—so that he could be filled with grace.
Let’s begin with this moment from his life—recorded in The Little Flowers of St. Francis, a collection of stories and sayings preserved by his early companions.
St. Francis is walking with his friend, Brother Leo, down a cold muddy road in winter. They’re soaked. Hungry. Shivering.
And St. Francis turns to Leo and says:
Brother, if we arrive at the monastery and they turn us away—if they shout at us, strike us, and refuse us shelter… and if we bear all of this with patience and without complaint, thinking of the sufferings of Christ—then, write this down, Brother Leo: this is perfect joy.
Now imagine that. Joy in being rejected?
In being misunderstood?
In being humiliated?
St. Francis isn’t saying we should seek out suffering. He’s saying: true joy comes when nothing can rob us of peace because joy that depends on circumstances is always fragile.
Let me ask you this, as we reflect together:
What do you believe you need to be joyful?
What stories do you tell yourself?
“If I could just get the job…” or “If I had more money… more time… more praise…”
But St. Francis invites us into a different world. One where joy isn’t earned or acquired—but received.
He writes:
Where there is poverty with joy, there is neither cupidity nor avarice.
That’s the paradox: the more we let go, the more joy we experience.
St. Francis gave everything away—not to punish himself, but to be free. Free from clinging. Free from comparison. Free from the ego that always wants more.
And when he let go of everything… he discovered everything.
His joy came from living simply. From praising God in sparrows and sunrises and scraps of bread. He didn’t need the world to applaud him—because he had awakened to the miracle of existence itself.
As he wrote in his Canticle of the Creatures:
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Brother Sun… through whom You give us light.
This kind of joy doesn’t ignore suffering. It transforms it. It doesn’t deny hardship. It simply refuses to be defined by it.
And above all, this kind of joy doesn’t wait for everything to be perfect to know peace.
As St. Francis stressed to his followers:
Let us therefore desire nothing else. Let us wish for nothing else. Let nothing else please us and cause us delight—except our Creator and Redeemer and Savior.
So maybe the invitation is simple: Let go. If that sounds like too much of a stretch. Consider simply loosening your grip…
Release the need to be admired. The need to be right. The need to win.
And instead, say yes to what is. To the present moment. To the slow, sacred work of becoming who you are.
This, at least according to St. Francis, is the path of perfect joy.
Reflection Prompts
Have you ever wondered how much of your happiness comes from being seen, approved, or successful? Imagine what it might feel like to let go of those things—would it bring more peace or freedom?
Can you envision “perfect joy” not simply as comfort, but as a profound, steady peace in God — even during challenging times?
What small act of humility or surrender might help you feel closer to that joy today?
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Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well.
J.W.
P.S. If you enjoyed it, consider leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Brings to mind Epictetus’ quote: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants”.
Bona Verba