Preach the Gospel Always: What Would Francis Do?

It is common in this day and age to hear St Francis of Asissi's famous quote:

"Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words."

While it underscores the undeniable importance of integrity in our life and words, the quote has never seemed to reflect the biblical perspective or balance regarding the relationship between the two. The gap between the biblical emphasis and Francis' quote caused me to feel a twinge of discomfort each time I heard it pulled out to emphasize the importance of our life, while minimizing the importance of our words.

But now I learn that Francis never said this, nor did he live it. It seems that biographer (and CT Today editor) Mark Galli sets the record straight in his article, Speak the Gospel: Use Deeds When Necessary.

A couple of quotes from the article:

First, no biography written within the first 200 years of his death contains the saying. It's not likely that a pithy quote like this would have been missed by his earliest disciples.

Second, in his day, Francis was known as much for his preaching as for his lifestyle.

The point is this: Francis was a preacher. And the type of preacher who would alarm us today. "Hell, fire, brimstone" would not be an inaccurate description of his style.

And his conclusion:

That being said, a better saying (which you can attribute to anyone you like) is this: Preach the gospel—use actions when necessary; use words always.