A Troublesome Friar

Our fifth podcast concerns the period beginning in 1278, when Jacopone is 48 years old and has been a lay tertiary for 10 years. He likes his new life. He likes poverty. He likes chastity. He likes being an itinerant missionary among poor people. He likes praying. He likes doing penance. He likes writing poetry. Sometimes, it’s true, he gets discouraged because he isn’t able to be as perfect as he would like: and furthermore, people’s selfishness depresses him; hypocrisy outrages him; Franciscanism is taking a turn that he doesn’t like; and so is the Catholic Church. But at this moment he has a particular problem: he needs to give himself a more orderly rhythm of life. For this reason he’s keen to be admitted into a friary of Friars Minor where it would be possible to separate and coordinate times for prayer, for meditation and study, for missionary action, for poetry.

Listen to the full podcast below.