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Tweet: @RichardRohrOFM: "You do not think yourself into a new way of living, you live yourself into a new way of thinking." Hakuin: "Zen practice pursued within activity is a million times superior to that pursued in tranquility." Faith itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. Francis didn’t bother questioning Church doctrines and dogmas. He just took the imitation of Christ seriously and tried to live the way that Jesus lived. In The Legend of Perugia, one of the earliest accounts about Francis, he reminds the first friars that they only know as much as they do. His emphasis on action, practice, and lifestyle was foundational and revolutionary for its time and is at the root of Franciscan alternative orthodoxy. Francis and Clare fell in love with the humanity and humility of Jesus. For them, Jesus was someone actually to imitate and not just to worship as divine. The early Franciscan friars and Poor Clares wanted to be gospel practitioners instead of merely “word police,” “inspectors,” or “museum curators” as Pope Francis calls some clergy. Both Francis and Clare offered their rules as a forma vitae, or form of life. They saw orthopraxy (correct practice) as a necessary parallel, and maybe even precedent, to verbal orthodoxy (correct teaching). History has shown that many Christians never get to the practical implications of their beliefs. “Why aren’t you doing what you say you believe?” the prophet invariably asks. Richard Rohr Quote tweet: 10/ Where both men saw each moment ripe with messianic potential and vitality, Shari'ati also conceived this "strait gate" as an immediacy opening upon and stoking dynamic, participatory, revolutionary messianic  activity - a liberation from the status quo of "negative longing."