History of St. Francis of Assisi, 12th century ----- In a world facing an epidemic of poverty and all the political, social, and cultural problems that accompany it, how are we to respond? Jesus told one man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. To another, he criticized the suggestion to give money to the poor. How do we balance the Bible's expectation of Christ as the one that will end poverty with our instruction to participate in that process now? As we ask these questions, we'll look at Saint Francis of Assisi as an example of someone who re-oriented the monastic movement toward deeper involvement with the issues of poverty in his day. We'll end with questions about our own attitudes toward poverty locally and globally.