Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-10/4/1226) was born into a well-off family unit at Assisi, Italy, the son of a wealthy merchant named Pietro di Bernardone. Francis received little formal education and during his formative years. As an adolescent, he was all the rage, attractive, appealing and was mostly preoccupied in having fun; enjoying practical jokes and was usually the central source of entertainment of the party. Francis was brought up in luxury and cheerfulness. He spent a substantial segment of his possessions in wasteful pleasures. He used to drink with the young princes of the land.

Once Francis was teasing and laughing with his friends. A beggar came along crying for alms. Francis was so sympathetic and kindhearted that he gave whatever he had in his pocket to the homeless person. His companions poked fun at him for his benevolent act. The sight of the beggar set him pondering about the poor quality and wretchedness of mundane life. He gave a great deal money to the poor. His father considered this act of Francis as waste of money and berated him.

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Sometime after this, a battle broke out amid the men of Assisi and a neighboring city in 1202. Francis volunteered for it, but got captured after the first battle and exhausted a year in imprisonment. On his return to Assisi and was hailed as a hero. But during the course of his captivity he had undergone a reformation and reconstruction of character and outlook. Although he was once again picking up the tab In his social circles and parties, he was now questioning his reason for continuation. After sufficient consideration, including clear dreams and spiritualist mental pictures, he turned away all worldly gratifications, sold all his property and donated the money to the Church. He then began an enduring fervor of compassion for the sick and poor.

Later on, Francis was laid up in bed for many months on account of some serious disease. This experience of sickness was also instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. Eventually the Lord put aside his sickness, as he had to accomplish a significant undertaking in his life.. Francis meditated and pleaded to the Peer of the realm for control and direction as to his future. He had a vision of Lord Jesus. He had a strong strength of mind to abandon and relinquish his previous fashion of livelihood, to stride a life of wholesomeness and spotlessness and to contribute his life to the overhaul of civilization.

Francis' father turned him out of the house. Dissatisfied with his life, he turned to prayer and service to the poor, and in 1206 he publicly renounced his father's wealth. One account says that "He not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. He declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor." His old friends even pelted him with stones and mud. Francis lived the life of a beggar and bore everything with staying power and lack of complaint. He wore a unrefined costumes and consumed minimal food.

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In his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. Lepers were kept at a space and looked upon with horror and revulsion. Francis cared for them, nourished them, suffused their sores, and kissed them. Since he could not pay for the conservation to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones of no use in fields, shaping them for use in patching up the church. He got his food, not by begging for money so that he might live at the expenditure of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in food rather than in money. Soon a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him:

" Let me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them...."

After three years, in 1210, the Pope sanctioned the structuring of the Order of Friars Minor, generally called the Franciscans. St. Francis collected many followers. The members of this Order had to take a vow of poverty, chastity, love and obedience. The gospel of kindness and love of Francis soon spread all over Europe and earned for him the name of St. Francis. Francis and his companions took the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10):

"Preach as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment; give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff."

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The priests would have no wealth, and no material goods, independently or communally. Their undertaking was to speak, but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ.

Back in his own homeland and neighboring countries, many people were genuinely fascinated and captivated by Francis and his desertion, and self-determination. What is unnoticed is that these were made possible only by his readiness and enthusiasm to acknowledge complete poverty, not appealing poverty but real filth, mud, rags, freezing, and food shortage, and lepers with real pus oozing from their wounds and a authentic threat of disease. Numerous unrealistic young people were joining the Order in a rupture of eagerness and then finding themselves uncertain that such edges of poverty were absolutely compulsory and indispensable but the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them.

From the first known letter from Francis to all Christians:

" Let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neighbors as ourselves.