St. Francis of Assisi

Hey there everyone! I took a day off #40daysofsaints to bring you a giveaway for Oofos yesterday! Check it out here if you haven't already. Also, I don't know if you noticed but Sundays are not included in Lent so I will not be posting on Sundays and if I do, it will not be a part of #40daysofsaints. Today, we are talking about St. Francis. I figured that we haven't talked about many men and there are plenty holy ones so let's talk about St. Francis of Assisi.

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Francis was born the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi (a town in Italy) around the year 1181. He was wealthy and lived the life of the rich and famous as a young man. He loved showy display and is said to have been a favorite individual amongst young nobles of Assisi. He was such a happy individual and a born leader. People loved him dearly. As a young adult, he was involved in wild parties. He is said by Thomas of Celano (his biographer) that, "he attracted to himself a whole retinue of young people addicted to evil and accustomed to vice" (source).

Francis loved to party but he wanted more. He wanted to be known as a knight and a hero. He knew that battle was the best place to win the glory and prestige in which he desired. Assisi declared war on a near by town of Perugia and Francis finally got his chance. Many of the troops were killed and the wealthy soldiers were taken prisoner to be held for ransom. It is believed from those who were with him that Francis never lost his happy manner while being imprisoned for an entire year. He was chained in a dark dungeon for one year and he remained still unchanged. He continue to party as much as before he went away to war.

He still had the deep desire for glory. The call for knights for the fourth crusade gave him the chance to meet the glory he so strongly wanted. Before Francis left, he put on his suit of armor decorated with gold and his magnificent cloak. Being the son of a wealthy farmer, he also took a horse. Francis left Assisi and one day's ride away, he had a dream. In his dream, he saw a vast hall hung with armour all marked with the cross. He was then told by God that he had it all wrong and was to return home to Assisi. Francis returned home and never made it to battle.

When he returned home, he spent more time in prayer, went to a cave and wept for forgiveness for his sins. One day he came across a leper, instinctively repelled with disgust, he embraced the man and gave him all the money he had. Francis was filled with joy.

Story from Catholic Online: His search for conversion led him to the ancient church at San Damiano. While he was praying there, he heard Christ on the crucifix speak to him, "Francis, repair my church." Francis assumed this meant church with a small c -- the crumbling building he was in. Acting again in his impetuous way, he took fabric from his father's shop and sold it to get money to repair the church. His father saw this as an act of theft -- and put together with Francis' cowardice, waste of money, and his growing disinterest in money made Francis seem more like a madman than his son. Pietro dragged Francis before the bishop and in front of the whole town demanded that Francis return the money and renounce all rights as his heir.

The bishop was very kind to Francis; he told him to return the money and said God would provide. That was all Francis needed to hear. He not only gave back the money but stripped off all his clothes -- the clothes his father had given him -- until he was wearing only a hair shirt. In front of the crowd that had gathered he said, "Pietro Bernardone is no longer my father. From now on I can say with complete freedom, 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" Wearing nothing but castoff rags, he went off into the freezing woods -- singing. And when robbers beat him later and took his clothes, he climbed out of the ditch and went off singing again. From then on Francis had nothing...and everything.

Francis went back and repaired the San Damiano church with his the work of his own hands. Eventually Francis realized that God wanted him to repair his Church --not in the building sense. Francis began to preach. Soon, others wanted to join Francis in the way he lived (sleeping in the open, begging for garbage to eat and loving God). Francis' brotherhood included individuals from all walks of life. There are so many great stories about Francis preaching to birds, another about Francis preaching to a wolf that had been eating human beings. Francis followed the Gospel literally sending his brothers out to preach two by two.

Francis never tried to abolish poverty, he made it holy. Francis and his companions were barefoot beggars wearing sacks and constantly filled with the joy of the Lord, celebrating the gift of life. People began asking themselves, “Could one be happy and own nothing?”

Francis’ order grew to 5000 in ten years. The order experienced a lot of pressure from outside control which made the order conform to the standards of others who believed Francis’ idea of radical poverty was too harsh. Francis gave up authority of the order.

Francis’ final years were filled with suffering as he prayed to share in Christ’s passion. Francis experienced stigmata (marks of the nails and the lance wound that Christ suffered) in his own body. After years of wandering, he became ill and began to go blind. He never recovered from his illness and died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders.

Feast Day: October 4

Patron Saint of animals, merchants and ecology

Prayer to St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

That's all for today,