St. Francis of Assisi
By Timothy Boyd-Wilson
To look at St. Francis and his life and achievement is to make anyone realize that here was a galvanic personality. He was a person who functioned at different levels and styles. He must have been deeply reflective. There were many occasions which he spent in seclusion. But there were others when he was highly active both physically (for example, begging for stones and carting them to ruined chapels which he restored), and spiritually, preaching and searching out the poor and needy and helping them. He increasingly worked with lepers at the several lazars in and around Assisi. His preaching was truly charismatic and, it is clear, that to have a conversation with him was to be swept up in admiration and respect for his views about life and the life of Our Lord.
He was born in 1181 and in 1202 he left home (about 21 years old). He and his father had an unsatisfactory relationship and he left home to become a soldier. In a conflict against the city of Perugia, he was taken prisoner. It seems that he became very ill during the year he was in prison, but this caused him to reassess his life and when released, he went into a period of penitence solitude in the countryside around Assisi. This period lasted about two years and may have been what awoke him to the wonder and love of God's creation - for which he is famous. It was also during that time that he increasingly grew to love humanity, especially those whom he could help and to whom he could show the Lord's love. As he emerged gradually from reclusiveness he travelled the country widely, preaching and helping the poor and helpless. He also attracted several men who had a similar vocation, and by 1209 felt the need to compose a simple rule for them all to follow. The next year, on April 16th, 1210, the Pope, Innocent III, authorized them as an Order - The Order of Friars Minor, centred on The Porziuncola, a district of Assisi. In the following year, through the power of his preaching, he caused a noblewoman, Clare of Assisi, to find her vocation and form a community, now known as the Poor Clares. Soon after that, a community was formed for lay people and clergy who could not leave their homes or work, but who chose to live according to The Rule of the Friars but without taking vows. This group is now known as the Second Franciscan Order.
During this time and in the subsequent years the Order attracted more and more vocations, and houses of the friars were opened in many parts of Italy. This also applied to the Poor Clares, and to the Second Franciscan Order. Francis had deep humility, but he also must have had huge magnetism. He never ceased to convey his complete love of our Lord, but also conveyed the Lord's love for every person. He was like a second John the Baptist. It showed in the habit he adopted - the roughest habit with a cord around the waist and never anything but a purse for his possessions. He was never ordained a priest, though in later life he was ordained a deacon.
In 1219 he decided to go abroad and contact the Muslim world. This was perhaps stimulated by the 5th Crusade, which by then was fighting an inconclusive war with the Sultan of Egypt. The army was encamped beside Damietta, a town on the Nile delta a little bit East of Alexandria. The Sultan and his army were situated south of Damietta. Francis and a companion arrived there and after a short time crossed the Muslim lines. After a day or two they were received by the Sultan. They spent a couple of days with him and were permitted to preach to the Muslims. After that, they returned to the Christian Army unharmed. It is not known what they discussed with the sultan except that they were graciously received. Some later sources say that the Sultan gave permission for the friars to visit sacred places in the Holy Land and even to preach there. All that is known is that they left for Acre (on the coast near Jerusalem) and spent a few months in the Holy Land. Consequent on that visit, the Franciscans have been present in the Holy Land almost uninterruptedly since 1219. (They also received concessions from The Mameluke Sultan in 1333 over certain places in Jerusalem). Francis and his companion embarked for Italy from Acre in mid-1220.
As soon as he returned Francis found that there was a need to reorganize the Order. It had become so much larger with "provinces" in parts of Italy and in France, Germany, and Spain, too. So, he felt a need to write a new Rule - called The First Rule - restating the intention to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, with poverty, seeking out the poor and needy, and, of course, preaching. He then decided to hand over the running of the order to Brother Peter Catani and then secluded himself and travelled widely in Italy. Brother Peter died soon after he took over the Order and Brother Elias succeeded him. Two years later, in September 1223, Francis felt the need to further modify the Rule. This repeated the aims of the Order and set out with more clarity the rules for joining it. This was called the Second Rule. After that, he separated himself further from the Order to travel far afield in Italy, preaching and working with the poor. He was reaching the later stages of his life and his health was deteriorating; He was suffering from trachoma and was probably undernourished. Even though he was only aged about 45 years, his life- style and extreme exertion no doubt shortened his life.
In early 1224 on the Mountain of Verna (southeast of Florence) he was undergoing 40 days fast in preparation for the feast of Michaelmas on Sept. 29th, when he had a vision. This was on Sept.13th, The Exaltation of the Cross, and during which he received the Stigmata. This was clearly and simply recorded by a brother Leo, who was with him during that time. This was the first occurrence of a Stigmata in the church's history. (Not surprisingly, there is now a Franciscan Sanctuary at that place).
For the next two years Francis travelled to several cities trying to obtain medical help for his suffering from the stigmata and from the trachoma, but to no avail. In the end he was taken back to Assisi and stayed in a small cell close to The Porziuncola where he died a short while later Oct.4th 1226. His life had been given to Our Lord. All the work and effort that he expended had been for The Lord. "What you have done to one of these, you have done to me".
When we examine his life, it is amazing how it is still "present” - not eight hundred years ago. Perhaps it is because of the devotion he had to God's creation - a matter very present to our minds now. Perhaps because he also reached out to the Muslim world - a reaching out that Pope Francis has also done - also perhaps because Pope Francis exhorts us to turn our attention to the fringe parts of our populations - the under-represented, the poor, the marginalized. It is reported that when Pope Francis had just been elected, his friend, Cardinal Claudio Hummes from Brazil, said “Please do not forget the poor." Immediately, the new Pope decided that he would take the name of "Francis". It was the first time that a Pope had taken that name.
Not quite two years later, - on July 16th, 1228, - Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX.
On June 18th, 1939, Pope Pius XII named him Patron of Italy along with St Catherine of Siena.
On Nov.29th 1979 Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the patron saint of Ecology.
He is the Patron of many dioceses around the world.
Many churches outside Catholicism have also adopted St Francis - various Orders, communities, and dioceses.
