St. Francis

Today, because it is the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi instead of Sunday of Ordinary Time. St. Francis is amongst the Church’s most famous and beloved saints, but how much do people actually know about him? People know that he is the patron saint of animals, and that he did a lot to take care of the poor, but how many people know the rest of his story?

Francis was born of a noble family in Italy in the 1300’s. Growing up, he lived a life of luxury, giving into many of the ways of the world. One day, though, while he was in a local chapel, he heard a voice calling out to him, “Francis, rebuild my church.” At first, he thought the voice meant the church building, which admittedly was falling into a state of disrepair. But as he got to work, the voice called out again, “Francis, rebuild my church.” This time, he realized the voice was God, calling him to do something else.

From that day forward, Francis renounced his title and his wealth. He founded what would become the Franciscan Order and dedicated himself to preaching the Gospel and calling for reforms of the Church. These reforms centered not around changing the Church but calling Christians, clergy and laity alike, back to authentic living of the Gospel life. 

He took the Gospel to various countries and nations around Europe, even travelling as far as Baghdad in Iraq to proclaim the Gospel to the khalif. He both called others to live the Christian life as well as lived it intensely himself, once even jumping into a thorn bush just to avoid an impure glance at a woman. So intense was his dedication to Jesus that he would eventually receive the Stigmata, the wounds of Jesus Christ. 

May we ask St. Francis of Assisi to pray for us and help us to find that same dedication to Jesus, so that we, like him, may help change the world around us!