St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the Catholic Church's most beloved saints. He is known for his love of animals and the poor, as well as the peace prayer that is usually attributed to him (but cannot be traced back farther than 1912). While St. Francis no doubt was an ardent lover of nature, supporter of the poor, and advocate for peace, these sanitized sentimentalities have somewhat obscured the man whose love above all was for God and His Church. Many stories of St. Francis are legendary - how he was told by God to rebuild His church, his taming of a wolf outside the town of Gubbio, and his gift of the stigmata, to name of few. But let's look at a couple lesser known stories of St. Francis in honor of his upcoming feast day on October 4th.

One day three robbers showed up on the Franciscans' doorstep asking for food. The brother who answered recognized them and sent them away. When Francis learned of this, he admonished the brother and sent him out to find the robbers and eat with them. The three robbers repented of their ways and joined the Franciscans. This was characteristic of Francis's generosity, turning away no fellow man because they were all made in the image of God.

Francis lived through the 5th Crusade, and in 1219, he and a fellow Franciscan traveled to Egypt in the aftermath of a terrible defeat for the Crusaders. Francis did not go to fight, but to convert the Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik al-Kâmil. The journey into enemy territory meant a high likelihood of martyrdom, but that did not deter Francis. Upon approaching the enemy, they were immediately overtaken and beaten, but not killed. They were taken to the sultan, who took a liking to Francis. During his time with the sultan, Francis repeatedly preached the Gospel in an attempt to convert him. He also offered to test the veracity of the Catholic and Muslim religions through trial by fire. Though the sultan did not convert to Christianity, he was reportedly impressed with Francis's faith. He tried to send Francis away laden with lavish gifts, which the humble and simple Franciscan characteristically refused. Francis did eventually accept an ivory horn as a gift, which is still displayed in Assisi at the Basilica of St. Francis. May we all have the strength the evangelize with the same zeal Francis did, even in the face of almost certain martyrdom!

Francis loved the Eucharist; in fact, he often referred to the Blessed Sacrament in the most explicit terms possible - "the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ" - to emphasize Its truth. He urged priests to continually encourage the faithful to receive the Eucharist, calling on them to "tell the people of the need to do penance, impressing on them that no one can be saved unless he receives the Body and Blood of our Lord.” He is not only calling for reception of the Eucharist, but also emphasizing the necessity of repentance, acknowledging that the faithful must be in a state of grace to receive the Body and Blood. Francis also encouraged the faithful to "show great reverence for the clergy, not just for them personally, for they may be sinners, but because of their high office, for it is they who administer the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rather than paint the popular image of Francis as an anti-authoritarian reformer bent on undermining the medieval church hierarchy, this quote shows his great esteem for the clergy and their duties. His deep love for the Eucharist is also apparent is this excerpt from a letter to his order:

Let everyone be struck with fear,
let the whole world tremble,
and the heavens exult
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity!
O sublime humility!
O humble sublimity!

St. Francis in the modern world has been co-opted by all sorts of groups who have turned him into a hero for their cause - an anti-authoritarian, an environmentalist, a pantheist, a proto-hippie. While these depictions may contain a sliver of truth, the real Francis is often overlooked in them. Yes, he loved animals and the environment, and called us to be good stewards of the earth, but not for their sake and not for our sake; rather, he knew them to be God's creation and therefore deserving of proper respect. Yes, he lived a simple life and showed concern for the poor, but once again, not for the sake of some political ideology but because they were God's creation. Rich or poor, he attended not just to someone's material needs, but more importantly, their spiritual needs, understanding rightly that those were preeminent. And he was certainly not a pantheist. He was a true and fervent follower of the Gospel, which made him a lover of humanity and a beacon for the one true faith, which he boldly proclaimed. So, on his feast day, let us pray to St. Francis for proper concern for God's creation and a true desire to follow the Gospel in all its commands. 

By Anna Neal