One of the most widely known and venerated Catholic saints, Saint Francis of Assisi, was born in central Italy in the 12th Century. He was one of the seven children of Pietro di Bernardone, a wealthy silk merchant, and Pica de Bourlemont, a noblewoman. Life as a youth was easy, carefree and indulgent for Saint Francis given his family’s business success. At age twenty, he was all set for a promising military career and fought as a soldier in an expedition. Two years later, he returned to Assisi and in the following year, he had a serious illness, which also caused him a spiritual crisis. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome, where he experienced begging with the poor at St. Peter’s Basilica. That moment started to change his view on life of poverty. Upon his return to Assisi, he began preaching about repentance and soon his followers grew in number. His conversion did not happen overnight. Saint Francis of Assisi spent his time in much prayer to God to bless him with spiritual enlightenment and grace to reform his life, often weeping alone in the caves repenting for his sins. He also avoided his rich friends and their likeness for pleasures. He became more compassionate towards the needy and did acts of charity, which his friends mocked and made fun of. He took upon himself to care for lepers, which were isolated from society. Even his own father disapproved of this change in him that his parent even beat and threatened him. Saint Francis, however, was firmly resolved in his mission to serve the Lord and chose to give up his rights to his family’s wealth.
Saint Francis also founded many religious orders. The inspiration came after his aforementioned pilgrimage to Rome led him to a chapel just outside Assisi, in the Church of St. Damian. While there praying, Saint Francis had a mystical vision of the Crucified Christ who told him to “go and repair My house (His Church).” At first, he began to physically rebuild old and ruined churches. Later, joined by religious men and women, they formed the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares and the Third Order of St. Francis. Through these actions, Saint Francis helped “renew the People of God” and fulfilled what God had wanted him to do.
According to Catholic tradition, Saint Francis received the stigmata in 1224 during an apparition to him of Seraphic angels and while he was in religious ecstasy. This made him the first recorded person in the history of Christianity to receive and bear the Passion wounds of Christ. Aside from being the Patron Saint of Italy, he is also popular for his Patronage of animals and natural environment, because of his deep love of nature and all of God’s creations. One famous story narrates that Saint Francis preached to hundreds of birds about gratefulness to God for their wonderful plummage and freedom to fly. The story continues that as the saint was preaching, the birds stood still, gently following as he walked, and only flew away after he said they could leave. In another story, Saint Francis spoke to a ferocious wolf to stop hunting people. The wolf abided and became a pet of the town. These and other stories showed how Saint Francis considered nature as part of his brotherhood.
At the age of forty-five, he died due to an illness on 4 October 1226 and in 1228 was canonized a saint. He was a man of holy actions, faith, and simplicity, which continue to inspire many religious across the world.
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!
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