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On February 24, 1209, Francesco Bernadone listened to a sermon from Matthew 10:9, changing his life forever.  It was from that day on that Francesco (now St. Francis) embrace his vow of poverty, marking the spiritual formation of the Order of Franciscans.  Today we celebrate the 800th anniversary of this momentous event.  In honour of this day, I wanted to post a brief introduction to St. Francis of Assisi.  It is from St. Francis & St. Clare that Little Flowers Community draws so much inspiration.  We hope they inspire you too.

Francesco (Francis) was born in Italy (1182) to a French mother and an Italian father who was a wealthy business man. Born to privilege, Francis enjoyed an excellent education, a bookworm at heart with a gift for languages. His propensity to party with his friends caused his father great anger, while Francis’ natural generosity to the poor seemed to anger him even more.

In 1201 he joined the army and was captured, spending a year as a prisoner of war. He eventually returned home and, while obviously matured by his hard experiences, returned to his life of pleasure and wealth. However, a few years later he was inflicted with a seriously illness that forced him to start to reconsider his life. Upon recovering he left to enlist for another military campaign, but received a vision that brought him home in deep spiritual reflection.

It was upon his return that Francis began to reject his life of wealth, often speaking romantically of his true love- poverty. After years of prayer and seeking God, he received a vision of Christ calling him to rebuild His church. Thinking He meant the ruined Church of San Damiano where he was praying, he sold his horse (along with clothes from his father’s shop), he gave his money and time to serve this purpose.

Furious, his father ranted against him, beat him and brought him before the bishop to demand recompense. Renouncing his father and his claim on his inheritance, Francis even returned to his father the clothes on his back, standing naked before everyone (some traditions say he wore a hair shirt, others say he was left naked). He spent the next few years begging, rebuilding ruined churches surrounding Assisi.

After hearing a sermon on Matthew 10:9, Francis decided to commit himself fully to a life of poverty and service to God. Preaching repentance as he begged for alms, he soon found he had drawn a following. Despite their poverty, they could be seen traveling together singing songs happily, sharing the Gospel as they went. While none of them were ordained as priests, they gained repute and authority among the people.

In 1209 they traveled to Rome in order to request permission from Pope Innocent III to found a religious order. While they were refused entrance, tradition says that Innocent received a vision in the night that God was sending him a poor man to help save the church. The next day the Pope sent for them, granting them permission to found their order. Many women were drawn to the teachings and life of Francis and his followers, including a young woman named Clare, who later formed the Order of Poor Dames (better known as the Poor Clares).

For the rest of his life, Francis and his fellow friars increased in number and influence, drawing many nobles to their ranks despite their marriage to “lady poverty”. Stories of his ministry are filled with miracles and wonders (though many are likely hagiographic embellishments), including a mystical connection to Creation. He is also the first documented stigmatic in Catholic history, though this was only reported after his death. Francis died October 3rd, 1226 singing Psalm 141. His feast day is observed on October 4th.

This covers only a few highlights of a remarkable life, so I encourage you to dig deeper. A fourth century collection called “The Little Flowers of St. Francis” is the best known and most popular record of his ideas and life. It is worth checking out.

St. Francis quotes:

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

For it is in giving that we receive.

If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Trivia: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words” -St. Francis… or is it? St. Francis never actually said this quote so often attributed to him. It is close to what he said in other situations, but instead he said, “But as for me, I desire this privilege from the Lord, that never may I have any privilege from man, except to do reverence to all, and to convert the world by obedience to the Holy Rule rather by example than by word.”

Other resources:

-St. Francis – Catholic Encyclodpedia
-The Prayer of Saint Francis – Wikipedia