|
Biographical Information |
"In the Church of St. Damian where he was accustomed to pray, he heard
three times a voice from Heaven saying: 'Go Francis, rebuild my
house which is falling down.' (St. Bonaventure, Legenda Maior,
Chap. II) But Francis, because of that deep humility which made him
think himself incapable of accomplishing any great work whatsoever, did
not understand the meaning of these mysterious words. Innocent III,
however, discovered their import through the miraculous vision in which
Francis was shown in the act of supporting on his shoulders the Church
of the Lateran which was falling to the ground. The Pope then understood
clearly that the mission of St. Francis was a very special one, given to
him by a most merciful God." (Pope Pius XI, "Rite Expiatis",
1926)
"At
the age of four and twenty, Francis, who was destined not to see his
forty-sixth year, was the head of a party of merry youths, who filled
Assisi day and night with their songs. Full of the poetry of France
(from which country he borrowed his name), he dreamed of nothing but
worldly renown and knightly prowess. One night he beheld in a prophetic
dream a large assortment of arms and weapons. 'For whom are all these?'
he inquired; and on hearing the answer: 'For these and thy soldiers,' he
hastened to join Gauthier de Brienne, who was at war with the Germans in
the south of Italy. But God arrested him: in a series of manifestations,
to which the young man corresponded with all the generous ardor of his
pure heart, our Lord revealed to him the object of his life's labor, the
standard he was to carry through the world, and the lady in whose
service he was to win his spurs. The Church, ever under attack, yet
hitherto ever victorious, seemed about to succumb, so undermined were
her walls by heresy, so broken by the battering-ram of the secular
power; while, within the citadel, the ancient faith was sinking under
prolonged scandals, leaving the people open to the enterprises of
traitors, and multiplying defections in a society already beginning to
feel the torpor of death. Nevertheless, it is written that the gates of
hell shall not prevail against the Church. 'Francis, seest thou not that
My house is falling to decay? Go, then, and repair it for Me.'...
Francis was to be, in his very flesh, the standard of the Crucified. The
sacred wounds already pierced his soul, and made his eyes two ceaseless
fountains of tears: 'I weep for the Passion of Jesus Christ my
Master; nor shall I blush to go weeping all over the world.'"
(Liturgical Year)
"As
a youth, St. Francis was expansive and high-strung, a lover of luxurious
dress. He was accustomed to invite to magnificent banquets the friends
he had chosen from among the fashionable and pleasure-loving young men
of the town. He walked through the streets with them, singing gaily. But
even at that time in his life he became known for the integrity of his
moral life, his correctness in conversation, and his utter disdain of
wealth. After his imprisonment in Perugia, which was followed by a long
illness, he felt himself, not without a certain sense of astonishment,
completely transformed. However, as if he desired to flee from the hands
of God, he went to Puglia on a military mission. On this journey he felt
himself commanded by God in unmistakable terms to return to Assisi and
learn there what he must do. After much wavering and many doubts,
through divine inspiration and through having heard at solemn Mass that
passage from the Gospels which speaks of the apostolic life, he
understood at last that he, too, must live and serve Christ 'according to the very words of the Holy Gospels.' From that
time on he undertook to unite himself to Christ alone and to make
himself like unto Him in all things. In 'all his efforts, public as
well as private, he turned to the Cross of Our Lord, and from the moment
he began to live as a soldier of Christ, the divers mysteries of the
Cross shone round about him.' (Thomas of Celano, Treatise on
Miracles, No. 2) Truly he was a brave soldier and knight of Christ
because of the nobility and generosity of his heart; wherefore to prove
that neither he nor his disciples were ever to be separated from Our
Lord, he always had recourse to the Gospels as to an oracle whenever he
had to make a decision on any matter. The rules of the Orders founded by
him were made to agree most scrupulously with the Gospels, and the
religious life of his followers with the life of the Apostles. For this
reason at the very beginning of his Rule, he wrote: 'This is the
life and rule of the Friars Minor, to observe the holy Gospel of Our
Lord Jesus Christ.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Rite Expiatis",
1926)
"Francis
was born at Assisi in Umbria, and after his father's example, followed
from his youth a mercantile career. On day, contrary to his custom,
repulsed a poor man who begged an alms of him for Christ's sake; but,
immediately repenting of what he had done, he bestowed a large bounty
upon the beggar, and at the same time made a promise to God, never to
refuse an alms to any one that asked him. After this he fell into a
serious illness; and on his recovery, devoted himself more eagerly than
ever to works of charity, making such rapid progress in this virtue,
that, desirous of attaining evangelical perfection, he gave all he had
to the poor. His father, angered at his proceedings, brought Francis
before the bishop of Assisi, that, in his presence, he might formally
renounce all claim to his patrimony. The saint gave up all to his
father, even stripping off his garments, that he might, he said, for the
future, have more right to say: Our Father who art in haven. After
hearing one day this passage of the Gospel: Do not posses gold nor
silver, nor money in your purses; nor script for your journey, nor two
coats, nor shoes, he too, it for his rule of life, laid aside his shoes
and kept but one tunic. He gathered together twelve disciples and
founded the Order of the Minors. In the year of our salvation 1209 he
went to Rome, to obtain the confirmation of his rule and Order from the
apostolic See. Pope Innocent III at first refused to see him; but having
in sleep beheld the man he had repulsed supporting with his shoulders
the Lateran basilica which was threatening to fall, he had him sought
out and brought to him; and receiving him kindly confirmed the whole
system of his institute. Francis then sent his brethren into every part
of the world to preach the Gospel. He himself, desirous of an
opportunity of martyrdom, sailed into Syria; but the Soldan treated him
most kindly; so that, unable to gain his end, he returned into Italy. He
built many convents of his Order; and then retired into solitude on
Mount Alvernia; where he fasted forty days in honor of the Archangel St.
Michael. On the feast of the Exaltation of the holy Cross, he had a
vision of a seraph bearing between his wings the figure of the
Crucified, who impressed the sacred stigmata on his hands and feet and
side. St. Bonaventure says he heard Pope Alexander IV, while preaching,
relate how he had himself seen these wounds. These signs of Christ's
exceeding love for his servant excited universal wonder and admiration.
Two years later, Francis grew very ill, and was carried, at his own
request, into the church of St. Mary of the angels; that he might give
up his mortal life to God, in the very place where he had commenced his
life of grace. There, after exhorting the brethren to poverty and
patience, and the preservation of the faith of the holy Roman Church, he
said the psalm: I cried to the Lord with my voice. When he reached the
verse: The just wait for me, until thou reward me, he breathed forth his
soul, on the fourth of the Nones of October. He was renowned for
miracles; and Pope Gregory IX enrolled him among the saints."
(Church's Narration on the Life of St. Francis of Assisi)
Also
See: The
Person of St. Francis of Assisi | St.
Francis of Assisi: Biographical Information | St.
Francis of Assisi: Misc. Facts
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
Top |
Reflections: A-Z | Catg.
| Scripture: A-Z
|
Catg.
| Help |
