St. Francis of Assisi: Life and Spirituality

Feast of St. Francis, who, after a carefree youth, in Assisi in Umbria converted to an evangelical life, to serve Jesus Christ whom he had encountered especially in the poor and the outcast, making himself poor. He gathered the Friars Minor into a community with him. To all, journeying far and wide, he preached the love of God, even to the Holy Land, seeking in his words as in his actions the perfect following of Christ, and wished to die upon the bare earth.

Roman Martyrology

From Youth to Conversion

St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian religious and founder of the Franciscan Order. He is the patron saint of Italy and one of the best-known saints in the entire world.

The life of St. Francis of Assisi borders on legend. Francis of Assisi was a young man like many others, flung into the pleasures of life, but one day he had to reckon with the call of divine Love, and for him it was not easy to strip away everything.

The poor man Francis wandered through many places to the very borders of Europe to bring the Word of God. In addition to the Rule and the Testament, he wrote the Canticle of the Creatures (Laudes Creaturarum) in the vernacular and the Admonitions in Latin.

The Choice of Evangelical Poverty

Yes, Francis of Assisi had the audacity to trust blindly in God and placed his life and destiny in His hands. Having become poor among the poor, he was free to sing with a joyful heart, in unison with all of creation. He was swept up by divine Love to the highest spiritual peaks, and from there he managed to see in every being the spark of God.

St. Francis was not gentle with himself. He subjected his body to an iron discipline in order to suppress all impure cravings and desires. One day, the chronicles of the time recount, he rolled naked in the snow to repress the temptation of the flesh. To mortify his humanity he wore a hairshirt and donned a humble garment of coarse cloth. He subjected his body to many fasts and gained the strength to overcome the human and ascend the steps of true love.

The Pardon of Assisi

One day Jesus, conquered by such humility, asked this poor man what he wished as a reward. St. Francis did not think of himself for a moment, but asked for the salvation of souls. Thus he obtained for all people of good will the Pardon of Assisi. Pope Honorius III promulgated the Plenary Indulgence, known as the Pardon of Assisi. Even today every faithful can avail themselves of this gift, which opens the gates of Paradise.

The Stigmata on Mount La Verna

The folly of Francis was the folly of the cross. So great in him was the desire to imitate Jesus in suffering that one day he received from Christ on Mount La Verna the five wounds of our Lord. These Stigmata were imprinted upon his flesh. This immense suffering, which lasted for the years to come, was endured solely out of his immense love. From the crucified Francis emanated a light so intense as to enchant the world.

The Miracles and Legacy of St. Francis

Francis of Assisi wished to be the humblest among the humble. The joyful voice of his burning heart pierced the clouds and reached the Heart of his beloved Jesus. He aided the suffering, the sick, and the lepers. Never in that land were greater things heard: "The dead rise, the blind see, men and women are healed of every infirmity, and many are freed from the demon". Astonishing events that occurred not only while the Saint was alive, but also after his passing. During the canonization process, more than forty miracles were recognized.

The poverty of the humble friar caused a sensation. He demonstrated that it was possible to adhere radically to the love of God. Through this acceptance, Love spread the wings of his spirit.

When he was called to the Father's house, as his brothers laid him upon the bare earth, his future glory could already be glimpsed. The Larks came in great multitudes upon the roof of the house, precisely at the hour of his passing. It was as if all Creation wished to pay homage to his soul.

Today, as then, the light emanating from this splendid Saint can prompt modern man to walk the paths of conversion. A soul freed from human chains will be free to fly joyfully in the heaven of God.