Journey
Francis of Assisi: Saint of Transformation
Of the many Catholic saints, Francis of Assisi remains one of the most loved and respected. We know he embraced the natural world as a reflection of God’s goodness and saw the elements of nature as his sisters and brothers. We attribute the Christmas Creche to him, and somewhat romanticize him in movies such as “Brother Sun and Sister Moon,” which I loved by the way! But there was more to the man than sparrows and songs. Francis grew up in a world where the Church was powerful and the monasteries plentiful. They offered a stable life of prayer and work. After his conversion and call, Francis had a unique vision of how to follow Jesus and “rebuild” the Church. His life choices and zeal for God would transform religious life, the Church, and those who became his disciples.
Francis chose to embrace radical gospel poverty and live as the outcasts of his day. He walked along the roads and connected personally with all he met. They gave him the name of “Il Poverello,” the little poor one. This new form of life, apart from the monastery, came to be called mendicant. It transformed the medieval church and gave it a new direction. It must be mentioned that Saint Dominic also embraced the mendicant life.
The way Francis evangelized was transformative. He did not carry doctrinal texts with him as he spread the gospel. His evangelization was primarily through his example. He wanted his life and the lives of his brothers to teach the gospel. A popular statement attributed to Francis reads, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” Like any troubadour, Francis was on fire with love for God. He called himself “God’s Fool,” and was not afraid to share the intimacy he had with God. Francis’ vision of the world was totally sacramental. He saw every act of life as a revelation of God. People were transformed when they heard him declare that God is incarnate in everyone and in every created thing. No wonder Pope John Paul II declared him the patron saint of ecology, and Pope Francis chose his name.
Francis lived during the days of the Crusades, and unlike most Christians he did not view the Muslims as enemies of Christ. He chose to go to the middle east and personally meet with Sultan Malik al Kapal. This was certainly a transformative act. Author Bret Toman, OSF writes that “the Sultan, for his part, was content to have discovered a Christian Sufi, an inner mystic who had encountered the one God within.” No conversions took place after this visit, but the Sultan decided to turn over the administration and control of the Christian sites in Muslim territories to the Franciscans. To this day, they administer most of the Christian Churches in Israel and the surrounding areas. They maintain the sanctuaries, offer hospitality to pilgrims, and serve the local Christian community. They are witnesses to peace.
Not only did Francis of Assisi transform the lives of others and the way the Church was viewed, he himself was transformed throughout his life. One of those transformative moments was when he encountered a young woman named Chiara, who is now known as Saint Clare of Assisi. She was inspired by the meaningful and compelling preaching of Francis and chose to live her life with the same zeal for poverty and simplicity as he. Most likely, as a man of the middle ages, he would not have imagined how Clare and her followers would take his strenuous message so deeply to heart. Franciscan scholars write that her life and dedication was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. It taught Francis not to underestimate the deep holiness and dedication of women called by God. Murray Bodo, a Franciscan, in his well-known book Francis: The Journey and the Dream, writes, “She followed him because she loved the treasure. She heard him speak of what he had found, and a passage in her own heart opened up. She was Clare and he was Francis, and together they would show the world its hidden heart.” And together they transformed each other.
This piece is being written the week after the 23rd Anniversary of the horrible events of September 11th. The first certified fatality of the attacks that day was Father Mychal Judge. He was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the NYC Fire Department. He rushed down to the Twin Towers on that fateful day to minister to those injured and dying. To read about Mychal Judge is to read a biography of Francis of Assisi. Judge ministered to those dying of AIDS, those dealing with addiction, those in mourning and those alienated by society. He was a son of Francis. Three thousand people attended his funeral and surely Francis of Assisi was one of them.
