St. Francis of Assisi

Francis grew up at Assisi in central Italy around the end of the twelfth century. His father was a prosperous merchant, and the young Francis enjoyed fine clothes, company and the prospect of distinction. War, captivity and illness interrupted that life. In the years that followed, he began to give more attention to prayer and to people whose suffering he had previously avoided.

Butler recounts a meeting with a leper as an important step in his conversion. Francis at first recoiled, then overcame his revulsion, approached the man and gave him alms with a gesture of affection. Service to lepers became part of his new life. Following Christ was taking a practical form in the care of people who could offer him neither wealth nor honor.

While praying before the crucifix in the neglected church of San Damiano, Francis understood a command to repair the Lord's house. Butler follows the early account of the crucifix speaking to him. Francis began with the building itself, seeking materials and help for its restoration. His use of family goods brought him into conflict with his father. Before the bishop of Assisi, he surrendered his possessions and the claim to his father's support, choosing to depend on God.

He worked on other small churches and lived in poverty near the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, also called the Portiuncula. Hearing the Gospel instructions for the Apostles to go out simply, without money or spare possessions, helped him understand the life he wanted to lead. He put on a poor tunic, tied it with a cord and began to preach repentance.

Companions joined him. Francis sought the approval of Pope Innocent III for their Gospel way of life, and the growing fraternity took the name Friars Minor. They worked, prayed, preached and cared for the poor. Poverty affected their common arrangements as well as their personal possessions. Francis wanted the brothers to serve humbly, and his concern for the fraternity continued as it grew beyond the small company he had first known.

His zeal also led him beyond Italy. Butler relates his journey to the crusading army in Egypt and his appearance before the sultan, where he spoke about the Christian faith. At home, the work of guiding the brothers brought its own demands. Francis urged preachers to support their teaching by their conduct and called the community continually back to prayer, humility and the service of Christ.

The early Franciscan account places the receiving of the stigmata at Mount La Verna during a period of prayer near the end of his life. These wounds, corresponding to those of the Crucified, express the union with Christ's Passion at the heart of that tradition. Illness and failing strength accompanied his final years. He died near Assisi in 1226.

Francis's love of creation belonged to his praise of the Creator and to the same life that brought him close to lepers and poor people. His lasting gift was a form of brotherhood shaped by the Gospel: prayer, repentance, poverty and a readiness to serve. The order that began with a few companions carried that vocation far beyond Assisi.