St. Francis of Assisi: Everybody’s saint

 On October 4 every year we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The figure of Francis of Assisi ( 1181- 1226) has always captured the imagination of people from all walks of life: Christians and Muslims, royalty and prime ministers, rich and poor, intellectuals and workers, philosophers and theologians, poets and novelists, artists and filmmakers, historians and sociologists, peacemakers and environmentalists, people of all religions. Why do so many people go after St. Francis of Assisi today? Francis, the Church’s most popular saint, was a person who lived out the Gospel better than anybody! Taking the Gospel seriously and living it passionately, he followed the footprints of Jesus Christ religiously, becoming an extraordinary example of Christian living in our world.

Part of his charism is his very ordinariness, his closeness and accessibility to the average person.

He lived an extremely radical, counter- cultural lifestyle which included poverty, prayer, fasting, and preaching. He believed in the physical as well as the spiritual imitation of Christ ( Imitatio Christi). This radical Christian lived a simple, humble and poor life yet the effect of his life on others and his impact on society and the church was extraordinary. He was a giant in Christian goodness, a great figure in the church known especially for connecting with fellow Christians and many people outside the Christian family; a powerful social and religious reformer. Giving up his own self, he “ got dirty” in the messiness of human living to bring peace, understanding and love to follow Christ radically to become the “ Mirror of Christ”, a vivid reflection of Jesus Christ. There are many people who claim to be Christians but not many are willing to live according to Christ’s teachings.

Francis, one of the best known saints of the world, was very much a man of action. He gave away all his worldly possessions and lived a life of radical penance, manifesting itself in a deep spirit of poverty, simplicity and humility. His life of penance was evangelical in its fervor and purpose, namely, to lead people to God in Christ.

Francis ‘ the poverello’ was a brother to everyone.

He saw the Divine not only “ in all the peoples of earth” but also in all created things, and he sought a reconciliation of all creation with both humanity and with God. He talked lovingly and personally to the stars, trees, birds and animals etc. and referred to all creatures and created things as “ brothers” and “ sisters” and therefore all of the environment is worthy of respect. How very appropriate in these trouble days of environmental crisis. In 1979 Francis was proclaimed by Pope John Paul II as the patron of ecology, as was cited by the Pope as “ an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation.” What makes Francis special and gives him his universal appeal is his genius of living out in his actions the essence of his Christian convictions.

May the inspiration of St. Francis of Assisi help us keep ever alive a sense of ‘ fraternity’ by walking the path of dialogue, peace, openness, poverty and reverence for nature.