St. Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226) whose feast is on October 4, is one of the best-known religious figures of all time. To see the statue of St. Francis in our Churches and gardens is something very inspiring. The figure of Francis of Assisi has always captured the imagination of people from all walks of life. 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. He lived an extremely radical, counter-cultural lifestyle which included poverty, prayer, fasting, preaching and dialogue. He was an authentic giant in Christian holiness and goodness, a great figure in the church known especially for connecting with fellow Christians and many people outside the Christian family. Giving up his own self, he “got dirty” in the messiness of human living to bring peace, understanding and love.
Francis, the “God-intoxicated” Christian mystic was ahead of his time in ecumenism. The Catholic Church recognizes the good in the world religions and seeks to embody reconciliation and peace in all its endeavours. St.Francis did likewise. He was a man of action and compassion. To the voice of Christ speaking to him from the crucifix “Francis, go and repair my church”, Francis acted promptly and repaired the church as a whole. It was not that Francis did not see the Church’s weaknesses or infidelities, but for Francis the way to combat these was not aggressive criticism but constructive example. An example converts much more powerfully than criticism! Against this background, this year the pope gathered in Assisi with leaders and representatives of many religions to pray for peace.
Why did St. Mother Teresa admire St. Francis? And why did she think that he has had an impact on her life? “I suppose it’s because Francis of Assisi tried to imitate the poverty of Christ so closely,” she said. The incident in the life of Saint Francis that most appealed to her is his kissing of the leper. There he acted with misericordia. Mother Teresa took St. Francis’ life as a model for her own. “I love St. Francis of Assisi,” she once quipped, breaking into her famous smile, “because he had a great love for animals. He used to talk and play with them—and scold them if they did harm to anybody. I love animals, too. Animals are such simple creations of God’s beauty.”
St. Francis, the best-known saint around the world, is certainly an inspiration to the youth of today. He inspires the youth to better channelize their energy for a more noble cause i.e. for Christ and to build a new world by being joyful witnesses of God’s love.
St. Francis is everybody’s saint. May his relevance and inspiration help us keep ever alive a sense of ‘fraternity’ by walking the path of dialogue, peace, openness, poverty and reverence for nature.
