The fresco in the Cappella San Gregorio in the Sacro Speco at Subiaco, considered by some to be the most authentic portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, painted some years after his visit to Subiaco in 1218. He had not yet received the Stigmata at the time of his visit.
The path to sanctity taken by Saint Francis of Assisi began with his birth in 1181. Some hold that he was born in a stable, like Our Lord, at the suggestion of a wandering prophet. Since his father was a cloth merchant, he wore the finest garments, gave the most lavish parties, and led his companions in song and revelry. Influenced by chivalry and songs of the troubadours, his dreams of knighthood led him into battle, then capture and imprisonment.
Imprisonment led to sickness, and upon his release he turned toward a deep prayer life. His companions noticed the change and teased him about marriage. His reply was enigmatic—he was thinking of “Lady Poverty”! The charm of poverty stemmed from Francis’ consideration of Jesus Christ, Who chose a life of poverty.
As his prayer life intensified, Francis began to find out-of-the-way places to pray, one being the tumble-down church of San Damiano. The Crucifix of that church seemed to come alive as Francis was praying for guidance. He heard the words, “Francis, go rebuild My Church, which as you see is falling into ruins.” When he heard Our Lord’s voice telling him to rebuild His Church, he began to rebuild the little church of San Damiano. Even after Francis had established his Friars Minor in the active-contemplative apostolate, he continued to restore church buildings, including Our Lady Queen of the Angels. And why? He was appalled at the lack of regard for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament; in his writings, St. Francis continually pleads for the honorable treatment of the Sacred Species, the use of proper sacred vessels, care of the churches where the Blessed Sacrament is housed, and respect for the priesthood. And so, he continued to rebuild churches out of the deepest reverence for Our Lord, even when his efforts seemed very small in the face of the work that needed to be completed.
In his book St. Francis and the Blessed Eucharist, Fr. Augustine O.M.Cap. maintains that Francis’ writings were “vibrating with a courage that was ready to fight every abuse of the time with all the spiritual weapons in the armory of the Church.” Fr. Augustine continues, “Never before had devotion to the Blessed Eucharist sunk so low, and never before was zeal more needed to undertake a work which seemed well-nigh hopeless. But the heart of Francis was bold with a divine daring for Christ, and despite the myriad obstacles on every side, he put forth a huge effort to restore the devotion to its rightful place. To call him the Apostle of the Blessed Eucharist is to give him a title as unusual as it is deserved.”
St. Francis is known for many qualities, all worth our attention, but it is his devotional effort on behalf of the Blessed Sacrament that truly was the characteristic feature of his spiritual life, and the one most necessary for our imitation.
Father Augustine explains, “More than any saint before him, and even more than most saints after him, did he cultivate devotion to the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar, and try to propagate it amongst his brethren, the clergy, the people, and the rulers of the people…. At a time when shameful negligence was widespread, when glaring abuses were rife, when there was no thought of Eucharistic revival outside his own fertile brain and fervent heart…in the face of almost inconceivable apathy the Seraphic Knight sounded the clarion-call to his Brothers of the Round Table to undertake a Eucharistic crusade.”
His fervor for the Holy Eucharist is matched by his fervor for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of the Franciscan Order. His work to restore her chapel, Our Lady of the Angels, led him to request from Our Lord, through Our Lady, the Portiuncula Indulgence.
St. Francis set the standard for all future church restoration. He began the great Franciscan movement with only himself, not intending to start a movement or a community, simply leaving the outcome entirely in the hands of God. First one, then another joined him, until the numbers of Friars Minor reached into the thousands. When women wanted to follow his way of imitating Christ, he founded the Poor Ladies (Poor Clares) with St. Clare. When married people began to flock to him, he wrote a rule for people in the world, beginning the Third Order Secular, which he called the Order of Penance.
Many incidents make the appeal of St. Francis live on to this day—the taming of the Wolf of Gubbio, the Sermon to the Birds, his protection of living creatures such as lambs and rabbits—all these and more continue to fascinate over 800 years later. But the essential characteristic of St. Francis was his determination to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ as completely as possible through the practice of poverty and the evangelical counsels, culminating in his vision of Christ Crucified as a winged seraph, through Whom Francis received the Stigmata.
The writings of St. Francis emphasize devotion to Jesus Christ, especially in the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the doctrines of the Catholic Church, and respect for the priesthood. But He was also a poet, and is known for his poetry in the Italian language. It is fitting to conclude this brief summary with his Canticle of the Creatures, noticing that he praises our Creator through creation.
Master of San Jacopo a Mucciana (Italian, active ca. 1380–1400). Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, 1385-1395. Tempera on panel, 16 15/16 × 11 7/8 × 1 1/4 inches (43 × 30.2 × 3.2 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 35-328. Photo courtesy Nelson-Atkins Media Services, Matt Pearson.
CANTICLE OF THE CREATURES
Most High Almighty Good Lord!
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings!
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
And no man is worthy to mention You.
Be praised my Lord, with all Your creatures!
Especially Sir Brother Sun,
By whom You give us the light of day,
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor!
Of You, Most High, he is a symbol.
Be praised, my Lord for Sister Moon and for the Stars!
In the sky You formed them bright and lovely and fair.
Be praised My Lord, for Brother Wind
And for the air, and cloudy and clear and every kind of weather,
By which you give sustenance to Your creatures!
Be praised my Lord, for Sister Water,
Who is very useful and humble and lovely and chaste!
Be praised my Lord, for Brother Fire,
By whom You light up the darkness!
And he is beautiful and merry and mighty and strong!
Be praised my Lord, for our Sister Mother Earth,
Who sustains and governs us
And produces various fruits with colorful flowers and leaves!
Be praised my Lord, for those who forgive for love of You
And endure infirmities and tribulations.
Happy are those who accept them in peace,
For by You, Most High, they will be crowned!
Be praised my Lord, for our Sister Bodily Death,
From whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Happy are they who find themselves in Your most Holy Will,
For the second death will not be able to harm them.
Praise and bless my Lord and thank Him
And serve Him with great humility!
