Answering the Call : Reflecting on the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi

O Master grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love with all my soul... 

"Happy those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, they will be crowned."
(From Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis)

These words from the song Make Me A Channel of Your Peace has been erroneously attributed to the founder of the mendicant religious order, Ordo Fratrum Minorum. It has been known as the Prayer of Saint Francis even though it could not be traced back to him. 

I learned the song by heart when I was about twelve. My parents sent me to an all-girls Catholic school run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. If I had it my way, I would have wanted to study in another school run by the Dominicans. But because all things are not mere coincidences in the designs of Divine Providence, I am now grateful for the influence Saint Francis has had in my life, in ways I have not noticed then but now have realized.

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, nicknamed Francesco by his father, was born in 1181/1182, in Assisi. I remember his story because of the movie Brother Sun and Sister Moon. He was boisterous, arrogant and spoiled, what with his father Pietro being a wealthy silk merchant, and his mother Pica de Bourlemont, a noblewoman from Provence. 

Basilica Papale di San Francesco d"Assisi

Prior to his conversion, Saint Francis was described as gallant and handsome. He was one who delighted in the pleasures of this world; he sang merrily, he was showy and loved fine clothes. 

He had a vision which made him lose his taste for earthly life when he went to war in 1204. When he returned to Assisi, while praying inside the forsaken San Damiano, he heard a voice telling him "Go, Francis, and repair my house, which you see is falling into ruin."  Taking this literally, he sold some colored cloth from his father's shop, and gave it to the priest of the ruined church.

Highly incensed and indignant, his father Pietro beat, bound and locked Francis in a dark closet to change his mind. He was even beaten and humiliated in the presence of the Biship of Assisi and the population. At that point, Saint Francis stripped off the clothes he was wearing, renounced  his worldly possessions and his noble family name Bernardone, saying to his father, "I have called you my father on earth; henceforth I desire to say only 'Our Father who art in Heaven.'"  He left Assisi naked and lived an ascetic simple life as a man of God.

A scene from the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon

I remember a scene from Brother Sun and Sister Moon where Saint Francis said that if the purpose of life is filling our days with loveless toil, then it is not for him. The words struck me then, but I did not realize a seed was planted in my heart. 

In Saint Francis, we find someone who loves God above all else. He wholeheartedly gave his yes to Jesus when He called him. He was a Christian witness to the core, in his words and his very life. He lived the words of the Gospels to the letter, to the point of living in extreme poverty, in almost severe personal mortifications, and austerity, trusting solely in God's providence. In our materialistic world now, Saint Francis is radical and crazy. He was crazy ~ for love of God! 

An image of Saint Francis inside the adobe structure of

Misión San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) in San Francisco, CA

I did not have the same privileged life as Saint Francis did, but I was never deprived. My parents provided well for me and my siblings. As a child, I enjoyed good toys, pretty dresses and shoes, and lived comfortably. But I was also taught to share. Charity, and compassion for others, truly begin at home. 

In school I was instilled to have compassion for the poor. At a young age, I remember going to immersion trips, staying with families of farmers, eating what they had, sleeping where they slept, helping out even in chores. Little did I know that those experiences left a mark in my soul.  

A mosaic of Saint Francis in the Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church
in San Giovanni Rotondo

Looking back, I am grateful for the Franciscan sisters who taught me to think of others, especially the underprivileged, and to take active participation in helping alleviate their sufferings. It does not have to be grand acts of kindness. Small ones done with great love would suffice. 

"Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." (St. Matthew 25:40)

A statue and relic of Saint Francis
at Saint Peter's Church in downtown Chicago

Saint Francis has been instrumental in my discernment process, and eventually in my decision to also say yes to God when he called me. I have to say it had not been an easy decision to leave my comfort zone and devote myself to the cause of sharing the Gospels. I have a long way to go; my journey has actually just begun. But I am thankful that Saint Francis prays for me.

In this humble man from Assisi, I have also learned to see God in everything; and to see with child-like wonder the entire Creation. He has given us all an example to follow as stewards of everything that God created. 

In the Canticle of the Sun, he wrote, "Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honour And all blessing." Through the intercession of Saint Francis, may we all be able to live the Gospels in our lives.