Posts Tagged ‘Canticle of the Sun’

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Today, we celebrate in the calendar of the Church, Saint Francis of Assisi who died on this day in the year 1226.  Born 44 years earlier to wealthy parents, Francis grew up in the lap luxury and as a young man enjoyed a care-free lifestyle, gallivanting with the other upper-crust youth of Assisi with whom he was popular.  Upon returning home from fighting in the Crusades, Francis had a conversion experience.  After a prolonged illness he stumbled upon the ruins of a church in San Damiano where he heard the voice of Christ say, “Francis, repair my falling house.”  He returned home and sold some of his father’s expensive silk to pay for the repairs.  Angry, his father brought him into the public square where, with the citizens of Assisi witnessing the display, disowned and disinherited him.  Francis likewise renounced his father’s wealth and tradition says he took off his expensive clothing and laid them at his father’s feet and walked away naked.  He left Assisi and began to rebuild the church at San Damiano all by himself.While engaging in this work, he ministered to the poor of Assisi, especially the lepers who were feared by the townsfolk and were literal outcasts.  Francis would sneak back into town and scavenge for scraps of bread and vegetables to provide nourishment for those he cared for. Read More