29,556
edits
Francis of Assisi: Difference between revisions
Additional material
PeterDuffy (talk | contribs) (additional material from Kuthumi article) |
PeterDuffy (talk | contribs) (Additional material) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
The ascended master [[Kuthumi]] was embodied as '''Francis of Assisi''' (1182–1226), founder of the Franciscan order, the divine poverello, who renounced family and wealth and embraced “Lady Poverty,” living among the poor and the lepers, finding unspeakable joy in imitating the compassion of Christ. | The ascended master [[Kuthumi]] was embodied as '''Francis of Assisi''' (1182–1226), founder of the Franciscan order, the divine poverello, who renounced family and wealth and embraced “Lady Poverty,” living among the poor and the lepers, finding unspeakable joy in imitating the compassion of Christ. | ||
While | God revealed to Francis the divine Presence in “brother sun” and “sister moon” and rewarded his devotion with the [[stigmata]] of Christ crucified—the first saint known to receive them. The prayer of St. Francis is spoken by people of all faiths around the world: “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace!...” | ||
== Early life == | |||
As Francis was in prayer one day in 1206 at the ruined chapel of San Damiano outside the gate of Assisi, he heard a voice from the crucifix above the altar command: “Go, Francis, and repair my house which, as you see, is falling in ruins.” Renouncing worldly goods and family ties, Francis embraced a life of poverty and, for two or three years, fervently dedicated himself to repairing the church of San Damiano, a chapel honoring St. Peter, and the Portiuncula, the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, near Assisi. | |||
The Portiuncula, which was to become the cradle of the Franciscan Order, was described by Saint Bonaventure as “the place that Francis loved most in the whole world.” It was there that Francis received the revelation of his true vocation. | |||
While attending Mass in the restored chapel on the Feast of St. Matthias, February 24, 1208, he listened as the priest read from Matthew 10: | |||
<blockquote>Go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meat.</blockquote> | |||
Francis later recalled this as his “day of decision”—the day in which “the Most High personally revealed to me that I ought to live according to the Holy Gospel.” He donned a coarser garment, went barefoot, and began to preach to the townspeople, attracting followers to his way of life. | |||
== The founding of the Franciscan Order == | |||
In 1209, Francis, with a band of eleven disciples, went to Rome to seek the approval of Pope Innocent III for a “rule of life” to formally begin his religious order. The Pope assented when he recognized Francis as the same figure he had seen in a dream holding up the Lateran basilica on his own back. This marked the official founding of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor (the “little brothers”), which was founded “to follow the teachings of our Lord [[Jesus Christ]] and to walk in his footsteps.” The order began to spread rapidly, growing to over 5,000 members by 1219. | |||
Francis wrote: “The Rule and life of the Friars Minor is this, namely, to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without property, and in chastity.” In 1212, when Clare, a young devotee of noble birth, determined to follow his way of life, Francis began a second order for women, which became known as the Poor Clares (or the Order of Saint Clare). Around 1221, he established the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance, a lay fraternity for those who did not wish to withdraw from the world or take religious vows but desired to live by Franciscan precepts. | |||
== Francis and Clare == | |||
Among the followers of Saint Francis was the noble Lady Clare, who left her home dressed as the bride of Christ and presented herself to Francis for admittance to the mendicant order. | |||
One of the many legends surrounding the lives of Francis and Clare describes their meal at Santa Maria degli Angeli, where Francis spoke so lovingly of God that all were enraptured in Him. Suddenly the people of the village saw the convent and the woods ablaze. Running hastily to quench the flames, they beheld the little company enfolded in brilliant light with arms uplifted to heaven. | One of the many legends surrounding the lives of Francis and Clare describes their meal at Santa Maria degli Angeli, where Francis spoke so lovingly of God that all were enraptured in Him. Suddenly the people of the village saw the convent and the woods ablaze. Running hastily to quench the flames, they beheld the little company enfolded in brilliant light with arms uplifted to heaven. | ||
== Saint Francis and the leper == | == Legends of Saint Francis == | ||
=== Saint Francis and the leper === | |||
There is a story told in the ''Fioretti'' of a leper who was being cared for by the brothers in Saint Francis’ order. The leper was so blasphemous and abusive in his speech that none could bear to come near him. When Francis visited him, the leper complained that the brothers had not looked after him as they should, whereupon Francis offered to care for him himself. | There is a story told in the ''Fioretti'' of a leper who was being cared for by the brothers in Saint Francis’ order. The leper was so blasphemous and abusive in his speech that none could bear to come near him. When Francis visited him, the leper complained that the brothers had not looked after him as they should, whereupon Francis offered to care for him himself. | ||
| Line 19: | Line 41: | ||
[[File:700091.jpg|thumb|''St. Francis'', Nicholas Roerich (1932)]] | [[File:700091.jpg|thumb|''St. Francis'', Nicholas Roerich (1932)]] | ||
== The first nativity scene == | === The first nativity scene === | ||
In 1223 Brother Francis prepared a special Christmas celebration. His heart’s desire was to commemorate the birth of Christ in a way which would vividly portray the suffering and discomfort the Saviour had borne. He asked his devout friend Messer John Vellita to set up a real manger filled with hay in a grotto on a steep wooded hill in Greccio. An ox and ass were also brought to the spot, just as at Bethlehem. | In 1223 Brother Francis prepared a special Christmas celebration. His heart’s desire was to commemorate the birth of Christ in a way which would vividly portray the suffering and discomfort the Saviour had borne. He asked his devout friend Messer John Vellita to set up a real manger filled with hay in a grotto on a steep wooded hill in Greccio. An ox and ass were also brought to the spot, just as at Bethlehem. | ||
| Line 48: | Line 70: | ||
{{P&M}}. | {{P&M}}. | ||
{{POWref|28|9|, March 3, 1985, endnotes}} | |||
[[Category:Christian saints]] | [[Category:Christian saints]] | ||
[[Category:Embodiments of ascended masters]] | [[Category:Embodiments of ascended masters]] | ||
<references /> | |||