Premium Essay

St Francis

In:

Submitted By kalulugirl
Words 821
Pages 4
Works Cited

Galli, Mark. Francis of Assisi and His World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002. Print.

Saint of the Animals

If you have not read the story of Francis of Assisi you should take the time out of our day to see the dedication this man put into his short lifetime. From growing up in a middle class family to dying in poverty the story of Francis takes you on multiple adventures through his life and beyond. Learning the struggles that Francis faced and his inspirational commitment to God this saint is worth learning about. I will highlight why I choose Saint Francis, some of the struggles he faced, and if his challenges are still present in today’s world. I choose Saint Francis because his life was inspiring yet not at all what I would think of for a saint. As a child Francis was given the minimal education that was available. Francis was always read to and wrote very little. “As an adult, he was considered ‘a man without learning’” (Pg 17). Francis also grew up with little supervision so he lived a carefree life. One of the first major struggles in Francis’ life was when he was thrown into a dungeon and ransomed out to his father. Francis became ill and “spent many weeks in bed” (pg.24). Francis was quite friendly to the other prisoners while being held in the dungeon.
When Francis was 25 he had a dream in which God spoke to him about a mission he needed to take. After this dream Francis obeyed God and “told his companions he was abandoning the expedition” (pg27). This was the beginning of his life as a saint! Francis reevaluated his life and soon started to give “more alms to the poor” (pg33). When Francis did not have money he still offered something to the poor: “his hat, belt or sometimes the shirt off of his back”(pg34).
“’Francis, go and repair my house.’” This was Francis’ mission that God was talking about in the last dream. To

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

St Francis Of Assisi Essay

...Saint Francis of Assisi Feature Article Catholic Digest The Life of St Francis of Assisi. Read about the life of one of history’s most devoted catholics. St Francis of Assisi was an amateur soldier/aristocrat that dedicated himself to the Catholic faith, and to telling people about Jesus Christ. He lived in poverty, and gained devoted followers, which were called the Franciscan Friars. He was the first recorded person to receive the Stigmata. Francis was born circa 1181 in Assisi, Italy, to a wealthy cloth merchant and a french beauty. When a war broke out between Assisi and Perugia, Francis eagerly joined the cavalry in Assisi. He was captured by the enemy, and held for ransom. It was during this time he was reported to have seen visions from God. After the war, he decided to follow the catholic religion, and began to rebuild churches using his father’s money. His father dragged him before the bishop to repay the...

Words: 616 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

St. Francis of Assisi Church

...lives were touched by the place or the people connected to the place. In the case of St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street in New York City, it serves as a sanctuary from the loud and busy city around it and a place of remembrance for a heroic priest who captivated a nation. As you walk down 31st street you quickly approach a sunken back, beautiful church called the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi. It appears to have a main celebration hall on an upper half as well as a quiet, basement for private prayer on the lower half. After admiring the detailed, yellow-orange exterior with meticulous murals of Jesus and cherubs on the spire, you enter through heavy wooden doors. As soon as you come inside, the art and architecture is overwhelming. Your eyes automatically fixate on the alter that is surrounded by a large, stunning depiction of Jesus and His endless love and joy for His people. Tall marble columns give structure and align the pews throughout the hall. The design of this church can simply be described in one word: beautiful. Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian preacher and friar born in 1182 that went on to found the Franciscan Order. St. Francis originally became inspired to live a life of poverty after hearing a sermon of Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers to abandon their material desires and possessions in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Francis began preaching and by 1209 had a strong following of disciples. His one general...

Words: 1371 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Giovanni Di Bernardone: St. Francis Of Assisi

...be known as St. Francis of Assisi. There were many factors that lead to the transformation and development of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone into this known, loved and adored saint. St. Francis was born in Italy as Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone. His mother named him Giovanni after St. John the Baptist while his father was on a trip in France. Giovanni’s father was upset that his son had been named after a man of God, he wanted his son to be a man of business. He renamed Giovanni Francesco, which translates to Frenchman. Francis had an easy life growing up because his father was a wealthy cloth merchant. Francis was also very well liked, and because of this, he was able to get away with a lot of things. With the mentality that one can get away with most things, it’s hard not to take advantage of it. Francis began staying out past city curfews, going to...

Words: 528 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

St. Francis Reflection Paper

...Lisa Fine ICON 200 St. Francis Reflection Paper My expectations before starting the assigned reading were that of dread. The Middle Ages were such a barbaric time that I expected the reading to be unpleasant. However, I found the history of St. Francis to be interesting and inspiring. His resolve to glorify one master, God, was remarkable. The new order rules of St. Francis were concise and strict. His rules seem to be dependent on one another. Obedience to God was carried out in his daily work, consisting of prayer and worship, which are two more new order rules. Prayer was so important that St. Francis and his followers would bind themselves with rope while they slept so not to disturb others in prayer. I can’t imagine doing this or taking a vow of poverty. The rule of poverty is extreme to me. He wore rags and owned nothing. He underwent a severe change from that of a party person to one that follows such strict and extreme rules. He had a love for only God, which is shown in his chastity rule. He would not let himself or his followers be tempted by the opposite sex. All the rules put forth by St. Francis seem unimaginable to me. However, the sacrifices made by him caused others to take notice and listen. A positive aspect of the new order rules is no responsibility of possessions. Owning items itself is a responsibility. The rule of poverty...

Words: 520 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

St. Francis Research Paper

...Life of St Francis St. Francis was born into a wealthy family. His father was a merchant who sold very expensive clothing that he would have St. Francis wear around his friends so their parents would buy the clothing. At time this got St. Francis into a lot of trouble. Francis never actually felt satisfied in life until he was a prisoner of war. At that time God appeared to him in jail. Jesus told Francis, “Go Francis and repair my house, which as you can see is falling into ruin.’’ Francis restored the church in 1206 . It is now called San Damiano. It was there that Francis wrote the Canticle of the Creatures- The Hymn of Thanksgiving to God. Francis gave up everything to serve God. To show his Bishop how serious he was about wanting to lead the life of a religious, he even stripping naked in front of the Bishop and asked him for forgiveness. Francis’ parents were not happy about this, but this action gave Francis the courage to begin to live his life for Christ. San Damiano became the...

Words: 1862 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

St. Francis Of Assisi: The Medieval Church

...The Medieval Church Draft The medieval church was a powerhouse of economic and political influence. Before St Francis challenged the church, it was focused on money and power; and had control over everyone’s lives in 13th Century Europe. St Francis of Assisi, through his beliefs, values and attitudes challenged the medieval church to return to gospel values. In this essay, an explanation of the medieval church values; an exploration of St Francis’ values and beliefs; and an evaluation of his attitudes and actions against the almighty medieval church will be discussed. Prior to St Francis, the medieval church highly valued wealth, power and popularity over God and the gospel values. Their power and wealth rivalled that of Kings and Queens. People believed that God was the most important thing in life and they spent their lives dedicated to prayer and worship; the church gained power from people wanting to find salvation. In 1076, King Henry the Fourth was...

Words: 650 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

St. Francis Of Assisi And Padre Pio

...Stigmata has been described in the Christian faith as the marks, sores, or wounds related to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. specifically in same locations Christ was nailed to the cross. These wounds have been documented since the 13th century. From men of God, St. Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio, who have encountered the wounds of stigmata, to common day people, stigmata wounds are difficult to prove. Whether the wounds are psychological or truly an infliction from Christ is hard to dispel. While there have been numerous accounts of stigmata documented throughout history, it has neither been proven or disproven that the stigmata wounds are directly related to the wounds of Christ. Stigmata, or the Greek word stigma, simply means “brand...

Words: 867 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

St. Francis College Case Study

...Ateneo de Davao University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Communication Arts MA 300 Full Written Analysis of the Case on St. Francis College of Commerce Analine R. Evangelista Kristel Mae D. Magsipoc Hadriza S. Omar Juella M. Laguna September 22, 2012 I. Summary St. Francis University was a medium-sized private University, located in a major port city in Visayas. The University is well known for its engineering and Science degree courses and was one of the better private universities in the city. It boasts of a total of 26,000 enrollees at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The College of Commerce was a major unit of the University. However, it has only 3000 student enrollees or so, compared to the College of Engineering, which accounted for more than a third of the University’s enrollment. The College of Commerce has 55 full time faculty and over 100 lecturers. The faculty members taught as many as 5 courses per semester while the lecturers taught three courses. The College of Commerce was distributed among the four major fields, namely: Banking and Finance, Accounting, Marketing and Business Management. In June of 1988, Mr. Santos assumed the position of Dean of the College of Commerce. Since the college experienced rapid growth in enrollment in the University during the past ten years, Dean Santos wanted to combine curricular improvements and administrative changes that would improve...

Words: 2550 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

St. Francis De Sales: Impact Of Words

...2. Context = “Impact of words” In the above quote, St. Francis de Sales is writing about the impact immodest word have and how they can affect a person. This quote is found in Chapter 27 of part III, in a section of the book that involves the importance that speech and words have on a person. In particular this quote focuses on the impact that immodest words can have when they are heard and how their original meaning can be altered. St. Francis’ quote is important to this section, because a majority of a person’s day involves communication and being able to properly convey any message is important. 3. Idea = “Intent and results” St. Francis discusses that even if you do not have harmful intent in your words, someone may be bothered by your words. Through words you can “win” a person’s heart and at the same time, using immodest words you can “lose” a...

Words: 932 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Francis of Assisi

...church sees that this person has done something worth worthy therefore it has to be written for everybody because the life of the person worth to imitate. It is written down so that those who have not heard about the person's life can know something about him/her too. So that everyone will see them as a mirror to imitate, role model and as a inspirator. It is written also in order to be read during the feast day or name day of the saint. These are read during holy hour, at meal time The purpose of reading the life of a saint is for edification. Testament is something someone writes as a wish to follow before he/she dies. It reflects the experience, their thoughts, intentions of the person and what he/she wants the people to follow and do. Francis of Assisi wrote his testament two years before he died. He wrote it in agony while he was ill. It is a reminder, admonition, exhortation for his brothers and sisters to follow. Official Franciscan sources are the historical sources for the life...

Words: 1712 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

God's Fool

...Green’s book “God’s Fool” chronicles the life of St. Francis. Discuss how Francis and the Franciscans fit into reforms of the late Middle Ages. Discuss the general climate which fostered their “radicalism” and the church’s response to them. Saint Francis Influence St. Francis of Assisi originally born Giovanni Francesco di Bernadone was born between 1881 and 1882. He is revered by the Catholic Church, and is known as “the most Christ-like man who ever lived”. St. Francis holds great importance on the Late Middle Ages because of the Franciscan Order and the reform movement of the Church, the radical ideas presented during a climate that foster change, and the influence over the Churches response. Franciscan Order and the reform movement of the Church St Francis was born into a wealthy family, and he was accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. St. Francis renounced his extravagant ways upon having a vision in which he heard Christ say unto him, “Francis, go and rebuild my church which is falling down.” the radical ideas presented during a climate that foster change The volatile religious and political climate of the time would prove to foster St. Francis and the Franciscan Order’s radicalism. The Catholic Church known for opposing heretic movements were seen to call for reform themselves. This allowed the Franciscan order preaches of the the influence over the Churches response St Francis was able to gain the influence of the Church through Pope Innocent III...

Words: 289 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Francis Bacon Research Paper

...and heard the name Francis Bacon; and assume that he was the one that discovered bacon? Well if u did you would be wrong. Francis Bacon was a English Philosopher, statesmen, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. Francis Bacon was the first Viscount St. Allan. Without him the would might be a lot different. He had such a big impact on science. Francis Bacon was born on January 22, 1561 in London England. When he was 12 he attended Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1576 he enrolled in a law program at Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. A few years after he enrolled he left the school to go work under the British Ambassador of France, Sir Amyas Paulet. After his father died he had no money. When he asked his uncle he shot him down,Francis couldn't go back to school since he couldn't pay. It was very hard for him to find a decent living. Finally in 1581 he got a job in the House of Commons as a member of Cornwall. He was then also able to return to the Gray's Inn to finish his education. In 1584 he wrote a letter of advice to Queen Elizabeth, this was his very first political memorandum. In March of 1626 he was conducting some experiments with ice, he...

Words: 599 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Saint Francis

...St. Francis of Assisi Saint Francis of Assisi was born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181. He was the founder of the Franciscan Order. His father, Pietro Bernardone, was a wetly Assisan cloth merchant. His mother, Pica, is said to have belonged to a noble family of Provence. Francis was one of several children. According to a legend, he was born in a stable that dates from the fifteenth century only, and appears to have originated in the desire of certain writers to make his life resemble that of Christ. At baptism the saint received the name of Giovanni, which his dad changed to Francesco. The child was still able to learn French even though he was renamed. Francis received elementary teachings from the priests of St. George's at Assisi, even though he learned more in the school of the Troubadours. He was not very studious, and his literary education remained incomplete. Francis showed little liking for a merchant's career, and his parents seemed to have indulged him. Thomas was Francis's first biographer, who speaks very fond of him. No one loved pleasure more than Francis. Francis had a ready wit, sang merrily, enjoyed in fine clothes and showy display. He showed sympathy with the poor, and though he spent money lavishly. In 1201 he took part in an attack on Perugia, was taken hostage, and remained a captive there for a year. His mind began to turn to religion, but around 1205 he enlisted in another military expedition, to Apulia.  However, he had a dream in which God called...

Words: 1470 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Saint Francis Solano

...The book, Saint Francis Solano, by Mary F. Windeatt, tells the uplifting story of St. Francis Solano’s life from his decision to become a priest to his last words as wonder-worker of the New World and apostle of Argentina and Peru. Born of a wealthy family, he was capable and well educated. He was also very fortunate to have a happy and holy upbringing into a good and virtuous child. Ever since he was a little boy, he longed to be a priest and a missionary. St. Francis Solano’s great missionary accomplishments were truly shaped by his obedience, intelligence, musical talent and trust in God. St. Francis Solano was always obedient to his superiors as a young adult and as a priest. When he was a young man, by his superiors’ decision, he completed the whole course at Montilla’s Jesuit College without complaining, even though he wished to become a Franciscan Friar sooner. At the time he was a friar longing to be a missionary in Africa, he was assigned the position of choir master by Father Guardian. Though it wasn’t the job he wanted, he cheerfully did his best and made the best choir the community ever had. Later, as a vigorous Franciscan missionary in Tucuman, Argentina, he was very happy and zealous in converting the Indians. But soon his accomplishments reached the Commissionary General one thousand, four hundred miles away in Lima, who then appointed him to be the Custos of all of Tucuman. Our missionary saint however, disliked being in a position of authority, but...

Words: 763 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Sir Francis Drake Eulogy

...Sir Francis Drake – Circumnavigator Extraordinaire A vast majority of individuals will travel through their life and not impact the world around them. They will contribute a minimum to society and will leave no footprints behind. Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was not one of these people, not only did he impact the world around him, he conquered it as well. The life he led will go down in history, and his name will be remembered until the end of time for being the astonishing individual that he turned himself into. With consideration of all the incredible people whom he encountered during his five and fifty years, it is in great honor that I may speak during the hour of his death. Employed under our majesty, Queen Elizabeth I, Drake conquered the seas with an iron fist. He was an extremely loyal subject to our Queen and would have done anything to protect her. Whether this be defeating the Spanish Armada, giving the Queen and England itself a stunning victory. Onto a more personal level, in which I witnessed; when one of her subjects pulled a sword on her, he was right by her side, baring his own dagger, protecting our majesty from the potential threat. He was an outstanding navigator and sea captain, who accomplished circumnavigating the entire globe. Drake was a brave leader to many and used these skills to help bring down the mighty Spanish Armada. He saved countless of his soldiers’ lives on many occasions and was truly an honor to serve under, for his guidance was...

Words: 654 - Pages: 3