Who is Saint Francis of Assisi?
Francis was born more than 800 years ago in Assisi, Italy. His father owned a store. As a child, Francis had everything he needed and wanted.
But as he grew up, Francis began to notice that everyone didn't have as good a life as he did. In his town some people had no place to live. Many were sick and hungry. When he was out with his friends, poor people begged him for money or food. Francis began to understand that God wanted him to live like a beggar, too. So he gave away everything that he owned and started living on the street.
His father and mother were not happy about this at all! They wanted Francis to get married and start working in his father's store. But Francis knew that he had to do what God wanted. He believed he would grow closer to God if he tried to live like Jesus had lived: with no money and without the things that money could buy. He knew that living this way would help him learn to trust God completely. He believed that trusting in God would bring him true happiness. And guess what? It did!
Francis traveled around Italy. He taught people to live simply and trust God. Over time, he found other men who wanted to live this way. Together they formed a group called "The Order of Friars Minor." More and more men became monks, following Francis' example. Today men and women still belong to this group. They call themselves "Franciscans."
The Church named Francis a "saint" in 1228. We celebrate his life and remember his story each year on October 4th. We call it "St. Francis Day."
On St. Francis Day we read from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:
Jesus said, "Are you tired? Are you worn out? Then, come to me. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do things. I won't lay anything on you that is too much for you. Keep me company and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Adapted from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene Peterson)
Questions to think and pray about:
What do you think this passage from Matthew's gospel has to do with St. Francis?
Have you ever had someone ask you for money and/or food? What did you do?
What do you think it would be like to give away everything you owned, and live at the mercy of others?