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| St Francis the healer |
St Francis of Assisi
Early Life
St Francis was born in Assisi in 1181 to a successful
merchant, Pietro Bernardone and his wife Pica. Despite growing up in a
religious environment, he enjoyed the bourgeois lifestyle. As a result of one
of the many military campaigns he participated in, he was imprisoned for a year
by the Perugians. While in captivity, St Francis witnessed the suffering of the
lower classes, which would be a chief turning point in his spiritual perception.
Motivations and
reason
Through a number of graceful experiences, St Francis developed
a strong spiritual life. Amongst others, he was particularly motivated and
inspired from a gospel passaged from St Matthew:
As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come
near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive
out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. “Do not get any gold or
silver or copper to take with you in your belts— no bag for the journey or
extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.
- Matthew 10:7-10
From there on, he denounced all material possession and
promoted a life of extreme poverty to pursue a simple life of loving God and
preaching His Word.
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| St Francis patron saint of animals |
The Franciscans
After accumulating a number of followers, he got his rule
approved by Pope Innocent III and so the Franciscans were established. The Franciscans
highly valued above all else:
- - Living in extreme poverty
- - Manual labour and begging; to survive and learn humility
- - Preaching the gospel
- - Living among the laity
- - The respect and awe of creation (the natural world)
The Franciscans
success
The success of the Franciscans can be seen in:
- The establishment of the Order of the Poor Clares, which was the first rule written by a women (St Clare of Assisi).
- Their extensive travel around Europe and spread of ministry
- Their long lasting existence, survival and influence even in today’s society
Additionally, here is a link to St Francis of
Assisi’s famous poem, The Canticle of the
Sun, for your enjoyment: canticle of the sun
Alex Wormald, Caroline Fazakas and Toby Dinh
Blog questions:
"How did St Francis and the Franciscans live out their
religious lives? How committed were they to these values?"
St Francis and his followers endeavored to live in imitation of Christ, embracing poverty, having no possessions or wealth of their own and relying on the goodwill of others in begging and alms as well as manual labour for survival. The Franciscans did not segregate themselves from society like other orders but lived among the people and initially did not have a form of hierarchal structure, with the growth of the order, Francis wrote a second Rule that allowed for the presence of a 'hierarchy of administration' as well as continuing to uphold the importance of poverty. Further changes occurred after the death of St Francis, being allowed wealth and gifts after the Pope decreed it so and made himself 'legal owner' of all buildings of the order. After St Francis' death, some Franciscans began to attend universities, going against what St. Francis and some of his more 'spiritual' followers saw as adherence to the 'strict observance of poverty'.
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment! the 'hierarchy of administration' is a very good point as to how they had to arguably 'compromise' their original ideologies for the growth and well-being of the Order
DeleteSt Francis and the Franciscans lived there lives in extreme poverty, on the what might have been known as the dredges of society. This style of living allowed for them to have a closer and more initmate connection with god. By living like this, they also got to see true acts of charity, by the fact that they lived day by day, on the goodwill of the people.
ReplyDeleteInitially they were extremely committed to this view and lifestyle, but after the death of St Francis, not as many people wanted to continue this for their entire life, and attempted to live lives of more physical meaning, including attaining university and gaining material possessions.
thanks for the comment! the conflict of how much the franciscans should value poverty gained roughly the same number of supporters on both ends. this was the reason why the order split into 2: the spirituals and the conventuals
DeleteSt Francis and the Franciscans sought to pursue a life led in imitation of the earthly Jesus as he was presented in the gospels. They were to forsake all earthly possessions - including money, and to either beg or engage in manual labour in order to survive. This life of poverty was further supplemented by the Franciscans residing among the people, rather than secluding themselves away from the world in religious pursuit.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after the death of Francis, the concepts that the Franciscans lived their lives under began to alter. Antithetically to the original Rules of Francis, Franciscans were allowed to hold properties, and to accept gifts. The Franciscans also altered their opinion on education, and many of them began to attend university. These altercations were accepted by the majority of Franciscans, however some loyal supporters continued to live out their lives under the Rules that represented the original premise of what St Francis had initiated.
great overall perception on the matter! the 'earthly jesus' you mentioned, was a prime inspiration as to why the franciscans highly valued practising humility (ie, emphasised the full human side of Christ)
DeleteHow did St Francis and the Franciscans live out their religious lives? How committed were they to these values?
ReplyDeleteSt Francis and the Franciscans live thier religious lives in an apostolic manner, seeking to 'imitate' Christ, so as to recapture the essence of his early teachings. They lived, or at the very least attempted to live a life of poverty, he disallowed his followers any possesions and from the beginning (although this was to change) was quite anti-education. (i found this to be a very strange fact about St. Francis). He opposed the notion of living secluded from the world, but maintained that one should reside among the people, actively preaching and ministering to the needs of the poor. He worked only to sustain himself and when work wasn't available accepted alms and allowed begging.
Fransican attitude towards a life of poverty somewhat changed with St. Francis' death andthe decrees from Pope Innocent that Fransicans could hold property and accept gifts to the order, and from the 1220's in the later years of St. Francis' life began to attend Universeties.
thanks for the comment! St Francis' view on education is interesting. I think for us modern people, his 'anti-education' views would seem strange, but for him, it would have been different in context of his emphasis on poverty and humility. We see education as somewhat a given right, effective and necessary tool, whereas he would have seen education as a great privilege and gift. His extreme stance on humility and poverty would have meant for him to reject this great gift and to completely deny himself of any advantages and privileges whatsoever.
DeleteAlso, his un-studious nature could have accounted for this too haha
DeleteHi guys, thanks for your comments! I agree with you, Matt: it seems strange Francis rejected the pursuit of education by his followers. I think he took the view that 'knowledge is wealth', although you could argue that through this knowledge he and his followers could learn to better help the poor.
ReplyDeleteSt Francis and the Franciscans lived out their religious lives by attempting to live similarly to Christ on earth. They did this by denouncing material possessions and pursuing a simple life of poverty, where loving God and preaching His Word was all that mattered. They valued Preaching the gospel, the natural world (which they believed God had created) and a life without wealth or possessions above all else. St Francis and the Franciscans survived primarily through the kindness of others. They would beg or participate in manual labour to gain food and shelter. St Francis and the Franciscans lived lived as a part of society, rather than isolating themselves, so that they could preach the words of Christ.
ReplyDeleteSt Francis was extremely committed to these values and ways of living in the image of Christ. However after his death many of the Franciscans began to gain wealth and attend universities. Although many do not live a religious life as strict as that of St Francis, the religion and ideals are still strong today.
Thanks for the comment! Thanks for emphasising their adherence to preaching the Word. This was of great importance to them, especially Francis, who would even preach to the animals
Delete