Saint Francis Life Essay, Research Paper

St. Francis?s life began as any other man of his time. He was a wealthy

individual who was preoccupied with material comforts. This preoccupation also

led him to fear the poor, especially lepers. St. Francis then entered into a

conversion that led him to be an alter Christus. He gave up all his material

possessions and embraced poverty and welcomed the poor and needy into his life

with open arms. he ignored the ridicule he received from both his family and his

peers and entered this new way of life and became dedicated to helping people in

need. St. Francis?s conversion began after he had been imprisoned for a year

in a foreign country. He returns home and falls ill and is bedridden for another

year. He then sets out for another war, but is called home by the beckoning of

God. His conversion is gradual as he begins slowly working with the poor and the

lepers. Francis eventually becomes estranged from his family and is brought

before the Bishop of Assisi by his father. Here Francis publicly renounces his

inheritance, strips his clothes, and begins his journey in search of God?s

Kingdom. Francis is ridiculed by his friends and his peers, but he endures the

humiliation and continues his work with the poor. Now Francis begins to imitate

Jesus and begins preaching, this leads to many men following Francis and

creation the Franciscan Order. These men went throughout the cities and

countryside helping the poor and rebuilding the church both physically and

spiritually. For the rest of Francis?s life he spread the word of God, and in

his death he received the great honor of Sainthood. St. Francis not only touched

the lives of people in his own time, but he also touched the next generation

with his teachings he has left behind. The mere mention of St. Francis?s name

brings to mind poverty. This is a man who gave up all his worldly possessions

and joined the beggars in the streets. St. Francis?s reasoning for doing the

was to become closer to God and his kingdom. Francis?s relationship to poverty

can be defined by these lines, ?holy poverty stands high above all the virtues

that prepare in us a dwelling place for God…? (Sacrum Commercium). It also

states that, ?blessed are the poor in spirit,? Jesus said, ?for theirs is

the kingdom of Heaven.? As Francis interprets the Bible, God enters your life

only when you are poor in spirit, and when this occurs the kingdom of Heaven is

made available to you. St. Francis and his followers took these words to heart

and lived every day of their lives following these lessons. Becoming closer to

God was the sole reason for Francis?s vow of poverty. Accompanying this vow he

also believed he had the solution to war. St. Francis taught his followers that

if they had possessions that they would need arms to defend them. He believed

that possessions led to violence, hatred, and war. Individuals self worth is to

often measured by how money they possess of what possessions they have. Without

possessions mankind would all be on equal footing and there for less problems

would exist. Today reality shows us that such a way of living is not possible.

In today?s world, instead of flaunting our wealth, we can share and try not to

measure people to these standards. When one brings these teachings into the

twentieth century it is hard to imagine actually following them as St. Francis

did. When I think of myself and all the materials that we possess; giving

everything up is not an option. We are a selfish human race as a whole, and we

thrive on buying the newest technology and latest fashions. Giving our time by

volunteering and giving to various charities are two small ways we, even as

college students, can make a difference. It may not appear to be as radical as

St. Francis?s conversion but if everyone contributes in a small way it will

make a world of difference.