Saint Francis of Assisi (in Italian San Francesco d’Assisi, is an Umbrian (Italian) saint, deacon, also known as “Father Francis” and founder of the Franciscan Order, of a second order known as Poor Clare Sisters and a third known as third secular order, all arising under the authority of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. He stands out as one of the great figures of spirituality in the history of Christianity. the countryside dominated by the feudal mode of production, but the surpluses of its production were channeled with greater dynamism than in the Early Middle Ages. Although a clear transition from feudalism to capitalism was not yet taking place and the privileged classes (nobility and clergy) continued to be dominant, as they were until the Contemporary Age, the bourgeoisie (craftsmen, merchants, liberal professionals and businessmen) began to have possibilities of social advancement, and commerce and banking grew dominated by the constant desire for profit. The Church, protagonist of that time, was also seen influenced by the new wealth: there were many criticisms of some of his ministers who were more concerned about patrimonial growth and their political relations of convenience. Members were known by the generic name of “mendicant monks.” This movement took the practice of the vow of poverty to an extreme: its members no longer lived by working the land like the Cistercians reformed by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, but they even renounced owning their own property. Thus, the mendicant orders ended up playing a leading role in the life of the Church, by making the majority of Catholics move away from the search for opulence, something that would return in the 14th century. youth the city was already involved in conflicts to claim its autonomy from the Holy Empire. In 1197 they managed to remove Germanic authority, but from 1201 they became involved in another war against Perugia (Perugia), supported by the nobles exiled from Assisi. At the battle of Ponte San Giovanni, in November 1202, Francis was taken prisoner and was held captive for at least a year. the lepers, whom it once seemed extremely bitter to look at. He later dedicated himself to the reconstruction of the San Damiano chapel. According to the stories, he did it after having seen the crucifix of this church say: Francis, go and repair my church, which is falling into ruins. He then decided to sell his father’s horse and goods in Foligno, returned to San Damiano with what he had earned and offered it to the priest, but he rejected it. He submitted to the call of ecclesiastical authority. When asked to return the money in front of his father and the bishop of Assisi, named Guido, he not only did so, but also stripped off all his clothing before the judges, proclaiming God from that moment on as his true Father. At this, the bishop embraced him and wrapped him in his mantle. employed in humble tasks for monasteries and private homes, and working for farmers. But daily needs made the collection of alms inevitable, a work that Francis encouraged with joy for having chosen the path of poverty. The expansion of the evangelical message also began, and to this end he encouraged them to travel two by two. called second order. he had to adopt the Rule of Saint Benedict or that of Saint Augustine. For the Friars Minor there was no need for this, as they had been accepted six years earlier (although verbally and not officially). At this council, Pope Innocent III took the letter Tau as a symbol of conversion and sign of the cross; From then on the poverello was devoted to this symbol. He also organized provinces of evangelization. Muslim religious ministers to enter with him into a large bonfire (equivalent to an ordeal or test by fire), in order to demonstrate which religion was true; The mullahs shied away from the proposal. Francis offered to enter alone and challenged the Sultan that, if he emerged unharmed, he would convert to Christianity and incite his people to do so; The prince also rejected that possibility. In the end, his intentions were frustrated. In recognition, the Sultan of Egypt gave Francis a finely carved ivory horn that would have served as a passport in Muslim lands and is preserved in the Basilica of Assisi. Some time later, Francis obtained permission only to visit Syria and the Holy Land from Sultan al-Mu’azzam of Damascus, brother of al-Malik. vagrancy and disobedience to orders contrary to Franciscan principles. After approval of the definitive rule, Francisco decided to return to Umbria. Due to the proximity of Christmas, which he had special appreciation for, he wanted to celebrate it in a particular way that year of 1223; To do this, he invited a nobleman from the city of Greccio, named Juan, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on a hill surrounded by trees and full of caves on land he owned. prostrating, fasting, and even gesticulating. not from the pain he felt, but from being the bearer of the signs of the Passion of Christ. For this reason, he went from then on with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his habit, and with his feet covered by stockings and shoes. war. On his bed he wrote his Will. In his last moments he once again sang his Canticle to Brother Sol—to which he added a new verse dedicated to Sister Death—along with Angelo and León. In accordance with his last wish, he was directed to the Porziuncula, where he settled in a cabin near the chapel. He died on October 3, 1226 at the age of 44. There was news of the passage of the blessed Father and the fame of the miracle of stigmatization was spread, the people en masse immediately flocked to the place to see with their own eyes that portent, which would dispel all doubt from their minds and fill their hearts affected by pain with joy. Many citizens of Assisi were admitted to contemplate and kiss the sacred wounds. One of them named Jerome, a cultured and prudent knight as well as famous and famous, as he doubted these sacred wounds, being incredulous like Thomas, moved the nails with great fervor and audacity and with his own hands touched the hands, feet and side of the Saint in the presence of the brothers and other citizens; and it turned out that, as he felt those authentic signs of the wounds of Christ, he amputated the slightest wound of doubt from his heart and from the hearts of all. Therefore, since then he became, among others, a qualified witness of this truth known with such certainty, and confirmed it under oath by placing his hands on the sacred books. Saint Bonaventure, Major Legend of Saint Francis 15.4 evangelical He also preached by example, with his lifestyle allied to poverty. His way of preaching was through laudas, or praises, with the objective of drawing the attention of men to honor the Supreme Being. According to Tomás Celano: When, being in public, he suddenly felt affected by visits from the Lord, in order not to even be outside the cell, he made his cloak a little cell… He always found a way to hide himself from the gaze of those present… to the point of praying among many without being noticed in the narrowness of the nave. nature and the environment. The Christian world is full of churches and altars dedicated to him and because of him his name, previously quite rare, became common throughout Europe. Pius Although some maintain that the creation of the manger predates Francis, it was undoubtedly he who popularized the Nativity or scene of the birth of Jesus. Upon entering the Greccio hermitage to pray on Christmas 1223, Francis felt the desire to represent the birth of the Child Jesus live, and that fact was decisive in the universalization of that tradition. In 1986, at the request of nativity scene associations around the world, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Saint Francis of Assisi as the universal patron of “Nativity Scenery.” Francis was not the creator of the so-called Peace Prayer of Saint Francis (“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…”), a French poem published in 1912 and attributed to the Italian friar from 1916 until the end of the 20th century. However, it is considered a until now anonymous synthesis of the ideology lived by the “saint of Assisi.” By virtue of Saint Francis’ devout pilgrimage to the East, and his desire to reconcile all men, the Franciscans are custodians of the Holy Places. The Franciscan presence in the Holy Land, which with various vicissitudes has always been maintained, acquired stability and official character on the part of the Church in 1342, the year in which Pope Clement VI promulgated two bulls: Gratias agimus and Nuper carissimae, in which he entrusted the Franciscan Order with the “custody of the Holy Places.” When, in 1992, the 650 years of such bulls were completed, John Paul II sent the general minister of the order a message of congratulations as well as an exhortation to persevere in the commission received from the Church. Pope Francis chose this name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi on March 13, 2013. The second encyclical of his pontificate, Laudato si’ (in Spanish, Praise be to you), which has as its central theme the conservation of the environment with particular emphasis on the search for an “integral ecology”, reproduces in its title the first words of the Canticle of the Creatures of the saint of Assisi. Laudato si’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise you, my Lord”, sang Saint Francis of Assisi. In that beautiful song he reminded us that our common home is also like a sister, with whom we share existence, and like a beautiful mother who welcomes us into her arms: “Praise you, my Lord, for the sister of our mother earth, who sustains us, and governs and produces various fruits with colorful flowers and grass. Francis, Laudato si’ The Skanda Vale temple and monastery in the United Kingdom has Francis of Assisi as its patron saint, and is organized like a Franciscan order. There is in many countries an organization of young people who want to follow the Franciscan spirit. This organization, called Jufra (Franciscan Youth), is aimed at all those young people who want to know and live the Franciscan charism. It is part of the third Franciscan order founded by Saint Francis, the Secular Franciscan Order or OFS and is divided into three groups, according to age: the youngest are called “Heralds”, the adolescents “Minstrels”, and the oldest, “Jufristas”. In Argentina, for example, the movement emerged in 1979 in the city of Córdoba, and then spread to many other cities in the country. Upon reaching adulthood (generally between 20 and 25 years old), young people are invited to continue following that vocational path in the OFS, although not necessarily.
