Francis of Assisi

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Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d'Assisi ), born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone , informally named as Francesco (1181/1182Ã,-3 October 1226), was an Italian Catholic monk, deacon and preacher. He founded the Friars Minor Order of men, the Order of Saint Clare Women, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most respected religious figures in history.

Pope Gregory IX canonized Francis on July 16, 1228. Together with Saint Catherine of Siena, he was appointed as the patron saint of Italy. He later became associated with animal protection and the natural environment, and it became customary for the Catholic and Anglican churches to hold animal-blessing ceremonies at the holiday on 4 October. He is often remembered as the patron saint of animals. In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to transform the Sultan to end the Crusade conflict. By this point, the Franciscan order had grown so much that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the Order. Once his community was authorized by the Pope, he drew more and more from external affairs. Francis is also known for his love of the Eucharist. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas Christmas scene. According to the Christian tradition, in 1224 he received stigmata during the appearance of Seraphic's angel in religious ecstasy made him the first recorded in the Christian history to bear the wounds of the Passion of Christ. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, when he listened to the recitation he requested from Psalm 142 (141).

Video Francis of Assisi

Biography

Initial life

Francis of Assisi was born at the end of 1181 or early in 1182, one of the few sons of Pietro at Bernardone, a prosperous silk merchant, and his wife Pica de Bourlemont, little known except that he was a noble lady from Provence. Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born in Assisi, and Pica baptized him as Giovanni. Upon his return to Assisi, Pietro took to call his son Francesco ("the Frenchman"), presumably to honor his commercial success and enthusiasm for all things French. Since the child was renamed in infancy, the change had little to do with his ability to learn French, as some think.

Spoiled by his parents, Francis leads a typical high life of a rich young man. As a young man, Francesco became a fan of singers and was fascinated with all things Transalpine. He's handsome, intelligent, handsome, and happy with nice clothes. He spends money lavishly. Although many hagiographers comment on his bright clothes, his rich friends, and his passion for pleasure, his appearance of disillusionment with the world that surrounds him comes quite early in his life, as shown in the "beggar story". In this story, he sells cloth and velvet in the market on behalf of his father when a beggar comes to him and asks for alms. At the end of his business deal, Francis leaves his merchandise and runs after the beggar. When he found it, Francis gave the man everything in his pocket. His friends quickly scolded and taunted him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him angrily.

Around 1202, he joined a military expedition against Perugia and was detained as a prisoner at Collestrada, spending a year as a prisoner. Illness causes him to reevaluate his life. It is possible that his spiritual conversion is a gradual process rooted in this experience. Upon his return to Assisi in 1203, Francis returned to his joyful life. In 1205, Francis went to Apulia to join the army of Walter III, Prince Brienne. The strange vision made him return to Assisi, losing his taste for worldly life. According to hagiographic records, after that he began to avoid sports and parties of his companions. In response, they question him with a laugh whether he is thinking of getting married, to which he replied, "Yes, a fairer bride than you have ever seen", which means "Lady Poverty".

On a pilgrimage to Rome, he joined the poor by begging in St. Peter's Basilica. He spends some time in a lonely place, asking God for spiritual enlightenment. He said that he had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the abandoned chapel of San Damiano, just outside of Asisi, where Christ's Crucified icon said to him, "Francis, Francis, went and repaired my house which, as you see, falls into ruins. "He took this to mean the destroyed church where he is currently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father's shop to help the priest there for this purpose. When the pastor refused to accept the haram, an angry Franciscan threw a coin to the floor.

To avoid the anger of his father, Francis hid in a cave near San Damiano for about a month. When he returned to the city, hungry and dirty, he was dragged home by his father, beaten, tied up and locked in a small warehouse. Released by his mother during the absence of Bernardone, Francis soon returns to San Damiano, where he finds refuge with the leading priest, but he is immediately quoted before the city consul by his father. The latter, unsatisfied with recovering the scattered gold from San Damiano, tried also to force his son to release his legacy by means of restitution. Amid the legal process before the Bishop of Assisi, Francis abandoned his father and his ancestral heritage.

Over the next few months Francis wanders as a beggar in the hills behind Assisi. He spent some time in a neighboring monastery working as a rower. He then went to Gubbio, where a friend gave him, as a charity, a robe, a corset, and a staff of a pilgrim. Returning to Assisi, he crossed the town begging for a stone for the restoration of St. Damiano. Here he takes it to the old chapel, organizes himself, and finally rebuilds it. For two years, he embraced the life of a regret, where he restored some of the ruined chapels in the countryside around Assisi, among them St. Peter, some distance from the city; and Porziuncola, the small chapel of St. Mary of the Angels in the plains just below the city. This then becomes his favorite residence. With the degree that he took to care for the lepers, in the lazy houses near Assisi.

Establishment of the Franciscan Order

The Friars minor

One morning in February 1208, Francis was listening to Mass at the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, who was nearby he built a hut. The Gospel of that day is the "Preparation of the Twelve" from the Book of Matthew. The disciples must go and declare that the Kingdom of God is near. Francis was inspired to devote himself to living in poverty. After obtaining a coarse wool tunic, it was worn by the poorest Umbrian farmer, he tied it around him with a tied rope and left immediately urging people from the country's side to penance, brotherly love, and peace. Francis's preaching to ordinary people was unusual because he did not have permission to do so.

His example attracts others to him. Within a year, Francis had eleven followers. The brothers live a simple life in the quiet lazy house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spend a lot of time wandering through the mountains of Umbrian, making a deep impression on their listeners with their sincere urgency.

In 1209 he drafted simple rules for his followers ("monks"), the primitive Rule or "Primitive Rule", derived from the Scriptures. The rule is "To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and walk with his footsteps". He then led his first 11 followers to Rome to seek permission from Pope Innocent III to establish a new religious Order. Upon entering Rome, the brothers met with Bishop Guido of Assisi, who was at his company Giovanni di San Paolo, Cardinal Bishop of Sabina. The cardinal, which is the confession of Pope InnocentÃ, III, immediately sympathized with Francis and agreed to represent Francis to the pope. Reluctantly, Pope Innocent agreed to meet with Francis and his brothers the next day. After a few days, the pope agreed to accept the group informally, adding that as God increases the group in grace and number, they can return for official entry. The group is already bertonase. This is important in part because it recognizes the authority of the Church and prevents its adherents from possible allegations of heresy, as happened to Waldens decades earlier. Although a number of Pope counselors consider the lifestyle proposed by Francis as unsafe and impractical, following a dream where he sees Francis holding St. Basilica. John Lateran (Roman cathedral, so 'house church' all the Christian world), he decided to support the Order of Francis. This happened, according to tradition, on 16 April 1210, and was the founding of the Franciscan Order. The group, then the "Little Sisters" ( Order Friars Minor also known as the Franciscan Order or Seraphic Order ), centered on Porziuncola and first reported in Umbria , before developing throughout Italy. Francis chose not to be ordained a priest, even though he was later ordained a deacon.

The Poor Clares and Third Order

Since then, the New Order has grown rapidly with new vocations. Hearing Francis preach at the church of San Rufino in Assisi in 1211, the young noble lady Clare of Asisi became deeply touched by her message and realized her calling. His cousin, Rufino, the only male member of the family in their generation, was also interested in the New Order, which he followed. On the night of Palma Sunday, March 28, 1212, Clare secretly left the palace of his family. Francis received it in Porziuncola and thus established the Order of Poor Women. This is an Order for women, and he gives Clare a religious custom, or clothing, similar to his own, before putting it in a nearby convent of Benedictine nuns until he can provide a suitable retreat for him, and for his younger sister, Caterina, and other young women who has joined him. Then he moved them to San Damiano, to some small hut or pial cell, straw, and mud, and flanked by hedges. This became the first monastery of the Second Franciscan Order, now known as the Poor Clares.

For those who can not leave their homes, he then forms the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance, a brotherhood of ordinary people or clergy whose members do not withdraw from the world or take a religious oath. Instead, they observe the principles of Franciscan life in their daily lives. Soon, this Third Order grew up outside Italy. The Third Order is now entitled The Secular Franciscan Order.

Travel

Determined to bring the gospel to everyone in the world, Francis attempted several times to deliver his message from Italy. In the late spring of 1212, he left for Jerusalem, but was stranded by a storm on the Dalmatian coast, forcing him to return to Italy. On May 8, 1213, he was given the use of Mount La Verna (Alverna) as a gift from Count Orlando in Chiusi, describing it as "perfect for anyone who wants to do penance in a place far away from humans". The mountain will be one of his favorite retreats to pray.

That same year, Francis sailed to Morocco, but this time the disease forced him to break his journey in Spain. Back in Assisi, some nobles (among them Tommaso da Celano, who would later write a biography of St. Francis), and some highly educated men joined the Order. In 1215, Francis probably went to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council, but that was uncertain. During this time, he may meet a canon, Dominic de Guzman (later to be Saint Dominic, founder of Friar Preachers, another Catholic order). In 1217, he offered to go to France. Cardinal Ugolino of Segni (future of Pope Gregory IX), an early and important supporter of Francis, advised him to oppose this and say that he is still needed in Italy.

In 1219, accompanied by another monk and hoping to transform the Sultan of Egypt or win martyrdom in that effort, Francis went to Egypt during the Fifth Crusade in which the Crusaders had been camping for over a year besieging the walled city Damietta two miles (3, 2 kilometers) upstream from the mouth of one of the main channels of the Nile River. Sultan, al-Kamil, a nephew of Saladin, had succeeded his father as Sultan of Egypt in 1218 and camped in the upper reaches of Damietta, unable to free him. The bloody and useless attack on the city was launched by Christians on August 29, 1219, after both sides agreed on a four-week truce. It is most likely during this interlude that Francis and his companion crossed the Muslim line and were brought before the Sultan, who remained in his camp for several days. This visit is reported in contemporary Crusading sources and in Francis's earliest biography, but they do not provide information about what happened during outside meetings noting that the Sultan accepted Francis gracefully and that Francis preached to Muslims without effect, returning unharmed to Crusaders. camp. No contemporary Arab source mentions the visit. One detail, added by Bonaventure in Francis's official life (written forty years after the event), has offered Francis to challenge the Sultan's "priest" to stand trial for fire to prove the truth of the Christian gospel.

Such incidents are alluded to in a scene in the late-13th century fresco cycle, which is attributed to Giotto, in the upper basilica of Assisi. It has been argued that the winged figures on the pillars that pierced the roof of the building on the left of the scene were not idols (as proposed by Erwin Panofsky) but were part of the secular iconography of the sultan, affirming his worldly powers which, as the scene shows, are limited even in terms of its own "pastor" who avoids challenges. Although Bonaventure asserted that the sultan refused to allow the challenge, the next biography went further, claiming that the fire was completely ignited, which Francis had unhesitatingly entered without burns. The scene in fresco adopts the middle position between the two extremes. Because the idea was put forward by the German art historian Friedrich Rintelen in 1912, many scholars expressed the doubt that Giotto was the author of the phrases painting the Upper Churches.

According to some final sources, the Emperor gave permission to Francis to visit holy places in the Holy Land and even to preach there. All that can be safely confirmed is that Francis and his colleagues left the Crusaders for Acre, from where they left for Italy in the second half of the year 1220. Based on the 1267 sermon by Bonaventure, later sources reported that the Sultan was secretly converted or accepted. baptism of the death bed as a result of the encounter with Francis. The Franciscan order has been present in the Holy Land almost uninterruptedly since 1217 when Brother Elias arrived at Acre. He received concessions from Mameluke Sultan in 1333 with respect to certain Holy Places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and (as far as the Catholic Church was concerned) the rights of jurisdiction from Pope Clement VI in 1342.

Reorganization of the Franciscan Order and death

At this time, the Order of the developing order is divided into provinces and groups are sent to France, Germany, Hungary, and Spain and to the East. After receiving a report on the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco, Francis returned to Italy via Venice. Cardinal Ugolino di Conti was later nominated by the Pope as protector of the Order. Another reason for Francis's return to Italy was that the Franciscan order had grown at an unprecedented rate compared to the earlier religious order, but the sophistication of his organization did not follow this development and had little more to govern than Francis's simple example and rule. To solve this problem, Francis prepared a new and more detailed Rule, the "First Rule" or "Rules Without a Papal Bull" ( Prime Rule , non-bullata Rule ), which once again confirms the dedication to poverty and apostolic life. However, it also introduced a larger institutional structure, although this was never officially supported by the pope.

On September 29, 1220, Francis handed over the Order government to Peter Catani's brother in Porziuncola, but Brother Peter died only five months later, on March 10, 1221, and was buried there. When many miracles were associated with the dead brother, people began flocking to Porziuncola, disrupting the daily life of the Franciscans. Francis then prayed, asking Peter to stop miracles and to obey death as he had obeyed throughout his life.

Miracle report stops. Peter's brother was replaced by Brother Elias as vicar of Francis. Two years later, Francis modified the "First Rule", creating a "Second Rule" or "Rule with the Bull", approved by Pope Honorius III on November 29, 1223. As an official Order of the Order, he asked the monks "to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without any of us and in holiness ". In addition, he set rules for discipline, preaching, and entering the Order. After the Rule was endorsed by the Pope, Francis withdrew from external affairs. During 1221 and 1222, Francis crossed Italy, first as far south as Catania in Sicily and then north as far as Bologna.

While he was praying on Mount Verna, during a forty-day fast in preparation for Michaelmas (29 September), Francis is said to have a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Cross, as a result he received stigmata. Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple record of the event, the first definite account of the stigmata phenomenon. "Suddenly he saw the vision of an angel, the six-winged angel on the cross, who gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ." Suffering from this stigmata and from trachoma, Francis received treatment in several cities (Siena, Cortona, Nocera) to no avail. In the end, he was taken back to a cabin next to Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his Spiritual Covenant. He died on the evening of Saturday, October 3, 1226, singing Psalm 142 (141), "Voce mea ad Dominum" . On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX (former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend of Saint Francis and Cardinal Patron of the Order). The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for St. Francis Basilica in Assisi. Francis was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica, but his grave was soon hidden by Brother Elias's order to protect him from the Saracens invaders. His exact burial place remained unknown until rediscovered in 1818. Pasquale Belli was later built for the remains of a basement in neo-classical style in Lower Basilica. Renewed between 1927 and 1930 to its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the walls of its marble decorations. In 1978, the remains of Saint Francis were examined and confirmed by a clerical commission appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put into a glass jar in an ancient stone tomb.

Maps Francis of Assisi

Character and inheritance

It has been argued that there is no one else in such a dedicated history as Francis to imitate life, and carry on the work of Christ, in Christ's own way-Francis is sometimes even remembered as alter Christus , ("The other Christ"). This is important in understanding the character of Francis and his affinity for the Eucharist and honoring priests who perform the sacrament.

He and his followers celebrate and even glorify poverty. Poverty is so important to his character that in his last paper, the Covenant, he says that absolute personal and corporate poverty is an important lifestyle for members of the Order.

He believes that nature itself is a mirror of God. He referred to all beings as "brothers" and "sisters", and even preached to the birds and should persuade the wolves to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolves. In his Canticle of the Creatures , he mentions "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon", wind and water, and "Sister Death." He refers to his chronic illness as his "sister". His deep brotherhood deep beneath God embraces others, and he states that "he considers himself not a friend of Christ if he does not appreciate those to whom Christ died."

Francis's visit to Egypt and his conformity with the Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long after his own death, for after the fall of the Crusades, it would be Franciscan, of all Catholics, to be allowed to live in the Holy Land and recognized as " Holy Land "in the name of the Catholic Church.

At Greccio near Assisi, circa 1220, Francis celebrated Christmas by founding the first presepio or crÃÆ'¨che (the scene of the Nativity). His birth image reflects scenes in traditional paintings. He uses real animals to create life scenes so that worshipers can reflect on the birth of Jesus' child directly, making use of the senses, especially the vision. Thomas of Celano and Saint Bonaventure, the biographer of Saint Francis, tell how he used only a straw-filled manger (a straw filled trough) between a cow and a real donkey. According to Thomas, it is beautiful in its simplicity, with the manger acting as an altar for the Christmas Mass.

Nature and environment

Francis taught the Christian doctrine that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffered the need for redemption for human sin. He believed that all beings should praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and people have an obligation to protect and enjoy the good nature as God's created servants and as beings themselves. Many stories tell the life of Saint Francis says that he loves animals and the environment.

An incident that depicts the humility of the Sacred Heart towards nature is told in "Fioretti" ("Little Flower"), a collection of legends and folklore that emerged after the death of Saint. One day, when Francis traveled with some friends, they happened to be somewhere in the street where the birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his friends to "wait for me while I went to preach to my sisters about the birds." The birds surrounded him, attracted by the power of his voice, and none of them flew. He is often depicted with a bird, usually in his hand.

Another legend of Fioretti says that in the town of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, was a "horrible and ferocious wolf, devouring humans and animals." Francis had mercy on the townspeople, so he went up the hill to find the wolf. Soon, the fear of the beast caused all his friends to flee, even though the saint continued to press. When he finds the wolf, he makes the sign of the cross and orders the wolf to come to him and not hurt anyone. Miraculously the wolf covered his jaw and lay on Francis's feet.

"Werewolves, you are damaging many of these parts and you have committed a great crime," Francis said. "All these people accuse you and cursed you... But werewolves, I want to make peace between you and the people." Then Francis took the wolf into the city, and was surrounded by a shocked citizen making an agreement between them and the wolf. Since the wolf has "committed the crime of hunger, the townspeople must feed the wolves regularly, in return, the wolf will no longer prey on them or their herds.In this way Gubbio is freed from the threat of predators, Francis has even made a treaty on behalf of the dogs that they will not disturb the wolf again.Finally, to show the townspeople that they will not be harmed, Francis bless the wolf.

Three quarters of millennium after his death, St. Frances remains a figure and an important symbol inside and outside the Catholic Church. On November 29, 1979, Pope John Paul II declared Saint Francis the Protector of Ecology. During World Environment Day 1982, John Paul II said that the love and care of Saint Francis for creation is a challenge for contemporary Catholics and a reminder "not to behave like a dissident predator where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, be careful that everything remains healthy and integrated, offering a friendly and friendly environment even to those who succeed us. "The same pope wrote on the occasion of World Peace Day, January 1, 1990, the saint of Assisi" offers Christians a sincere and profound example of respect to the integrity of creation... "He goes on to state that:" As a friend of the poor loved by God's creation, Saint Francis invites all creation - animals, plants, natural forces, even Sun and Sister Moon - to pay homage and praise to God.The poor of Assisi give us a striking witness that when we are at peace with God, we are better off devoting ourselves to building peace with all creation that can not be separated from peace among all people. "

Pope John Paul II concludes that part of the document with these words, "It is my hope that the inspiration of Saint Francis will help us to keep a sense of 'brotherhood' with all the good and beautiful things created by Almighty God. "

Feast

The feast of Saint Francis was observed on October 4. A secondary party to honor the stigmata received by Saint Francis, celebrated on 17 September, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1585 (later than the Tridentine Calendar) and pressed in 1604, but restored in 1615. In the New Roman Mass of 1969, it was removed again from the General Calendar, as something of a main party duplication on October 4, and submitted to the calendar of certain locality and the Franciscan Order. Wherever the traditional Roman Missal is used, however, the Stigmata feast remains in the General Calendar.

On June 18, 1939, Pope Pius XII renamed Francis Saint Patron together from Italy along with Santo Catherine of Siena with the apostolic letter "Licet Commissa". Pope Pius also mentions two saints in his laudative discourse which he declared on May 5, 1949, at the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Saint Francis was revered in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, the US Episcopal Church, the Old Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and other churches and religious communities on 4 October. The Evangelical Church in Germany, however. , commemorating the feast of Saint Francis on the day of his death, October 3.

Papal Names

On March 14, 2013, in his election as Pope, Archbishop and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina chose Francis as his pontifical name to honor Saint Francis of Assisi, became Pope Francis.

At its first hearing on March 16, 2013, Pope Francis told reporters that he had chosen a name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, and had done so because he cared deeply for the well-being of the poor. He explained that, since it became clear during the conclave elections that he would be elected as the new bishop of Rome, Cardinal ClÃÆ'¡udio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, "Do not forget the poor", which has made Bergoglio think of the saint. Bergoglio had previously expressed his admiration for St. Francis, explains that "He brought to Christian an idea of ​​poverty to the luxuries, pride, the pride of civil and ecclesiastical power at the time." He changed history. The election of a pope by Bergoglio was the first time a pope was named after Francis.

Protector

Saint Francis is the Protector of Animals, Traders & amp; Ecology. He is also considered patron saint: fighting to die alone; patron saint against fire; the patron saint of animal welfare society; animal protector saint; patron saint from Assisi, Italy; the patron saint of birds; patron saint of Catholic Action; Colorado's patron saint; the patron saint of Denver, Colorado, the archdiocese; ecological protector saint; ecological protector saint; the patron saint of the environment; the patron saint of the environment; the patron saint of the environment; the patron saint of the family; the patron saint of the Franciscan Order; patron saint of Freising, Germany; patron saint from Italy; the patron saint of Kottapuram, India, the diocese; the protector saint of the lace maker; the protector saint of the lace worker; patron saint of Lancaster, England, diocese; Mass patron saint, Italy; patron saint of merchants; the patron saint of Metuchen, New Jersey, the diocese; patron saint of Nambe Indian Pueblo; the protector saint of the needle worker; the patron saint of peace; the patron saint of Quibdo, Choco, Colombia; patron saint of Salina, Kansas, diocese; the patron saint of San Francisco, California, the archdiocese; the patron saint of San Pawl il-Bahar, Malta; patron saint of Sante Fe, New Mexico; the patron saint of Sante Fe, New Mexico, the archdiocese; patron saint of Sorbo, Italy; the patron saint of the tapestry workers; patron saint of the zoo.

Informally, weapon disposal also considers Saint Francis the patron saint, because if the person is killed by an explosion, there is often little body left but a piece of meat that is then eaten by the bird.

Protestantism

Even in Protestant, the name and heritage of Saint Francis has survived.

Main article

• Canticum Fratris Solis or Laudes Creaturarum ; Canticle of the Sun.
• Prayer before the Cross, 1205 (still in the original Umbrian dialect and also in contemporary Latin translation);
• non-bullata Rules , Previous Rule, 1221;
• Bullata Rule , Rules Later, 1223;
• Testament , 1226;
• Warnings .

For a complete list, see The Franciscan Experience .

Saint Francis was considered the first Italian poet by literary critic. He believed ordinary people should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he often wrote in Umbrian dialect instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary and religious value.

The 20th anonymous Prayer "Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace" is widely but incorrectly attributed to Saint Francis.

In art

Source of the article : Wikipedia