Francis: Life and Lessons

FRANCIS

LIFE AND LESSONS

Chris Park

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© 2010 Chris Park. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/30/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4520-6859-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-6861-9 (sc)

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

For Sofia Grace, a new generation, with love

I am not here to think about being a writer ... I am here to try to learn humility and how to do God’s will and serve Him the best way I can, and writing has something to do with all these things, accidentally, because it happens that I like to write, and try to know how.

Thomas Merton

Franciscan friars gathered in front of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi, Easter 2009

Contents

Introduction

Context

Sources

Appearance and character

Framing Francis

Enigma

1

Beginnings

Family

Home

Birth

Name

Youth

Apprentice

Social life

Behind the mask

2

Hopes and dreams

Cult of knighthood

Rocca Maggiore

Perugia

Spoleto

Banquet

Epiphany

3

Turning point

San Damiano

Crucifix

Conversion

Rebuilding

Cloth

Reaction

House arrest

Solitude

Facing justice

Walk to freedom

To Rome

Beggars and lepers

Back to building

Gubbio

4

Spirituality

True and humble faith

Imitating Christ

Challenges

Scripture

Spiritual warfare

Mortification

Prayer

Solitude

Contemplation or action

Church

Peace and reconciliation

5

Poverty

Poverty and the poor

Gospel calling

Jesus’ teaching

Motives

Approach

6

Community

Companions in faith

Guidance from scripture

Rivo Torto

Building community

Establishing the Order

Portiuncula

Lifestyle

1220 Chapter General

Resignation

Rules

Second and Third Orders

7

Clare

Background

Calling

Exodus

San Damiano

Second Order

Death and sainthood

Basilica

8

Nature

Creation

Compassion

Nature stories

Canticle of the Creatures

Nature mystic

9

Mission

Preaching

Nativity

Mission

Chapter Meetings

Holy Land

10

Final days

Personal struggles

La Verna

Stigmata

Failing eyesight

Return to Assisi

Portiuncula

Death

Sainthood

Basilica

Bibliography

Notes and References

About the Author

Introduction

They gathered in their thousands, from many different countries. They were all men and they wore monks’ tunics in a variety of shades of black, brown or white. They were quite a sight, a huge mass of men of all shapes and sizes – tall and short, fat and thin, bearded and bald. They spoke many different languages, often very animatedly. Some talked loudly into their mobile phones, hands gesticulating uncontrollably, while some sent texts and emails on their Blackberries. Some simply stood and gazed at the sea of kindred spirits all around them. Some smoked serenely in the mid-day sun. Many looked like cameo monks awaiting their entry in some great movie being filmed. Some walked with a pronounced swagger, enjoying not only the occasion but the public spectacle of it all. For a religious order founded on poverty and simplicity, there were some expensive haircuts, watches, digital cameras, mobile phones and briefcases on display!

The men had travelled from all parts of the world as pilgrims, visiting the mother church of the Franciscan religious order and movement, to walk in the footsteps of their founder and inspiration – Francis (Francesco) Bernardone, better known in his day simply as Francis, and know around the world since his death as Saint Francis of Assisi.

It was Easter 2009 in Assisi, Italy. This was a Chapter Meeting, the Franciscan equivalent of a gathering of the clans, which now takes place in Assisi every ten years when representatives of the Franciscan Order in different countries meet to pray, study, and make decisions. This particular gathering was very special, because it marked the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Franciscan Order.

Apart from being a rather theatrical sight, what is the relevance of this gathering to ordinary people today, more than eight centuries after the death of the man who established their religious order? Does Francis have anything meaningful to say to us, or is he simply a voice from the past, albeit a very well known one?

Context

Francis and the Order he established were very much products of their time and place.

The time was 13th century Europe, a period which as G.K. Chesterton – one of Francis’s biographers – points out witnessed a fresh flowering of culture and the creative arts after a long spell of much sterner and even more sterile experience which we call the Dark Ages.1 Sweeping reforms of Church discipline were under way (which included the new obligation of celibacy for priests, and new constraints on financial corruption by the clergy, for example through the sale of indulgences or pardons), and the Crusades were in full swing in the Holy Land against the muslims. Feudalism had declined and been replaced by capitalism, and a new merchant class was emerging. Donald Spoto, another of Francis’s biographers, adds that there was also an astonishing leap forward in what might be called the life of the mind and the spirit. The long and successful efforts of Irish monks to keep literature alive contributed greatly to the formation of new intellectual syntheses – first in monastic schools, and then in the great universities of Bologna, Padua, Paris and Oxford. ... The late 12th century was also a time of experimentation in religious life, as many monks abandoned their monasteries to live individually as hermits or in smaller, isolated communities that rejected the wealth, land and feudal privileges accumulated by their abbots. Simultaneously, the rise of lay poverty movements and independent preachers summoning people to penance and a reformed life led to serious consideration of precisely how one could live the Christian faith in the midst of a swiftly changing and suffering society.2 This is the world that Francis was born into.

The place was Assisi, a typical medieval hilltop town in Umbria, central Italy, about 10 miles south-east of Perugia and 90 miles south-east of Florence. The landscape of Umbria is littered with such hilltop towns, with building huddled together partly through lack of space but also for defensive purposes, more for defence against attacks by neighbouring towns than defence against the weather. These towns have narrow streets, steep hills and open squares (piazzas), with a skyline typically dominated by grand churches and tall stone domestic towers, built for family security but also as conspicuous displays of wealth and status.

Assisi is built on a spur on the western side of Mount Subasio, which shelters it from harsh winds. Through most of its history it was surrounded by woodland and fields. The town pours down gently into the groves of olive trees that blanket her feet, leading to the verdant Spoleto Valley below. Above the city, the Rocca Maggiore fortress keeps a watchful eye on the city of Perugia, its former nemesis, sixteen miles across the open plain.3

Assisi was an important Roman city, and still has remains of Roman walls and of a former Temple of Minerva which was converted into a Christian church in the 16th century. It was famous for its natural springs as far back as Roman times. It is one of the oldest towns in Italy and had been conquered in 1160 by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who ruled the areas we now call Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France (half of it), the Netherlands and Italy (except for the Papal States).4

The town has attracted countless pilgrims over the centuries, eager to see where Francis was born, worked and lived, and to pay homage to this well-loved saint. They come alone and in groups, and they include people of all faiths and none. Shortly before he died Francis had prayed a blessing over the city, saying God bless you, holy city, for through you many souls will be saved, and within you many servants of God will dwell, and from you many will be chosen for the realms of life eternal.5

Assisi was declared a Word Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 2000 because of its architecture, its artistic and spiritual heritage and impact, its preservation of buildings and landscapes, and as the birthplace of the Franciscan Order and movement. On 26th September 1997 the town and surrounding area were struck by an earthquake which damaged the Basilica of St Francis and other buildings but most of the damage has since been repaired.

Sources

Whilst Francis lived many centuries ago, we know a great deal about him. Indeed, as Robinson points out, there are … few if any medieval lives more thoroughly documented6. According to the bibliography of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, more biographies have been written about Francis than about any other person. A search for ‘Francis of Assisi’ in the integrated catalogue of the British Library shows 435 entries, and a search for ‘Francis Assisi’ in Google produces nearly two million results.

Inevitably most of this vast range of material about Francis relies heavily on the early sources which have survived. This early source material falls into two categories. First there are Francis’s own writings, which Franciscan priest and writer Murray Bodo points out are personal, simple, and direct7. They include his directions to the Order he founded (including the Rule, the Admonitions and his Will), the rule for the Poor Clares, and some letters to Clare and one to brother Leo. Secondly there are two early biographies written by contemporaries who knew him.

The first biography was the ‘Life’ of Francis written in 1228 by Thomas of Celano, who joined the Franciscan Order 11 years before Francis died and knew him personally. Celano’s biography was rewritten in 1247 (as the Second Life) to correct some questionable passages about brother Elias. Celano insists that it would take too long and indeed it would be impossible to recount everything Francis did, and to summarise all he taught in his lifetime8 but that did not stop him from writing with gushing enthusiasm, as one might expect from a writer whose main objective is to elevate his subject to the highest level of perfection. Stace cautions us to remember that Celano tells the truth as he sees it, the truth seen through the eyes of the thirteenth-century religious whose subject was his hero and idol.9 Celano’s writing sits firmly in the category of hagiography (writing that deliberately idealizes a person) rather than biography, so we must treat his text with appropriate care and sensitivity.

The official biography of Francis was written around 1236, shortly after Francis’s death, at the request of the Pope. It was written by Bonaventure, a Franciscan philosopher and the most important medieval commentator on Franciscan spirituality10. Recent biographers insist that it frames Francis more as a miracle-worker than the man of poverty, which is how he is more generally seen today. Like Celano, Bonaventure is unashamedly positive about his subject.

More recent biographies inevitably lean heavily on these two contemporary biographers. Particularly formative has been Paul Sabatier’s Vie de S Francois (Life of St Francis), first published in 1894. As Robinson points out, in spite of the author’s entire lack of sympathy with the saint’s religious standpoint, his biography of Francis … has opened up a new era in the study of Franciscan resources.11

Appearance and character

There are many popular images of Francis, who as St Francis of Assisi has been the subject of a great deal of iconography over the centuries. The typical image is of a deathly thin monk staring out from beneath a brown hood, with a long thin face, piercing eyes, a thin untidy beard, projecting a strong sense of humility and serenity.

Celano describes Francis as quite an eloquent man, with a cheerful and kindly face. … He was less than medium in height, bordering on shortness. His head was of moderate size and round, his face somewhat long and striking, and a smooth, low forehead. His eyes were black and clear and of average size; his hair was black and his eyebrows straight, his symmetrical nose was thin and straight. His small ears stood up straight and his temples were smooth. His speech was peaceable, but fiery and crisp; his voice was strong, sweet, clear and sonorous. His teeth were closely fitted, even, and white; his lips were small and thin; his beard was black and not bushy. He had a slender neck, straight shoulders, short arms, slender hands with long fingers and extended nails; his legs were thin, his feet small. He had delicate skin and was quite thin.12

What is believed to be the oldest surviving image of Francis was painted in about 1218 (although it is dated 1223), allegedly by a Benedictine monk during Francis’s visit to Subiaco. It is in the Sacro Speco at Subiaco. Stace sees in it a cowled, bearded monk with a disarmingly ordinary face, but a face full of humanity and compassion.13 It is a representation, not a portrait in the modern sense of the word.

Most people’s ideas of how Francis looked are heavily shaped by the fresco painting of him by Cimabue in the Lower Basilica at Assisi, which Stace calls human and realistic.14 It shows a thin, gaunt figure with pale skin, a serene look and piercing eyes, dressed in a rough brown tunic, clutching a Bible to his chest, with a bright halo surrounding his tonsured head. This is the image that looks out at us from most of the vast range of Francis merchandise on sale today.

Other representations of Francis include porcelain statues of him by Giotto and Andrea della Robbia, and Franco Zeffirelli’s 1972 movie Brother Sun Sister Moon which portrays him in soft focus as a quiet, rather other-worldly character prone to day-dreaming.

Celano describes Francis’s character in typically gushing style: What a fine, shining, glorious example Francis was in his innocence of life: in his simple way of speaking, in his purity of heart, in his love of God, in his charity towards his brothers, in his fervent obedience, willing submission, and the angelic expression he wore! His manners were charming, his disposition was mild, his way of talking courteous; he was most apt in exhortation, most faithful in performing any service with which he was charged, shrewd in counsel, competent in administration, and gracious in all things. Serene, sweet-natured, sober, he was rapt in contemplation, assiduous in prayer, resolute in virtue, persevering in grace, the same in all things. He was swift to forgive and slow to anger; he was quick-witted, had a tenacious memory, was subtle in argument, cautious in decision-making, and simple in all things. He was severe on himself, kind to others, and discreet in all things. Francis was a most eloquent man, and a man with a cheerful and kindly face; he knew nothing of cowardice, and was devoid of arrogance.15

Recent biographers have been less kind but doubtless also less blinkered about their subject. For example, Spoto concludes that it has to be acknowledged that Francis was also an eccentric, as saints tend to be16 and Chesterton notes that he was pre-eminently a dramatic person.17

Framing Francis

Separating the man from the myth and distinguishing between the rhetoric and reality about Francis remain major challenges. But, as Chesterton emphasizes, although there is a mass of legends and anecdotes about St Francis of Assisi … nobody but a fool could fail to realise that Francis of Assisi was a very real historical human being.18

Francis has been framed in many different ways and has meant different things to different people. Cron points out that Rembrandt painted him, Zeffirelli filmed him, Chesterton eulogized him, Lenin dies with his name on his lips, Toynbee compared him to Jesus and Buddha, Kerouac picked him as patron of the ‘Beat’ generation, Sir Kenneth Clark called him Europe’s greatest religious genius.19

He was and is loved and admired by many because of the simplicity of his lifestyle, his faithfulness to the call of God, his love of God and his fellow people, his non-violence and his love of nature. He was able to interact effectively with all sorts of people, and he continues to have a universal appeal to people of all backgrounds and religions.20 Perhaps his strongest qualities were his dedication to God and his integrity; Spoto concludes that the most challenging aspect of Francis of Assisi ... is the utter seriousness of his life.21

Francis was one of that rare breed of people – like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and Desmond Tutu – who have been used by God in very special ways, in serving the poor and the needy, making peace and bringing reconciliation, healing the sick and challenging received wisdoms about such things as status, wealth and power.

He holds a special place in church history because of the ways in which he challenged the established church from within. Dennis refers to Francis as the ‘first Protestant’ because of his reform from within the body of the church. ...To the church’s ostentation, inattention to the poor, neglect of pastoral responsibilities, complicity in the violence of the state, and general situation of decline, the emerging Franciscan movement offered a strong condemnation and a corrective.22 Holl describes him as the last Christian because no one after him worked as strenuously against the forces of modernity as he did, with his body, with his very life.23

Even though he is an important figure from history, Francis stills speaks to us today through his life and works. He has much to teach the wider church today. Cron underlines the fact that Francis was a Catholic, an evangelical street preacher, a radical social activist, a contemplative who devoted hours to prayer, a mystic who had direct encounters with God, and someone who worshipped with all the enthusiasm and spontaneity of a Pentecostal. He was a wonderful integration of all the theological streams we have today.24

Enigma

All the evidence demonstrates that Francis was an enigma. He was by all accounts a simple man but a complex character.

Francis was born into a family life of wealth and privilege, yet he chose a life of extreme poverty and simplicity. He walked away from a promising career in his father’s successful cloth company and became noted for his asceticism, dislike of possessions, and total dependence on God to provide for all his needs. His early life was defined by hedonism and a carefree attitude to everything, yet he grew into a person of enormous religious conviction and spiritual focus. He was largely uneducated yet he became an effective and influential preacher and teacher with a simple but powerful message of the gospel of Christ. As an adult he preferred his own company and a solitary lifestyle, yet he developed a large brotherhood and built an enduring religious order and movement. He was noted for his humility and sincerity, yet for a period he was leader of the Order. He was so kind to others but so hard on himself.

His spiritual preference was towards prayer