Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 AD and died 44 years later in 1226. St. Francis grew up in the lap of luxury. His father, a wealthy cloth merchant, indulged him. Francis, vain and charming, drank, partied, and caroused. His skills in archery and horsemanship fueled his desire to become a knight. He joined the cavalry when Assisi fought Perugia in 1202. Francis was quickly captured and thrown into a dark underground cell, where he remained until his father could pay his ransom over a year later. When he returned to Assisi, bruised and battered, Francis began riding his horse in the local countryside to recover his strength and heal his mind. One lovely spring day, he encountered a leper. Instead of running away as he had in the past, he leapt from his horse and embraced and kissed him. After that encounter, Francis focused all his mind, body, and spirit on God.

One early morning, with the sun just below the horizon and the chattering and whistling birds celebrating a new day, Francis was praying before an old Byzantine crucifix when he heard the voice of Christ telling him to rebuild the Christian Church and to live a life of extreme poverty. His concern for the poor and disenfranchised soon attracted loyal followers. The Christian Church had made itself incredibly wealthy through indulgences—insisting that the rich and poor give the priest money to have their sins forgiven. Church officials were robbing the people to make the church prosperous. Francis set out on a mission to transform the church from wealth committed to Jesus committed. His thousands of followers became known as Franciscan friars. Francis preached the gospel of Jesus to as many as he could; even on occasions, he was found preaching to animals and birds. In 1224, he received a vision that left him with the stigmata of Christ—marks resembling the wounds Jesus Christ suffered when he was crucified. Francis became the first person to receive the holy wounds. He died in 1226 at the age of 44 and was canonized two years later.