St Francis of Assisi

and mercy Francis also epitomized the sixth beatitude Blessed are the pure in heart for

they shall see GodAfter assuming his new lifestyleFrancis said Henceforth I desire to

say only 'Our Father who art in Heaven From that point on, the only thing that occupied

Francis' heart was doing God's will. Microsoft Corporation 1993 1995

.

Equally admirable was Francis' prompt and docile obedience to the voice of grace within

him Later on, the saints a sense of his message as any prophet ever

had yielded ungrudging submission to what constituted ecclesiastical authority

Robinson The second beatitude is blessed are those who mournl be

comforted

Francis was a mourner He mourned for Christ Francis saw all of the suffering

that Christ went through This persuaded him not only to mourn for Chris but to take it

one step further Francis wanted to be a martyr He wanted to follow in the footsteps of

Christ Francis perhaps best lived out the fourth beatitude Blessed are those who hunger

and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied Francis repaired to the church of

St Nicholas and sought to learn Gods will Robinson He came to the conclusion that

God wanted him to leave all of his possessions and follow Him Francis made this the

rule for his life He and his disciples wandered from place to place singing in joy, and

calling themselves the lords minstrels Robinson Francis had a burning desire to

convert the Saracens and struggled to even be able to attempt it It has been said that

Christ appeared to Francis and agreed to give him whatever he wanted The salvation of

souls was ever the burden of Franci's prayers and wishing moreover to make his

beloved Porziuncola a sanctuary where many might be saved he begged a plenary

Indulgence for all who, having confessed their sins visited the little chapel Robinson

Francis returned to his quest to convert the infidels the Saracens Francis fearlessly came

into the infidel camp and was taken prisoner The only thing he asked for was a more

indulgent treatment for the Christian captive Robinson Throughout his life and up

to his last breath Francis sought righteousness Blessed are the merciful for they shall

obtain mercy is the fifth beatitude Saint Francis even in his youth showed an

instinctive sympathy for the poorFrancis did all he possibly could to help the less

fortunate, particularly the lepers. He will never be forgotten especially since we

celebrate his feast day every year. One day he encountered a leper He gave the man all of

his possessions on the spot Around that same time, Francis made a pilgrimage to Rome.

When he saw the pathetic offerings on the tomb of Saint peter he emptied all of his

money on to it He devoted a large part of his life to the outcasts He rebuilt a church that

had been abandoned so that they would be able to worship the Lord He never showed ill

will to anyone who was considered unfortunate.

Bibliography

Bibliography Robinson, Paschal St Francis of Assisi The Catholic Encyclopedia httpwwwknightorg Saint Francis of Assisi Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia.

He gathered about him twelve disciples who became the brothers of the First Order of

Franciscans, with Francis as their superior Francis later accepted a young woma Clare

into The Franciscan Order She went on to establish the Order of the Poor Ladies which

later became known as the Second Order of Franciscans Francis attempted to travel to

the Holy Land in 1212 but did not make it His missionary work in the late 1210s was

anything but successful He was able to reach the Holy Land in 1220 He wanted to

become a martyr and was proud to hear that five Franciscan friars were murdered while

carrying out their duties He returned to Assisi to find dissension in the ranks of the friars

He resigned as their superior and began planning the Third Order of the Franciscans the

tertiaries Francis was praying on Monte Alverno in 1224 after forty days of fasting

when the marks of the crucifixion of Christ the stigmata appeared on his body Francis

was carried back to Assis where he spent his remaining years in pain and almost total

blindness He was canonized in 1228 By looking at Francis life it can be seen that he

exemplifies the eight beatitudes as found in the book of Matthew The first beatitude is

blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Saint Francis was

indeed poor in spirit during his youth His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps

and become a merchant This idea did not appeal to Francis one bit. Francis is described as having downright sincerity

and artless simplicity His dearest desire so long as he lived was ever to seek among

wise and simple perfect and imperfect the means to walk in the way of truth The whole

world was to him one luminous ladder mounting upon the rungs of which he approached

and beheld God Robinson Francis was a man of pure heart, a man devoted to God, or

love The seventh beatitude blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of

God is an accurate depiction of Francis Though he did not regularly verbally promote

peace or prevent violence, he endorsed peace Francis took this attitude after being

involved in a war where he developed his serious illness He took it as a sign that war

was not good He never resorted to violence and as is related to his submissive nature,

never confronted anyone except his father When one looks at Franciss personality, one

thinks of a peacemaker because of his gentle nature Francis was also was kicked

around on his path to righteousness, and that makes him an example of the eighth

commandment Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is

the kingdom of Heaven Francis after rejecting his father hid in a cave outside Assisi

When he emerged from this place of concealment emaciated with hunger and squalid

with dirt Francis was followed by a hooting rabble pelted with mud and stones, and

otherwise mocked as a madman Finally he was dragged home by his father beaten

bound andlocked in a dark closet Robinson When he encountered some robbers in

the hills of Assisi he declared that he was the herald of the great King The robbers

thereupon despoiled him of all he had and threw him scornfully in a snow drift

Robinson As a sign of their humility Francis and his followers found shelter in a

deserted hut at Rivo Torto in the plain below the city but were forced to abandon this

poor abode by a rough peasant who drove in his ass upon them Robinson Perhaps the

most severe suffering came at the end of his life He suffered the stigmata of Christ and

went almost totally blind His last few years were lived out in pain Though plagued with

abuse and misfortune Francis continued to follow the will of God and let nothing stand

in his way Saint Francis of Assisi was a good man who devoted his life to doing the will

of god He was influential enough to have three orders of monks follow him His

example as a man who followed the beatitudes in order to gert closer tho Christ was and

is an inspiration to many people. Francis had no

source of inspiration after which to model his life His parents catered to his every whim,

and Francis became a lover of pleasure He had a ready witsang merrily and]

delighted in fine clothes and showy display Robinson However none of these things

satisfied him, and he decided to become a military man During his illness, suffered

while in captivity the emptiness of the life he had been leading came to him

Robinson Francis exemplified the third beatitude Blessed are the meek for they shall

inherit the earth Francis was submissive throughout his life In youth, he was unassertive

in his relationship with his father Later in life Francis formed the First Order based on

obedience, poverty, and chastity all of which are associated with submission He further

emphasized his belief in humbleness toward the end of his life when he dictated his

testament Francis urged implicit obedience to superiors as holding the place of God

literal observance of the rule without gloss especially as regards poverty and the duty

of manual labor Robinson Humility was no doubtthe saints ruling virtueThe idol

of an enthusiastic popular devotion he ever truly believed himself less than the least.