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Shane M. Twomley
RLST 205
Dr. Bertocci
St. Francis’s life began as any other man of his time.
He was a wealthy individual who was preoccupied with
material comforts. This preoccupation also led him to fear
the poor, especially lepers. St. Francis then entered into
a conversion that led him to be an alter Christus. He gave
up all his material possessions and embraced poverty and
welcomed the poor and needy into his life with open arms.
he ignored the ridicule he received from both his family and
his peers and entered this new way of life and became
dedicated to helping people in need.
St. Francis’s conversion began after he had been
imprisoned for a year in a foreign country. He returns home
and falls ill and is bedridden for another year. He then
sets out for another war, but is called home by the
beckoning of God. His conversion is gradual as he begins
slowly working with the poor and the lepers. Francis
eventually becomes estranged from his family and is brought
before the Bishop of Assisi by his father. Here Francis
publicly renounces his inheritance, strips his clothes, and
begins his journey in search of God’s Kingdom. Francis is
ridiculed by his friends and his peers, but he endures the
humiliation and continues his work with the poor. Now
Francis begins to imitate Jesus and begins preaching, this
leads to many men following Francis and creation the
Franciscan Order. These men went throughout the cities and
countryside helping the poor and rebuilding the church both
physically and spiritually. For the rest of Francis’s life
he spread the word of God, and in his death he received the
great honor of Sainthood. St. Francis not only touched the
lives of people in his own time, but he also touched the
next generation with his teachings he has left behind.
The mere mention of St. Francis’s name brings to mind
poverty. This is a man who gave up all his worldly
possessions and joined the beggars in the streets. St.
Francis’s reasoning for doing the was to become closer to
God and his kingdom. Francis’s relationship to poverty can
be defined by these lines, “holy poverty stands high above
all the virtues that prepare in us a dwelling place for
God...” (Sacrum Commercium). It also states that, “blessed
are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs is the
kingdom of Heaven.” As Francis interprets the Bible, God
enters your life only when you are poor in spirit, and when
this occurs the kingdom of Heaven is made available to you.
St. Francis and his followers took these words to heart and
lived every day of their lives following these lessons.
Becoming closer to God was the sole reason for
Francis’s vow of poverty. Accompanying this vow he also
believed he had the solution to war. St. Francis taught his
followers that if they had possessions that they would need
arms to defend them. He believed that possessions led to
violence, hatred, and war. Individuals self worth is to
often measured by how money they possess of what possessions
they have. Without possessions mankind would all be on
equal footing and there for less problems would exist.
Today reality shows us that such a way of living is not
possible. In today’s world, instead of flaunting our
wealth, we can share and try not to measure people to these
standards.
When one brings these teachings into the twentieth
century it is hard to imagine actually following them as St.
Francis did. When I think of myself and all the materials
that we possess; giving everything up is not an option. We
are a selfish human race as a whole, and we thrive on buying
the newest technology and latest fashions.
Giving our time by volunteering and giving to various
charities are two small ways we, even as college students,
can make a difference. It may not appear to be as radical
as St. Francis’s conversion but if everyone contributes in a
small way it will make a world of difference.
Word Count: 681
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