ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Ordinary Time: Week 27 Readings I - Neh. 2: 1-8 II - Lk. 9: 57-62 ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI The expression of every love varies. Every expression is unique and beautiful if done with an undivided heart and absolute attention. Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi who chose to love the Lord in embracing poverty and serving poor and the sick especially the lepers. He was the founder of the order of the Franciscans. Francis of Assisi was from a Nobel and wealthy family. He was the son of a cloth merchant. Enamored by the love of God, he gave away everything and embraced poverty to the extent of stripping himself off his clothes. St. Francis of Assisi embraced the entire creation of God in love and friendship to the extent of calling God’s creation as brothers and sisters viz. Mother earth, brother sun, sister moon, brother fire and sister water in his ‘Canticle of creature’. He is the Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. Taken up by the poverty of Jesus in the manger, he set up the first live nativity scene in honour of the birth of Jesus - the Christmas crib. He was so much taken up by the poverty of Jesus in the manger. During his last years he was completely blind but never a word of complaint was heard to be uttered from his mouth. He also had the gift of stigmata with an excruciating pain partaking in the suffering of the Lord. He died reciting Psalms 141 and 142. Unlike the men who gave silly reasons to the call of Jesus to follow him in the Gospel passage of the day, St. Francis of Assisi born of a wealthy family, gave up everything only to follow the Lord. Giving up everything for the Lord is gaining everything for life eternal. This is what St. Francis of Assisi did. May St. Assisi give the courage to let go and forego for the sake of Christ Jesus, Our Lord.