Hello all, Happy feast day to all born, baptized and married today Happy feast day to all Deacons, Seminarians, Priests, Bishops, Monks, Nuns, Religious Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. Happy feast day to all named Francis and parents of all named Francis Happy feast day to all Franciscans and all devoted to Saint Francis of Assisi Happy feast day to all filled with the virtues of Charity, Perpetual Poverty and constant mortification (Penance) for the salvation of souls Happy feast day to all Catholic Missionaries Today October 4, marks the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi Francis of Assisi was a Catholic deacon and preacher. He also was the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans He was born either year 1181/1182 Saint Francis of Assisi was one of seven children born to Pietro di Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant, and his wife Pica, about whom little is known except that she was originally from France. His father Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born His mother Pica had him baptized as Giovanni di Bernardone in honor of “Saint John the Baptist”, in the hope he would grow to be a great religious leader. His displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the story of the beggar. In this account, Saint Francis was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him in rage Saint Francis, spent much time in lonely places, asking God for enlightenment. By degrees he took to nursing lepers, in the lazar houses near Assisi. “Lepers were the most repulsive victims at the time.” After a pilgrimage to Rome, where he begged at the church doors for the poor, he said he had had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the Church of San Damiano just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him: Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins. He thought this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his fathers store to assist the priest there for this purpose. His father Pietro, highly indignant, attempted to change his mind, first with threats and then with beatings. After legal proceedings before the bishop, Saint Francis renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garments he had received from him. Saint Francis stripped himself of even the clothes he was wearing, and thus he was as naked as a new born child For the next couple of months he lived as a beggar in the region of Assisi. Returning to the countryside around the town for two years this time, Saint Francis restored several ruined churches, among them was the “Porziuncola”--little chapel of “Saint Mary of the Angels” which was a Catholic Parish --just outside the town, which later became his favorite abode. On February 24, 1209, Saint Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Saint Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty Covered in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Evangelical precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance. He was soon joined by his first follower, a prominent fellow townsman, the jurist Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed all that he had to the work. Within a year Francis had eleven followers. In his humility, Saint Francis chose never to be ordained a Catholic priest but a reverend brother He chose to live as lesser brother,” which is called “fratres minors” in Latin. The brothers lived a simple life in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time wandering through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression upon their hearers by their earnest exhortations. In 1209, Saint Francis led his first eleven followers to Rome to seek permission to found a new religious order from Pope Innocent III (who was the 176th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) Upon entry to Rome, the brothers encountered Bishop Guido of Assisi, who had in his company Giovanni di San Paolo, the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina. The Cardinal, who was the confessor of Pope Innocent III, was immediately sympathetic to Francis and agreed to represent Francis to the pope. Reluctantly, Pope Innocent agreed to meet with Francis and the brothers the next day. After several days, the pope agreed to admit the group informally, adding that when God increased the group in grace and number, they could return for an official admittance. From then on, his new order grew quickly with new vocations. When hearing Francis preaching in the church of San Rufino in Assisi in 1209, Saint Clare of Assisi became deeply touched by his message and she realized her calling. Her brother Rufino also joined the new order. On Palm Sunday, March 28, 1211 Saint Francis received Saint Clare of Assisi, at the Porziuncola and hereby established the “Order of Poor Ladies”, later called “Poor Clares” Some well-educated men joined his order. In 1215, Saint Francis went again to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council. During this time, he probably met Dominic de Guzman (later to be Saint Dominic, the founder of the Friars Preachers, another Catholic religious order). Saint Dominic was later visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary and given the Holy Rosary to be spread throughout the world in the honour of our Lady In 1217 the growing congregation of friars was divided into provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East. In 1219 Francis left, together with a few companions, on a pilgrimage to Egypt. Crossing the lines between the sultan and the Crusaders in Damietta, he was received by the sultan Melek-el-Kamel. Francis challenged the Muslim scholars to a test of true religion by fire; but they retreated. When Saint Francis proposed to enter the fire first, under the condition that if he left the fire unharmed, the sultan would have to recognize Christ as the true God, the sultan was so impressed that he allowed Francis to preach to his subjects. Though Saint Francis did not succeed in converting the sultan, the last words of the sultan to Francis of Assisi were, according to Jacques de Vitry, bishop of Acre, in his book Historia occidentalis, De Ordine et praedicatione Fratrum Minorum (1221) : “Pray for me that God may deign to reveal to me that law and faith which is most pleasing to him.”. Saint Franciss visit to Egypt and attempted rapprochement with the Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long past his own death, since after the fall of the Crusader Kingdom it would be the Franciscans, of all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in the Holy Land and be recognized as Custodians of the Holy Land on behalf of Christianity. Saint Francis used real animals to create a living scene (on Christmas Day) so that the worshipers could contemplate the “birth of the child Jesus” in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight. Thomas of Celano, a biographer of Saint Francis and Saint Bonaventure both, tell how he only used a straw-filled manger (feeding trough) set between a real ox and donkey. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass. When receiving a report of the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco, Francis returned to Italy via Venice. Cardinal Ugolino di Conti was then nominated by the Pope as the protector of the Order. On September 29, 1220, Francis handed over the governance of the Order to brother Pietro Catani at the Porziuncola. However, Brother Pietro died only five months later, on March 10, 1221, and was buried in the Porziuncola. When numerous miracles were attributed to the late Pietro Catani, people started to flock to the Porziuncola, disturbing the daily life of the Franciscans. Saint Francis then prayed, asking Pietro to stop the miracles and obey in death as he had obeyed during his life. The report of miracles ceased. The late Brother Pietro was succeeded by Brother Elias as “Vicar of Francis”. During 1221 and 1222 Saint Francis crossed Italy, first as far south as Catania in Sicily and afterwards as far north as Bologna. On November 29, 1223 the final Rule of the Order (in twelve chapters) was approved by Pope Honorius III (the 177th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since the pontificate of Saint Peter the apostle) While he was praying on the mountain of Verna, during a forty-day fast in preparation for Michaelmas (September 29), Saint Francis is said to have had a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, as a result of which he received the stigmata Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple account of the event, the first definite account of the phenomenon of stigmata. Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ. Popularly known as the ‘STIGMATA’ Suffering from the “stigmata” and from an eye disease, Saint Francis received care in several cities (Siena, Cortona, Nocera) to no avail. In the end, he was brought back to a hut next to the Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his spiritual testament. Saint Francis died on the evening of October 3, 1226, singing Psalm 141. On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a Saint by Pope Gregory IX (who was the 178th Bishop of Rome since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) Pope Gregory IX was the former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend of Saint Francis and Cardinal Protector of the Order). The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. Saint Francis was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica. His burial place remained inaccessible until it was reopened in 1818. Pasquale Belli then constructed for his remains a crypt in neo-classical style in the Lower Basilica. It was refashioned between 1927 and 1930 into its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the wall of its marble decorations. In 1978 the remains of Saint Francis of Assisi, were identified by a commission of scholars appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put in a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb. Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics. He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he wrote often in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary value, as well as religious. --------------------- Prayers of Saint Francis: Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings. To you alone, Most High, do they belong no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name... We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures, especially for Brother Sun, who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, of You Most High, he bears your likeness... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair. We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air, fair and stormy, all weathers moods, by which You cherish all that You have made... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure. We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom You light the night. He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth, who sustains us with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs... We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon, for love of You bear sickness and trial. Blessed are those who endure in peace, by You Most High, they will be crowned... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death, from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in their sins..! Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will. No second death can do them harm... We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks, and serve You in all humility... ----------------------------------------------------------- If you have men who will exclude any of Gods creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men... ~Saint Francis of Assisi ----------------------------------------------------------- Of course without realizing all the precepts in the life of Saint Francis anybody caught talking to birds might be propositioned to get medicated but learning about the life of Saint Francis and his devotion to Gods creatures gives this special sermon all the credibility needed to be an inspiration to anyone. Since it has been reported in many of the writings about Saint Francis, that he was known to speak to creatures particularly in the nearby arena of his fellow monks in the order of Friars he himself founded, its easy to picture Saint Francis imparting guidance and teachings to his followers by instructing the birds in this sermon. ------------------------ Saint Francis preached to the birds of the air: Dear little beloved birds, Much burden are you to God, your Creator, and always in every place ought you to praise Him for that He has given you liberty to fly about everywhere and has also given you double and triple raiment. Moreover he preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world. Still more are you beholden to Him for the element of the air which He has appointed for you beyond all this. You do not sow neither do you reap. And God feeds you and gives you the streams and fountains for your drink. The mountains and the valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests and because you know not how to spin or sew God clothes you. You and your children, wherefore your Creator loves you much, seeing that He has bestowed on you so many benefits, and therefore beloved little creatures beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise unto God... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Saint Francis was canonized July 16, 1228, in Assisi by Pope Gregory IX (the 178th Servant of God since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment He is one of the two patrons of Italy (with Saint Catherine of Siena) It is customary for Roman Catholic churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4th of October. Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi: • Where there is hatred, let me sow love; • Where there is injury, let me sow pardon; • Where there is doubt, faith; • where there is despair, hope; • where there is darkness, light; and • where there is sadness, joy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Saint Anthony of Padua” is also referred to as the “perfect imitator of Saint Francis of Assisi”, as a result of: -his preaching to fishes at the Marecchina River -and his disposition of the Blessed Sacrament to a mule owned by a heretic, which resulted to the mule double genuflecting and kneeling in adoration of the “Holy Eucharist”, it was recorded that the heretic converted to the Roman Catholic Church as was baptized by Saint Anthony of Padua. Saint Anthony was inspired to join the Franciscan Friar after the martyrdom of some of the Franciscan brothers who went to preach in Morocco Saint Anthony of Padua has been known as the most celebrated of the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Anthony of Padua is often called the perfect son of Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Francis had held a strong distrust of the place of theological studies in the life of his brotherhood, fearing that it might lead to an abandonment of their commitment to a life of real poverty. In Saint Anthony of Padua, however, Saint Francis of Assisi found a kindred spirit for his vision, who was also able to provide the teaching needed by young members of the order who might seek ordination. Saint Francis thereby entrusted the pursuit of studies for any of his friars to the care of Brother Anthony. From then on Saint Anthony’s skills were used to the utmost by the Church ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saint Francis of Assisi maintained that he is related to all the creatures of God, from the birds of the air to the beasts of the land and creatures of the sea. He even attached himself to the events of nature created by God, Saint Francis associated himself to the sun and moon, he attached himself to daylight and moonlight, rainfall and snow drops. Saint Francis was devoted to the mystery of birth which he called a sign of God’s personal love and attachment to the new born. Saint Francis was also dedicated to the mystery of death, which for him is the perfect sign of God’s love for the soul of HIS creature, since the death of an individual is the birth day of the soul to heaven, (everlasting happiness). As a Catholic missionary, Saint Francis was devoted to the salvation and conversion of sinners through the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Francis was devoted to his mortification and sufferings as a sign of God’s love for the sufferings of HIS only son (Jesus Christ). ------------------------------------------------- Let us pray that by the works, spiritual direction, spiritual maturity, intercession, Charity, poverty and mortifications of Saint Francis of Assisi, we may in this group find the spiritual motivation to win our souls for God. Amen Summary and the life history and services of Saint Francis of Assisi can be viewed by clicking the image of the Saint in our groups photo section. Saint of the day would be communicated to you as promptly and consistently as humanly possible, by Gods grace. May we all in this group and beyond this group, Christians and non Christians alike, Catholics and non Catholics alike, be saved from the fires of hell and lifted up into heaven after our stay here on this exile. Amen May our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi other Saints before and after him and through Gods Divine Mercy strengthen our souls, open out the way for us all, and above all, intoxicate us with HIS love. Amen May Christ make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire HE brought us. Amen Jesus we love you, all we have is yours, yours we are and yours we want to be, please do with us whatever you will. Amen Jesus, Mary we love you, please save our souls. Amen God bless you and grant your heart’s desire. Amen Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us. Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 19:19:49 +0000
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