The Little Poor Man of Assisi
Eight centuries after his death, the joy and simplicity of St. Francis still speak to a restless world.
Francis Bernardone was born in Assisi around 1181, the son of a prosperous cloth merchant. As a young man he dreamed of glory as a knight. Instead, after illness, imprisonment and a long search, he found Christ in the poor and the leper, and gave away everything he had.
A life rebuilt
Praying before the crucifix in the little church of San Damiano, Francis heard the words, “Go and repair my house.” At first he took them literally and rebuilt crumbling chapels with his own hands. Slowly he understood that the Lord was asking him to help renew the whole Church through a life of humble service.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Francis saw every creature as a brother or sister. His Canticle of the Creatures, written near the end of his life, praises God through sun and moon, wind and water, fire and earth.
He died on the evening of 3 October 1226 and was canonised two years later. His feast is celebrated on 4 October. Today the Franciscan family — friars, Poor Clares, Capuchins and Secular Franciscans — carries his greeting into the world: peace and all good.
For reflection
- Where is the Lord asking me to “repair his house” today?
- Who are the forgotten people of my village or city?
Sources and references
- Scripture Matthew 19:21 — “Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor.”
- Canticle of the Creatures — St. Francis of Assisi, c. 1225
