Saint+Francis+of+Assisi

=Saint Francis of Assisi=

toc Within the Catholic pantheon, Saint Francis represents a divergence from the monastic scholasticism of the thirteenth century. Born in Assisi, Italy, in 1881, Francis embodied a spiritual discipline premised upon the fundamentality of the Gospel to Christian practice. His reappraisal of the apostolic life promoted humility through rigorous abstinence as the path to salvation. The popularity of this simple, yet uncompromising asceticism facilitated Church reform with a renewed focus on emulating the original message of Christ.

Dedication to the Gospel
Monasticism during the early thirteenth century was characterised by analysis of the scripture in a quest for worldly knowledge. In contrast to the prevalence of contemplative practice, the Franciscan spiritual experience was cultivated through a physical surrender to the primacy of God. Mortification through self-flagellation served to strengthen Francis’s conviction by emulating the anguish of Christ. He was unequivocal in his directions to his friars to abandon property and money and to perform physical labour. His //Salutation of the Virtues//centralises obedience, holy poverty and chastity as precursors to a state of ‘perfect joy' The prevailing focus on redemptive suffering demonstrates his zeal to follow, as he states, ‘in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

Growth of a Franciscan community
Saint Francis's preaching a was inclusive in its discernment of human suffering, detached from social or political considerations. For those dissatisfied with a passive role in the religious observances of the Church, the Franciscan belief that the highest ideals of morality could be achieved through a purposeful restraint of desire held new possibilities of active participation. His // Canticle of the Sun // evokes a view of all things as equal, a reflection of Divine Perfection. The original Order developed into two further branches, being the Poor Clares (Franciscan nuns) in 1212 and the Third Order in 1221 (the lay men and women not committed to becoming friars or nuns), both of which persist today.

The popularity of St. Francis was amplified by his commitment to a nomadic life of preaching. Thomas of Celano, requested by Pope Gregory IX to write Francis's official biography following his canonisation in 1228, and Bonaventura, similarly commanded by the Chapter-General of Narbonne in 1260, both describe how people exulted and trampled one another to see him ,'enkindled by the fervour of his preaching'. Although hagiographical accounts commissioned to provide a model for disciples of the Order, they provide insight into the broad appeal of Franciscan principles.

Relationship with the papacy
Although his movement was an independent one, Saint Francis displayed a reverence for the norms of the Roman Church. Following the confirmation of his rule by Pope Innocent III in 1209, he developed a relationship with the papacy that furthered ecclesiastical renewal across social and political divides. Francis supported those reforms by Pope Innocent III that coincided with his aims, culminating in the Decrees by the Fourth Lutheran Council that outlined the training of more preachers, spreading of the gospel by translation into the vernacular and regular confession. Pope Honorius III encouraged the Friars to establish missions abroad, which allowed the Order to both expand and promote ecumenical dialogue in the conduct of the Church. Francis brought the humility of the ordinary citizen to the power and authority of the Church.

﻿ Preservation of the Franciscan ideal
Relations with key papal authorities gave the Franciscan movement an added legitimacy, enhancing the growth and endurance of the Order. Pope Gregory IX confirmed Francis’s Rule of 1221, the stigmata he received on his deathbed and approved the Rule written after his death by St Clare of Assisi in 1252, a committed custodian of the Franciscan ideals. Although there was dissension among the Order following his death and reinterpretations of his teachings, these steps by the Pope ensured Francis remained an authoritative figure of guidance and instruction on Christian practice. As the Church reached an impasse preparing to embrace a material order, Saint Francis influenced the course of Christianity through his preaching of a transcendent idealism: the observance of the Gospel in its purest and most authentic form.

=References =

=Bibliography =

//Primary Sources// //Secondary Sources//
 * ‘The Admonitions’, in Brady, I.C. & Armstrong, R.J., Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, (New York, 1982).
 * ‘First and Second Lives of Saint Francis’ in Internet Medieval Sourcebook, trans. D. Burr: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/stfran-lives.html.
 * ‘First Rule of the Friars Minor’ in The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, trans. P. Robinson (1905).
 * ‘Little Flowers of Saint Francis’ in Francis of Assisi, Saint//,// trans. T. Okey, (New York: 1919).
 * ‘The Legend of the Three Companions’ in Brother Francis, trans. L Cunningham (New York, 1972).
 * ‘The Canticle of the Sun’ in The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, trans. P. Robinson (1905).
 * ‘The Mirror of Perfection’ in Brother Francis, trans. L Cunningham (New York, 1972).
 * ‘Testament of the Holy Father’ in The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, trans. by P. Robinson, (1905).
 * Cowan, J. A Saint’s Way, Hodder & Stoughton, (Missouri, 1998).
 * Cunningham, F. Performing the gospel life, (Michigan, 2004).
 * House, A. Francis of Assisi, a revolutionary life, (London, 2001).
 * Jordan, W. Europe in the High Middle Ages, (London, 2002).
 * Sabatier, P. trans. L. S Houghton, Life of St Francis of Assisi, (London, 1927).
 * Robson, M. St Francis of Assisi – The Legend and the Life, (London, 1997).

= External Links =

Online Translations

 * The Writings of St Francis of Assisi, trans. P. Robinson (1905).
 * 'Thomas of Celano: First and Second Lives of Saint Francis', in Internet Medieval Sourcebook, trans. Burr, D.
 * 'The Testament of St Francis', in Internet Medieval Sourcebook, trans. Burr, D.
 * 'The Little Flowers of St Francis of Asssi', in Christian Classics Ethereal Library (2005).
 * Francis of Assisi: early documents, Volume 2trans. Armstrong, R. J (New York, 2000).

Further Resources

 * Virtual tour of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Italy, consecrated in 1253.
 * Virtual tour of the Basilica of Saint Clare, founder of the Order of Poor Clares, in Assisi, Italy, where she was buried in 1260.
 * A gallery of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi.
 * Full series of 28 frescoes by Giotto in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, depicting The Legend of St. Francis.
 * The Order of the Friars Minor, an overview of the modern structuring of the Order.