St. Francis of Assisi
Prologue (spoken by Brian):
Born into a rich, merchant family in Assisi, Italy, in 1182, Francis grew
up to be a fun-loving young man. Other teenagers followed him from party
to party.
Francis enjoyed singing French songs at these parties. So he decided to
become a troubadour. He would travel from city to city, writing songs
and singing them to wealthy nobility.
In 1202, when Francis was 20, war broke out between Assisi and nearby
Perugia. Becoming a soldier promised more adventure than being a troubadour,
so Francis joined the army. The Perugians captured him and threw him in
prison for over a year. On his release, he returned to Assisi, but Francis
was a changed man. Soon his friends deserted him for he no longer enjoyed
partying.
It is now February 1208. Francis is 26. Today, he attended Mass in the
chapel of St. Mary of the Angels. My name is Brian and I have come to
Assisi to meet this rich young man everyone is talking about. I stand
on the chapel steps, waiting for Francis to appear. Here he comes! His
smile is like the sun dawning!
Brian: Francis! Francis
of Assisi! My name is Brian. May I walk with you?
Francis: Certainly, come along, Brian. I'm on my way to St. Damian's.
Can you walk with Lady Poverty?
Brian: What do you mean?
Francis: I'm not quite sure yet myself. I only know that today
the priest read the Gospel of Matthew and I think God was speaking to
me.
Brian: What was the gospel?
Francis: It's the part where Jesus sends his disciples out to preach
and says, "Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack
for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick." Aren't
those words beautiful? More beautiful than those French love songs I used
to sing. Now I sing my song of love to Lady Poverty.
Brian: Oh, oh, Francis, watch out! Why are those people shouting
and pointing at you? Why are they calling you a lunatic?
Francis: Hurry along, Brian, we'll be past them in just a moment.
Brian: Whew! That was a close one. Why do they hate you? Why did
those people call you a mad man?
Francis: Perhaps they don't like change!
Brian: And you've changed?
Francis: Yes. They want me to return to being the rich young rascal,
the spendthrift, who drank and partied and never had a care in the world.
But I've changed, and they don't know what to make of me.
Brian: Did your change have to do with this Lady Poverty?
Francis: Lady Poverty helps me give away all I have. I own nothing.
I beg for the food I need and the clothes I wear.
Brian: What happened to make you change so? What led you to this,
Francis? It's seems strange in this day and age!
Francis: Truthfully, it all began when I met a leper. He disgusted
me. His oozing sores! His missing fingers! His caved-in nose!
Brian: Sounds gross! Did he touch you?
Francis: No, I touched him. Not at first, of course. At first,
I backed away. Then I really looked at him. I realized he was God's child,
just as I am. So I walked up to him, and kissed his sores. Then I gave
him all the money I had.
Brian: So that's when you began to beg?
Francis: Not exactly. I prayed in the wayside chapel of St. Damian's.
It was falling apart.
Brian: Isn't that the place where we're going now?
Francis: Yes. It was at St. Damian's that I heard a voice say,
"Go, Francis, and repair my house, which is falling into ruin."
Brian: What happened next?
Francis: A series of things. I took some cloth from my father's
factory and sold it and began to rebuild St. Damien's. Then my father
accused me of stealing from him. He locked me in a closet. Then he dragged
me into court. So I took off my clothes and said that I had called him
father all my life, but now I had no Father except God. I would henceforth
say, "Our Father, who art in heaven."
Brian: All your clothes?
Francis: Yes. Someone put a cloak over my shoulders, and I walked
back to St. Damian's. Since then I've rebuilt it and also several other
churches.
Brian: Is that what the gospel reading today meant?
Francis: I'm not sure, Brian. Jesus sent out his disciples to preach.
But to whom should I preach? And how?
Brian: Maybe we can figure it out. In the last few weeks, I've
visited many places in Christendom. Things are bad.
Francis: You mean the churches need repair in other places?
Brian: No. Not the churches. The priests. The bishops. The monks.
The people. Everyone seems to have forgotten Jesus' command to love others.
Everywhere I found war. Everywhere I found people plotting and cheating.
What's falling down is the whole structure!
Francis: You think God wants me to change this? But how?
Brian: I think God is asking you to rebuild the whole Church. Maybe
by loving this Lady Poverty.
Francis: Yes, I believe poverty is the answer.
Brian: But Francis, how can you do it all by yourself.
Francis: Actually, others have already offered to join me, but
I'm afraid they will tire of living in poverty. It is not always easy.
But, together we could form a community to rebuild the Church.
Brian: Where will you begin, Francis?
Francis: We will work to change people's hearts. We will preach
good news. We will preach Jesus' gospel of love.
Brian: Have you thought of what will you call yourselves?
Francis: We will be the Order of the Friars Minor.
Brian: What does that mean?
Francis: Friar means brother. Minor means lesser.
We will be brothers who live a life of poverty and humility. Everyone
will be greater than we. We will be the poor servants of the people.
Brian: Is this St. Damian's?
Francis: Yes, and so I must leave you here. Remember me -- and
my brothers -- in prayer. And let us both serve the great good God who
created us!
Epilogue
In 1210, Pope Innocent III approved the Friars Minor, which today are
known as the Franciscans. The rule Francis wrote for the Franciscans called
for total poverty. This seemed too strict to some of his followers, so
in 1221 he had to agree to a new and easier rule.
Until his death in 1226, Francis preached the gospel and embraced Lady
Poverty. He lived the Gospels by caring for lepers, begging for food for
the hungry and shelter for the homeless and living joyfully. He never
forgot to sing!