Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday of the first week of Advent is St. Francis of Assisi.
from Isaiah 11:1-10
But he shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land’s afflicted… Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them….
St. Francis of Assisi has influenced art, literature, and religious practices maybe more than any other saint, except the Mother of God. He has touched the lives of people everywhere - the faith-filled, the heretics, the rich, the poor, the humble and the haughty - from the time he lived in the Middle Ages even until today.
Pietro, Francis’ father, was a successful Italian cloth merchant. His mother, Pica, was from Provence, France. Pica gave Francis the name Giovanni at his baptism while his father was out of the country doing business. When his father returned from his business trip, he began to call little Giovanni by the name Francesco or Francis since his son seemed to love everything French.
As a young man with plenty of money to spend on clothes, food, and fun, Francis had many friends who found his company delightful. He loved adventure and engaged in street battles in nearby towns. When he was around twenty, Francis joined a military expedition to Perugia. Perugia had declared war on Assisi and soon defeated Assisi. Francis was taken prisoner. He suffered severe deprivation in jail until his father was able to ransom him about a year later.
Francis returned to his former carefree life in Assisi - briefly. Chastened by physical suffering while in jail, though, Francis began to accept God’s grace at work in his heart. In 1203, he set off to enlist in another army. However, on the way, Jesus spoke to Francis from the Cross, and Francis returned to Assisi a changed man.
Taking to heart the words of the Gospels, Francis decided that he would imitate Our Lord in everything. Instead of fine clothes, he put on rough and ragged garments, begged barefoot at the city gates, and showed love to all around him – especially the poor and outcasts. His pure heart and peaceful ways brought other young men to join him. By 1209, he began to form the Order of Friars Minor which grew rapidly because of the Brothers’ love for all. By 1212, a young woman named Clare sought guidance from Francis to follow his way of life. With his help, Clare established the Second Franciscan Order, the Poor Clares. A Third Order flourishes today as well.
Francis’ goodness brought his life into harmony with all of God’s creation. Many legends grew up around this fact after his death, but we can guess that St. Francis would have easily believed that the wolf could be a guest of the lamb or that a child could lead the lion, as Isaiah predicts in today’s Reading. Francis knew that God created a world that was beautiful and good but that suffers because of our sin. That is why God sent a Savior. Following Jesus and with His grace, we can all be at peace with one another and, in Francis’ words, with “Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth.” All creation, Francis said, praises God.
On October 3, 1226, Francis lay down on his dear earth, literally, and welcomed his sister Death. Because of his great love – feeding the hungry, caring for lepers, encouraging others, and living respectfully with all creatures – Francis was canonized only two years after his death in 1228.
OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS
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