St. Francis of Assisi: Return to Christ

          What does it mean to be Catholic? In the United States today, it does not seem to mean much. In an industrial society like ours, life is about making money. Religion is encouraged because it increases the worker’s productivity. After all, it inspires him to work hard and be a good team player, and it makes him feel good about himself. In America, Catholicism often seems to serve just that purpose. It has apparently become “so affluent, so comfortable, so lukewarm”¹ that it is now a popular choice on the menu of harmless religious sects suitable for the “forward-thinking,” career-oriented American.

And yet . . . to be Catholic is to follow Christ. Is this directive compatible with the goals and expectations of a wealth-seeking society like America’s?

          If you answered “yes” to this question, it is time you met a man called Poverello, the “Poor Little Man” of Assisi.²

          In the early 13^th Century, the Church was in need of reform. She had contracted that very disease which American society suffers from today: an obsessive desire for money. As her wealth grew, this disease grew with it and fostered corruption among the clergy. The situation escalated from bad to worse, until at last the Church stood—like so many times in her history—on the very brink of catastrophe.³ That is when, in a small chapel at San Damiano, a certain young man heard the call of Christ to rescue His beloved Bride.⁴

 “Go, Francis, and repair my house which, as you see, is well-nigh in ruins.”⁵

Francis of Assisi had once been the rich, popular young man who conformed perfectly to the expectations of money-loving Italian society. But his recent conversion, coupled with this unmistakable call, changed his life forever. Throwing off all worldly constraints and all concern for what society would think of him, Francis set out to rebuild the Church by rebuilding his own life in total imitation of Christ.⁶

          “Probably no one in history has set out as seriously as did Francis to imitate the life of Christ and to carry out so literally Christ’s work in Christ’s own way. This is the key to the character and spirit of St. Francis.”⁷

          Three messages of Christ in the Gospels sum up the rule of life Francis now embraced: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor," "Take nothing for your journey," and "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."⁸ In fact, when Francis’ way of life attracted followers and he sought the Pope’s approval of a new order, he originally submitted nothing more than these three Gospel passages as his rule of life.⁹ Following these words of his Master, Francis sought to imitate Christ by renouncing all worldly goods, living in complete poverty and self-denial, preaching repentance in the streets, and cherishing all of Creation, especially his fellow men.¹⁰

          Was this a socially acceptable “career choice”? No. Was Francis laughed at, ridiculed, and persecuted by the very society, the very Church he was helping to rebuild? Yes. But in spite of all this, he answered God’s call. He accepted the great graces he was offered, and used them to change his life and ultimately change the entire Church by inspiring her to imitate his own wholehearted return to the lifestyle of Christ.

          Christ’s lifestyle is not any less contrary to society’s expectations or desires in America today than it was back in early 13^th century Italy. Perhaps His way of life runs even more contrary to society here and now. Nevertheless, American Catholics of today receive the same call that St. Francis heard in the church of San Damiano: the call to embrace poverty of spirit, to return to Christ in their own lives, and to rebuild the Church and the world by this witness to Catholicism.   

To be Catholic is to follow Christ. May God grant us all the strength to respond to this liberating challenge with the same eagerness as St. Francis:

“This is what I wish; this is what I am seeking. This is what I want to do from the bottom of my heart . . . ”¹¹

. . . I want to return to Christ!

1. Jim Wallis, "A Holy Jealousy," Theology Today 39, no. 2 (July 1982): 178. [ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 7, 2017)]

2. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017 [http://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi/35127]

3. Alan Schreck, The Compact History of the Catholic Church, revised ed. (Cincinnati, Ohio: Franciscan Media, 2009), 58-59.

4. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

5. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

6. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

7. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

8. Caroline T. Marshall, "The Early Franciscans: An Alternative Life Style in the Search for Freedom," Fides Et Historia 5, no. 1-2 (September 1972): 51-52. [ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 7, 2017)]

9. Caroline T. Marshall, "The Early Franciscans: An Alternative Life Style in the Search for Freedom," Fides Et Historia 5, no. 1-2 (September 1972): 52.

10. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

11. Britannica Academic, s.v. "Saint Francis of Assisi," accessed March 7, 2017.

Images:

1. "By Luca Giordano - [1], Public Domain" [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10541073]

2. "By Unknown" [http://www.hyvinkaanseurakunta.fi/filebank/376-Risti_6_B.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1835249]

3. "By Stefano di Giovanni" [http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/s/sassetta/index.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3941732]