St Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis was one of the most remarkable people who ever lived – a young man not much older than a teenager when his life took an extraordinary turn.

Francesco Bernardone was born around 1181 in the Italian town of Assisi. His father was a wealthy cloth merchant, and Francesco grew up with all the privileges money could buy. As a teenager and young man, he was quite the party-goer – charming, popular, always dressed in the finest clothes, and dreaming of becoming a knight to win glory in battle.

But sometimes life has other plans for us, doesn’t it? When Francesco was in his early twenties, he had a series of experiences that changed everything. First, he was captured in a war between neighboring cities and spent a year in prison. Then he fell seriously ill. During his recovery, he began to feel that his old life of luxury and ambition felt hollow and meaningless.

The turning point came when he was praying in a small, crumbling church called San Damiano. He heard what he believed was Christ speaking to him from a painted cross, saying “Francis, go and repair my house, which you can see is falling down.” At first, he thought this meant literally rebuilding that little church – so he sold some of his father’s expensive cloth to pay for repairs! His father was furious and actually took him to court.

In one of history’s most dramatic moments, young Francis stood before the bishop and the townspeople, stripped off his fine clothes, gave them back to his father, and declared that from now on, his only father would be God in heaven. Can you imagine the courage that took?

From that day forward, Francis chose to live in complete poverty, caring for lepers, begging for food, and slowly rebuilding not just churches but something much more important – people’s faith and hope. He discovered that true joy came not from having things, but from serving others and living simply.

What made Francis special wasn’t just his kindness to people, but his love for all of creation. He called the sun his brother and the moon his sister. He preached to birds, and legend says they listened. He saw God’s presence in every living thing. This might sound strange to you now, but he was centuries ahead of his time in understanding how connected we are to nature.

Francis attracted followers who also wanted to live this way of radical love and simplicity. They became known as Franciscans, and they spread across Europe caring for the poor and sick. Even the Pope, initially suspicious, came to recognize that Francis was doing God’s work.

Perhaps most remarkably, during the violent Crusades, Francis actually traveled to Egypt and met with the Sultan, the Muslim leader, trying to make peace rather than war. Though he didn’t end the conflict, he showed incredible courage in choosing dialogue over violence.

Francis died young, at 44, but in those short years he transformed not just his own life but touched thousands of others. He was declared a saint just two years after his death, and today he’s remembered as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

The lesson of Francis is that it’s never too early to ask yourself what really matters in life. He discovered that happiness doesn’t come from what we own or how others see us, but from how we love and serve. He reminds us that every person – rich or poor – deserves dignity, and that this beautiful world we live in is a gift to be treasured, not just used.

What questions do you have about Francis? Share what you think about his remarkable journey in the comments.