Francis was born around 1181 in the city of Assisi in what is now Italy . He was named Giovanni but his father always called him Francis (“Frenchie”). His father was a rich seller of cloth, so Francis grew up having everything he wanted.
As a teenager, Francis loved the songs of troubadours. These were singers who traveled from one place to another and sang about love. He also liked wearing fancy clothes and eating, drinking, and having fun with his friends.
One day, when Francis was about 19 years old, he was busy selling cloth for his father. A beggar came up to him and asked him for money. At first, Francis ignored him. Later he ran after the beggar and gave him all the money he had in his pockets. His friends teased him about this. His father yelled at him.
In 1201, Francis joined other young men of
1205-1209 Years of Transition
In 1205, Francis thought he would try again to be a good soldier. He left Assisi to join the local army of another city. On his way there, however, Jesus told him in a dream to return to Assisi . He did.
This time he did not return to his old way of living. He stopped partying with his friends. Instead, he began thinking and praying in quiet places. He even started caring for lepers. In those days lepers were people who were not only sick but also feared and hated.
He decided to visit
Back in
His father did not like what Francis was doing. He tried to change his mind. First his father yelled at him. Then he beat him. Finally he took him to court. Francis told his father he didn’t want his money. He didn’t even want the clothes he was wearing. So Francis took them off right then, gave them to his father, and walked out of the courtroom naked.
For two years he lived as a beggar around
In 1209, Francis heard a priest talk about a story from the Bible (Matthew 10:9). In that story, Jesus sends his friends to talk with others about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells his friends to take nothing with them as they share this good news with others. Francis decided that he would also live this way.
Francis was very happy as he walked around singing and telling people about the Kingdom of Heaven. His simple yet joyful way of living attracted others who joined him.
1210-1220 Happy Years of a New Way of Living
In 1210, Francis and his friends went to Rome to ask the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, to make their group official. At first the pope didn’t want to. Francis and his friends were too different. But then the pope had a dream in which he saw Francis holding up the Church. He changed his mind and made Francis and his group official.
Francis and his friends returned to
Francis taught that all creatures are our brothers and sisters. He liked talking about Brother Sun and Sister Moon. He told birds about the Kingdom of Heaven. He even persuaded a wolf to act peacefully after the people of a town agreed to feed him.
Between 1099 and 1291, Christian soldiers fought Muslim soldiers over control of the Levant and
1220-1226: Even the New Way Becomes Conventional
Francis continued to travel, sing, and share the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven with others.
In 1224, something special happened to him. One night while praying, he had a vision of an angel. From this angel he received wounds in his hands, side, and feet. They were like the wounds which Jesus had received on the cross.
In 1226, Francis died and was buried in
Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.