"When you look at a poor person, you are looking at a mirror of the Lord and His poor mother. So, too, in the sick, you are contemplating the kind of infirmities He took upon Himself for us." - St. Francis of Assisi
So many people today think St. Francis was some kind of medieval hippie, or an early version of a modern day tree hugger. He wasn't in the least. Trees, birds, and all of nature was simply a gift from the Lord. For Francis, nature glorified the Lord and taught us all about His mercy, love, and grace. Francis went through much hardship and it formed the man of Jesus he became. Most don't know that the young Italian spent time in jail as a prisoner of war. He was beaten and starved, and in this secluded dungeon, he found the words of Jesus. A fellow prisoner had a copy of the gospels. When he got out of prison, he saw a new world around him. His heart had changed, he was no longer the spoiled child of a wealthy merchant, he now wanted to associate with the poor and forgotten. He wanted to be like Jesus. He found an abandoned and run down church on the outskirts of Assisi and heard Jesus say, "rebuild My church". Francis thought He meant the little rundown church with the Byzantine Crucifix. He rebuilt it, and then Jesus used this poor man to renew His Church in all of Italy and the world. We are in strange times today, and we all need the heart of Francis, which is a heart for Jesus alone. The renewal of Francis brought renewal to the world. We all need renewal, and must remember that His Church needs it too from time to time. Jesus said to let the wheat and the weeds grow together, but He also said that the gates of hell will never overcome His Church. I am glad Francis renewed Jesus' Church from within and did not go off and start his own church. Praise God for the wisdom and obedience of Francis!
wkm
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