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[Fresco by Giotto, from the St. Francis Basilica] |
St. Francis was not always very saintly. He grew up the son of a rich merchant, and if stories are to be believed, he was the stereotypical spoiled rich kid, who loved expensive things and living the good life.
The very first biography of Francis says:
“He was the admiration of all, and in pomp of vainglory he strove to surpass the rest in frolics, freaks, sallies of wit and idle talk, songs, and soft and flowing attire, for he was very rich. He was not miserly but prodigal, not a hoarder of money but a squanderer of his substance, not a shrewd trader but a most ostentatious spender; a man, however, very kindly in his dealings, very easy and affable.”[i]
When he was about 19 he went away to fight the rival city of Perugia, with the idealism of one who has never actually seen battle. Francis was captured and spent a year as a prisoner of war. That time changed him- body mind and spirit. He was sick for a long time, and his body was never quite healthy again after that. Francis began to have powerful dreams and visions.
One time, he was praying in a little chapel outside the city of Assisi and heard a voice say “Go, Francis and repair my house which, as you see, is well-nigh in ruins”
So Francis went, took some cloth from his father’s inventory, and sold the cloth and his horse, then brought the money to the priest of that little chapel.
The priest wouldn’t take the money, so Francis threw it out the window.
Francis then went to live away from home, and began a life of poverty and devotion.
Francis’s father was so mad that once he found Francis, he locked his son in the cellar, not only because Francis had stolen the cloth, but because it was embarrassing having a son who didn’t act like a proper wealthy young man.
When his father left town, Francis’s mother unlocked the chains and set Francis free, which sure made his father mad. He brought Francis to the bishop, to formally cut him off from his family’s wealth and inheritance, but Francis went one further, he took off his wealthy clothing, stripped naked, and handed the clothes to his father.
“When brought before the bishop, Francis … immediately put off and cast aside all his garments and gave them back to his father. Moreover he did not even keep his drawers but stripped himself stark naked before all the bystanders. But the bishop, observing his disposition, and greatly wondering at his fervor and steadfastness, arose forthwith, gathered him into his arms and covered him with the mantle which he himself was wearing.”It's a powerful image of letting go of the old to make a new way
St. Clare
Clare grew up in the same town as Francis, she was 12 years younger, and probably would have known him by reputation even before he began his ministry. I mean, stories of a young man naked in the courtyard of the Bishop’s house probably get around.
Clare was born to nobility, of higher status even than Francis’s wealthy family. She was the daughter of a count and was described as a sensitive child, prayerful and devout. The opposite of what we heard about Francis.
When she was 12 Her parents wanted her to marry, which was the standard path for a noble woman in her time. They had a count all picked out to be her husband, but she convinced her parents to wait until she was 18.
By the time Clare was a teenager, Francis had begun preaching in Assisi, and she snuck out of the house to heard him preach. She was inspired by Francis’s teachings, and met secretly with Francis about her vocation[ii]. One Palm Sunday, when she had turned 18 and the time for her arranged marriage loomed close, she snuck out of her home with a servant in the dark of night. This was not a spontaneous act, she had been talking to the bishop about it, that same bishop Guido who had helped Francis face his father.
Clare and her servant walked several miles down the mountain to the chapel where Francis had helped repair, Francis and his few new followers were waiting there for her.
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| Painting by Antonio Carnicero 1787 |
It's a powerful image of letting go of the old to make a new way
