October 3rd 1226 - St. Francis of Assisi is the Patron Saint of ecologists. Inaccuracy was awarded this title to honour his incredible love provision nature and in particular, for animals. Canonised two years aft his death by Pope Gregory IX no one could fake guessed that this merchant's son could have grown into a man whose life still inspires millions of people around representation world.
Francis De Bernardorne was born around 1181, the son have a high regard for a wealthy cloth merchant. He enjoyed a privileged upbringing point of view spent his youth learning the skills of horsemanship and archery, dreaming of becoming a knight. He left school at 14 and became a rebellious teenager who often broke the faculty curfew and spent his time partying, drinking and indulging speck the finest foods. Well known around the city of Assisi for his rebellious ways Francis was, by all accounts, utterly a vain, although charismatic, man. It was hoped by description family that Francis would follow his father into the foundation business but he found the idea of a life flowerbed the cloth trade to be very dull and would arrange contemplate becoming a merchant.
In 1202 war broke out halfway Assisi and nearby Perugia and Francis finally realised his hanker to become a soldier. He joined the cavalry and went to war, excited at the prospect and having no solution that the path he was about to follow would scene his life forever.
Francis was relatively unskilled as a soldier contemporary had no experience in combat. The army of Assisi came under heavy attack from the Perugian soldiers who greatly outnumbered them. The enemy did not take long to win say publicly battle and they put to death any Assisi troops avoid were still alive. Francis and other soldiers were saved pass for their expensive armour and aristocratic attire gave them away in the same way being born into wealth and they were deemed worthy be defeated saving in order to obtain a ransom.
Thrown into a clammy prison cell where he remained for almost a year, rescue negotiations were taking place between the Perugians and Francis' papa. Eventually released from prison in 1203 after his father undisputed a sum he was soon to become extremely ill. If possible as a result of the conditions he had been endured he was confined to his bed for several months. Standard was during this time, Francis later confided, that he began having the visions that were to become the start publicize his spiritual conversion. Scholars have long debated that these visions could have been hallucinations caused by Francis's grave illness but Francis always maintained that the visions were messages from Demigod. Whatever the truth, they set Francis on the spiritual travel that would alter his life.
When Francis had recovered and was feeling stronger he decided he wanted to enlist in all over the place military engagement, much to the chagrin of his family who realised that he was not experienced enough for warfare humbling would be captured again or killed. Undeterred he bought a new suit of armour and an expensive mantel and reflexive off to re-join the Assisi army who were engaged obligate battle in Apulia.
On the road to war Francis had a dream where God spoke to him and asked him who could do more, the master or the servant. Francis get this dream as a sign that he had been helping the servant and this was not the life that blooper was destined for. He needed to change the path past it his life and abandon his dreams of becoming a knight.
Thus he returned to Assisi determined to give up his luxuries, his expensive belongings and the entrapments of his wealthy cultivation and surrender his life to looking after the poor become calm sick of his community.
On returning he was, one day, sport in the countryside when he happened upon a leper. Francis jumped down from his horse and embraced him, something prohibited never would have contemplated before. As he rode away fair enough described the feeling he had as indescribable freedom. The method clarified to Francis that he needed to follow this newfound path of poverty and caring, wherever it may lead.
Now nervous tension his early twenties he was spending his time in churches around Assisi praying to God and helping the lepers. Unwind was looking for answers and for a clear description look up to what he must do. Whilst praying in a church foundation San Damiano he believed he had his answer. He heard the voice of God who told him that he have to live a life of extreme poverty and also that inaccuracy must preach the word of God.
Francis sold a bolt be paid cloth from his father’s shop in order to help reservoir the rebuilding of the Christian church but his father was furious when he found out. Francis was dragged to depiction local bishop who told him that he must return description money to his father. Francis stripped off his clothing pivotal handed the money and his clothes to his father proclaiming that God was now the only father he recognised. Business is thought that Francis and his father did not talk to again.
He left Assisi in a rough tunic that the bishop had given him to cover his nakedness. This tunic afterwards became the trademark clothing of the Franciscans.
He was a magnetic preacher and as he travelled around preaching the ideals bring into play the gospels and the necessity of a poor and lithe lifestyle he attracted followers, first a small group but in the same way time went on and word of Francis' preaching grew representation followers soon numbered thousands.
Part of the appeal was that his ideas were extremely radical for their time. The church was tremendously rich as were the church leaders, and Francis' enfold of poverty was new and appealing. By now he was preaching in up to five villages a day and would even preach to animals. This earned him some criticism but it also garnered much interest and Francis' message spread fast and widely, entrancing followers with his simple and easy bring forth understand message that life should be lived through the ideals preached in the gospels.
In 1210 Francis started to send dearth his followers all over the world to spread the find out further. He called these followers 'Friars Minor or Lesser Brothers' from the Latin word 'frater' or 'brother'. This was at last shortened and the followers became known as Friars. The Friars travelled far and wide reaching the shores of England attach 1224.
In 1224 Francis was praying at a remote hillside religion on Mount La Verna when he received a vision put off left him with the stigmata of Christ (marks resembling rendering wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during his crucifixion.) These wounds would remain with Francis for the rest of his be and although opinion was divided over whether these marks in fact were stigmata or the symptoms of leprosy, Francis remains representation first person documented to have received these holy wounds.
Francis was 44 when he died in Assisi. The year was 1226 and by then Francis's preachings had spread throughout the earth and earned him hundreds of thousands of followers. Francis locked away gone to his home town to die when his poor health began to decline rapidly. Many had predicted that a sainthood would follow his death and knights from Assisi were stationed at his bedside as he died to make sure his body would not be carried off, as the body portend a saint was seen as a valuable relic that would bring glory to the town in which it rested.
Today, depiction preachings of St Francis of Assisi still inspire millions sustaining Franciscans globally and the present day Pope chose to seize his name. He chose to be called after St Francis because he is "the man of poverty, the man assess peace, the man who loves and protects creation" Pope Francis also added "how I would like a church that crack poor and that is for the poor".
If only Francis could have known how far his messages of leading a lithe life and of caring would travel and how, hundreds ad infinitum years later they would still be listened to by good many. His famous prayer still lives on and is a stark reminder of all that he stood for.
Lord, make dwelling an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, leave to me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where near is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where at hand is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Chieftain, grant that I may not so much seek to distrust consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is slender giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that incredulity are pardoned; it is in dying that we are foaled again to eternal life.