St. Francis of Assisi
One
Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
When he was a young man, he had a dream that his home changed into a great palace filled with shields, armor, swords, and banners. On all this war equipment glittered a red cross. As he wandered the halls a beautiful poorly clad young woman appeared and clasped his hand tightly, saying to him, “Francis, my beloved, all this is for you and for your companions. Take up your arms.” Francis misinterpreted the dream. The poorly clad young woman was Lady Poverty, the companions were Franciscans, and the weapons well, God had other weapons in mind: prayer, penance, and preaching.
Thankfully, God does not give up on us when we miss the point.
Francis came to the broken-down church of St. Damian, barely more than rubble. He fell on his knees before the Crucifix and in the silence, Jesus spoke saying, “Rebuild my Church. It is falling down.” Again Francis misunderstood what the Lord was asking. He began rebuilding the little stone chapel of St. Damian. It was a good start, but God had something much bigger in mind.
Men began following Francis and his way of life. When there were twelve in number, they went to the Pope for his approval. The night before, the Pope had a strange dream. The Pope dreamt he saw the Church falling apart, and when it was about to fall into pieces, a small man came up and put his shoulder against the building, and with one shove he set the Church back on its foundations like new. When the Pope awoke, he knew the small man was Francis. He approved their way of life, and they became the Franciscans.
If you feel you have blown it and not done the will of God, don’t despair. God doesn’t care about the past. He lives in the present. Offer yourself to now once again.
Two
In the early 1200s, the Fifth Crusade was happening in Egypt. Francis decided the best way to bring an end to the fighting was to convert the Muslim Sultan to Christianity. So, he and Br. Illuminato joined the Crusade, sailing for Alexandria, Egypt.
Upon arrival, Francis and Illuminato walked straight up to enemy lines requesting to see the Sultan, Malik al-Kamil.
The Muslim soldiers were so dumbfounded by these two small, unarmed Christians, that they did not immediately kill them. They even granted their request to take them to the Sultan. However, there was a rule, if you were granted permission to approach and do not, you must be put to death. This was no problem except for one thing. The Sultan spread crosses on the ground covering the way to the throne, believing Francis would not step on the Cross. Boldly, Francis walked right on the crosses to the Sultan who promptly ridiculed him for desecrating his sacred image. Francis replied, “There were three crosses on Calvary. I stepped on the other two.” This courage and wit so captivated the Sultan that they ended up having many conversations and a surprising friendship grew. However, the Sultan would not convert. But Francis was persistent.
Three
Seeing he was making no progress, Francis proposed that the Sultan command two large fires be made. He would lay in one fire and the Muslim Imams could lay in the other. The one who came out unharmed, theirs was the true Religion. None of the Imams, however, wanted anything to do with this trial by fire.
At length the Sultan said to Francis, “Brother Francis, most willingly would I be converted to the faith of Christ; but I fear to do so now, for if my people knew it, they would kill both me and you and your companions. You have much good to accomplish, and I have certain affairs of great importance to finish. But teach me how I can be saved, and I am ready to do as you tell me.”
To this Francis answered, “My lord, I will take leave of you for the present; but after I have returned to my own country, when I shall be dead and gone to heaven, by the grace of God, I will send you two of my friars, who will baptize you and you will be saved. In the meantime, remove all sin from your life and live the way of goodness and virtue so that, when the grace of God arrives, you will be found ready to receive it.”
The Sultan then gave Francis His ring which signified His authority over Palestine, thus entrusting the Christian Holy Places to Francis and the Franciscans. That is why from 1217 until this day, the Franciscans are the Custodians of the Holy Land.
Four
Years passed, Francis died, and the Sultan, having fallen ill, awaited the fulfillment of the promise of St. Francis. He placed guards in all the passes, ordering them that if they met two brothers in the habit of St. Francis, they were to conduct them immediately to him. At the same time, St. Francis appeared to two of his friars and ordered them without delay to go to the Sultan and save his soul, according to the promise he had made him.
The two set out, and having crossed the sea, were conducted to the Sultan by the guards he had sent out to meet them. The Sultan, when he saw them arrive, rejoiced greatly, and exclaimed, “Now I know Allah has sent his servants to save my soul, according to the promise of Francis.” After receiving Baptism, his soul was saved, and he died in the Peace of Christ.
Francis took the initiative, broke out of his routine, and went way out of his way to build a friendship with the Sultan, and though it took many years, and did not happen in the lifetime of Francis, the Sultan turned to Christ and was saved. Friendship was the bridge that carried the Sultan to Christ.
What are the routines in our lives that prevent us from doing the same? What are the fears that paralyze us from intentionally engaging in relationships to help others to Jesus? Have we given up before we have even really tried?
Ask the Holy Spirit now who he wants you to go to, to renew your efforts in friendship, to try and help another to friendship with Christ. Who is it?
Five
Salvation comes from faith. Faith comes through friendship.
St. Francis of Assisi once told a brother who was struggling with doubts, “Do not be troubled brother, but through friendship learn faith.” Francis had a way of life that he invited people to live with him. We have a way of life that we invite people into. Our way of life involves three things: Friendship, meaningful conversation, and prayer.
The first part of this way of life sharing life together, which means we must stop making a screen our focus. Make other people and God the focus of your attention. Have coffee, or a meal, or drinks or dessert. Go for a walk, play cards…whatever you like, and have a good conversation while you are doing it. Where you live create an atmosphere of hospitality, friendship, and good conversation - in your kitchen, living room, deck, garage, by the pool – wherever. Invite people into this space, offer them something to drink or eat. Nobody cares if your house looks like Pinterest, in fact, if your home is too neat and clean it is not hospitable, it looks like no one lives there – the devil wants to stop you by this temptation. Don’t freak out about putting out a big spread. Just offer what you have in your fridge and pantry.
Above all else, it’s important to remember that even God’s will takes time. St. Francis may have converted the Sultan, but it happened long after his death. Our actions are worthwhile, even when we don’t see the fruits immediately. So be patient. Entrust it to God.