Oct. 4 was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Soon, we will begin watching a wonderful movie on the lives of Saints Clare & Francis. In
these two, we see a clear depiction of what it means to be living Gospels &
disciples of Jesus Christ.
Clare was born into a noble family at a time of war in this part of Italy between rival city-states. She could most likely have looked forward to marrying into a life of luxury & privilege, but being pious & devout from childhood, she longed to be united to the perfect Bridegroom. Her family, especially her uncle, becomes increasingly aggressive in forcing her to marry, so Clare is forced to discern her vocation - her calling from God - and then act.
Of Clare we must ask: Is it right for her to resist her father's wishes? Is she just being selfish? What makes her decision to different than any other rebellious teenager? Was she wrong to run away?
Francis was also born into privilege, but it was his father's hard work as a cloth merchant that provided for the family. His father, Peter Bernardone, had great dreams of Francis becoming a knight, & this was Francis' dream, too. However, after experiencing the horror of warfare in his first battle, he goes on a quest for meaning in his life that brings him to the company of lepers & a wooden cross of Christ in a fallen-down chapel. He must leave his own family behind him, & become a knight in the service of a very different king.
Of Francis, we ask: What must we be willing to give up to follow Christ? Is breaking his father's heart part of God's plan? How are we to know what we are called to do among all the voices telling us to do others things? How do we know we are doing the right thing?
These are all questions that we have, too. What price are we willing to pay to follow Jesus? How do we know we are on the right path? We will soon see how Clare & Francis find the answers together. Perhaps they can help us find them, too.
- Mr. Mark
Clare was born into a noble family at a time of war in this part of Italy between rival city-states. She could most likely have looked forward to marrying into a life of luxury & privilege, but being pious & devout from childhood, she longed to be united to the perfect Bridegroom. Her family, especially her uncle, becomes increasingly aggressive in forcing her to marry, so Clare is forced to discern her vocation - her calling from God - and then act.
Of Clare we must ask: Is it right for her to resist her father's wishes? Is she just being selfish? What makes her decision to different than any other rebellious teenager? Was she wrong to run away?
Francis was also born into privilege, but it was his father's hard work as a cloth merchant that provided for the family. His father, Peter Bernardone, had great dreams of Francis becoming a knight, & this was Francis' dream, too. However, after experiencing the horror of warfare in his first battle, he goes on a quest for meaning in his life that brings him to the company of lepers & a wooden cross of Christ in a fallen-down chapel. He must leave his own family behind him, & become a knight in the service of a very different king.
Of Francis, we ask: What must we be willing to give up to follow Christ? Is breaking his father's heart part of God's plan? How are we to know what we are called to do among all the voices telling us to do others things? How do we know we are doing the right thing?
These are all questions that we have, too. What price are we willing to pay to follow Jesus? How do we know we are on the right path? We will soon see how Clare & Francis find the answers together. Perhaps they can help us find them, too.
- Mr. Mark
"Become a saint!"
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