My Shalom prayer guide indicated that today, October 4th is the day to honor St. Francis Assisi. Though I have heard a bit about him and had sung the hymn of Prayer of St. Francis Assisi in church many times, this is the first time I get to know him as a man.
Many times, we view Saints as those holy-moly persons whom we will never get close to. But if we take time to read what these people have gone through in their lifetime, we may be able to connect our lives with some of them. They are humans, full of errs. Some led lives full of sins until they found God. Or rather, God called them.
Here’s an excerpt which I found very enlightening :
Another example of his directness came when he decided to go to Syria to convert the Moslems while the Fifth Crusade was being fought. In the middle of a battle, Francis decided to do the simplest thing and go straight to the sultan to make peace. When he and his companion were captured, the real miracle was that they weren’t killed. Instead Francis was taken to the sultan who was charmed by Francis and his preaching. He told Francis, “I would convert to your religion which is a beautiful one — but both of us would be murdered.”
Francis did find persecution and martyrdom of a kind — not among the Moslems, but among his own brothers.
St. Francis Assisi. Man, playboy, rich man who led a pampered life until God use him.
Francis’ final years were filled with suffering as well as humiliation. Praying to share in Christ’s passion he had a vision received the stigmata, the marks of the nails and the lance wound that Christ suffered, in his own body.
Francis never recovered from this illness. He died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants.
(quotes taken from Catholic.Org)
Do you know, we are all saints in our own ways? We do not have to go out of our ways to be one, just surrender our skills and ourselves to God and He will make us His instrument.
Prayer of St. Francis Assisi
Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me bring your love,
Where there is injury your pardon Lord,
And where there’s doubt true faith in you.
Lord grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood; as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me bring your love,
Where there is injury your pardon Lord,
And where there’s doubt true faith in you.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:38 am
I thought it’s a song as well?
October 4th, 2007 at 9:41 am
it was a prayer made into a song, there are many hymns that uses scripture. John Michael Talbot’s songs uses scripture and very beautifully written.
oct 4 was St. Francis, oct 1 was St. Therese Lisieux, try reading up on God’s little flower, another beautiful saint. she became a saint not for doing great things but by doing little things….read her up at wwww.catholic.org - the saints and angels section (lilian, i hope you don’t mind me pointing the link)
shalom
October 4th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Thank you for sharing =) Shalom
October 4th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
shalom to you too my fellow sarawakian
October 5th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Wuah, nice to see you two making friends over here.
Silverstar - Please do share cos I am very new in these.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:56 am
I would gladly share whatever little that I know. Most of the saints I know aroused my interest in them whenever I come across leaflets or pamphlets in church. They must surely be special enough for people to pray to, i.e. seek their intercession (non Catholics might think we worship saints, which we Catholics know is not true but how many would actually sit down and let us explain to them what exactly we are doing!). Next I look them up over the internet.
Lilian, I used to read shalom too but now too lazy, my spiritual life is up and down, up and down…..and now that you have reminded me of it, I will start reading it again. See in little ways you have help me…..just like you said previously i.e. doing your own saintly works in your own way - very much like St. Therese. Thank you and God bless
October 6th, 2007 at 1:25 am
My mum used to work with the Pontifical Mission Societies in JB, where they would distribute a booklet like Shalom, but a Catholic version, called One Bread, One Body. Pretty good daily reflections in the booklet.
Don’t know if it’s still in distribution now though.