St. Francis started out at a young age with not much structure in his life. He indulged himself in unnecessary pleasures. He believed in the poor and wanted to give to the needy. One time he turned away a poor man, but in his hear the realized that was wrong so he turned around and did the right thing. “He would not refuse those who begged from him for the love of God”. One day he met “a knight who was of noble birth” but was in a bad condition, so Francis took off his own clothes and clothed the man. He did not realize there was a divine plan for him. “One day he heard the Lord speaking to him during the night in a familiar way”. From that day on “he begged that the divine kindness show him what to do”. One day he had an encounter with a leper, “from then on he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility and an eagerness for intimate piety”. Francis is known for fixing three churches. Throughout this process he had to come over a lot of obstacles. No what he still faced the harshness and “declared he would gladly suffer anything for the name of Christ”. Francis did everything to “obey the divine command” At one point he touched a mans sore and it vanished. He was very much devoted, “he even used to declare that a conversation with a woman was unnecessary except only for confession or very brief instruction”. “Therefore his soul melted for the poor and the infirm; to those to whom he could not extend a hand he extended his affection.
Lindsey Ritter
Before reading the selection, I had heard very little bout St. Francis of Assisi. I knew that St. Francis was a man who originally had possessions and indulged in life, but then turned his live around by devoting himself to God. What I originally knew about St. Francis has not changed but my knowledge has definitely expanded. I now am aware of how deeply his devoted his life to God and how seriously he took living a pious life. He did not indulge in any comfort that life provided. I now know that God came to Francis and told him to “take up his cross” and to be a servant to the word of God. St. Francis devoted himself to living a life of poverty and to helping those in need. St. Francis was not fearful of those in need. He was willing to do anything and to suffer immensely for God. I did not know that he was so extreme in practicing the word of God and that he obeyed God so closely especially after coming from his previous life of better means. I now understand whom St. Francis of Assisi was and why he is so commonly prayed to for help and guidance. I seem him now as a saint who pushed his boundaries in life and was extreme in pursuing a life of piety.
ReplyDelete-Nicole Dillon
Before I read about St. Francis today, I basically only remembered the sorts of things that we'd discussed about him in class last week: that he was known for being kind to animals, that he was a religious, etc. After reading about him today, I was not especially surprised by what I read - it all fit in wiht what I would have pictured of a saint - but he was definitely much more into mortification and austerity than I had thought. So my overall perspective on him has not necessarily changed much, but I have a more complete understanding now of who St. Francis really was.
ReplyDeleteChelsey Sterling
My perspective of who Saint Francis really is has not changed so much as been filled out in this reading. I had read previous literature about his life that hinted at all the strict rules and sacrifices he chose to live a holy life. I had not, however, ever read a more detailed description of all the harsh punishments he gave himself during temptation or of just how unforgiving his father really was of his vocation. In other words, this passage has definitely painted a clearer picture of who Saint Francis was as a real person, not just the saint chosen by God to rebuild His Church and speak to animals.
ReplyDelete-Sophia Pileggi
Before this reading, I knew much of the same about St. Francis. He was a young man from a privileged, wealthy family and he had a conversion experience. From that point he gave up everything for Christ and for the love of God. St. Francis loved the animals especially, but not exclusively since he loved everyone in need. He did not believe in self-comfort, or even self-preservation, but rather preferred a life of austerity and suffering in order to remain faithful to Christ.
ReplyDeleteMy previous knowledge of St. Francis wasn't changed by this reading because St. Francis was one of my favorite saints when I was young. I studied his life and also read 'The Life of St. Francis' for my high school theology course.
~Caitlin Gorecki
I hadn't realized how devoted Saint Francis of Assisi was to his relationship with God and his faith until reading this assignment. He went from being self-indulgent to literally taking his clothes off to cloth the needy. He went from being a businessman to giving up all his things. Saint Francis had lived a life of obedience, poverty and piety. What struck me the most when reading the Bonaventure assignment was Francis always helping the lepers, even though before this change of lifestyle he was afraid to even be around them. He would give them alms, hug them, even kiss them. His new lifestyle was so strict and different from his past that he wouldn't even speak with women unless it was for penance. This I found interesting because he somewhat comments on the problem with how men devoting their lives to the Church break away from what we would consider a "normal" day to day lifestyle, which would include conversing with men and women.
ReplyDelete-Katie Lamb
St. Francis started out at a young age with not much structure in his life. He indulged himself in unnecessary pleasures. He believed in the poor and wanted to give to the needy. One time he turned away a poor man, but in his hear the realized that was wrong so he turned around and did the right thing. “He would not refuse those who begged from him for the love of God”. One day he met “a knight who was of noble birth” but was in a bad condition, so Francis took off his own clothes and clothed the man. He did not realize there was a divine plan for him. “One day he heard the Lord speaking to him during the night in a familiar way”. From that day on “he begged that the divine kindness show him what to do”. One day he had an encounter with a leper, “from then on he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility and an eagerness for intimate piety”. Francis is known for fixing three churches. Throughout this process he had to come over a lot of obstacles. No what he still faced the harshness and “declared he would gladly suffer anything for the name of Christ”. Francis did everything to “obey the divine command” At one point he touched a man’s sore and it vanished. He was very much devoted, “he even used to declare that a conversation with a woman was unnecessary except only for confession or very brief instruction”. “Therefore his soul melted for the poor and the infirm; to those to whom he could not extend a hand he extended his affection.
ReplyDelete-Carolyn Spero
Before reading this text, I didn’t know anything about St. Francis of Assisi. I knew from our class discussion various facts about him, but in general I only had in mind a very friendly, kind, obviously holy person who probably led a very simple yet important life in the eyes of God. Reading this text completely changed my thoughts on St. Francis of Assisi because he is very harsh on himself, and seems to be off alone a lot more than I had imagined. I had pictured someone who was very gentle, and probably frequently caring for animals and people. Instead, St. Francis was the opposite of gentle on his body and didn’t seem to have love for himself in the way a person today may think about it. He would pain his body to show his love for Christ: “he served the Lord in cold and nakedness,” and “more often than not, the naked ground was a bed for his weary body” (115). St. Francis of Assisi in these pages was more about making his life so simple and so focused on God than about lovingly surrounding himself with an environment where he can nurture and care for others. Although he did care for others, he did it by giving away his clothing or kissing their wounds rather than being a close friend to many as I had pictured.
ReplyDelete-Tori McAllister
St. Bonaventure's passage, "The Major passage of Saint Francis of Assisi," protrays St. Francis in a way that is very different from what I had originally thought about him. All that I have known about St. Francis in the past is that he was compassionate and loving towards all animals. This passage, however, shows a much greater and profound depth to St. Francis' compassion for all things. The passage starts by showing how deep St. Francis' compassion was. Even "growing with him from his infancy [was] a generous care for the poor" (103). The chapter then continues to describe his conversion to God's calling. The next several chapters are devoted to stories about St. Francis' compassion and devotion to God. He was dedicated to serving the poor and would give them tge clothes off his back. St. Francis also performed many miracles of healing the poor and he was so devout that he deprived himself of food and slept sitting up right. I was never aware of this extreme devotion of St. Francis, and I now understand more about his deep compassion for the less fortunate. The final chapter desctibed St. Francis in the way I am more accustomed to. This chaper tell about St. Francis' relationship with all animals, such as birds and sheep. Overall, St. Bonaventure's passage gave me a much deeper and inclusive understanding of who St. Francis really was.
ReplyDeleteAs others have stated, I didn't know much about St.Francis before I read these passages. I knew that he was the saint of animals but not how and why he came to be and I knew that there was a statue of him around my Dominican middle school but did not know why they were there either. This passage was the road map for me of St.Francis's life journey starting from his troubled youth up until his holiness kicked in. St.Francis was so disturbed by his wanton youth that he decided the best decision for him would have been to lead a simple life in which he vows a life of poverty. This lead him to be more nurturing towards others including animals hence why he becomes the saint of animals.
ReplyDelete-Tara Costello
Before reading about St. Francis, I did not know a lot about him, but only the basics, that he was a saint who led a simple life, to become closer to God. Reading this, i realized that he was not just that, but much more. I did not realize how generous and how he was a type of person who would do anything for them, and putting others in front of himself. But i was most surprised that St Francis was one who believed in life of austerity and suffering so he can and will remain faithful to Christ.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I have a much better understanding of who St. Francis was.
-mary vogt
The Saint Francis from the readings was nothing like the Saint Francis I had learned in grammar school. He was intense, outspoken, and at times harsh. The most striking passage to me was the part where he whips the sheep who had eaten their offspring; this story is completely different from the Saint Francis of my mind, who was kind and loving to all of God's creatures, especially the animals.
ReplyDeleteI found the parts about Saint Francis' early life especially interesting. St. Bonaventure wrote about how Saint Francis' father did not approve of his son devoting his life to the church, and took hiThe Saint Francis from the readings was nothing like the Saint Francis I had learned in grammar school. He was intense, outspoken, and at times harsh. The most striking passage to me was the part where he whips the sheep who had eaten their offspring; this story is completely different from the Saint Francis of my mind, who was kind and loving to all of God's creatures, especially the animals.
I found the parts about Saint Francis' early life especially interesting. St. Bonaventure wrote about how Saint Francis' father did not approve of his son devoting his life to the church, and took him away and beat him. This would possibly explain why Saint Francis would later on become so devout and so, in a sense, rigid in his beliefs; he had to have clung to his faith while being reprimanded, shunned, and later attacked by his father.
I admire Saint Francis for his devotion; I am surprised by his true personality, compared to the "warm and fuzzy" version from my childhood; and I feel like this passage gives us a good insight into the personalities of some of the most well-known people in the Church.m away and beat him. This would possibly explain why Saint Francis would later on become so devout and so, in a sense, rigid in his beliefs; he had to have clung to his faith while being reprimanded, shunned, and later attacked by his father.
I admire Saint Francis for his devotion; I am surprised by his true personality, compared to the "warm and fuzzy" version from my childhood; and I feel like this passage gives us a good insight into the personalities of some of the most well-known people in the Church.
Before reading this passage, I knew that St. Francis had a very special connection with nature, particularly with animals. I had heard that he left his comfortable life behind him to take on a life of poverty and service to others. The Prayer of St. Francis is also one of my favorite prayers, and the beautiful words demonstrate his desire for serenity, connection, and peace in his heart, with others, and with God. After reading this passage, I was able to see how he exhibited this desire in his life every day. He focused all of his attention on how to sacrifice for God and carry out his will.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the passages, I had a general idea of who St. Francis was, but I was never introduced to him as personally and descriptively as it was so written here. These passages truly give a detailed account of his life, including his struggles, relationship with God, and his many miracles. He was depicted not only as a healer but as a true man of God. He endured exclusion and abusive treatment to do God's work. He suffered yet he remained all loving to all and accepted his role as a man of God. He genuinely lived his life on the bare minimum to do God's work and in doing so succeeded in his own healing as well as others. Having no prior opinion or information of St. Francis, it was still evident how influential he was. His devote love and continuous holy deeds and actions illsutrate how committed he was to God and his people. By giving himself entirely to God and leaving the other worldly lifetsyle as well ignoring his opressors, he was admired as a truly holy being.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Smedley
In all honesty, I did not have much knowledge of St Francis of Assisi before this reading. I only knew that he had a special relationship with animals, and was in fact the patron saint of animals. But now after this reading, I am more informed about the life of St Francis of Assisi. St Bonaventure goes into great detail about how concerned St Francis is about giving care to the poor and the sick. He gave many examples of how St Francis gave his possessions to the poor and healed lepers with only a kiss.
ReplyDeleteThrough these times, his father was not very happy with St. Francis. He actually was said to assault Francis both verbally and physically. St. Francis grew in eagerness through the disapproval of his father; he is fully willing to suffer for his faith. Additionally, he decided not to eat as usual when he is in good health, nor does he enjoy wearing normal cloth. St. Francis has such a deep connection with God that he feels as if he does not deserve such luxuries.
In this whole reading, St Francis' connection with animals is not even mentioned until the last chapter. It is there that St Bonaventure describes miracles St Francis preforms in relation to animals. There are times when he asks birds to cease their singing to God so he may be able to pray to God, and the birds follow his command. Bonaventure explains how these animals are all attracted to St Francis' love.
-Elisabeth O'Toole
I knew something about St. Francis of Assisi but not in the kind of detail that Bonaventure provides. His appearences in children's books and flower gardens have somewhat robbed him of the reputation as a brave and adventurous soldier for Christ that he deserves. The real Francis, as portrayed in the reading, seemed to me to be a perfect channel through which God's grace flowed into the world. In other words, a good example for the sort of vessel we all strive to be. I am reminded of the New Creation that we are promised when Christ comes again and it seemed like in small ways Francis made possible the reality of that in small slices. His work, his life and primarily his devotion to Christ enabled him to continue and make living and present the action of our Lord in His Creation. It is no wonder that Francis legacy has had such far reaching consequences in the order of Friars Minor.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was aware of St. Francis's devout poverty and obedience, by reading "The Major Legend of St. Francis" I have been made more aware of specific instances of piety and of miracles in his life. Previous to reading the text, I was unaware of the severity of St. Francis's father's objection to the life that St. Francis led. St. Francis seems to have been filled with joy and zeal for the Lord at all times, and his courage in the face of great persecution is noteworthy. St. Francis definitely led a life of asceticism that is to be greatly admired.
ReplyDeleteI think, even among Saints, that Francis is a great exemplar of Christian virtue; his piety, kindness, gentleness, humbleness, and self-denial are truly inspirational. Francis’ practice of each of these virtues is highlighted further by the fact that he grew up wealthy yet gave everything to Christ.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for which Saint Francis is known for is his affinity with animals. Through his interaction with God’s creation, we see that God is to humans as Francis is to animals. This is especially apparent with the small hare. “He put [the small hare] down on the ground free to run away as it pleased. At the call of the kind father, it leapt quickly into his lap. He fondled it with the pious affection of his heart and seemed to pity it like a mother.”
Before reading this passage, I had a general knowledge of the life of St. Francis, yet this reading gave specific examples of his humility, poverty, and piety. Several of my family members are closely devoted to St. Francis, being part of the Franciscan 3rd Order. I also went to a high school run by Franciscans, so basically my whole life I was surrounded by people trying to imitate St. Francis's holiness.
ReplyDeleteOne section of the reading which really impressed me was the description of his severe habits to "tame" his bodily temptations. While I personally do not agree with certain procedures he believed in, I respect his fervour to follow the Lord, which he clearly did almost perfectly as shown through miracles. I also greatly admire his generous heart for the poor "for the love of God." St. Francis so controlled himself that "he had reached such purity that his flesh was in remarkable harmony with his spirit and his spirit with God." (119) This surely is the goal of all spiritual people, and it is honorable that St. Francis attained his happy goal.
-Risa Del Eskew
Well being a protestant, I've never heard of many Saints or their actions, including major Saints like St. Francis. As a protestant, I also never understood the reason for Sainthood or why these men and women were to be heroes in the Christian faith. However, after reading works Such as "Bonaventure; The Major LEgend of Saint Francis of Assisi", I able better able to get a sense of why these men and women are admired by the Catholic Church. These men and women perform these transcendent actions on Earth that would seem unacceptable to society, such as St. Francis clothing the man in Assisi: "Moved by a pious impulse of care for his poverty, he took off his own garments and clothed the man on the spot" (104). These men and women go to extreme lengths to live a holy lifestyle, and because of their amazing actions and choices, they should be honored by Christ's followers in hopes that each follower can reach the same level of piety, poverty and humility that helped saints such as St. Francis become one with the lord: "For he had reached such purity and his flesh was in remarkable harmony with his spirit and his spirit with God" (119).
ReplyDelete-Jay Garrick
Saint Francis spend most of his life attempting to emulate the actions of Jesus Christ. Prior to this reading, I was unaware of the extent to which he devoted himself to God. I find it perfectly realistic to describe Saint Francis as radical. Forgetting the negative connotation this word holds, one can accept that Francis would take a small act of kindness and push it to an extreme. Not only would he aid the destitute, but kiss and clothe the lepers of the villages. He would not merely place less focus on material worth, but give up almost anything which provided human comfort. Essentially, he turned from most things which cause the fallibility of man.
ReplyDeleteAs most would ascertain, sin pushes one away from God. Saint Francis, through his actions, bridged the much too apparent gap between himself and this higher being. While I surmised that Saint Francis was a radical, it may only be because his purely good actions are not usually mirrored by others. It shouldn't be that Francis was doing things we wouldn't ever attempt to do. If one wishes to live a whole life, we can turn and look towards this man.
Before reading this text I knew a lot about St. Francis. When I was little, my dad would show me short animated movies about saints' lives and his was one of them. My family has a devotion to St. Francis of Assisi so I am aware of his life story and the big events that happened to him by God and what he did in God's name. Reading this text only strengthened my understanding of this beloved saint of who he was and what he was set out to do. I became enlightened to a few more events in his life I was unaware of before but in general I already knew of he things I read. Reading this makes me appreciate St. Francis more in the devout and poor life he led by his own choice. He was a wealthy knight but sold everything and left knighthood in order to do what he believed to be God's will. This passage just increases my admiration for his dedication and steadfastness to his faith. By doing all that he did he has helped MANY people become closer to god. His example lives through today through his Franciscans.
ReplyDeleteEmma Leary
Before this reading, I had a very limited view of who St. Francis of Assisi really was. Like we had discussed in class, St. Francis was known for being a religious man with a love for animals. This was previously the only information I had known about him. What I learned here was that he was selfless and always eager to help the poor, even if it meant sacrificing his own belongings.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading Saint Bonaventure's text about St. Francis' life I knew a basic description of his life and what he did from school. However, I did not realize how many different events occured throughout his life that affect his faith. He led a life of poverty by choice to become closer to guide. I admire his calling and devotion to God. He is a great saint that I respect and appreciate more after reading this text. St. Francis was a very influential and intelligent human being that was holy because he completely was devoted to God and his works on Earth.
ReplyDelete-Katelyn Bockin
St. Francis of Assisi lived a most challenging and hard life, but nonetheless it was fulfilled in his death that his soul was with God. He led a life that in many ways imitated Jesus' suffering in Jerusalem as well as his death. One of the major differences between their lives was that Francis was obsessed with the idea that the body brings on the devil, and that the soul can only stretch towards God once the body can no longer tempt us, for Bonaventure wrote, "Unbending in discipline he stood his guard, taking the greatest care to preserve purity of both soul and body." The Francis we know from childhood stories who helped the animals and such is very different from the Francis in these writings. This Francis is a confident man who will do anything to help the weak and receive the Lord's grace.
ReplyDelete~Nicholas Shields
Before reading this I thought St. Francis of Assisi was hard on himself and he was devoted to living a life of poverty. After reading this I realized how open minded St. Francis truly was and how truly inspiring he was. I also realized how devoted he was to God, and to his faith.
ReplyDelete-ELISE ARIENS
I did not know much about St.Francis before reading Saint Bonaventure. Only that he had a strong connection to nature and animals. I also knew that he had given up a life of comfort to live in poverty.
ReplyDeleteI was not surprised by the new information I learned about by reading St.Bonaventure, however, I do have a better understanding about how devoted St.Francis was to God, and about his life.
Tom May
St. Francis reminds me that of a monk or nun. He wants to give to the poor, has no luxuries of his own, and shows he is very devoted to Christ. He is everything a saint is depicted as; kind, devoted, and loving. To live a life of poverty, to give the clothes off of his back to clothe another, is a life that shows how truly selfless he was.
ReplyDelete-Kate Shannon
The St. Francis that I learned about in grade school, and even in high school is much different than the St. Francis that is portrayed in St. Bonaventure’s writings. I had always heard and read about St. Francis as a caring and quiet man who had a deep relationship with nature. Every picture that I saw of St. Francis growing up showed him sitting on a rock with all sorts of animals surrounding him. St. Bonaventure explains that St. Francis was not the quietest of men and was an extremely passionate person. St. Francis is explained in this text as a man with his own faults, and came to know Christ through his own trials. I never knew that he was a man of wealth and that he gave it all up to become a man of God.
ReplyDeleteThe general portrait of Saint Francis of Assisi presented in the article is more complete than my understanding of him however my reflections do capture his spirit and desire to obey God's Divine Command. Prior to reading the article entitled The Major Legend of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure my knowledge of him included the fact that he was the founder of the religious order known as the Franciscans and that a vision of Christ Crucified appeared to him at some point in his life causing him to receive the wounds produced by the nails of the cross and the lance on his own body. My understanding of his spirit or nature is that he was a man who cared for the poor, attended to beggars, particularly Lepers, and saw earthly things as nothing. I am familiar with the simple prayer "Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace" which illustrates his love of God and his desire to serve Him by helping those who others turn their backs on. What i did not know was that he was the son of a wealthy merchant, wanted a military career and loved the earthly pleasures that wealth could buy. I was also unfamiliar with the stories of how he came about "clothing himself in a spirit of poverty" and how the Lord "Spoke to him during the night in a familiar way". After knowing his story more fully we can appreciate God's plan for him.
ReplyDelete-Carolyn Spero