As a young man, Francis of Assisi loved material things, especially beautiful clothes from the shop of is wealthy merchant father. One biographer describes the handsome, young, fun loving Francis as “the very king of frolic.” That Changed at the age of about 20, after he went to fight in a skirmish with a rival city. He was taken prisoner, held for over a year, and came home very weak from a serious illness.
At some point during his ordeal, Francis realized that there must be more to life than shallow pleasures, And he came to the conclusion that real satisfaction was to be found in loving God and doing what God wanted him to do—love others.
He was disowned by his father for giving away family wealth , surrendered whatever other worldly goods And privileges he had, and wandered the country-side, improvising hymns of praise as he went.
Others, drawn by his sincerity, zeal, and joy, joined F in his vow of poverty—the beginnings of The Franciscan Order. Francis loved people, from the rich and powerful in their palaces to the beggars in the streets. He also loved animals and is said to have been able to communicate with them.
He also is said to have tamed a fierce wolf that terrified the villagers of Gubbio, Italy, and he petitioned the emperor to pass a law that all birds and beasts, as well as the poor, be given extra food at Christmas “so that all might have occasion to rejoice in the Lord.”
Francis was always looking for new ways to make God's truths easily understandable to others. P
PAt Christmastime 1223, while visiting the town of PG
recio, Italy, he had the idea of showing people what PJ
esus’ birthplace must have been like. He found a Pm
ountain cave near the village and fashioned it into Pa
rough stable. P
PS
t. Bonaventure (d. 1274), in his Life of St. Francis of tA
ssisi, gave this account of what followed: “Then he Pp
repared a manger and brought hay and an ox and Pa
n ass to the place appointed. The brethren were Ps
ummoned, the people ran together, the forest re-Ps
ounded with their voices, and that venerable night Pw
as made glorious by many brilliant lights and sono-Pr
ous psalms of praise. P
PT
he man of God [St. Francis] stood before the man-Pg
er, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and Pr
adiant with joy. P
PT
hen he preached to the people around the Nativity Po
f the poor King; and being unable to utter His name Pf
or the tenderness of His love, he called Him the PB
abe of Bethlehem.” P
PS
aint Francis is also considered the “father of the PC
hristmas carol” for having been the first to include Pc
arols in Christmas worship services. As a boy, PF
rancis had perhaps learned more in the school of Pt
he troubadours—itinerant composers and perform-Pe
rs of songs—than from the priests of St. George’s Pa
t Assisi, where his father had sent him for an edu-Pc
ation. It’s not surprising, then, that joyous music Pb
ecame one of Francis’s favorite forms of worship. P
PT
hat joy was contagious, and still is. P
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