His feast day is today…. St. Francis of Assisi before answering the call to religious life he served two tours fighting in the army and was held captive for one year. He understood the sacrifice and torment of loyalty to God and Country.
Much like our society today, Young Francesco Bernardone, who we know as St. Francis of Assisi, lived in a time splattered with religious hatred and division, social injustice, and political unrest. What he wanted most was to be a famous knight, but that wasn’t God’s plan. Francis’ dreams of being a popular warrior were dashed, when he found himself a prisoner of war in Perugia, and severely ill. As he recovered, he continued to recall a dream he had, when God was calling him to seek God in all people, even the lepers and outcasts, serving them as Christ would. It was in his darkest hours that St. Francis turned around his priorities and became a servant to God. St. Francis eventually realized that God wanted him to rebuild the greater Church, humanity, and all of God’s creation.
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi.
