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Essay on st francis
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“And if I endure [pain, suffering, rejection, and humiliation] patiently and without dismay, I say to you, therefore, that therein lies perfect joy, true virtue and the salvation of the soul.” St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 in the town of Assisi Italy, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. He was expected to inherit his father’s business or become a knight and for the first 25 years of his life he lived an extravagant and sinful life. Eventually, after a long conversion he began teaching, founding the Franciscan order in 1209 at the age of 28. After some time he gave up the authority of his order and settled down to being just another brother. He received the stigmata in 1224 and the rest of his life was filled with suffering and joy. Throughout his life, St. Francis was virtuous and especially in suffering, was filled with joy. He found Francis gained the greatest joy. Desiring the greatest humility, he began to wear rough and uncomfortable clothes, using only a rope to tie up his tunic. However his humility was shown not only through the way he dressed, it became visible in his every action. One time, while on a pilgrimage some highway robbers jeered at him, spat upon him, and threw him in a ditch. Instead of hardening his heart towards them, he cheerfully picked himself up and continued on his way while singing. Another time, when he began to rebuild the church in Assisi, rather than ask for donations and funds, he lowered himself and begged in the streets of Assisi for the stones to rebuild it. Even when he was given stones, he dragged them away himself and worked with the craftsmen in rebuilding the church by hand. Humility, though it is the virtue which is the most difficult to live out, is the root of all joy. St. Francis lived out humility in all things, lowering himself to be a servant of the beggars and finding happiness through his humility and his generosity as
In modern society, the rules for school are simple and straightforward. To do well in school means to do well later in all aspects of life and guaranteed success will come. Sadly however, this is not the case for Ken Harvey or Mike Rose. Author Mike Rose goes to Our Lady of Mercy, a small school located deep in Southern Los Angeles where he meets other troubled students. Being accidentally placed in the vocational track for the school, Rose scuttles the deep pond with other troubled youths. Dealt with incompetent, lazy and often uninvolved teachers, the mix of different students ‘s attention and imagination run wild. Rose then describes his classmates, most of them trying to gasp for air in the dead school environment. On a normal day in religion
Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
Born in 1887, Padre Pio is not yet canonized. Francesco, named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, was one of eight children of Grazio and Maria Forgione. Francesco was very devout even as a child, and at an early age felt drawn to the priesthood. He became a Capuchin novice at the age of sixteen and received the “habit” in 1902. Francesco was ordained to the priesthood in 1910 after seven years of study and became known as Padre Pio.
He realized that when he focused his attention on obtaining the "thrill" of joy, that he was actually focused on himself. True joy is not experienced when one desires joy itself, but when one has his eyes on something else. As believers, the "other and outer" that we have the opportunity to look to is God! God draws us to Himself, our soul responds to Him and in return, He fills our soul with joy.
St. Francis was an Italian Catholic and a talented poet. As an Italian, his heart moved naturally to deep affection, love and enjoyment. As a poet, he could see right through the outcome of those answers. One night during a dream, he saw his house turned into a palace. The walls of this palace were hung with glorious armory, banners, shields, and swords – all instruments of war. Suddenly he heard a voice, it explained that this was to be his palace, the gathering place for all his knights. The arms were theirs, the banners, and tokens of their countless conquests. To complete this wonderful dream, a gorgeous bride awaited him. St. Francis awoke charmed. A few days after that, he left Assisi to go to Southern Italy to enlist. He reached Spoleto, wh...
In his youth, St. Boniface encountered many priests or clerics who traveled from town to town. Through these spiritual conversations, it became evident to St. Boniface that he wanted to pursue a life with God. Eventually, after continuos begging and his fathers fatal sickness, he was sent to the care of the Monastery of Examchester. (Appleton) It is here, that St. Boniface expressed to the Abbot at the time, that he wanted to live a monastic life. The father of the monastery, after council, granted him his wish. Here is where the saint began to prove his love for God, and could begin his journey of the Christian life. After exceeding all expectations and surpassing the knowledge of his teachers, he moved to a neighboring monastery, called Nursling, whereby he studied under the influence of Abbot Winbert.(St. Boniface Church) Here he gained vast knowledge of scriptures and the spiritual exposition of the Bible. Here, he gained such a reputation that men and women from far and wide traveled to study scriptures under his guidance. At the age of 30 he was humbly ordained a priest and yet another branch of his life was fulfilled.
His city often had brawls with the rivaling city of Perugia. This was unfortunate,yet fortunate for Francis. He had gone along to join the fighting and was defeated and taken as a prisoner. It was unfortunate in that he was held captive for over a year and had gotten ill. It was fortunate because he began to think about great glory, which is the beginning toward his golden years.
Saint Augustine’s On Faith and the Creed breaks down the Apostles Creed and expresses the essence of the Christian faith. The 11 chapters within On Faith and The Creed express many truths of the faith. Chapter one explains the origin of the creed and object of its composition. The Apostles Creed is a sufficient summary of the faith for beginners and those who who are more diligent in their faith. Many heretics have tried to corrupt the interpretation of the Apostles Creed. Yet, since it is written according to the scripture, the Apostles Creed is based on complete truth. Chapter two expresses the fact that eternity is exclusive. Saint Augustine talks about how the Apostles Creed will not truly be understood or impact a person if they are not
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” Said by St. Pope John Paul II during one of his World Youth Day homilies this quote perfectly represents the man that St. Pope John Paul II was: a bold, forgiving, selfless, and loving man. Born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland; John Paul II suffered a number of tragedies in the early years of his life. By the age of the twenty he lost all of his immediate family, and he credits the death of his father as the point in his life when he heard the call to live a life of religious vocation. In 1939, about one year after John Paul enrolled in The Krawkow Jaggelonian University, the Nazi closed the school and to avoid deportation to Germany all able men had to work. From 1940 to 1941 his holiness did various jobs, but it was during this time period that he was seriously contemplating priesthood. In 1942 John Paul II started studying at the underground seminary run by the Archbishop of Krakow, and during this time he was hit by a truck and recovered in matter of two weeks. To him this was a confirmation of his vocation. Once the war was finished the future pope was ordained priest and was then sent to Rome for further studies. After a two year time period in Rome, His Holy Father received his doctorate in theology and returned to Poland. After serving in several parishes and becoming a well-known religious face in Poland, St. John Paul II became the bishop of Ombi. During the six year time period that his holiness was the Bishop of Ombi, he achieved one of his life’s major accomplishments: he became one of the leading thinkers on the Vatican II council. While he was one the Vatican II co...
One of the first reform movements inside the Church was the Jesuit order (also called the Society of Jesus) of priests. Instead of the common idea to combat Protestantism, the Jesuits simply wanted “to help souls” (Lindberg 333). A Jesuit is a “soldier of God beneath the banner of the cross” (Lindberg 334). This kind of mentality came primarily from the founder of the order Ignatius Loyola. Loyola was raised in a noble family to be a soldier (Holder 196; Lindberg 334). His dream was dashed when his leg was crushed in battle (Holder 196; Lindberg 334). After months in bed and a failed mission trip, Loyola went to school because he found that his education was too lacking to convert people (Holder 197). So he created the Society of Jesus, with his fellow classmates as t...
“The Jesuits he called in his adult life a ‘heartless order that bears the name of Jesus by antiphrasis’” (O'Brien 1). Later, at around eleven years old, he transferred over to the Belvedere College in Dublin. (Ebook 1) After his graduation at Dublin he determined that he knew an adequate amount of the Jesuit religion, he officially rejected it (Gray 1). “After some religious experiences he lost his faith, then his patriotism, and held up those with whom he formerly worshipped to ridicule, and his country and her aspirations to contempt” (Collins 1).
1. In the Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas concluded that our knowledge originates in sense perception, and that the purpose of knowledge is to be the entire universe through natural being, or esse intentionale. Aquinas said that knowledge must be universal, unchanging, and necessary. Being is knowing, and this includes being the entire material universe by knowing the entire material universe. The purpose of knowledge also includes being God, or knowing God. Knowing God consists of philosophy as a cause, theology as revealed, and beatific vision as God, which can only occur after death – all of which is achievable only through the actions of God. Aquinas concludes that a person cannot achieve the purpose of knowledge alone, we
A fascination of the human race is discovering how the universe, everyone, and everything came into being. Many scientist and theologians have studied this topic for centuries and looking back at some of the earlier arguments will show key insights in proving Gods existence. One of the best sources we have on the subject of Gods existence in the catholic theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. He died in 1226, at the age of 44.
Saint Francis of Assisi was a uniquely spiritual man who gave up a life of wealth and position to lead a life of poverty in accordance and service to God. Embracing a life according to the Gospels, Francis went on to establish a Monastic Order, known as the Franciscans. In the midst of the political climate within the religious community of Italy, Francis emerged a champion for the poor and sick, with humility and no regard for himself. Francis exhibited his love for God through his love and admiration for all of God's creation including nature. The principles of Saint Francis are as relevant today as they were in thirteenth century Italy; service and love to all of God’s creation.