ST. WEIRD

 Some one wrote, “It is difficult to think clearly about Francis of Assisi.” 

 
However with Bible in hand, we can think biblically and therefore clearly about him and come to the conclusion that he fundamentally misunderstood the Bible and his misunderstandings led him into bizarre thoughts and deeds. Yet his weirdness brought him misguided admiration that has lasted down through the centuries. 

Francis was born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy. When people think of him, the first thing that comes to mind is that he preached to birds and tamed wolves. (There’s weird and not biblical.) As the record states, “As Francis and some companions were traveling through the Spoleto Valley in Italy, Francis noticed that a huge flock of birds had gathered in some trees beside a field. He saw that the birds were watching him as if they were expecting something. He decided to preach a sermon about God's love for them. Francis walked over to a spot beside the trees and began a sermon, "My sweet little sisters, birds of the sky, you are bound to heaven, to God, your Creator. . . .”

According to “Catholicism Pure and Simple, “Francis wondered aloud to his companions why he had never preached to birds before. And from that day on, Francis made it his habit to solicitously invoke all birds, all animals and reptiles to praise and love their Creator.” [Score another point for weirdness.]

Later in his life, he believed that Christ spoke to him three times from a crucifix: One day as he prayed in a run-down church, he said that he heard Christ repeat from the crucifix: "Francis, go repair My house, which, as you can see, is falling completely to ruin." Francis understood that he was to repair the church he prayed in, so he proceeded to sell family goods to raise money for repairs. [Score two points for weirdness.]

Then there was the time he stripped himself naked in front of a bishop and renounced his father, claiming God was his father. Then he walked out of the cathedral to become a hermit—to "be alone in solitude and silence," a biographer noted, "to hear the secrets which God could reveal to him."[The points are adding up.]

One day he heard a sermon from the book of Matthew, "Take no gold or silver or copper in your wallet, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics or sandals or a staff." He took it literally and began an itinerant life.

Abandoning his own wealth, Francis determined that there must be no man anywhere poorer than he. No matter what rags Francis might be wearing, if he met a beggar dressed even worse, Francis would remove his own clothing and give it to the beggar. [His problem here is a modern one—the Matthew text is a description of what the disciples were to do on that occasion, not a prescription of what we are to do.]

In winter, he often threw himself in a ditch full of ice and stayed there until all sinful temptations departed. To avoid lust, he fixed his gaze on the sky or ground whenever he spoke with a woman.

 
One other oddity: Francis loathed laughing or idle words. He didn’t laugh, and he didn’t want to give others any reason to laugh. [At this point, I've lost count.]

Yet, this is the man whom Protestants and Catholics have admired. Go figure.