St.
Francis is among the most popular of all Western saints, and I count myself
among his admirers. He accepted a life of complete poverty and devotion
to Christ, and was rewarded with great physical suffering and uncertainty
about the future of his band of friars. To all his troubles, he responded
with good humor, humility, and heroic courage.
The common contemporary image of St. Francis (shown here, in fact) is of a man communing with the birds of the air or the beasts of the field. Francis himself, of course, was much more concerned with humans, with teaching them to repent and follow the way of Christ. Astonishingly, the people responded to his call, and Il Poverello became a sensation wherever he traveled.
We are fortunate to possess some of this gentle saint's writings, and his Canticle of the Sun is widely regarded as a masterpiece of praise of the Creator. The final verse was written shortly before St. Francis died, and shows both his ability to see God in all things and his faith in the salvation offered by Christ.