Emerode Barthelemy
11/22/14
Per 3 Â Base
Saint Francis : Living by the Gospel
When people hear the name Saint Francis, they are reminded of a great man who loved
nature, animals, the poor, poetry, and most of all, God. His sanctity comes from not only his love
for all of God's creatures and creations, but also in his love for the crucified Christ, his
faithfulness to the church and his dedication to Jesus' commandments. From his caring for the
poor to his passionate and devoted times of prayer, Saint Francis' actions were gestures of
worship. He desired and wanted to emulate Jesus Christ in all the things he did by living out the
Gospel and inviting and teaching many others to do the same. His life, a mixture of the
meditative and the active, is a perfect model of how Christians should strive to live.
Saint Francis referred to himself as a "spouse of the Holy Spirit." He believed that being
with Jesus was a love affair. To further improve his rapport with God, he would often leave and
go to a secluded place to pray to God and to contemplate on God. According to Saint
Bonaventure, " Prayer was his sure refuge in everything he did; he never relied on his own
efforts, but put his trust in God's loving providence . . ." Prayer and communication to God was
Francis' principal comfort. He believed that prayer was the fountain of strength for his faith. God
was his friend and his shelter, on whom he could throw all of his burdens and troubles. He was
entirely reliant on God and he understood that prayer is a key part and is required to make
progress in God's service. In fact, prayer was the first spiritual exercise his friars...