Example research essay topic: Francis Of Assisi End Of His Life - 1,663 words

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Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Francis of Assisi was born in Assisi Italy in 1182. Francis was originally named Giovanni Francesco Bernardone and never received a formal education. Instead as the son of a wealthy merchant Francis led a worldly and carefree life He found his way into a battle between Assisi and Perugia and was captured and held as a prisoner for over a year While a prisoner Francis developed a severe illness It was during this illness that Francis decided to alter his way of life When well enough Francis returned to Assisi He performed charities among the less fortunate and restored damaged churches These actions caused Francis father to reject him being a man who put money above all else Francis then gave all of his possessions to his father and devoted his time to caring for outcasts and lepers of Mount Subasio Francis also restored the ruined church of Santa Maria degli Angeli He held mass there for the outcasts that were not allowed in the other churches one day during mass Francis heard a voice telling him to go into the world and to possess nothing but do good everywhere Doing just that Francis found himself preaching in Assisi later in the year He gathered about him twelve disciples who became the brothers of the First Order of Franciscans, with Francis as their superior Francis later accepted a young work Clare into The Franciscan Order She went on to establish the Order of the Poor Ladies which later became known as the Second Order of Franciscans Francis attempted to travel to the Holy Land in 1212 but did not make it His missionary work in the late 1210 s was anything but successful He was able to reach the Holy Land in 1220 He wanted to become a martyr and was proud to hear that five Franciscan friars were murdered while carrying out their duties He returned to Assisi to find dissension in the ranks of the friars He resigned as their superior and began planning the Third Order of the Franciscans the tertiaries Francis was praying on Monte Alverno in 1224 after forty days of fasting when the marks of the crucifixion of Christ the stigmata appeared on his body Francis was carried back to Assis where he spent his remaining years in pain and almost total blindness He was canonized in 1228 By looking at Francis life it can be seen that he exemplifies the eight beatitudes as found in the book of Matthew The first beatitude is blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Saint Francis was indeed poor in spirit during his youth His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a merchant This idea did not appeal to Francis one bit. Francis had no source of inspiration after which to model his life His parents catered to his every whim, and Francis became a lover of pleasure He had a ready withing merrily and] delighted in fine clothes and showy display Robinson However none of these things satisfied him, and he decided to become a military man During his illness, suffered while in captivity the emptiness of the life he had been leading came to him Robinson Francis exemplified the third beatitude Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Francis was submissive throughout his life In youth, he was unassertive in his relationship with his father Later in life Francis formed the First Order based on obedience, poverty, and chastity all of which are associated with submission He further emphasized his belief in humbleness toward the end of his life when he dictated his testament Francis urged implicit obedience to superiors as holding the place of God literal observance of the rule without gloss especially as regards poverty and the duty of manual labor Robinson Humility was no doubt the saints ruling virtue The idol of an enthusiastic popular devotion he ever truly believed himself less than the least. Equally admirable was Francis' prompt and docile obedience to the voice of grace within him Later on, the saints a sense of his message as any prophet ever had yielded ungrudging submission to what constituted ecclesiastical authority Robinson The second beatitude is blessed are those who mount be Francis was a mourner He mourned for Christ Francis saw all of the suffering that Christ went through This persuaded him not only to mourn for Chris but to take it one step further Francis wanted to be a martyr He wanted to follow in the footsteps of Christ Francis perhaps best lived out the fourth beatitude Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied Francis repaired to the church of St Nicholas and sought to learn Gods will Robinson He came to the conclusion that God wanted him to leave all of his possessions and follow Him Francis made this the rule for his life He and his disciples wandered from place to place singing in joy, and calling themselves the lords minstrels Robinson Francis had a burning desire to convert the Saracens and struggled to even be able to attempt it It has been said that Christ appeared to Francis and agreed to give him whatever he wanted The salvation of souls was ever the burden of Francis's prayers and wishing moreover to make his beloved Porziuncola a sanctuary where many might be saved he begged a plenary Indulgence for all who, having confessed their sins visited the little chapel Robinson Francis returned to his quest to convert the infidels the Saracens Francis fearlessly came into the infidel camp and was taken prisoner The only thing he asked for was a more indulgent treatment for the Christian captive Robinson Throughout his life and up to his last breath Francis sought righteousness Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy is the fifth beatitude Saint Francis even in his youth showed an instinctive sympathy for the poor Francis did all he possibly could to help the less fortunate, particularly the lepers.

One day he encountered a leper He gave the man all of his possessions on the spot Around that same time, Francis made a pilgrimage to Rome. When he saw the pathetic offerings on the tomb of Saint peter he emptied all of his money on to it He devoted a large part of his life to the outcasts He rebuilt a church that had been abandoned so that they would be able to worship the Lord He never showed ill will to anyone who was considered unfortunate. He treated them with love and respect and mercy Francis also epitomized the sixth beatitude Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God After assuming his new lifestyle Francis said Henceforth I desire to say only 'Our Father who art in Heaven From that point on, the only thing that occupied Francis' heart was doing God's will. Francis is described as having downright sincerity and artless simplicity His dearest desire so long as he lived was ever to seek among wise and simple perfect and imperfect the means to walk in the way of truth The whole world was to him one luminous ladder mounting upon the rungs of which he approached and beheld God Robinson Francis was a man of pure heart, a man devoted to God, or love The seventh beatitude blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God is an accurate depiction of Francis Though he did not regularly verbally promote peace or prevent violence, he endorsed peace Francis took this attitude after being involved in a war where he developed his serious illness He took it as a sign that war was not good He never resorted to violence and as is related to his submissive nature, never confronted anyone except his father When one looks at Francis personality, one thinks of a peacemaker because of his gentle nature Francis was also was kicked around on his path to righteousness, and that makes him an example of the eighth commandment Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Francis after rejecting his father hid in a cave outside Assisi When he emerged from this place of concealment emaciated with hunger and squalid with dirt Francis was followed by a hooting rabble pelted with mud and stones, and otherwise mocked as a madman Finally he was dragged home by his father beaten bound and locked in a dark closet Robinson When he encountered some robbers in the hills of Assisi he declared that he was the herald of the great King The robbers thereupon despoiled him of all he had and threw him scornfully in a snow drift Robinson As a sign of their humility Francis and his followers found shelter in a deserted hut at Risk Too in the plain below the city but were forced to abandon this poor abode by a rough peasant who drove in his ass upon them Robinson Perhaps the most severe suffering came at the end of his life He suffered the stigmata of Christ and went almost totally blind His last few years were lived out in pain Though plagued with abuse and misfortune Francis continued to follow the will of God and let nothing stand in his way Saint Francis of Assisi was a good man who devoted his life to doing the will of god He was influential enough to have three orders of monks follow him His example as a man who followed the beatitudes in order to gert closer tho Christ was and is an inspiration to many people. He will never be forgotten especially since we celebrate his feast day every year. Bibliography: Bibliography Robinson, Paschal St Francis of Assisi The Catholic Encyclopedia httpwwwknightorg Saint Francis of Assisi Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia.

Microsoft Corporation 1993 1995

Research essay sample on Francis Of Assisi End Of His Life