Free Pope Francis (Pastor of Mercy) by Michael J. Ruszala

business to the poor. In turn, Francis gave back all he had to his father, even the clothes off his back.
     
    A sermon on the Gospel further deepened the saint’s understanding of his calling and direction. In the Gospel passage, Jesus instructed his disciples who were sent forth to spread the Good News, “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick” (Matthew 10:9-10). Francis also read this passage literally, which led him to full dependence on God as he went about preaching, choosing ‘Lady Poverty’ for himself, giving alms to the poor, and begging each day for all his necessities. Francis’ authenticity attracted followers to his way of life. Francis petitioned the Pope to grant his blessing to the new religious order, the Friars Minor (lesser brothers), and Pope Innocent III was moved by a dream he had of Francis and agreed.
     
    Once, St. Francis came upon a leper who was begging. At first repulsed by the leper, Francis overcame his fear, embraced the leper, and gave him alms, realizing that love and acceptance is what he needed the most. Some of the stories of the saint and his many miracles reflect his closeness and concern for animals and other creatures as reflections of God and as brothers and sisters, creatures of the same God. Francis also was determined to take action regarding the bloody Crusades. He met with the Sultan to convert him and win peace, or otherwise face a likely martyrdom. Yet Francis’ authenticity won the respect of the Sultan, though he neither became a Christian nor ended the war.
     
    In his later days, Francis, who had conformed his life so closely to that of Christ and whose miracles even echoed those of his Master, was given the grace of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion on his hands and feet. In 1226, St. Francis died, lying naked on the ground since he desired to leave the world in the same manner in which he had come, in utter poverty and dependence on God.
     
    On October 4, 2013, Pope Francis visited the picturesque town of Assisi to celebrate the memorial of St. Francis with a Mass in the courtyard of the beautiful Basilica of St. Francis. There he explained Franciscan peace: “Franciscan peace is not something saccharine. Hardly! That is not the real Saint Francis!” While Franciscan peace is an antidote to violence and unjust war, its domain is within the heart and exudes outward. It is the peace that Francis had in risking his life to embrace the leper and to speak with the Sultan. Pope Francis continued, “Nor is it a kind of pantheistic harmony with forces of the cosmos… That is not Franciscan either; it is a notion some people have invented!” We are not one with the world, but we are all creatures of the same God. The Pope continued to identify true Franciscan peace: “The peace of Saint Francis is the peace of Christ, and it is found by those who ‘take up’ their ‘yoke’, namely, Christ’s commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” The love of Christ is a hard command - to love even when it hurts, even in the face of evil. The Holy Father then explained the link of Franciscan peace to humility: “This yoke cannot be borne with arrogance, presumption or pride, but only with meekness and humbleness of heart.”
     
    On August 21, 2013, the Syrian regime killed hundreds of civilians in a chemical weapons attack during its ongoing civil war. The photos of the dead soon flooded the Internet and shocked the world. The brutal regime had been at war for some time with rebels that were equally contemptuous of civil rights. By September, the U.S. and its allies were making preparations for an attack on Syria to assist the rebels. Pope Francis spoke out strongly for peace. The Holy Father tweeted on September 2, “War never again! Never again war!”
     
    He called on all people of good will to join on September 7 for a day of prayer and fasting for peace