The Franciscan Way

The Canticle of the Sun
Good Lord, all of your creations bring praise to you!
Praise for Brother Sun, who brings the day. His radiance reminds us of you!
Praise for Sister Moon and the stars, precious and beautiful.
Praise for Brother Wind, and for the clouds and storms and rain that sustains us.
Praise for Sister Water. She is useful and humble, precious and pure.
Praise for Brother Fire who cheers us at night.
Praise for our sister, Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us.
Praise for all those who forgive because you have forgiven them.
Praise for our Sister, Bodily Death, from whose embrace none can escape.
Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks, and with humility, serve him.
- San Francesco di Assisi (St. Francis of Assisi)

Today, I understand. Today, I listened to a Franciscan friar from Buffalo, New York, tell the story of the life changing faith of the son of a wealthy cloth merchant to a group of American (probably Catholic) teenagers in Assisi.

He used humor and simple teaching as he led the tour of the Basilica di San Francesco, directing our attention to the many frescos that literally wallpapered the unusual church. The church is unusual in that it is actually one church built on top of the other. As Father Thomas explained it, the Pope desired to create three things: a pilgrimage site to honor the Saint, a large worship setting, and a Papal residence. Due to those multiple needs and the time it took to build such an edifice, a Romanesque lower Basilica was the first erected. It features parallel frescos that tie Christ’s life of redemption to the transformational life of St. Francis. This Basilica ‘s style invites the reflective, penitential and prayerful focus of the “Franciscan way.” It was at the base of this central altar that the remains of St. Francis were interred several years after his death.

Because a single building could not meet all the needs desired by the Pope, an “Upper Basilica” was built right on top of the original Romanesque church. This is a beautiful Gothic style church, lifting the eyes and the spirit upwards to the heavens through the use of arches and stained glass windows. Here, too, parallel frescos are used to teach the way of humble service and the redemption of humanity through Christ’s sacrifice. Though damaged by a 1997 earthquake, repairs have been made and little change can be noticed.

I was struck by the power that is given by the Franciscan brothers to the choice Francis made in relinquishing all material goods and relationships and dedicating himself completely to the spreading of the Gospel so all could hear it – out of doors, in the language of the people, and without the “trappings” of the institutional church. It sounds a bit like the challenge faced by today’s churches – of all denominations. Indeed, Francis wanted all of God’s Creation to hear the Good News, so he was even willing to preach it to the animlas and trees around him. The Basilica is most ingenious in its use of art to instruct the Illiterate pilgrims of the Middle Ages through frescoes and paintings. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the Basilica, so you’ll just have to take my word for it, or find a good book on the art history of the Middle Ages, or the artists Giotto or Cimabue.