St. Francis of Assisi – A Man of Prayer
Part 2: Heroes of Faith Help Show Us the Way
This statue depicting a prayerful Francis is located on the grounds of San Damiano Monastery in Assisi, Italy.
Do you find it difficult to carve time out of your busy schedule to pray? Yeah, me too!
When he was in his mid-twenties, Francis of Assisi realized the importance of making prayer the top priority in his life. According to Pat McCloskey, OFM, Francis “discovered that prayer was more real than many of the things he had been considering more important …. Prayer enabled him to discover the link between the Church that Jesus established and the Church that needed much more conversion to Jesus’ ways.” [i]
I admit, I am a slow spiritual learner! During my mid-twenties, everyday life fit into a paradigm of frenzy. My whole soul—physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually—was unwell. It wasn’t until my mid-fifties that I became convinced of the truth Francis realized at a much earlier age. (Note: Francis died when he was in his early 40’s, so perhaps God realized I had been allotted a bit more time to learn this critical lesson.)
During the fifty-something age range, I realized the power of praying Scripture, as well as writing prayers to God. Later, after being introduced to several Christian saints from as early as the Third Century, I discovered the blessing and usefulness of praying certain ancient and/or liturgical prayers. The Morning Prayer of St. Francis became one of my favorites.
Since I used it in a previous post, you may recognize this photo upon which the Morning Prayer is written. It is not one of Ron’s Europe photos but was taken during a vacation to the Florida coast several years ago. The photo remains a favorite as does the prayer.
Blessings on your journeys,
[i] Pat McCloskey, OFM, Franciscan Spirit Blog, August 15, 2022, St. Francis and Prayer