Today is the day that the Church traditionally remembers St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226).

“Francis of Assisi, one biographer writes, had “won the greatest victory a man can win – the victory over oneself.” More accurately, Francis himself would probably have said, the Lord had won the greatest victory over him. He was no longer simply the troubadour singing to his love or the knight of faith riding forth on his quest. Learning to despise what he had loved and to love what he had despised, Francis of Assisi had been turned upside down and become God’s jester, God’s juggle, God’s fool.

As G.K. Chesterton said in his brilliant biography, this self-awareness that he was Christ’s fool is the key to understanding St. Francis. For after his frustrated military campaigns, his hapless quarrels with his father, and the shame of the bishop’s public rebuke, he knew he had made a fool of himself. But as he mused bitterly on the word fool, the word itself changed. So it was that as “Francis came forth from his cave of vision, he was wearing the same word ‘fool’ as a feather in his cap; as a crest or even a crown. He would go on being a fool; he would ever become more and more of a fool; he would be the court fool of the King of Paradise.”

In this way, St Francis wrote later, “the Lord granted me to begin my conversion.” His calling was to be the rebuilder of the ruined church (and churches); his plan was to comply literally with the words of the gospel and forsake everything to take up his cross and follow Jesus; his style was always to be God’s humble fool (le jongleur de Dieu).” (The Call, Os Guinness, 1998, pp 203-204).

Below is a prayer by St Francis that I hope will be an encouragement and conviction to Christians in their relationship with Christ:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen