Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi was called by one historian "the greatest spiritual figure that Europe has ever produced." This claim may seem farfetched but if he is not the greatest, he is surely close to it. A man born during the end of the Middle Ages into a wealthy family should live a life of luxury and relaxation, yet Francis did not. He gave up all of his possessions and spread it amongst the poor of society and began to live with them. In this life of going from rich to poor, he truly exemplifies the nine Beatitudes given by Jesus.

The first Beatitude is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This means that those who are humble about their gifts they receive. Francis embraced humility during his time. When his father stripped him of his inheritance he seemed to rejoice over it. He understood that money and possessions led to corruption and he wanted to be open to the Word of God. His father was angry over Francis for selling one of his horses to pay for a renovation at a local church, but if his father had been poor in spirit there would not have been the pride of his lost horse that brought anger. That was Francis' philosophy on life and he lived most humbly.

Another Beatitude is "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." To be meek is to be gentle and kind even when times are difficult. When Francis gave up his inheritance, life was about to become much more difficult. Having to live off of the small wages from any place he could find work proved tough. There were times when he almost froze to death in the start of his marriage to "lady poverty." However, he embraced his newfound poverty with joy. He called himself and his followers the "clowns of God" because they found pleasure in the little things in life that people usually looked over. Francis was kind to others in his lifespan and urged them to live like him and give up their earthly possessions to gain a spiritual happiness. Through that happiness, a person could properly battle the hardships of their poverty with a smile.