Lausanne World Pulse – Urban Articles – Simple Spirituality. The Spirit of Francis: A Prophetic Sign of Hope in a Slum Community

By Christopher L. Heuertz
April 2008

While gazing at the San Damiano icon, St. Francis of Assisi had a vision that Christ on the icon said, “Rebuild my church which is in ruins.”

Some may ask, what is a saint? Sadly, most evangelicals and Protestants lack a perspective that would help locate themselves in the historical continuity of the Church. Our church history, if we start with the Protestant Reformation, starts somewhere in the early 1500s to the mid-1600s. Generally, as Protestant evangelicals, we do not have a good grasp of Christian history—one that is full of stories from real saints.

But in the Word Made Flesh (WMF) community, we have sort of adopted Saint Francis of Assisi, sometimes called the “Reluctant Saint.” We pray the prayer ascribed to Francis at most of our public and community gatherings, we commission our full-time staff with the call of Francis, and we even give our commissioned staff the San Damiano cross as a symbol of shared vocation (in fact, many WMFers have the San Damiano tattooed somewhere on their bodies).

Luckily for Protestants, Francis predates the Reformation, so we can probably claim him as well.

Francis—The Early Years
Francis was born and baptized Giovanni di Bernardone circa 1181 by his mother in Umbria, Italy. At that time (the Middle Ages), nearly one-third of the world’s known population lived in extreme poverty.

Francis’ father was one of the most successful and richest merchants in the community. He sold silks, textiles, and fine clothing. After a business trip to France, he promptly returned and renamed his son Francesco.

Francesco, or Francis as we know him today, had a privileged youth—although he lacked any substantial education. He was known to be a wild kid, full of life and creativity.

Around the turn of the century, a local feud erupted between Umbria and neighboring Perugia. A castle on the edge of Assisi was destroyed, starting what would become an all-out, small-scale war. Francis, hoping to prove his valor, enlisted in a band of knights who set out to defend the honor of their home. It was ugly. Perugia defeated the Umbrians, killing most of the small army and imprisoning the few captured survivors. Francis suddenly found himself a prisoner of war.