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Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

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

Artist's commentary: I know the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi is until Oct.4 but since he's my patron saint because of his contribution to Christianity I thought I should draw him this summer. Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and is one of the two patron saints for Italy. He was born to a wealth family in Umbria, Italy. He lived a rich and easy going lifestyle because his father was a prosperous merchant. While he went off to war in the 4th Crusade he had a vision from God to return to his home and as a result he lost his taste for his worldly desires. On a journey to his conversion he went to a pilgrimage in Rome and joined the beggars in St.Peter's Basillica. The experience convinced him to live in poverty. As he returned home he began preaching on the streets and it began to attract followers. He founded the Franciscan Order and it was authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1280. Later he founded the Order of Poor Clares and the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt and convinced the Sultan to end the conflicts of the Crusades. He returned to Italy to organize the Order and once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 140. On July 16, 1228 he was pronounced saint by Pope Gregory IX. On his feast day it is customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals.

It is said that he preached the teachings of the Catholic Church that," the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. " He preached to man and beast the duty of all creatures is to praise God ( which is a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves.

I enjoy the legends that surround the saint. According to the Fioretti, while Francis was travelling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds." The birds surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. He is often portrayed with a bird, typically in his hand. Another legend from the Fioretti claims that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, there was a wolf "terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals." Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and so he went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. "Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil," said Francis. "All these people accuse you and curse you...But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people." Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly. In return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. Finally, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed, Francis blessed the wolf.

Description
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

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

Artist's commentary: I know the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi is until Oct.4 but since he's my patron saint because of his contribution to Christianity I thought I should draw him this summer. Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and is one of the two patron saints for Italy. He was born to a wealth family in Umbria, Italy. He lived a rich and easy going lifestyle because his father was a prosperous merchant. While he went off to war in the 4th Crusade he had a vision from God to return to his home and as a result he lost his taste for his worldly desires. On a journey to his conversion he went to a pilgrimage in Rome and joined the beggars in St.Peter's Basillica. The experience convinced him to live in poverty. As he returned home he began preaching on the streets and it began to attract followers. He founded the Franciscan Order and it was authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1280. Later he founded the Order of Poor Clares and the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt and convinced the Sultan to end the conflicts of the Crusades. He returned to Italy to organize the Order and once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 140. On July 16, 1228 he was pronounced saint by Pope Gregory IX. On his feast day it is customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals.

It is said that he preached the teachings of the Catholic Church that," the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. " He preached to man and beast the duty of all creatures is to praise God ( which is a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves.

I enjoy the legends that surround the saint. According to the Fioretti, while Francis was travelling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds." The birds surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. He is often portrayed with a bird, typically in his hand. Another legend from the Fioretti claims that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, there was a wolf "terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals." Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and so he went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. "Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil," said Francis. "All these people accuse you and curse you...But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people." Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly. In return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. Finally, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed, Francis blessed the wolf.