The Lord’s Jester and the Pig’s Feet: The Story of Brother Juniper

In the Middle Ages, followers of St. Francis of Assisi collected legends and anecdotes about the lives of Francis and his followers, which were assembled in a spiritual classic entitled The Little Flowers of St. Francis.  One of the popular figures in the book is Brother Juniper, one of Francis’ original followers, who has sometimes been called “The Jester of the Lord.”

Francis thought very highly of the friar, at one point exclaiming, “Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers!”

Juniper joined the Franciscan friars in 1210, and he was sent by Francis to establish new monasteries in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo.  Not much is known of his life, although he is renowned for his humility and generosity.  One story told in The Little Flowers of St. Francis is of a time when Juniper was caring for a sick man.  He asked the man if there was anything he needed; and in response, the man told him how much he craved pig’s feet.  Juniper went out to a nearby field, where he found a pig, cut off one of its feet and cooked it, then served the meal to the sick man.

The owner of the pig was angry when he learned what Juniper had done.  But unapologetic, Juniper told the farmer how much the sick man had enjoyed the dinner, and thanked him for his generosity.  Somehow, in his enthusiasm, Juniper was able to persuade the farmer to donate the rest of the pig to help feed the poor.

On another occasion, Brother Juniper had been commanded to stop giving away half of his clothing to the poor.  On seeing a beggar, Juniper told the man that he couldn’t give him his cloak, but that he couldn’t prevent him from simply taking it, either.  The other friars eventually learned not to leave anything lying around because Juniper would, if he found it, give it away.

Throughout his life, Juniper was devoted to the passion of Christ.  As St. Clare lay dying, Juniper was at her side to comfort her.  Father Junipero Serra, the founder of the California missions who will be canonized this year, took Juniper as his namesake when he chose his religious name.

Juniper died in 1258, and his body is buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.  His feast day is January 29.