St. Francis: God’s Fool and Our Brother

On my way back from East Africa, after working with the Jesuit Refugee Service, while stopping in Rome, I was urged by the Jesuits to visit Assisi.

I had only one day in Assisi, which was easily reached by bus from Rome. But there, in that little town in Umbrian countryside, surrounded by pilgrims, threading my way through the narrow streets, standing in the very places that Francis stood, I was overwhelmed with the holiness of the place. All of Assisi seemed like a church: the very paving stones seemed holy. Though there for only a few hours, I spent most of the time wandering around inside the great basilica, staring at the gorgeous cycle of frescos of Francis's life, painted by Cimabue, and, most of all, praying near his tomb. One portrait of Francis is almost life size, with Francis's feet painted very near the floor. Staring into the flecked eyes of the fresco I wondered what it must have been like to meet him here in Assisi. 

Under the church Francesco is buried, and the area surrounding his earthen tomb has been opened up and turned into a little chapel, with simple wooden pews for the pilgrims. You can even touch the cool, wet dirt that surrounds his remains. 

After I returned from Rome I began a long reading tour, which has never really ended, of the many biographies of St. Francis, each shading his portrait with different colors: Adrian House's factual account, Nikos Kazantzakis’s lively portrait of a vibrant man, G.K. Chesterton's affectionate one, Valerie Martin's poetic narrative, and Lawrence S. Cunningham's more theological consideration of the world's most popular saint. Along with these I read through the collection of popular stories about Francis, some true, some probably legendary, called the Little Flowers of St. Francis. One of my favorites biographies was by Julien Green, which combined both fact, legend, theology, and personal experience. It was originally published in French under the name Frère François. But I liked the English name much better: God's Fool.

James Martin, SJ, is culture editor of America magazine and author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. This article first appeared in the America blog, In All Things.