St. Francis of Assisi

Clare often called herself the “little plant of St. Francis.” And while St. Francis may have helped start her growth, she certainly did most of the growing and spreading on her own.

Jesus said that nobody can enter the kingdom of God unless they become like a little child (Mt 18:3).

Francis was holding on to existence by a thread, and the San Damiano cross was his lifeline to his future.

To be human is to be always in motion, either growing into the fullness of our humanity or going backward, declining to become more like the God whose image is revealed to us in Jesus.

Curious and worried friends came to talk to Francis—some to join him, some to convince him to return to the safety inside the city walls.