Two Roads Converge

St. Francis of Assisi is esteemed by almost every race and culture that has existed since the thirteenth century. But who was he really. The story of how Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone became St. Francis is quite the transformation.
 
Born into extreme wealth, he had access to whatever would shape him into the man his father believed he should be. Gifted with good looks, he used that with his wit and charm to gain excessive worldly pleasures. If any man in his hometown of Assisi wanted to know what the latest high fashioned man of the day was sporting, they had to look no further than to Francesco (nickname given him by his father). Ne’re-do-well hedonist would be an accurate communication of the reality of his life.
 
His constant need for an adventurous rush led to him gallivanting off on a military campaign. Little did he know that a twist of fate would lead to his capture and his imprisonment for a little over a year. Upon his return he sought out the party crowd in local establishments, where adult beverages and the art of singing poets were provided. He became fascinated with the art and dabbled a bit in it at that time. This would resurrect itself later and play an important part in his tribute to God ( Canticle of the Sun and many more).
 
At some point, in the not too distant future, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome. Francis actually felt there had to be more to life. He spent his time in Rome not taking in any of its baseness, but visiting religious sites asking God for spiritual enlightenment. Turning from filling his intellectual and physical desires, he longed to be spiritually fed. In returning, he found himself stopping in a broken down chapel outside of Assisi. It was there that he had his celebrated mystical encounter with Christ - the vision of Christ crucified … Francis, go and repair my house which you can see, is falling into ruins. It took more than a couple of church restoration jobs to realize God was calling him to a much greater task.
 
At Mass, the Spirit spoke to his heart during the Gospel: Go and proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand and his rule for life manifested itself: Follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and walk in his footsteps. The Franciscans would take the world by storm. The lyrics of American singer- songwriter and actress Sara Bareilles express it quite nicely:  So take it all away if it isn’t meant for me. I don’t want the easy way, I just want you… It’s all so simple when you break it all down. Two roads converged on a hallowed ground. It’s taken all my life to hear the sacred sound of sweet simplicity... And the only way up is believing. In never looking down … So take it all away. I just want You.