Homilette for Thursday, November 4, 2007

Memorial of St. Francis Assisi

(Matthew 11:25-30)

In 1219 Francis of Assisi joined the Fifth Crusade. He traveled to Egypt where the Christian army was preparing to attack the Muslim forces. But Francis did not join the battle. His intention was to convert the Muslims to Christ. After the Christian armies suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Malik al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt, Francis seized his opportunity. He sauntered over to the Muslim camp asking to see the Sultan. Evidently, Malik took Francis as a deserter who wanted to convert to Islam and granted him an audience.

The Sultan challenged the friar to walk on the image of a cross woven into a carpet. In some circles this was considered a desecration of Christianity’s most sacred image. Francis, however, did not possess a scrupulous conscience. He walked on the cross reminding the Sultan that there were two other crosses raised on Golgotha and he was only trampling the cross of the “bad thief.” Then Francis challenged the Sultan. If he walked over burning coals unharmed, the Sultan and his people would have to convert to Christianity. At this the Sultan demurred saying that if he converted to Christianity, both he and Francis would be massacred.

The encounter with the Sultan evidently had an effect on Francis. When his friars established the norms for missionary activity among Muslims, Francis insisted that they prohibit any attempt to use weapons as a means of conversion. Nor were they to taunt Muslims into making martyrs of them. Rather, either they were to subject themselves to their adversaries as a model of Christ’s forbearance or they were to proclaim the gospel openly but without any demonstration of force.

We should understand that when we look at St. Francis of Assisi, we see an image of Christ, the image of God. Because he took Jesus literally -- shouldering Jesus’ yoke and learning from him, the people of his age recognized him as a “new Christ.” Christ himself seems to have confirmed this likeness by transferring to him the wounds of his crucifixion. In the gospel today Jesus also says, “I am gentle and humble of heart.” He will not attack others but recognizes the dignity of all human beings. So Francis did not promote battling Christianity’s enemies but dialoguing with them so that they might see the virtues of Christ.