Deepertruth: Stand In The Gap With Us and Saint Francis of Assisi

Stand In The Gap With Us and Saint Francis of Assisi 10/4/2023

Francis of Assisi, one of the Catholic Church's most venerated and beloved saints. St. Francis is known for his ministry to the poor and underprivileged, his care for nature and animals, and founding the Franciscan order.

St. Francis of Assisi gave up a life of materialism and wealth and found his purpose in Christ. Throughout his life, St. Francis preached the Gospel and shared his love of all God's creations.

In the work, St Francis wears a brown habit and hold in his hands a human skull. The inclusion of the skull was popular in Counter-Reformation art, as a reminder of man's mortality, a memento mori emblem— “Remember you must die” — emphasising Heaven, Hell, and salvation of the soul in the afterlife.

Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history. He founded the Franciscan orders, including the Poor Clares and the lay Third Order. He and St. Catherine of Siena are the patron saints of Italy, and he is also the patron saint of ecology and of animals.

that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;that where there is despair, I may bring hope;that where there are shadows, I may bring light;that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

The patron saint of Italy, Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance.