Stories of Saints for Kids! | Saint Francis of Assisi - Part 2 (Episode 27)

Saints! Hey, Francis! What are you doing? I'm returning all your belongings, father. From today onwards, I'm not an heir to your belongings. I'm sorry to say this, but you will no longer be my father. My father is the one who art in heaven. The bishop gave him a tunic dress, and wearing that, he left Assisi with complete freedom to serve the Lord. Francis lived his life in poverty and preached to people about Jesus Christ. Inspired by his teachings, more and more people joined him. By 1209, he had around 11 followers. He only had one basic rule, which was to follow the teachings of Lord Jesus and to walk in his footsteps. That year, Francis led the 11 members to meet the Pope for getting an approval for the Order of Lesser Brothers, or which became later known as the Franciscan Order. Your Holiness, Francis and his followers have come to meet you. Cardinal, who is this Francis? Is that the new sect of people going around preaching gospel dressed in rags? Yes, Your Holiness. It's the same group. Can I call them to meet you? Alright, send them in. Your Holiness, I am Francis, and these are the members of the Order of Lesser Brothers. What do you want me to do? Your Holiness, we want your approval in forming this order, so that we are not mistaken as people working against the church. No, I will not give any approval for this order now. You may leave. However, in the night, the Pope had a dream in which he saw Francis supporting the leaning cathedral of Rome. This convinced the Pope, and he officially approved the Franciscan Order. People who initially laughed at Francis soon became inspired by him. Many of Francis' rich friends too joined the Order, and they led a life of simplicity. One of the beautiful, wealthy girls of Assisi named Claire too joined Francis. She was so devoted that she asked Francis to cut off her long blonde hair. This was the sign that she was giving up her beauty to live a simple life with no vanity. Francis visited the Holy Land, and experienced the warmth of the place of nativity, the life and death of Jesus. Uncle Francis, is it true that the practice of making Christmas cribs started with Saint Francis Assisi? Yes, Joan. After visiting the place of nativity, in 1223, Francis recreated the nativity with live animals. Did you know that this is the practice that we still follow for centuries? But Uncle, I am still not understanding why the saint is called the patron for animals and nature. Of course Jim, we are coming to that part of the story. Saint Francis had great affection toward animals and nature. He praised God for the wonders of creation. He used to call birds as sister birds, the sun as brother sun, etc. One day, when he was walking through the countryside, Brothers, let's stop here for a while. Let me preach the word of God to these sister birds. Huh? Birds? But brother Francis, how will the birds understand what you are saying? Hmm, you can witness and believe dear brother. God the father will look after you. You don't sow or harvest, yet the merciful see to it that you are fed and protected. And as soon as Francis began to preach, the birds flocked around him. Some of them even sat on his shoulder. The followers were amazed at seeing that sight. Huh? Look at that. Even the birds are listening to him. It was not just the birds that listened to Francis when he preached. There are many stories where animals came to Francis when he started speaking the word of God. One day, when Francis was walking in the forest, he found a rabbit caught in a trap. Francis released the rabbit from the trap and said, Hello friend, you are safe now. Listen, you should be more careful in the future. Now go, go to your family and friends. But the rabbit didn't leave, and instead he started following Francis. Why are you still following me? Didn't I set you free? Come on, please go to your family. Go on. Hmm. The rabbit continued to follow Francis, and Francis then had to ask one of his followers to take the rabbit away to the forest. These type of incidents regularly happened to Francis, and he saw this as an opportunity to praise the glory of God. Whenever Francis saw that a fish was caught, he would release the fish back into the water and warn him never to get caught again. On many occasions, the fish would linger nearby listening to Francis preach. They would only leave when Francis stopped preaching. Like this, there were many other instances where animals gathered around to hear Francis speak. One of the most famous stories of St. Francis is when he tamed a wolf who was terrorizing the city of Gubbio. Francis was staying in the city for preaching to the people. That's when he learned that in the nearby forest there was a wolf so terrifying that it was not only killing all the animals, but the people of the town too. The people then decided to close the city doors, scared of the wolf. When Francis saw what was going on, he decided to go out and meet the wolf. I think it's high time that I go and talk to this wolf myself. Huh? Have you gone mad, master? This wolf is going to kill you. Hmm, don't worry. I think I can talk to this wolf and find a solution to the problem. But master… Please brother, I'm going to the forest tomorrow. Don't try to stop me. The people of the town desperately tried to warn Francis. But Francis insisted, and he told them that he was going to the forest. The next day, Francis and his companions started walking toward the forest. But as they approached the woods, one by one the disciples left. And by the time he reached the forest, Francis had only one person left with him. Huh? Master, everyone's gone. We are all alone. Don't worry. We have God on our side. Suddenly, the wolf came charging out of the forest at Francis. Huh? I'm sorry, master. And Francis was all alone. Huh? The wolf charged at Francis, growling, howling, and foaming at the mouth. Francis then made a sign of the cross, and pulled out the cross from his pocket. It was a miracle! The wolf stopped immediately. The power of God had indeed made the wolf stop. Brother wolf, I'm not going to hurt you. At that moment, the wolf cowered, tucked its tail, and sat back on its haunches, ready to listen to Francis. Brother wolf, I'm coming from Gubbio, and I've seen the plight of the people in the town because of you. How did this happen, my brother? Why are you killing their livestock and people? The wolf then told his story to Francis. He had been left behind by his pack because he was injured and couldn't keep up with them. He explained to Francis that all he wanted was to eat when he was hungry. The wolf swore that he was only defending himself when he killed the townsmen. Francis understood the pain of the wolf, so he came to an arrangement and extended his hand. The wolf showed his agreement by placing his paw in Francis' hand. Francis then took the wolf to the town. The wolf walked meekly behind Francis. As they neared the gate, the villagers could not believe their eyes. With the wolf at his side, Francis gave a sermon on the wondrous and fearful love of God, calling them to repent for their sins. Then he offered the townspeople peace on behalf of the wolf. The townspeople agreed to feed the wolf, and they lived peacefully ever after. This incident had been a living symbol of the power and providence of the living God. That was a great story, Uncle. Uncle Francis, I have seen wound marks on the palm, feet and chest of Saint Francis similar to that of Jesus. What does it mean? That is a very good question, Joan. I was about to come to that part. The wounds that Francis had on his body are called stigmata. It so happened that Francis was once praying alone on top of Mount Alverna. Francis had just begun a fast for 40 days, and he was immersed in prayers more deeply than ever. Suddenly, the lights burst and a seraph appeared from nowhere. Huh? Is this? Is this a seraph? Seraphs came from the heavens, and they usually came to earth to deliver the message of God. They had six wings, but the one who appeared before Francis looked like it was crucified on a cross. Francis saw that the figure with six wings and gleaming like fire came down from the heavens toward him. As this figure appeared near, it looked like this figure was crucified too. Francis realized that this was not just a seraph, but Jesus himself. This sight amazed Francis, and his soul experienced great joy mingled with terrible pain. Oh, Lord. Thank you. Thank you, Jesus. When the figure vanished, it left Francis aglow with even greater joy in his soul. Externally, however, it left marks on his body similar to the wounds of Jesus. His hands and legs had wounds on them, as if they had been pierced by nails. Francis came down the mountain as a new man, bearing the wounds given to him. His heart was now filled with an even greater love for God. But the wounds and the pain led Francis to blindness. He understood that his life was nearing its end. So he decided to spend his last days in a hut in Porzionkola, where he began his journey. He died on 4th October 1226 at the age of 45. That was really an unbelievable story of a saint. Is his feast celebrated on 4th October, Uncle Francis? Yes, Jim. Many people get their animals also blessed on that day. Uncle Francis, learning the life and suffering of Saint Francis of Assisi, we would practice the virtue of helping the poor and the needy with food or clothing. That practice will definitely be pleasing to the saint. That is all for today. Goodbye children. Goodbye Uncle Francis.