Thomas Griffin 4/2/25
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Let Us Begin: New Book on the Life and Power of St. Francis
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Paola (1416-1507). He was a hermit of St. Francis of Assisi. As a young teenager he traveled to Rome and Assisi. He was so moved by the experience that he made the decision to live a life of prayer and solitude in the wilderness. By the time he was 20 years old, many had come to join him.
Francis grew to become very wise and was given the gifts of miracles and prophecy during his life. In a letter that he writes to those following his lifestyle he provides key ingredients for making one’s relationship with Christ the center of his or her life.
Francis writes, “Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your souls with prudence and diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke.”
The spiritual giant reminds his followers, and all of us, that there is nothing more permanent than focusing on our relationship with God. Purifying one’s life of all that distracts and separates it from the Lord is necessary because the time of our life vanishes so quickly. Like smoke that enters the air, the span of one’s life can come to an end abruptly, so live with faith as your purpose.
“Fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Francis continued. “Inflamed with love for us, He came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake He endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He Himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity.”
Francis directs the minds of those who pray to the crucifix. For him, it was the view of the humble and beaten God who gave everything in order to save us from our sin and convey His love for us. He allowed himself to experience the fullness of the brutality of sin and evil, patiently accepting the punishment that was truly ours.
In his witness of patient suffering, Christ offers us the model for how we ought to endure the trials of life. In the midst of a challenging culture we are invited to patiently trust that God has the victory. In the face of our own illness or the illness of a loved once, we are called to patiently accept the cross that is placed on our shoulders – uniting us close to the heart of Jesus.
If you are like me, it can be tempting to lash out with negativity and crude words when we receive bad news about our world, church or country. However, St. Francis reminds us that when we respond impatiently to challenge, we must seek forgiveness. “See to it,” he writes, “that you refrain from harsh words. But if you do speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips, that inflicted the wounds.”
The bad language and negativity that we utilize is often the result of reacting to something objectively harmful or immoral. However, our harsh words are a rejection of the cross set before us and a refusal to be patient like our suffering Lord. Today, Francis challenges us to respond with patient endurance, no matter our circumstances.
The beautiful part is that when we rely on the grace that comes from Christ, he molds us into who we are meant to be – he crafts us into his likeness. May St. Francis of Paola lead us to contemplate the suffering of Christ crucified so that we can become like the one we ponder.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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