We are all writing the story of our lives. Are you satisfied with the story you are writing with your life?

Francis of Assisi is the most popular saint in the world today, largely because of his appeal to non-Catholics and even non-Christians. Eight hundred years after his death, people are just as fascinated with him as they were during his lifetime.

As a young man, Francis became profoundly dissatisfied with his life. He had spent his youth being the life of the party, but that began to leave him feeling empty. This emptiness led him to believe that there simply must be more to life.

These are feelings we have all experienced, but how we respond to them makes all the difference. Francis followed the Spirit and rebelled in a truly wild and wonderful way. By allowing the Spirit to guide him, he wrote a beautiful story with his life.

Are you dissatisfied with your life? Francis' story teaches us that we should listen to that dissatisfaction, find out what is causing it, and then respond rather than react. Too often we react to our dissatisfaction impulsively, but there is a difference between reacting and responding. Our tendency is to react to the dissatisfaction in our lives—by taking a last-minute vacation, going shopping, eating or working more, and so on. We all have our favorite ways of distracting ourselves from looking at the real questions of our lives. As we grow spiritually, our awareness increases, and as we grow in awareness, we learn to respond rather than react. 

Francis heard God saying to him, "Rebuild my Church." He reacted by literally rebuilding a dilapidated church. That was his reaction. But once he had finished rebuilding the church near his home, he continued to hear God saying to him, "Francis, rebuild my Church." This led him to the awareness that God was inviting him to rebuild the Church spiritually. He dedicated the rest of his life to spiritual renewal. That was his response. What will your response be? 

Francis was dissatisfied. God used his dissatisfaction to invite him to go wild in a wonderful way by rebelling against the norms and expectations society had placed on him and his life. He surprised people by abandoning himself to God, and he wrote an incredible story with his life. What will your story be?



Feast Day: October 4

Patron Saint of: Franciscan Order, The Poor, Ecology, Animals, Stowaways, and Merchants

Symbols: Animals, Stigmata, Crucifix, Book, and a Skull

Canonized: July 16, 1228

Canonized By: Pope Gregory IX