Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and
wished only to be the "least in the household of God." Yet, when the
Church called him to active service in the world, he became a
miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations.
After accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi,
he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola,
on Italy's southern seacoast. Before he was 20, he received the first
followers who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years
later, when his disciples had grown in number, Francis established a
Rule for his austere community and sought Church approval. This was the
founding of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi, who were approved by
the Holy See in 1474
In 1492, Francis changed the name of his community to "Minims" because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi)
in the household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the
brothers as it had been in Francis's personal life. Besides the vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience, Francis enjoined upon his followers
the fourth obligation of a perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic
mortification was necessary as a means for spiritual growth.
It
was Francis's desire to be a contemplative hermit, yet he believed that
God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the gifts he
had received, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy, to minister
to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed, Francis
incurred the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he
directed towards the king and his sons.
Following the request of
Pope Sixtus IV, Francis traveled to Paris to help Louis XI of France
prepare for his death. While ministering to the king, Francis was able
to influence the course of national politics. He helped to restore
peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage between the
ruling families, and between France and Spain by persuading Louis XI to
return some disputed land.
Francis died while at the French court.
Comment:
The
life of Francis of Paola speaks plainly to an overactive world. He was
a contemplative man called to active ministry and must have felt keenly
the tension between prayer and service. Yet in Francis's life it was a
productive tension, for he clearly utilized the fruits of contemplation
in his ministry, which came to involve the workings of nations. He
responded so readily and so well to the call of the Church from a solid
foundation in prayer and mortification. When he went out to the world,
it was not he who worked but Christ working through him—"the least in
the household of God."
Prayer:
Father
of the lowly,
You raised Saint Francis of Paola
in the glory of Your saints.
By his example and prayers,
may we come to the rewards
You have promised the humble.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen