3

Contents

1 Film Still: The tree of enlightenment

2 Film Still: Francis meditating in the chapel of St Mary of the Angels

4 About the Film

8 About the Booklet

10 SEARCHING: Lost

12 SEARCHING: Questioning

14 SEARCHING: Break-through

16 FINDING: Love

18 FINDING: Joy

20 FINDING: Commitment

22 LIVING: Simply

24 LIVING: Prayer

26 LIVING: Peace

28 LIVING: Humility

30 ENDING: Praise

32 ENDING: Forgiveness

34 ENDING: Letting go

36 ENDING: Perfect joy

38 References

39 Further reading

40 Film Still: An empty road leading to the future

4

Film

Peter, a young executive in his early

thirties, arrives at a Franciscan Friary

dressed in a city suit but looking as

though he hasn’t slept for several days.

He stands in an empty car park with no

one in sight. He walks across the road

into a courtyard where he sees a series

of paintings hanging in a cloister. As he

looks at them he hears a door opening

on the other side of the courtyard but

when he turns to see who is there all he

sees is the door closing.

He crosses the courtyard and goes through the doorway into an empty

annex. On the right are some glass doors. He goes through into an oblong

room with windows down one side. The room is dense with the smoke of

incense. It is a chapel. No one is there. He walks the length of the chapel

into another empty room that has rush matting on the floor and a

colourful wooden cross on the far wall. As he approaches it he hears a

voice behind him. Alarmed, he turns round to see a Franciscan friar sitting

on a bench against the wall. It is Brother William, the guest master of the

Friary.

William shows Peter where he is staying when a bell rings in the courtyard

announcing that afternoon tea is available. When they enter the courtyard

Peter finds that it is now full of people surrounded with film gear who are

obviously about to set up for filming a scene. William informs Peter that

the film crew are spending a fortnight at the friary filming a modern

version of ‘The Life of St. Francis’. As they stand in the courtyard looking

at a statue of St. Francis we hear a ‘voice-over’ beginning the story.

As the story progresses and we hear of places associated with Francis we

see the places in the pictures Peter saw in the cloister. This technique is

employed throughout the film. We also cut between filmed scenes of the

5

life of Francis that have been shot around the Friary with a live

performance taking place in front of an audience.

The story covers the life of Francis from his birth in the latter part of the

twelfth century to his death in the early part of the thirteenth century. It is

full of colourful stories woven together to give us a rich portrait of a

fascinating man known as the patron saint of the environment who has

influenced the lives of countless people.

As a young man he was described as outdoing his contemporaries in

vanity, foolishness, strange doings, wantonness and immoderacy. He went

to war, was captured, thrown into prison and released a year later. He

became seriously ill and was bedridden for a year. He dreamt that he was

going to become famous as a knight, joined up to fight for the Pope in

southern Italy, then had another dream in which he heard a voice telling

him to go home and wait. While waiting he encountered a leper, tried to

avoid him but found himself embracing him. He worked in a nearby leper

colony until hearing another voice telling him to rebuild a local church.

Stealing money from his father’s shop he gave it to the priest who looked

after the church. His father was furious. He was so frightened of his father

he hid in a cave for a month. When he returned to Assisi the children

threw mud at him accusing him of being ‘crazy’. His father demanded his

money back and when Francis refused his father hit him and threw him

into a cellar manacled to the wall. When that didn’t work his father took

him to court. Francis lost the case, returned the money, took off all his

clothes, gave them to his father and said that what remained belonged to

God. He never went back home. He rebuilt several churches and lived as

a beggar.

One day he heard a passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel telling him to give

everything away and to preach repentance. Everyone thought he was

completely mad except two men who thought he might be extremely sane.

After listening to what he had to say they asked to join him. They were the

first of several thousand people, men and women, who in a few short

years, gave up everything to follow in his footsteps. He walked barefoot

to Rome to get the Pope to acknowledge his movement. He travelled

6

incessantly, visiting the Crusades twice, shipwrecked on his first attempt

and making friends with the Moslem Sultan on his second visit. When

dissent broke out in the order he handed over the reins to Brother Elias

who insisted the rule of life was eased. He replied that the Gospel could

not be altered.

As his health deteriorated he became more detached. He created the first

Christmas crib, received the first stigmata, wrote the most beautiful song

of creation, had his eyes cauterised with red hot irons, suffered a massive

haemorrhage and died lying in the open air, singing.

The film ends with a scene of Francis lying on the ground dying,

surrounded by people, in the same place that we first saw Peter at the

beginning of the film. The penultimate shot is of Peter standing alone in

the empty car park remembering all the scenes he has seen and

experienced over the past two weeks. It is a very different Peter whom we

see walking away from the Friary.

The feel of the film is Brechtian, with the director, as actor and storyteller,

commenting on the scenes that are played for real but kept in a modern,

simple setting with sparse symbols for costume and scenes that epitomise

character and place. Actors play multiple roles creating a montage effect

of scenes that build to a film in which the audience are aware that they are

watching a story of contrast and contradictions but are swept up into the

story.

The aim of the film is threefold. To tell the Franciscan story as accurately

as possible in a way that makes Francis a colourful three dimensional

character revealing details that are sometimes funny, sometimes tragic. We

see his humility as well as his fiery character and his deep commitment to

following in the footsteps of Christ; To bring the story alive and make it

relevant to a modern audience who may not be familiar with Francis, by

placing his story in a modern context; To show that Peter, the cast, the

crew and the audience are all on a journey of ‘Finding Saint Francis’.

7

Cast in order of appearance Peter Stone Peter Stickney Sylvester Daniel Brooke Eliot

Brother William David Bagott Giles Daniel Russell

Brother John Damien Thomas The Pope Stephan Chase

Director Paul Alexander Cardinal John Daniel Brooke Eliot

Storyteller Paul Alexander Farmer Stephan Chase

Pietro Bernadone Stephan Chase Olly Richard Thornbury

Pica Bernadone Philippa Urquhart Sister Clare Vanessa Evans

Accordian Player Antony Bagott Bianca Guelfucci Philippa Urquhart

Horse Rider David Bagott Brother Masseo Brother Sam

Brother Francis Peter Stickney The Friary Cat Ollie

Beggar Philippa Urquhart Sultan Malik Al Kamil Damien Thomas

Clare Vanessa Evans Brother Orlando Daniel Brooke Eliot

Orlando Daniel Brooke Eliot Brother Elias Stephan Chase

Leper David Bagott Brother Leo Simon Mbelu

Old Priest Michael Oram Mary Chantelle Thornbury

Bishop of Assisi Damien Thomas Joseph Richard Thornbury

First Robber Antony Bagott The Baby Jesus Evodie Thornbury

Second Robber Johnathan Herbert The Older Francis David Bagott

Third Robber Richard Thornbury The Mayor of Assisi Stephan Chase

Abbot Stephan Chase Doctor Philippa Urquhart

Lunchtime Diner Georgianna Joseph Brother Anthony Antony Bagott

Bernard Quintevale Stephan Chase Lady Giacoma Philippa Urquhart

Peter Cattani John Reynolds Sister Clare Vanessa Evans

Crowd scenes played by First Order Brothers, Community members, Parents and Children: Br Sam - Br Giles - Br

Raymond Christian - Br Vincent - Br Hugh - John Reynolds - Susi Herbert - Jonathan Herbert - Richard Thornbury -

Chantelle Thornbury - Uriel Thornbury - Felice Thornbury - Evodie Thornbury - Daniel Russel - Daniel Ochterbeck -

Lydia Reese - Ruth Hamilton Jones - Simon Mbelu - Kerri Canepa - Lyndon Webb - Heidi Russenberger - Chris Reed

Thomas - Adrienne Reed Thomas - Maude Reed Thomas - Myrtle Reed Thomas - Maple Reed Thomas - Jo Murray -

Damaris Van de Peer - Stan Van de Peer - Arty Van de Peer - Uriel Thornbury – Felice Thornbury

Screenplay & Direction Paul Alexander Best Boy George Phull

Director of Photography Callum MacDermott Best Boy James Leech

First AD James Alexander Boom Operator Dan Gardon

Second AD Joe Jones Sound Mixer Pietro Novello

Line Producer James Kirby Costume Thalia Loonstein

Production Designer Marlow Hope Costume Assistant Lucy Thaxter

Art Director Ruby Goodchild Hair/Make Up Emma Barker

Camera Operator Ed Hubert Editor/Continuity Francesco Cibati

Camera Assistant Josh Donaldson Sound Designer Olly Gale

Clapper/Loader Sirus Gahan Visual Effects Dominic Mayer

First Gaffer Charlie Jenkins Colour Grader Dan Garden

Second Gaffer George Phull Catering Manager Lucy Simson

Spark Anna Doychenko Catering Assistant Annabelle Hammond

Stills Georgia Charter First Horse Handler David Bagott

Key Grip Mo Guy 2nd Horse Handler Kieran Moore

Special thanks to: The Artist, Angela Thomas – Nancy Adams, Graphic Artist – Brian Curson, Computer Setter - Daniel

Carter, Producer at HLA - David Morphy of Cirro Lite - Malcolm Warner, Editor - Mike Hodder, D.O.P. - Dorset Wild

Life Trust - Adam Woods, Documentary maker - Pod Hire - Cirro Lite - Decode - Overhead Sound – Oval Insurance

Executive Producers: John and Maria Fox. Special thanks to: John Reynolds

Producers: John Wiltshire - Denise Easteal - Denise Mumford - Paul Alexander

8

About this booklet

The aim of this booklet is that as well as an adjunct to the film ‘Finding

Saint Francis’ it should be enjoyable to read, interesting and thought

provoking. We also hope that it will provide a basis for reflection that can

be used by individuals for meditation and by groups as a springboard into

discussion on the themes the film addresses. Its purpose is not to provide

answers but to give room for reflection. We hope that it will be read for

pleasure, but also as a means of stimulating thought and action. A number

of ideas of to how to use this booklet are included at the end. Our hope is

it contains enough information to fire the imagination but not overwhelm

creativity.

The booklet has been devised for individuals searching for meaning and

direction in their lives and also for groups who are interested in exploring

spirituality. It has taken, as its basis, the themes of Searching, Finding,

Living and Ending, not quite Shakespeare’s ‘Seven Ages of Man’ but

certainly the path we all travel through life. As children we start off

searching and exploring and as adults we continue searching in different

ways. Searching leads to Finding and that leads to making choices. These

choices become our way of life. Eventually we come to the end and in the

end is our beginning as T. S. Eliot says in The Four Quartets. Within our

own four quartets the booklet focuses on nine themes that run through

9

the film: Love, Joy, Commitment, Simplicity, Prayer (Meditation,

Contemplation), Peace, Humility, Praise (Wonder), Forgiveness

(Reconciliation).

This is not an exhaustive list but it offers a fresh perspective on how we

view fundamental principles that are relevant to us all. We’ve started with

the subject of Love because it is the foundation stone upon which

everything worthwhile rests. It is the common denominator in all the

major religions of any civilised society and it is the basis upon which the

welfare state is founded. Love for our fellow human beings, love of life

and increasingly love for the natural world. Without it we shall perish.

Love is not always easy. It is frequently very hard but woe-betide us if we

give way to its opposite, hate.

We are all interconnected. Google the word ‘Gaia’, or spend a little time

looking at atomic theory. The choices we make are important and

profound. The wave from a pebble dropped into a pond will ripple to the

edges of the pond. One person’s actions multiplied by a multitude can

change the world for good or ill.

How infinitesimally minute we are in the scheme of things, and yet we

have great power; power enough to destroy ourselves, our planet. In one

way or another we are all doing just that because we’re none of us perfect.

We are continually making mistakes, causing ripples that reverberate

round the world. It is a question of recognising this truth. The truth is that

we are part of the problem, but that we can also be part of the solution.

Recognition and acceptance that we are part of the problem are the first

steps to putting things right. Herein lies the joy that is described in the

final scene of the Francis film. Surely that is worth striving for?

Some suggestions for the use of this booklet: Keep it by an easy chair.

Keep it by your bedside. Keep it in the loo. Use the pictures to spark your

imagination. Spend time with the stories. Let the riddles rattle around your

head. Use the themes for a group discussion, as a book group, over a meal,

in the pub.

10

SEARCHING: Lost

How does a dry sponge become full of water?

Peter Stone enters the Friary through a door, which leads into an empty

room. There is rush matting on the floor and a colourful cross on the far

wall. As he goes forward, he hears a voice saying: ‘How can I help you?’

Peter is perplexed, he thinks the cross is talking to him but knows that is

impossible.

A distraught man approached the Zen master: ‘Please, Master, I feel lost,

desperate. I don’t know who I am. Please show me my true self.’ But the

teacher just looked away without responding. The man began to plead and

beg.

11

Finally, giving up in frustration, the man turned to leave. At that moment

the master called out to him by name. ‘Yes!’ the man said, as he spun

around. ‘There it is!’ exclaimed the master.

‘Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door

will be opened to you.’

12

SEARCHING: Questioning

What can’t you do without?

Francis was ill for a year after his imprisonment in Perugia. After he

revived he still retained his idea of the nobility of knighthood. When

Count Gentile came to Assisi looking for recruits to join the army of

Walter de Brienne, who was fighting on behalf of the Pope in southern

Italy, Francis immediately wanted to join up. But he had no horse or suit

of armour. His parents were delighted by his transformation, and bought

all he needed. When all was ready, the group of recruits set off on

horseback. The first night they camped at Spoleto. During the night,

Francis heard a voice speaking to him: ‘Francis, is it better to follow the Lord or

the servant?’ Francis replied that it was better to follow the Lord. The voice

said: ‘Then why are you following the servant?’ Francis asked: ‘Lord, what should I

do?’ The voice replied: ‘Go back to Assisi and wait.’ The following morning,

Francis bade his companions goodbye and rode back to Assisi.

13

A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him,

saying: ‘Master, I wish to become your disciple.’ ‘Why?’ asked the hermit?

The young man thought for a moment: ‘Because I want to find God.’ The

Master jumped up, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and dragged

him into the river kicking and struggling to free himself. The Master finally

pulled him out of the river and the young man coughed up water. When

he was sufficiently recovered, the Master spoke: ‘Tell me, what did you

want most of all when you were under water?’ ‘Air,’ answered the man.

’Very well, said the Master, ‘Go home and come back to me when you

want God as much as you just wanted air.’

A young man came to Jesus and said: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do

to have eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is

good? There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life keep

the commandments.’ The young man said to him: ‘Which ones?’ And

Jesus said: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You

shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and

mother; also: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man

said to him: ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him:

‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions, and give your

money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and

follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away grieving, for

he had many possessions.

14

SEARCHING: Break-through

What are you looking for?

Francis was out on the town with his friends, feasting and drinking. He

suddenly found himself in the middle of the road standing stock still. He

was gazing down one of the many side alleys of Assisi, where the poor

people of the city lived – many of them homeless. In the shadows, he

could see a woman in rags holding out her hand, begging for food. He

stood transfixed. Eventually his companions, realising that he had got left

behind, came back, to find him looking as though he had seen a ghost.

‘You must be in love, Francis,’ they cried. Francis replied: ‘Yes, yes, I am

in love – with the most beautiful, wonderful, fairest and richest Lady in

the world.’ His companions, laughing and joking at his expense, continued

on their way, not knowing that Francis had fallen in love with the Lady

Poverty.

15

I have seen the sun break through

to illuminate a small field for a while,

and gone my way and forgotten it.

But that was the pearl of great price,

the one field that had the treasure in it.

I realise now that I must possess it.

Life is not hurrying on to a receding future

nor hankering after an imagined past.

It is the turning aside like Moses

To the miracle of the lit bush, to the brightness

That seemed as transitory as your youth once,

but is the eternity that awaits you.

‘The Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone

found and hid, then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys

that field. Again the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of

fine pearls. On finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that

he had and bought it.’

16

FINDING: Love

Love like you’ve never been hurt

When he got back to Assisi, Francis spent his days wandering round the

countryside waiting to hear a voice telling him what to do. One day as he

was walking in the woods, he heard in the distance a little tinkling bell.

This could mean only one thing: a leper was approaching. Lepers had to

announce their presence by ringing a bell. Sure enough round the corner

came a leper. He was a terrible sight. His face was cracked and bleeding,

his ears and his hands had been eaten away and he smelled terrible. Francis

was revolted. He turned round and started to walk away but something

stopped him. Slowly he turned

back, walked up to the leper,

put his arms around him and

gave him the kiss of peace on

the lips. It was a brave thing to

do because leprosy was

thought to be highly

contagious. Later Francis

wrote that this was the

moment of his conversion.

From then on he went and

worked at the leper colony,

helping to clean and feed the

lepers.

17

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes

on inside people. He said: ‘My son, the battle is between two wolves inside

us all. One is Evil – it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,

arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,

superiority and ego. The other wolf is Good – it is joy, peace, love, hope,

serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,

compassion and faith.’ The grandson thought about it for a moment and

then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’ The old Cherokee simply

replied, ‘The one you feed.’

You have heard that it was said: ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But

I say to you, do not resist an evildoer: if anyone strikes you on the right

cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your

coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go

also the second mile. Give to anyone who begs from you and do not refuse

anyone who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said,

‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your

enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

18

FINDING: Joy

What does a silver lining feel like?

Following the quarrel with his father, when he chose his Father in Heaven

above the demands of his earthly father, Francis - lightly clad in old clothes

provided by the Bishop - walked off into the hills with a great sense of

freedom. He sang as he walked. Half way up a mountain, some robbers

were camped out among the rocks. When they saw Francis approaching,

they leapt out and demanded his money. Of course, he had no money; so

then they demanded to know his business. ‘I am the Herald of the Great

King,’ he replied. ‘Herald of the King, are you?’ shouted one of the

robbers, ‘then you must have some money on you.’ They stripped him of

his borrowed clothes, and finding nothing of value, they threw him into a

ditch. They left him, shouting as they went: ‘Fool of a Herald!’ as they

carried away his clothes. When they had left, he got out of the ditch and

shook the dirt off himself. Exhilarated and in great joy, he began singing

again, and made the woods resound with the praises of God. On his return

to Assisi, Francis went

again to lodge with the

old priest. The old man

made him delicious

meals, but Francis felt it

was wrong to live off the

meagre earnings of the

priest, and explained

that, as he was now one

19

of the poor, he should beg for his food. He went up to Assisi, and began

to beg. People gave him the scraps left over from their meals – the

congealed bits of gristle and fat that they would have thrown away. Francis

looked into his bowl and felt revulsion, but as he ate ‘the bitter turned to

sweet,’ and again Francis felt a sense of joy.

A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a

mountain. One evening while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut,

only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and

found him. ‘You have come a long way to visit me,’ he told the prowler.

‘And you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a

gift.’ The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away. The

Master sat naked, watching the moon. ‘Poor fellow’, he mused, ‘I wish I

could give him this beautiful moon.’

If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does

he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one

that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more

than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

20

FINDING: Commitment

Get out there – where?

24th February, 1209. The old priest at St Damiano read out the gospel for

the day, taken from Matt 10:7: ‘As you go, preach, saying: “The Kingdom

of Heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,

drive out demons. Freely you have received, so freely give. Take no gold

or silver or money in your purse. Take no bag for your journey, or extra

clothes, or staff, or sandals, for the worker is worthy of his hire.’ After

Mass, Francis asked the priest to explain the gospel reading, as he wasn’t

sure he had got it clear in his mind. They sat on a bench, and the old priest

went over the text with him. Then Francis leapt up, exclaiming: ‘This is

what I want, this is what I seek, this is what I desire with all my heart!’

Francis took off his clothes, and put on an old workman’s habit, tying a

piece of rope round his waist. He tied three knots in it to remind him of

the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and strode up

to Assisi to preach the gospel.

21

Two people are lost in the desert. They are dying from hunger and thirst.

Finally they come to a high wall. On the other side they can hear the sound

of a waterfall and birds singing. Above, they can see the branches of lush

trees over the top of the wall. Their fruit looks delicious. One of them

manages to climb over the wall and disappears down the other side. The

other, instead, returns to the desert to help other lost travellers find their

way to the oasis.

Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, became very ill, and the sisters

sent a message to Jesus to come in haste. When Jesus arrived in Bethany,

Lazarus had already died and been buried. Martha went out to meet Jesus.

She said to him: ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have

died.’ Jesus said to her: ‘Your brother will rise again…. I am the

resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die,

will live, and everyone who believes in me will never die. Do you believe

this?’ She said to him: ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the

Son of God, the One coming in to the world.’

22

LIVING: Simply

What happens if you let go?

As time went by, people came forward and asked Francis if they could join

him in his life and mission. The first were Peter and Bernard. Once Francis

became used to their fellowship, he decided that if they were to live

together, they needed a Rule of Life. He took them to a church, and

opening the Bible on the altar at random, looked to God for guidance. He

read: ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything that you have, give it to the poor

and follow me.’ Francis announced that this would be their first Rule. The

following week-end, the Piazza San Georgio in Assisi was abuzz with

excitement: Bernard and Peter were giving away all their possessions, and

Francis was doling out money from Bernard’s money chest to whoever

wanted it. When they had given away everything, they went down to the

little chapel called the Portiuncula, and built small shelters of branches for

cover.

23

One of the monks called Seraphim sold the book of the Gospels, and gave

the money to those who were hungry, saying: ‘I have sold the book which

told me to sell all that I had and give to the poor.’

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat,

or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the

body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap,

they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how

much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying

add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so

small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies

how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in

all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the

grass of the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the

oven, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith. And do not

keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not

keep worrying; for it is the nations of the world that strive after these

things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his

kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

24

LIVING: Prayer

What is the sound of hushed voices?

Although Francis had chosen the active life of a preacher, he sorely needed

solitude so that he could pray. His chosen companions would shield him

from interruptions and disturbance; they respected and protected his

silence in every way.

He had more than one place of retreat: one was the Hermitage at Carceri;

another was Mt Alverna, a distant mountain where he spent six weeks in

silent contemplation under the canopy of a tree. Sometimes he went alone:

for example, in 1211, Francis spent the whole of Lent by himself on an

island in the middle of Lake Trasimene. Francis asked a brother to row

him out to the island with two loaves of bread and to come back for him

at the end of Lent. When the brother returned, he found that Francis had

25

eaten half of one of the loaves. He asked Francis why he had eaten just

half a loaf, Francis replied: ‘Well you see, Brother, I thought that if I did

not eat any at all, I would be committing the sin of pride in thinking that

I was as good as Christ.’ The brother who met Francis was Brother Elias.

He was amazed and overwhelmed, because Francis’ face shone like that

of Moses when he came down from the mountain.

Let me then seek the gift of silence, and poverty, and solitude, where

everything I touch is turned into prayer: where the sky is my prayer, the

birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees are my prayers, for God is all in

all.

Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks.

By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out.

The first monk said, ‘Oh no! The candle is out.’ The second monk said:

‘Surely we’re not supposed to talk?’ The third monk said: ‘Why must you

two break the silence?’ The fourth monk laughed and said: ‘Ha! I’m the

only one who didn’t speak.’

‘Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand

and pray in the synagogues, and at the street corners, so that they may be

seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But

whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your

Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward

you.’

26

LIVING: Peace

What do you bear in your hands?

After the chapter of 1219 Francis went to the Crusades with Brother

Illuminato. Francis was overwhelmed by the splendour and pageantry, and

at the same time horrified by the degradation and the squalor. He

predicted that the Christians would suffer a devastating defeat: he was

proved right. When a truce was called for both sides to bury their dead,

Francis told Illuminato that they were going to cross no-man’s-land to

speak to the Sultan. Illuminato was sure that he would be the first

Franciscan martyr! However, the Sultan agreed to see them but had the

courtyard where he sat covered with chalk crosses:

‘If Francis walks on the crosses to greet me,’ he said, ‘he will have

blasphemed by trampling on the cross of Christ; if he refuses to walk on

the crosses, he will have insulted me. When Francis entered he walked

straight over the crosses. The Sultan accused Francis of blasphemy.

Francis responded: ‘Oh no, Sultan, you see there were three crosses at

27

Golgotha. The one in the centre

belonged to Christ; the other two

belonged to thieves and I’m quite

happy to tread on those!’ The Sultan

was delighted by Francis’s reply. He

asked what had brought Francis to

his court? Francis replied: ‘Sultan, I

want to convert you to Christianity.’

The Sultan roared with laughter! Francis explained that he was prepared

to walk through a furnace of fire with the Sultan’s priests; if he came out

alive, would the Sultan convert to Christianity? But if he got burned alive,

the Sultan should attribute that to his sins, - and still convert to

Christianity. The Sultan said that Francis was indeed a Holy Fool and still

laughing offered Francis a gift for his courage. Francis asked if he could

have a pass to visit the Holy Places to which the Sultan readily agreed and

they parted as good friends.

Some citizens ran into an argument about God and different religions. So

they came to the Lord Buddha to find out exactly what God is like. The

Buddha asked his disciples to collect a large, magnificent elephant and four

blind men and told the four blind men to describe the elephant. The first

blind man touched the elephant’s leg, and reported that it felt like a pillar;

the second blind man touched the elephant’s side and said that the

elephant was like a wall; the third blind man touched the elephant’s ear

and said it was like a piece of cloth; the fourth blind man held on to the

tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope. All of them ran into a

hot argument about the ‘appearance’ of the elephant. The Buddha asked

the citizens: ‘Each man has touched the elephant, but given a different

description of the animal. Which answer is right?’

The disciple, John, said: ‘We saw one casting out devils in your name and

we stopped him because he doesn’t follow us.’ Jesus said: ‘Don’t stop him,

he that isn’t against us is for us.’

28

LIVING: Humility

What is at the centre?

As the Order grew larger, the clarity of the early days was lost, and there

were serious disagreements about the harshness of the Rule. Francis had

been away at the Crusades. He returned to Italy via Bologna. There he

found that the Brothers had built a large comfortable library and infirmary

for themselves. Francis was completely appalled that they had forgotten

the rule to own nothing. He went up on the roof of the building and

proceeded to hurl the roof tiles to the ground. That night he had a dream

of a little black hen, surrounded by her chicks and quite unable to keep

them all under control. In the

morning he realised that the hen

was himself and the chickens were

his brothers, whom he could no

longer manage because he was

such a bad example to them. So he

went to see the Pope, who was by

now a good friend of his, to ask for

his advice and the Pope advised

him to retire as the leader of the

Franciscans, which he did.

Beloveds, I, Nasruddin, when I was still a Mulla, lived in a small town just

big enough to have a mosque. One evening we had finished our prayers.

The stars were clear and bright and seemed to fill the sky with lights. I

stood at the window, gazing at the lights so far away, each one bigger than

29

our world, and so distant from us across vast reaches of space. I thought

of how we walk this earth, filled with our own importance, when we are

just specks of dust. I was filled with awe and reverence. I was thinking

such thoughts and realised I had fallen to my knees. ‘I am nothing,

nothing,’ I cried. There was a certain well-to-do man of the town, a kind

man who wished to be thought very devout. He cared more about what

people thought of him than about what he actually was. He happened to

walk in and saw and heard what passed. I was shy at being caught in such

a moment, but he rushed down looking around in the obvious hope

someone was there to see him. He knelt beside me and cried: ‘I am

nothing, I am nothing.’ A poor man entered the side door with his broom

to clean the mosque. He had seen us, and being a man of true faith and

honest simplicity he dropped his broom and fell to his knees in a

shadowed corner, and said softly: ‘I am nothing, I am nothing.’ The well-

to-do man next to me nudged me with his elbow and said out of the corner

of his mouth: ‘Look who thinks he’s nothing

When you’re invited to a wedding feast don’t sit in the highest place lest

you be asked to give way to a more honourable person than yourself but

go and sit in the lowest place so that you might be invited to go higher.

Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled and whoever humbles

themselves will be exalted.

30

ENDING: Praise

What is in front of you?

After Francis’s return from the

Crusades, his health deteriorated. He had

picked up a serious eye condition while

overseas, which gave him great pain. The

Brothers built a little rush shelter for him

near Sister Clare at San Damiano. He

couldn’t stand the light and lay in

darkness. An infestation of mice ran

across his body, which he experienced as

demons. Rest and sleep were impossible

and in his misery he asked God to give

him patience to endure his condition.

The following morning the Brothers

found him full of joy; he told them that

he had been granted a wonderful mystical experience – the assurance of

the ‘great treasure’ of a place in the Kingdom of God. Francis immediately

set to work to compose the Canticle of the Sun. He called on Brother

Pacifico, a former troubadour, to teach it to the Brothers so that they could

travel the world, singing God’s praise; ‘We are the Lord’s minstrels,’ he

said, ‘who ought to move the hearts of men and women and rouse them

to spiritual joy.’

31

O most high, almighty, good Lord God,

Praise, glory, honour, and all blessings are yours.

To you alone, most high, do they belong,

And no man is worthy to speak your name.

Praised be my Lord by all his creatures,

and chiefly by our brother the Sun,

who brings us the day and brings us the light,

fair is he and shines with a very great splendour,

O Lord, he signifies to us thee.

Praised be my Lord by our Sister the Moon,

and by the stars which thou hast set clear and lovely

in heaven.

Praised be my Lord by our Brother the Wind,

and by air and cloud, calms and all weathers

by which thou upholdest life in all creatures.

Praised be my Lord by our Sister Water, who is

very serviceable unto us

and humble and precious and clean.

Praised be my Lord by our Brother Fire,

from whom thou givest us life in the darkness

and he is bright and pleasant and very mighty and

strong.

Praised be my Lord by our Mother the Earth

who doth sustain us

and keep usand bringest forth divers fruits and

flowers of many colours and grass.

32

ENDING: Forgiveness

Where does freedom reside?

While Francis was at San Damiano, a furious argument broke out in Assisi

between the Bishop and the Mayor. The Mayor shouted: ‘You are the most

pig-headed, illiberal, entrenched, blind, conservative old fool Assisi has

ever had the misfortune to have as its spiritual leader!’ The Bishop

retorted: ‘And you are the most avaricious, partisan, sly, slippery,

untrustworthy, greedy, double-faced fascist that this town has ever had the

stupidity to elect as a good-for-nothing mayor!’ The Mayor roared: ‘Well

– now I know what you really think behind that false veneer of suspect

spirituality, I have nothing more to say to you. But understand me aright

– I shall do all in my power to block you when you meddle in public

affairs!’ ‘And I,’ screamed the Bishop, ‘shall ensure that the Church

condemns you to the fires of hell, until you come to your senses and repent

of your manifold sins.’ …. The Mayor wouldn’t speak to the Bishop, and

the Bishop wouldn’t speak to the Mayor. So Francis wrote another verse

to his Canticle, and sent his Brothers to sing it in the presence of the Mayor

and the Bishop, whom he summoned to meet together in the public

square.

Praised be my Lord by all those who pardon one

another for thy love's sake

and who endure weakness and tribulation.

Blessed are they who peaceably shall endure

for thou, oh most Highest, shall give them a crown.

33

When the Brothers finished singing, the Mayor stood with tears in his eyes.

Then he crossed over to the Bishop with his arms outstretched, and they

embraced.

Clinton asked Mandela: ‘I wonder what you must have felt towards your

jailers when you walked out of that prison after 27 years – weren’t you

angry with them?’ ‘Yes, I was angry, and a little afraid.’ answered Mandela,

‘ After all, I’d not been free in so long’….’ But,’ he added, ‘when I felt that

anger welling up inside me, I realised that if I continue to hate them after

I got outside the gate, then they would still have me.’ With a smile,

Mandela concluded: ‘I wanted to be free, so I let it go.’

Then Peter came and said to him: ‘Lord, if another sins against me, how

often should I forgive - as many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him: ‘Not

seven times, but, I tell you, seventy times seven.’

34

ENDING: Letting go

Let go – let God

The last days of Francis’s life were radiant with beauty. He went to meet

death singing: the final part of the Canticle he’d composed:

Praised be my Lord by our Sister the Death of the body

from which no one escapeth.

Woe to them that die in mortal sin.

Blessed are they who are found walking by thy most holy will

for the second death shall have no power to harm them.

Praise ye and bless ye the Lord

and give thanks unto him with great humility.

Francis asked that he might be allowed to return to the Portiuncula to die.

He asked one of the brothers to travel to Rome to ask the Lady Giacomma

to come and see him but before the brother had left she arrived bringing

with her some frangipani almond sweet cake that he loved so much. She

then very gently put a pillow under his head and placed two beeswax

candles on either side of him. Francis asked that he might be allowed to

die naked on the ground. The brother guardian said that he would lend

Brother Francis a habit and that as it didn’t belong to him he had no right

to give it away. Delighted that at least one brother understood the vow of

poverty Francis agreed. He then asked for a loaf of bread to be broken

35

into little pieces and handed to each of the brothers. They then read the

passion from John’s Gospel. When they had finished they heard Francis

singing Psalm 142. Aged forty four, with a lark singing high overhead, he

died.

One day while walking through the wilderness, a man stumbled upon a

vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate

to save himself he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal

precipice. As he hung there, two mice appeared and began gnawing on the

vine. Suddenly he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry. He plucked

it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious.

The heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. And on

the seventh day, God finished the work that He had done, and He rested

on the seventh day. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.

36

ENDING: Perfect joy

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

One winter’s evening Francis was walking back to the friary with Brother

Leo. It was bitterly cold. Francis called to Leo who was ahead: “Brother

Leo, even if Friars Minor gave an example of holiness and integrity to all

people, write down that this is not perfect joy.”

A bit further on, Francis called again: “Brother Leo , even if a Friar Minor

gave sight to the blind, healed all diseases, drove out devils, gave hearing

to the deaf, made the lame walk, restored speech to the dumb and what is

more brought the dead back to life, write that perfect joy is not in this.”

A little later: “Brother Leo, if a Friar Minor knew all languages, all science,

all scripture, could prophesy, reveal the future, write down that perfect joy

is not in this.”

Further on: “Even if a Friar could speak with the voice of an angel, knew

all astronomy, herbs, the treasures of the earth, the mysteries of nature,

this is not perfect joy.”

Again: “Even if a Friar Minor could convert all agnostics, atheists and

people from other faiths to the faith of Christ, write down that this is not

perfect joy.”

Eventually after two miles of this Brother Leo said: “Brother Francis, in

God’s name then, where is perfect joy to be found?” Francis replied:

“When we get home, soaked, frozen, hungry, dog tired and covered in

mud and knock on the door to be let in and the brother porter tells us we

37

are scoundrels, deceivers,

thieves of the poor and tells us

to go away. If we knock again

and he comes out and beats us

black and blue with a big stick,

giving us nothing to eat or drink

and telling us he’ll have the

authorities on us if we don’t

make ourselves scarce. If we

endure all this humbly,

charitably and with love in our

hearts, knowing that Christ

endured the same, write down

that:

This is perfect joy.”

A student went to his meditation teacher and said: ‘My meditation is

horrible! I feel so distracted, and my legs ache, and I am constantly falling

asleep. It’s just horrible!’ ‘It will pass,’ said the teacher matter-of–factly. A

week later, the student came back to his teacher: ‘My meditation is

wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It is just wonderful!’ ‘It

will pass,’ said the teacher matter-of-factly.

‘A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and

you will see me. You will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice &

you will have pain but your pain will turn into joy. A woman in labour has

pain because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer

remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a child into

the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts

will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.’

38

References

The Franciscan stories are taken primarily from the film script. They are

all authentic stories, drawn from key sources, among which are:

‘The little Flowers stories’ written shortly after Francis’s death.

‘The Road to Assisi’ by Paul Sabatier a reintroduction to Francis for the

Western world

‘St Francis of Assisi’ by G. K. Chesterton the first good read biography.

‘Francis of Assisi’ by Elizabeth Gouge upon which the film has been strongly

based

‘Early Documents in 3 vol’ Armstrong, Hellman & Short, NY City Press,1999

for scholars.

Recently published: ‘Francis of Assisi & his Canticle of Br Sun reassessed’

by Brian Maloney, a University Professor and member of the 3rd Order of the

Society of St Francis.

The following are all available on the internet:

‘Zen stories’ on pages 9, 11, 17, 19, 23, 25, 33, 35

‘The Bright Field’ by R.S Thomas on page 13

‘Two Wolves’ A Cherokee legend on page 15

‘The Sayings of the Desert Fathers’ translated by Benedicta Ward and others

on page 21

‘Thoughts in Solitude’ by Thomas Merton on page 23

‘The Sufi, Mullah Nasruddin’, on page73

‘Mandela/Clinton story re forgiveness’ on page 31

Biblical sources:

P.9: Matt 7: 7; P.11: Matt 19: 16- 22; P.13: Matt 1: 44-46; P.15: Matt 5: 38-44;

P.17: Matt 18: 12-13; P.19: John 11: 20-27; P.21: Matt 6: 25-33; P.23: Matt 6: 5-6;

P.25: Luke 9: 49-50; P.27: Luke 14: 8-11; P.31: Matt 18: 21-22; P.33: Gen 2: 1-3;

P.35: John 16: 19-23

39

Further Reading If you have enjoyed reading these stories and would like to find out more about the

Franciscans charism the following books, songs, speeches and films are a very personal and

eclectic mix that have helped form the basis for this booklet. The hope is that they will fire

your imaginative spirit to venture further into a different way of life.

Good News ‘St Francis, a model for Human Liberation’ by Leonardo Boff

Equality ‘St Francis and the Song of Brotherhood and Sisterhood’ by Eric

Doyle

Simplicity ‘Timeless Simplicity: Creative Living in a Consumer Society’ By John

Lane

‘The Sacred Exchange between St Francis and Lady Poverty’ Early

Documents

Prayer, Contemplation, Silence, Letting Go

‘Everything Belongs, the Gift of Contemplative Prayer’ by Richard Rohr

‘From the Bottom of the Pond’ by Simon Small

‘Sleeping with Bread, holding what life gives you’ by Derek, Sheila and Matthew Linn

‘Seeking Silence in a Noisy World’ by Adam Ford

‘A Book of Silence’ by Sara Maitland

‘The Spirit of Silence: Making Space for Creativity’ by John Lane

‘Into the Silent Land’ by Martin Laird

‘The Empty Space’ by Peter Brook

‘Into Great Silence’ a film by Philip Groning

‘Zen in the Art of Archery’ by Eugene Herrigal

Study ‘Of Gods and Men’ a film by Xavier Beauvois

‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King

‘The Snow Goose’ by Paul Gallico

Active Work ‘Chasing Francis’ by Ian Morgan Cron

Humility ‘Make me an instrument of your peace’

Love ‘This Sunrise of Wonder’ by Michael Mayne

‘Chapter Fifteen verse Twelve’ John’s Gospel

Joy ‘The Early Poems’ of Gerard Manley Hopkins

‘God is alive’ from the album ‘Illuminations’ by Buffy Sainte-Marie

www.findingsaintfrancis.com www.littleportionfilms.com

© Little Portion Films, Oct 2015. All rights reserved.