SAINT FRANCIS AND SAINT CLARE

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Contents

I. INTRODUCTION

II. SAINT FRANCIS

III. SAINT CLARE

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I. INTRODUCTION

Two of the most influential of the Catholic saints are Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare. This short article briefly introduces their lives.

The Catholic Church is to be commended for keeping alive the memory of these and hundreds of other amazing souls. They lived rather simple lives, but shaped the future of the world by the shining example of their work for God on planet earth.

We are indeed most grateful to them all. Also read Saint Nicolaos of Myra, better known as Santa Claus.

II. SAINT FRANCIS

Saint Francis (Francesco) of Assisi is one of the most famous of the saints who lived during the middle ages in Europe. He was born into a wealthy family in 1182. He grew up in high society and as a child and youth enjoyed all the pleasures and activities of the wealthy people of his day.

CONVERSION

Francesco was a dreamer and decided to become a warrior rather than follow in his father’s silk business. This led him on a series of adventures that nearly cost him his life. To read more about these adventures, go to https://www.biography.com/religious-figure/saint-francis-of-assisi.

While imprisoned for about a year, he had his first experience hearing a voice that told him to pursue a religious life. These episodes continued all during his life.

A defining moment occurred one day in 1208. A beggar asked him for alms while he was selling silk his family had imported from India. He found he could not resist the man’s pleas and somewhat reluctantly gave the man some silk.

Francesco was beaten for this act by his father. However, Francesco’s desire to help the poor persisted, and came out periodically in the next few years. As a result, he received several more beatings.

FORMING THE FRANCISCAN ORDER

The Catholic Church in his area of Italy had become a wealthy, corrupt order of merchants and priests who cared mostly for themselves. They largely ignored some of the original teachings of Jesus, such as “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. This troubled Francisco greatly.

One day in 1212, Francesco was walking in a field near his home in Assisi when he heard a voice in his head. He was told to found a Christian Order that would honor the poor people and would honor nature and the simple, natural order of things.

The vision was quite complete. Francesco was able to ask questions about what to emphasize in the new Church Order, what to call it, and how to organize it.

The new Order was about love and gentleness, two qualities that still characterize the Franciscans today. In addition, they would take a vow of poverty because too much money just gets in the way of doing God’s work.

However, they were not to starve or sacrifice their lives due to poverty. The idea was not one of martyrdom, which was popular at that time. It was just that a simple life is better to give a person more time to worship God and do His work on earth.

Francesco immediately set about to form the new Order. Francesco was a good businessman and organizer of men. He also had access to his family’s money.

He soon built a small church near Assisi and gathered a number of male followers. They moved into a small monastery nearby. They immediately began teaching about love and gentleness, and the simple, natural life of serving God through good works.

They lived very simple lives, unlike many of the priests of that time. They used only what they absolutely needed to spread the gospel of Jesus and help the local people with whatever they needed.

DEVELOPMENT

Something that is not well known, I am told, is that the Franciscan Order also taught development. Development is the full genetic expression of the human body. It is rarely taught on earth, but we teach it on this website.

Development requires a certain type of nutrition, going to bed early, getting adequate rest and sleep, holding on to one’s sexual fluid, and specific procedures that heal and extend the life of the body.

The main development procedure that the early Franciscans taught, and that we teach today is the The Pulling Down Procedure. The early Franciscans also taught the Spinal Twist Procedures.

When done in a balanced way, development produces much better health and a much longer life. For details, read Introduction To Development and Introduction To The Development Program.

Francesco was well-educated, which was rare at that time. As a result, he wrote extensively about his new Order and this helped it grow and expand.

GROWTH

Over the next fifty years and beyond, the Franciscan Order grew and expanded throughout Europe. Today it includes hundreds of groups all over Europe and America, mainly.

Unfortunately, they do not teach development any more. However, the Franciscan Orders are still guided by the principles of love for all, simplicity, and helping others to better their lives through the teachings of Jesus.

LATER LIFE

Francesco spent the later years of his life spreading the teachings of the new healing Order he had founded. His writings are still available on the internet to anyone who wishes to learn about living a simple, natural life of service to God.

He wrote many books and pamphlets that aided the people of Italy and beyond to begin what became known as the renaissance in Europe. This was a mighty rebirth of culture that took place beginning around 1400 AD.

Francesco was also active in stopping warring between the Christians and the Muslims in the Middle East. These were terribly bloody and destructive, and his efforts were helpful. We are all most grateful to this gentle man who set a new standard for the Catholic Church and gave birth to a more gentle world.

III. SAINT CLARE

Saint Clare was born in Assisi in 1194. Like Francis, she was born into a wealthy family. In fact, even as a child she learned about Francesco and admired what he was doing.

Clare went through some of the same steps that Francesco had been through – losing interest in the worldly and superficial material world and wanting a better life for herself and for others.

When Clare was 18, she heard Francesco preach at a local church. She decided right there that she would join his Order. She applied to live at the monastery. However, Francesco said that Clare could not join because the monastery had no rooms or bathroom facilities for women.

Clare would not change her mind and was not to be stopped. She continuously bothered Francesco for several years, asking him over and over to include women in his Order. Meanwhile, she lived nearby at a convent and read everything that Franceso wrote.

She, too, was well-educated by her family and soon, she started writing. At times, wrote even more than Francesco. She became a prolific writer about health and religious topics. She had the same zeal and desire to improve the lives of people all over the world.

Becoming a nun and following a life of service to God was rare at that time. Most of those who did this were men. Life for women of that time was also very rough, with a lot of rape, abduction, death during childbirth, and other horrors. There was definitely a need for a safer and happier life for women.

Clare saw in Francesco a spiritual leader and wanted to be work with him and be near him. Finally, in 1221, Francesco relented and built a nunnery close to his church for the women.

Clare helped him design and build a lovely convent that was safe, clean and bright. Clare soon had a number of followers and the Women’s Franciscan Order was born.

Francesco and Clare worked together guiding the development of the Franciscan Orders.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

Francesco and Clare dedicated their lives to the pursuit of peace and health on earth, and helping people learn to live with and appreciate nature. For this reason, they are the patron saints of the environment and the environmental movement on earth today.

When you think of cleaning up the environment, think of Francesco and Clare. They will help you!

THE METAPHOR OF THE FRANCESCANS

Anyone who wishes to move beyond the ordinary life on earth must go through the same steps that Francesco and Clare went through. One must:

1. See the folly and stupidity of the purely material and superficial life.

2. Leave the purely comfortable material life and move on to a simpler life, close to nature, in touch with God and with others in a different way. One need not take a vow of poverty, but money must not be a major goal or requirement for your life. It definitely must not get in the way of your worship of God and the way you conduct yourself and your daily routines.

3. Decide to spread the truth of your new lifestyle to others. It can be through a religious Order or teaching, or it could be in a secular line of work such as healing, counseling or something else.

4. Include the development program, as taught only on this website, in your work. This is important for health today and to extend people’s lives and improve their happiness.

We say “as taught only on this website” because there is a concerted effort underway to change the work and ruin it. At least 100 phony practitioners and helpers today claim they understand development or nutritional balancing, but their only desire is to stop it by changing the diet and eliminating the development procedures such as the pulling down procedure. Beware!

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