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Random Middle Ages fact of the Day
Oct. 5th, 2009 02:52 pmMy apologies to the Catholics, but...St. Francis of Assissi was a nutter. It is likely that he only got permission from the pope to preach because the last wandering mendicant preacher who asked for permission (a guy named Waldo--no really) was turned down and went on to found one of the most powerful heretical movements of his day. The pope did not want a repeat of this, so poof! Francis is officially sanctioned by the church.
Francis was very much against the accumulation of wealth, not just by monks, but by the church (unlike the Benedictines). There are stories of him harshly punishing followers for even touching money, even if it was to give it back to someone who had dropped it. As a result, Francis and his followers were completely dependant on charity for every meal they ate.
Francis was also very much against planning for the future. In any way. If you planned things, you did not have enough faith in God. His followers are said to have, at the beginning of each day, spun around in a circle until they got dizzy and fell over, and then walked in whichever direction their head was pointing and preached to whatever they found, whether it be a town, a shepherd, or assorted farm animals.
There's even a story of a bunch of Franciscans wandering into what is now Germany without learning the language. This did not go well. Not only can you not preach to people who don't understand you, you can't beg for food either. They learned one word--ja--because sometimes when they said this people gave them food. Presumably when they said it after being asked if they were hungry. Unfortunately, they also said their one word of German after being asked if they were heretics, which meant they got the crap kicked out of them and were sent packing.
I have met a few modern-day Franciscans, but don't know too much about the order. They must have toned some of this teaching down, though, right? I mean, how can an organization last for almost a thousand years if no one ever plans anything?
Francis was very much against the accumulation of wealth, not just by monks, but by the church (unlike the Benedictines). There are stories of him harshly punishing followers for even touching money, even if it was to give it back to someone who had dropped it. As a result, Francis and his followers were completely dependant on charity for every meal they ate.
Francis was also very much against planning for the future. In any way. If you planned things, you did not have enough faith in God. His followers are said to have, at the beginning of each day, spun around in a circle until they got dizzy and fell over, and then walked in whichever direction their head was pointing and preached to whatever they found, whether it be a town, a shepherd, or assorted farm animals.
There's even a story of a bunch of Franciscans wandering into what is now Germany without learning the language. This did not go well. Not only can you not preach to people who don't understand you, you can't beg for food either. They learned one word--ja--because sometimes when they said this people gave them food. Presumably when they said it after being asked if they were hungry. Unfortunately, they also said their one word of German after being asked if they were heretics, which meant they got the crap kicked out of them and were sent packing.
I have met a few modern-day Franciscans, but don't know too much about the order. They must have toned some of this teaching down, though, right? I mean, how can an organization last for almost a thousand years if no one ever plans anything?