When people hear the name Saint Francis, they are reminded of a great man who loved nature, animals, the poor, poetry, and most of all, God. His sanctity comes from not only his love for all of God's creatures and creations, but also in his love for the crucified Christ, his faithfulness to the church and his dedication to Jesus' commandments. From his caring for the poor to his passionate and devoted times of prayer, Saint Francis' actions were gestures of worship. He desired and wanted to emulate Jesus Christ in all the things he did by living out the Gospel and inviting and teaching many others to do the same. His life, a mixture of the meditative and the active, is a perfect model of how Christians should strive to live. .
Saint Francis referred to himself as a "spouse of the Holy Spirit. " He believed that being with Jesus was a love affair. To further improve his rapport with God, he would often leave and go to a secluded place to pray to God and to contemplate on God. According to Saint Bonaventure, " Prayer was his sure refuge in everything he did; he never relied on his own efforts, but put his trust in God's loving providence . . . " Prayer and communication to God was Francis' principal comfort. He believed that prayer was the fountain of strength for his faith. God was his friend and his shelter, on whom he could throw all of his burdens and troubles. He was entirely reliant on God and he understood that prayer is a key part and is required to make progress in God's service. In fact, prayer was the first spiritual exercise his friars concentrated on when they joined him. "He was convinced that the grace of prayer was something a religious [person] should long for above all else. No one, he declared, could make progress in God's service without it." .
Saint Francis' prayers were heartfelt cries of his soul to God. Being intimate with God was Saint Francis' priority. Today's ministers could certainly learn from and should make an example out of Saint Francis.
