St. Francis of Assisi (1226-1271 A.D.)
St. Francis was known to have reached such states of bliss and union
with the divine that he would begin to float off the ground, or
levitate. He was a blessing to all he came into contact with. St.
Francis of Assisi died on Saturday evening, October 3, 1226, Francis
being then in the forty-fifth year of his age, and the twentieth since
his conversion to Christianity. Francis was canonized by Gregory IX,
July 16, 1228, two years after his death. Thomas Merton the Trappist Monk writes about St. Francis in his Mystics And Zen Masters
(1967) the following comments about the famous painting of St. Francis
painted by Giotto. “We see his out stretched hands. They seem to tell
us a story much like a face. One hand is down and open, to help, or
receive. It displays peace, and the birds trust his presence and give
him their attention. The other hand is raised with three fingers fully
extended and the last two folded, symbol of the Trinity and making a
sign of the cross, blessing the birds.” He notes that the hands of St.
Francis are surrounded in black, and that just possibly Giotto had the
hands glowing, with healing energy radiating from them, and that the
Church objected. Nevertheless the black silhouette around the hands is
unnatural and out of character with Francis who is painted with a halo.
G.G. Sill, A Handbook Of Symbols In Christian Art
(1975) defines the halo as follows. “Halos are the visual expression of
a supernatural light, a mystical force... Halos form a symbolic crown.
In ancient art, halos identified deities. In their circular shapes,
their lightness and brightness, they resemble the sun.... The halo is
the attribute of sanctity in Christian art, and identifies important
personages.”
In this famous painting the birds are
portrayed as calm and standing near St. Francis. In life we notice how
rare it is for wild birds to allow us to get close to them. His
garments are touching the birds as they trust him so much. Jesus said;
“look at” and thus learn from the “birds of the air” Matt. 6:26-34.
“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather
into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of
more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour
to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the
lilies of the field, 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, will he not much more
clothe you - [O] you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying,
‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
…strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about
tomorrow.”