The Eucharistic Piety of St. Francis of Assisi, by Phillip Campbell

Among the Church’s multitudes of saints, perhaps none is as well-recognized as St. Francis of Assisi. The little man with the brown habit, scruffy beard, and forest creatures perched upon his shoulders is one of the most universal images in Catholic iconography, recognizable to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The passage of eight centuries since the saint’s death have not diminished his popularity. He is as beloved today as he ever was.

Yet Francis has, in some respects, become a victim of his own renown—a saint better recognized than understood, easier to stereotype that to exegete. Perceptions of St. Francis tend to be based not on the actual life and writings of the saint so much as on a constellation of ideals considered “Franciscan”: poverty, care for creation, love of animals, humility, and so on. It can, consequently, be easy to miss the real St. Francis for the caricature. …