To this day, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved saints. His statue is in many gardens, calling to mind his great love for God’s creation. Many of us love the Prayer of St. Francis, calling us to be a “channel of peace,” which, while not written by him, certainly captures the spirit with which he lived.

This year marks the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, and Pope Leo XIV has decreed that this would be a Jubilee Year of Francis. It’s possible to receive a plenary indulgence during this year under the usual conditions. In the decree inaugurating the year, we aretold that in a world where “the virtual takes over the real, disagreements and social violence are part of everyday life, and peace becomes more insecure and distant every day, this Year of St. Francis spurs all of us, each according to our possibilities, to imitate the poor man of Assisi, to form ourselves as far as possible on the model of Christ.”

For my reflections this coming year, I want to focus on a basic question, “How does the light of St. Francis illumine the family?” What are some lessons we can learn from Francis in living out the adventure of family life? How can families imitate the man of Assisi and so be formed as models of Christ?

When I was in Assisi, there were many Masses in different languages throughout the feast day. The Franciscan priest who preached at the Mass our group attended reflected on how pilgrims will often go to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi but ignore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The priest was not harsh in his point. He said that God is not jealous of this, for he rejoices when his children are honored. But the priest also said that Francis would be saddened by this, because his whole life was about Jesus.

I was very moved by the simplicity and charity with which the priest preached this message. He gave me a good example of how to preach a challenging word, doing so lovingly and humbly. He also simply reminded us of what Francis’ life was about.

Isn’t part of the allure of the life of Francis our conviction that he somehow found the secret to life? I do not think our fascination with him comes first because we are impressed by what he gave up. I believe our attraction to him is that we instinctively know that he found something that we all hope we will find in our life.

The life of Francis is all about Jesus. He sought to live the Gospel of Christ sine glossa (without gloss). He wished to live the Gospel of Jesus in its entirety, seeing it as simple even if demanding. Isn’t it true that we tend to add “gloss,” that is, to gloss over the challenging aspects of the Gospel, thus becoming lukewarm in our Christian life? It can happen to any of us. May St. Francis intercede for us all that we might find what he found and live for the one for whom he lived.