San Francesco di Assisi (1182-1226, also known as San Francisco or San Francis of Assisi) was the founder of the Franciscan Order and the Franciscan Sisters of Assisi in the Catholic Church. The Franciscan Order is also known as the "Little Brotherhood". He is a saint who protects animals, merchants, the Catholic Church movement, and the natural environment. Legend has it that, according to God's divine will, before the forty day fasting period of Saint Michael, the heavenly leader, God revealed a strange appearance and imprinted on him the five wounds that Jesus suffered during his crucifixion (namely, his hands, feet, and left rib) in order to change the hardness of sinners' hearts, causing them to repent and be saved. The stigmata of Saint Francis is also the only officially recognized stigmata by the Roman Catholic Church. In memory of him, San Francisco in the United States used his name (i.e. San Francisco) as the city name.

Saint Francis was born into a wealthy family. Before the age of twenty, he served as a soldier and prisoner of war. He gave up his property and family, lived in poverty, and engaged in seclusion. Started preaching in 1208. Many people learned from him that in 1209, the Franciscan Order of Ptolemy was officially established with the approval of Pope Innocent III. In 1212, he assisted the noblewoman Clarie in establishing the Clarian Poor Society. In 1219, he went to Egypt to preach. Visit the Holy Land of Jerusalem. After meeting Jesus in 1224, he was the first person to have holy marks on his body. His influence was on the church corrupted by politics and wealth, helping to restore people's unwavering faith in the church.
According to Jordan Qatari's account, in 1209, the ninth verse of the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew had a great impact on him, causing him to decide to be poor for life. The story of that gospel is about Jesus telling his followers to go out and proclaim the coming of the kingdom of heaven. They do not need to bring money or even walking sticks when preaching, and they do not need to wear shoes.
He was wearing coarse cloth clothes, barefoot, and according to the Bible, he didn't even have a cane. He called on everyone to reflect and repent. Quickly, the renowned figure in the city, Bernardo Quintvara, donated all his wealth to follow him, and within a year, nearly eleven followers joined one after another. He called these followers' fratres minores', which means' little brothers' in Latin. Franciscan monks are sometimes referred to as Friars, which is derived from the Latin word for brothers' fratres'.

The poor and tiny Assisian monk Saint Francis and his cheerful followers constitute another simple model of the Christian Church. They traveled the world, immersed in the love of God, filled with ecstasy. The surging joy is their symbol of simplicity.
He was born into a wealthy family in the ancient Italian city of Assisi and lived a happy and carefree playboy life in his youth. He is the leader of the local young aristocrats, often initiating fun and partying. The astute Francis later contracted illness and was unable to join the army, coupled with other reasons, thus beginning a long and intense series of spiritual struggles. This struggle reached its peak in 1206. At that time, his father was very angry and brought him before the bishop, revoking his inheritance rights. Francis took off all his clothes and left naked, determined to obey the call of the Lord and live a life of apostolic poverty. Many people saw him still happy during the persecution and were deeply moved when they heard him claim to have married a "poor" woman. They followed the young him in groups. Three years after hearing this decisive call, a sixteen year old girl named Clara wanted to join the movement and formed the Women's Branch of the Franciscan Order, commonly known as "Poor Ladies" or "Poor Clara". As a result, this group of happy men and women established the largest and most influential religious order in the Catholic Church.

The early Franciscan movement combined mystical contemplation with missionary fervor, which was not an ordinary situation. Paul Sabatier may be one of the authors of the biography of St. Francis, who wrote about his missionary fervor: 'He was content with happiness, and increasingly felt the need for others to share it with him, and to go to the four corners of the earth to proclaim how this happiness was obtained.'.
He was full of enthusiasm and traveled to many places in Italy, then went to Egypt to preach to Sudan, and also tried to serve among Muslims in Spain. Francis is a very charming orator, and his profound faith and sparkling passion inspire almost insane enthusiasm in people's hearts.
He sent his Brothers Minor to preach throughout Europe and Morocco, calling the humble team 'God's magicians'. Their responsibility is to 'revive people's hearts and guide them into spiritual joy'.
The Franciscan Order not only preaches, but also sings. They are full of enthusiasm and joy, often reaching a state of ecstatic ecstasy during worship. Francis had the soul of a poet and often improvised hymns of praise. His most famous one was "Ode to the Sun," celebrated with the Sun Brothers, Moon Sisters, Wind Brothers, and Water Sisters. That is a joyful worship poem, praising God as the creator of all good things.

Loving creation is clearly a sign of these simple cultivators. Their life is very close to the earth and they particularly love nature. Once, Saint Francis and Brother, Masseo went to a small village to beg for bread. On their return journey, they carried several pieces of dry foreskin and searched around for water springs to drink from; Finally found it, and there is a flat stone to make a table. When they were eating this meager food, St. Francis exclaimed several times, "Brother Moses! We really don't deserve to enjoy such a big treasure!" Finally, the monk Moses couldn't bear it anymore and couldn't help but protest, saying, "This poor situation cannot be called a treasure. There are no tablecloths or knives, no plates, no soup bowls, no houses, no dining tables!" St. Francis excitedly replied, "That is exactly what I consider a great treasure. Nothing is made artificially. Everything here is God's supply of baked bread, beautiful stone tables, and clear springs, all of which are clear evidence. They happily finished their food and continued to march towards France, 'Joyful and joyful, singing praises to the Lord'. Joyful trust is their simple characteristic. Once, St. Francis gathered about 5000 monks from the Franciscan Order and held a camping event on an open plain. St. Dominic and several famous figures came to visit. At a certain point in the meeting, Francis stood up and delivered a moving speech. At the end, he instructed all the monks: 'Do not worry or worry about food, drink, or any other bodily needs, but focus on praying to God and praising him. Leave all bodily concerns to Christ, for he has shown special favor to you.' Upon hearing this, Saint Dominic felt uneasy and felt that the command was not cautious enough. However, soon after, residents from surrounding cities came one after another, bringing abundant food. A feast continued, and all the monks were delighted and grateful for God's preparation. Saint Dominic was greatly moved and humbly knelt before Saint Francis, saying, 'God truly cares for these holy and small poor people, whom I did not understand before. I promise to abide by the holy and poor call of the Gospel from now on.'.

St. Francis understands what joy is, but that joy originates from the cross, not from avoiding it. There is a delightful story about how Saint Francis taught Brother Le the meaning of complete joy. Once, the two of them were walking together in a cold rain, and St. Francis reminded Leo one by one of the things that most people believe bring joy, adding a sentence each time: "Complete joy is not among them." Finally, Leo couldn't bear it anymore and asked, "In the name of God, I implore you, please tell me where complete joy is." So St. Francis began to list the most humiliating and self deprecating things he could imagine, adding a sentence each time: "Brother Leo, write this down, complete joy is among them." At the end, he explained to Leo, "The most important thing in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit is... To be able to overcome oneself and willingly endure pain, humiliation, humiliation, and hardship for the sake of loving Christ.
The life of Saint Francis reminds us of a sound model of celibacy (examples of imperfect celibacy are countless in the history of the church). Being single should not be taken lightly. To be frank, for some simple lifestyles, being single is a necessary condition. If Saint Francis were not single, he would not have been able to do everything he has done. Jesus is no exception.
Being single is not a necessary factor in simplicity itself, but certain patterns of simplicity are necessary for being single. If we want to live a life like Saint Francis, it's best not to get married; If you want to get married, it's best not to try living like Saint Francis. Due to a lack of understanding of this simple fact, human society has caused many pains and misfortunes.
St. Francis and Franciscan monks understand the joy of the Lord. Their symbol is pure love and joyful trust. They fight against materialism and the spirit of ambivalence with excited and happy hearts. What is most needed in contemporary times is this simplicity filled with the joy of victory.

The life of Saint Francis, who was holy and poor, was full of legends, but the main reason for his abundant life was his persistence in "poverty" and "peace", which he experienced from the Bible, especially from the teachings of Jesus. St. Francis once said to his companions, "Once we have something, we need weapons to protect them and ourselves. This is why there are many disputes, wars, and legal proceedings. These things have caused us to lose the love of the Creator and turned our neighbors against each other. For us, as a small group, we have completely immersed ourselves in a life of 'not possessing any short-lived material possessions in the world.' He also said, 'The Creator has called us to live a life of poverty and nothingness, to carry out a plan of salvation.' He made a covenant with the world: 'We give the world a good example, and the world supplies us with what we need.' Let us persist in this holy poverty, which is a narrow path. The road is the guarantee that leads to complete and eternal happiness." He integrated into the ecological life of nature. St. Francis and his companions, apart from preaching, working, begging, and taking care of the poor and sick, spend their other time in the wilderness contemplating, meditating, praying, and getting close to the Creator.

He often lived alone and fasted for weeks, even up to 40 days and nights. During this time, he inevitably experienced the intimate relationship between humans and living beings, as well as between humans and creators, in the surrounding natural environment. Francis' hometown valley is lush and beautiful, coupled with his sharp mind and love for composing and reciting poetry, which further strengthens his connection with nature. His love for natural creatures far exceeds romantic emotions, which can be glimpsed from his poetry and some anecdotes. Especially his poem "Canticle of the Sun," which has been sung for centuries, highlights his transparent heart and soul that embraces and cares for all things. He not only loves living things, but also sees the eternal life that runs through them, and realizes the interdependence between himself (human) and them. In every creation, in every natural pulsation, Saint Francis sees the image and blessing of the original creator. He does not have the modern environmental movement's concepts of "recycling," "waste reduction," and "ecological conservation," but he is fully integrated into life, non life, death, and eternity.