The Influence of St Ignatius and St Francis on Franciscus

Tom Thomas –

Easter Monday my world turns upside down in the afternoon.  I receive the news from the ICM Editor, almost at the instant it was released.  Pope Francis is no more, he tells me.

In the time since then, I experience a profound sadness in me, just like I experienced when I lost my father.  It is the same for billions of Catholics all over the world, and for non Catholics too.  Pope Francis was a leader from the heart.  As a writer, I followed his various letters, communications and catechesis with great interest.  They presented the Church teachings through a modern lens.

As details of Pope Francis’ last testament and his typical day and  last hours emerge, I am struck at how he has modelled his life on two of the greatest Saints to walk this earth – the founder of the Jesuit order to which Pope Francis belonged, St Ignatius of Loyola, and St Francis of Assisi, the beggar of Christ, founder of the Franciscans, whose name Francis took up.

I have been blessed to be closely associated with these two great orders, and wanted to share some insights gained from that in the following lines:

It was fascinating to note that a normal day in the life of Pope Francis began at 430 am with almost two hours dedicated to personal prayer, the examen and meditating on the day’s Scriptures.  Pope Francis would then make his way to the 7am Mass during which he would say a homily from the heart, and commence his busy day thereafter. Attending an Ignatian retreat recently made me familiar with the contemplative method of reading the scriptures that St Ignatius of Loyola followed and all Jesuits do.  Pray, Prepare and Review.  The Pray aspect would be reading the scripture a couple of times, Prayer would be contemplation of up to an hour , and Review would be  writing down the points revealed in contemplation from two perspectives: What is God saying to me? What is my response to God’s call?

This rock solid foundation every day in Scriptural study, contemplation and prayer, is what helped Pope Francis get through a very busy day.  It is in fact a practise worthy of emulation, if we can reach out to God, instead of our mobile , for the first few hours of the day.

The Jesuits work all the time, and one of their founding principles is to be at the service of the Pope at all times.  I was told by a senior Jesuit who I go to for Confession periodically, that St Ignatius worked till the very end of his life.  Even in the last days, when he knew his life was ebbing away, he was focussing on building up of his order for the Lord, the Company of Jesus.  He passed away without receiving the Blessing of the Pope or any last rites.

Coming to St Francis of Assisi, no other saint embraced poverty and simplicity in life as he did.   A son of one of the wealthiest men in town, his conversion experience made him renounce everything, even the clothes that his earthly father provided. He embraced Lady Poverty with great love and embraced Sister Death. Whilst dying, asked his beloved brothers to lower him to the bare ground, without clothes and ended his life in a very simple manner, being buried near the chapel dedicated to Mother Mary. He died praising God and singing Psalms 41.  It is remarkable that the order he founded, the Franciscans, follow to the letter the directives of St Francis to this day, and I witness this from my close association with the Franciscans.

I think the great influence of St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis of Assisi on his life, is the reason that Pope Francis worked till the very last day of his life through the Easter Tridium, washing feet, addressing the faithful in the St Peter’s Square, being driven in his beloved Popemobile and even receiving the US Vice President J D Vance.  The video and picture grabs from that last day shows he was clearly unwell, but he pushed through, for us, doing the work faithfully till the end that he was entrusted to do, just as St Ignatius did.

He also wanted a simple life as St Francis did, even in death. This is the reason Pope Francis wanted a simple burial, in a simple wooden cask in the papal Basilica of St Mary Major, giving up the pomp of a Papal Funeral, which would have had three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak, besides other symbols  including being buried in the Vatican grottos below St Peter’s Basilica. He leaves this world and the Papacy as he started it, in simplicity and humility.

I look through what Pope Francis said on death , and this address seems apt:

“Our whole life appears like a seed that will have to be buried so that its flower and its fruit can be born. It will be born, along with everything else in the world. Not without labor pains, not without pain, but it will be born.

And the life of the risen body will be a hundred and a thousand times more alive than we have tasted it on this earth.”   – Pope Francis

The words of St Francis of Assisi come to mind, as it seems to be the way that Pope Francis lived his life:

“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in his sight is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received…but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.”
― Francis of Assisi

Requiescat in Pace Franciscus