Saint Francis of Assisi: The Rich Young Man Who Gave Up Everything

Before Saint Francis of Assisi became one of the most beloved saints in history, he was a young man who wanted many of the same things people chase today: money, popularity, adventure, recognition, and success. Born around 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, Italy, Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. His family could provide him with a comfortable life, and Francis enjoyed it. He loved fine clothing, celebrations, friends, and dreams of becoming someone important. If you had met young Francis, you probably wouldn't have looked at him and thought, "There's a future saint." That is exactly what makes his story so powerful.

The Dream of Becoming a Knight
Francis wanted glory, and becoming a knight offered a path toward it. He went to war when Assisi fought the neighboring city of Perugia, but the adventure didn't turn out the way he imagined. Francis was captured and spent about a year as a prisoner. After returning home, illness and disappointment began changing the way he looked at life. Yet he still hadn't completely abandoned his dream of becoming a knight. He tried again, setting off to join another military campaign, but according to early accounts, a dream caused him to question the direction of his life. Francis returned home. Something inside him was changing.

The Emptiness Behind the Good Life
The parties, expensive clothes, ambitions, and attention that once excited Francis began losing their appeal. He started spending more time alone and praying. He gave money to the poor. He searched for something deeper than the comfortable life his family had created for him. Francis was discovering something people still discover today: you can have plenty around you and still feel that something important is missing inside you.

The Leper Francis Didn't Want to Meet
One of the defining moments of Francis's conversion came when he encountered a person suffering from leprosy. Francis had been deeply afraid and repulsed by lepers. His instinct was to stay away. Instead, he did something completely contrary to what he felt. He approached the man and embraced him. Francis later described his encounter with lepers as part of the transformation through which what had once seemed bitter became sweet. The man Francis wanted to avoid became one of the people who helped change his heart.

Francis, Rebuild My Church
Another famous turning point occurred while Francis was praying before a crucifix in the small, deteriorating church of San Damiano. According to tradition, Francis heard Christ speak to him from the crucifix: "Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you see, is falling into ruin." Francis initially understood the message literally. He began repairing the church stone by stone. Only later would his mission take on a much larger meaning. Francis wasn't simply going to help rebuild a building. His movement would help renew the spiritual life of the Church.

The Day Francis Gave Everything Back
Francis's new life brought him into serious conflict with his father. His father couldn't understand why his son was giving away money and abandoning the future that had been prepared for him. The dispute eventually became public. In one of the most dramatic moments of Francis's life, he renounced his claim to his father's wealth and even removed the clothes his father had provided. Francis was making his decision unmistakable. The wealthy merchant's son was choosing radical poverty and placing his future entirely in God's hands.

A Man With Nothing Began Attracting Everyone
Something remarkable happened. Francis gave up almost everything the world considered valuable, yet people began following him. Young men saw something in his joy and freedom that wealth couldn't provide. Francis and his followers lived simply, worked, prayed, cared for the poor, preached repentance, and depended on God's providence. What began with one young man walking away from wealth eventually became the Franciscan movement, one of the most influential religious movements in Christian history.

The Meeting With the Sultan
During the Fifth Crusade, Francis did something extraordinary. Rather than simply viewing Muslims as enemies, he crossed dangerous military lines and met Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil in Egypt. Francis hoped to speak about Christ, knowing the journey could cost him his life. The exact details of their conversations are uncertain, but Francis was received by the Sultan and eventually returned safely. In an age of violent religious conflict, Francis demonstrated an astonishing willingness to meet another human being face to face.

The Saint Who Saw Creation Differently
Francis became famous for his love of creation. He referred poetically to the sun, moon, earth, animals, and elements of nature as brothers and sisters because he saw creation as pointing toward its Creator. Stories of Francis preaching to birds and peacefully confronting a dangerous wolf became part of his enduring legend. Whether surrounded by people, animals, mountains, or fields, Francis saw reasons to praise God everywhere.

The Wolf of Gubbio
One of the most famous stories tells of a terrifying wolf attacking animals and reportedly people near the town of Gubbio. While others feared the animal, Francis went out to meet it. According to the traditional story, the wolf rushed toward Francis, but Francis made the Sign of the Cross and spoke peacefully to it. The wolf became calm. Francis then helped establish peace between the animal and the townspeople, who agreed to feed it. The story became a powerful symbol of Francis's belief that peace could sometimes be created where everyone else saw only an enemy.

The First Christmas Nativity Scene
Francis also helped create a Christmas tradition that continues around the world. In 1223, at Greccio, he arranged a living representation of the Nativity with a manger, hay, and animals so ordinary people could more deeply experience the humility of Christ's birth. The tradition of displaying Nativity scenes at Christmas was greatly popularized through this event. Every time we see a manger scene today, we're participating in a tradition closely connected with Saint Francis.

The Miracle of the Stigmata
Near the end of his life, Francis experienced one of the most extraordinary events associated with any saint. In 1224, while praying and fasting on Mount La Verna, Francis reportedly experienced a vision involving a seraph and the crucified Christ. Afterward, wounds appeared on his body corresponding to the wounds of Jesus' crucifixion: marks on his hands, feet, and side. This phenomenon became known as the stigmata. Francis is traditionally regarded as the first person in Christian history known to have received it.

The Man Who Had Everything and Found More With Nothing
By the end of his life, Francis's body was weakened by years of poverty, fasting, travel, illness, and service. He died in 1226 at roughly 44 years old. Only two years later, he was canonized as a saint. The wealthy young man who once dreamed about becoming a celebrated knight became something far greater than he had imagined. More than 800 years later, churches, schools, hospitals, religious communities, cities, and countless people around the world still carry his name and follow his example.

Why Saint Francis Matters Today
Francis may be even more relevant in our world than we realize. We live in a culture constantly telling us that happiness is one purchase, promotion, relationship, vacation, achievement, or follower count away. Francis tried the good life of his own age and discovered it wasn't enough. His answer wasn't that possessions themselves are evil. His discovery was that possessions become dangerous when they begin possessing us. He found freedom when he stopped asking, "What else can I get?" and started asking, "What can I give?"

What Saint Francis Can Teach Us
You don't need to give away everything you own or move into a monastery to learn from Francis. Look at what consumes your attention. Simplify something. Spend less time comparing yourself with other people. Help someone who can do nothing for you in return. Notice the people you normally avoid. Spend time outside without looking at your phone. Forgive an enemy. Give something away. Pray. Ask yourself whether the things you're chasing are actually bringing you closer to the person you want to become.

Francis began his life wanting to become important. Instead, he became holy, and that made his influence greater than anything he could have achieved as a wealthy merchant or celebrated knight. His story leaves us with a question worth considering: What are you chasing, and will it actually satisfy you when you finally catch it? Saint Francis discovered that the richest life wasn't found in having more. It was found in needing less, loving more, serving others, and giving his entire life to God. More than 800 years later, the young man who gave up almost everything is still showing millions of people what it means to truly be free.