The favorite saint of Jesus Youth (BJRE014)

The favorite saint of Jesus Youth

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2018)

Someone wrote to me recently, ‘Why do we say that St Francis is the patron saint of Jesus Youth? What do we imply by that?’ That question awakened quite a few memories and thoughts. One of them was an evening discussion we had a long time ago.

That evening, as an icebreaker, we were asked to share a question, ‘Who is your favorite saint, and what do you like about him/her?’. This was in the early 1980s, and we had come together at Snehanilayam in Ernakulam for the First Line Gathering. We were an assorted bunch of youth and married men and women, but all were actively involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and passionately dedicated to accompanying young people. 

Francis of Assisi was a saint that I knew quite well and had so much admiration for. While I was small, my auntie gathered the children together during vacation and read us nice books. One of her favorites was the life of St Francis of Assisi. So many interesting anecdotes from the life of this holy person stick in my memory: his birth in a manger, his bringing up in the affluent home of a silk merchant, his transformation during his quest for worldly glory, his encounter with a leper, the call to build the church, embracing of utter poverty in life, how he builds a band of dedicated poor friends, and so on. When the question about my favorite saint came, I had no doubt about mine.

During our discussion, I readily opted for St Francis. The senior one among us was Miss Alicekutty, and her birthday was on the 4th of October, the very feast day of St Francis. She, too, was much in love with him. That day, one after the other, most of us in the First Line Group declared our love for this humble yet fascinating holy man. Though there was no official declaration, from that day on, we would say that St Francis of Assisi is our heavenly patron. I don’t think we ever had his statue or picture placed amid us or composed any special prayers or novenas invoking the intercession of St Francis. Still, we often mentioned his challenging qualities and cited him as the best model for us to follow the Lord. 

From the beginning of the Jesus Youth movement, St. Francis had a special place. As a song, a prayer, and the fuel for reflection, “Lord, make me a channel of your peace” has been on the lips of most Jesus Youth. Later, when the beautiful film on Francis, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” by Franco Zeffirelli, was introduced, it became an inevitable ingredient of most training programs. The famous song by Donovan, “If You Want Your Dream to Be,” was the best-loved song in school and college groups. At the turn of the century, Jesus Youth Prayers were collected into a book form; among the thirty-one ‘Saints’ Prayers,’ two were from St Francis. Love for Francis has steadily grown in the Jesus Youth movement since its inception. 

Why does Jesus Youth love St Francis?

St Clare of Assisi, the famous disciple of Francis, had this to Say: “We become what we love, and who we love shapes what we become.” Getting challenged by a saint like St Francis is a transforming experience for any Jesus Youth. No wonder the movement takes special care in introducing him to the younger ones who come to be part of its fellowship. And what are some of the significant aspects of Francis's person and life that the movement wishes to highlight?

Firstly, his radical following of Jesus, loving Him passionately as his friend and master. He dared to imitate Christ thoroughly and lived the Gospel with uncompromising courage. 

He lived a life of the joy of the Lord in its fullness. The saint's resulting joyful and creative life was the best example of the good news for the onlookers. It became the foundation of a life of communion with God, the men and women, and even the ecosystem.

He loved poverty and simplicity, which helped him flee from material bonds. To attain the fullness of life in the Lord and follow Jesus, Francis forsook everything and espoused the beautiful poverty.

He was so very creative: a wonderful poet, loved singing, had surprisingly novel ways of talking, acting and sharing the message of salvation. His creativity and radical ways fascinated everyone, especially those young in spirit.  He truly lived ‘via pulchritudinis’ or the path to reach God contemplating beauty.

Francis had a unique approach to the evangelistic mission. He was so good at reaching out to others and bringing them to an active life in Christ. “Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” these highly challenging words, rightly or wrongly attributed to the saint, speak abundantly of the Franciscan approach to sharing the message of Christ with others. 

Francis was born around 1181 in a little town in Italy and died in 1226. However, in all subsequent generations and nations, whoever came across this radically poor and joyfully creative ‘little humble man’ has drawn immense inspiration and ever-renewing creativity from his example. In Jesus Youth, this joy-filled Mirror of Christ is a constant challenge to live a fervent and radical discipleship. He is also a scarcely explored model for superb mission styles relevant to contemporary times. More than a pious devotion to the saint, the movement should strive to promote a deeper understanding and continuous reflection on this radiant model of vibrant youthfulness among the young.

 = Pointers for Reflection =
1. What would you highlight about St Francis?
2. How is St Francis a suitable patron for JY?
3. What is your suggestion for growing in the spirit of the patron?
4. If you propose another saint as patron for the movement, who will it be and why?