It’s hard not to love St. Francis of Assisi. He’s a saint for all seasons—very modern in his sensibilities and yet an old-fashioned advocate for basic Christianity.

A couple of years ago, I spent 8 days in Assisi with a group of pilgrims from Marian University in Indianapolis. We studied, prayed, ate and drank, toured the Umbrian countryside and in all things sought to encounter Francis (and his friend St. Clare) to learn more about the Franciscan way of life.

What we learned was that Francis was a man of many contradictions. He was the son of a rich man who chose to become radically poor. He was a joyful man who voluntarily underwent intense suffering. He was a peacemaker who tried to end the Crusades single-handedly by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the “enemies” of Christendom in the Middle East.

Francis was a man of prayer who loved to sing and dance. He was strict—even rigid—with himself and his followers but full of gentleness and mercy toward all others.

He wanted to follow Jesus, to rebuild his Church and to serve the poor with all his heart—to be Christ for them in all his words and actions. He did not want to found a religious order, but the Franciscan movement founded itself around him—for better or worse.

Those of us the world over who have come to know and love the followers of Francis and Clare of Assisi are deeply grateful that St. Francis didn’t always get his way. The Franciscans can be full of contradictions, too, but they keep the Franciscan movement alive and present to us spreading the joy of the Gospel and seeking the peace of Christ!

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