Who's ready for another full week of hard-hitting saintly action? Well, clearly YOU are since a) you're reading this and b) you've been hitting "refresh" on your web browser continually since 7:50 am EST just in case the SEC erred and posted this matchup a few minutes early.
After an entire weekend experiencing LMW (Lent Madness Withdrawal) symptoms, your balm has been delivered in the form of Francis of Assisi vs. John Wycliffe. Time to pull out the ubiquitous Wycliffe bird bath that likely graces your garden and start reading about these two medieval saints.
Speaking of birds and other creatures great and small, we hope you read the SEC's statement released over the weekend assuring the Lent Madness public that no animals were harmed in the formation of the 2015 bracket.
But enough stalling. The Madness is back. Get to it!
Francis of Assisi
Francis was born into a wealthy family in the early twelfth century. His younger years were spent like many rich young men of the day — partying rather than praying. A series of events, including an imprisonment and a serious illness, began to shift Francis’s priorities and awareness. On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis was moved to compassion by encounters with beggars outside St. Peter’s Cathedral.
When Francis returned home, he broke from his old life, taking up the disciplines of poverty and devotion. While attending Mass one day, Francis heard the words of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel, asking his disciples to leave all and follow him. These words guided Francis’s life henceforth. He became an itinerant preacher embracing poverty, humility, and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. He soon had people joining him in his example of ministry. When the number of followers reached twelve, Francis wrote a rule for the group and soon obtained papal approval for the “friars minor” as they called themselves.They continued to grow and encouraged a similar society for women (founded by Clare of Assisi) as well as a Third Order for lay associates.
Francis was not a priest and evidence that he might have been a deacon comes mainly from the account by Bonaventure, who wrote of Francis’s use of a cave in the Italian village of Grecio to preach about the Nativity. Francis used a manger and two live animals (an ox and an ass) to teach about the Babe of Bethlehem. Thus, we have the first recorded account of a crèche. The hay Francis used in the crèche was reported to have cured local cattle of disease.
There are many legends surrounding Francis’s interactions with animals. From preaching to birds to freeing fish and rabbits caught for meals, Francis was often reported to call these creatures “Brother” and “Sister.” The source of the stories is unclear, but Francis expressed his love of creation and an understanding that we are in relationship not just with each other as humans but with all of creation in his “Canticle of Brother Sun.” While Francis composed several other prayers, he most likely was not the author of the prayer most commonly attributed to him — "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” — since its composition date is 1912, several centuries after Saint Francis died.
In prayerful preparation for Michaelmas 1224, Francis received the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. He received care for these wounds in several cities, but in 1226 he requested to be taken back to Portiuncula, the site of the church where he first heard the words from Matthew bidding him to give up all he had and live the gospel. He died where his call was birthed on October 3, 1226, and he was canonized less than two years later.
He devoted himself to a life of preaching the gospel by caring for the poor as one of them, by honoring God in all creation, by his profound devotion to prayer and humility, and by his forming community to join him in God’s ministry.
Collect for Francis of Assisi
Most high, omnipotent good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world: that following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an early supporter of reform in the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Yorkshire, England, Wycliffe received an excellent education at Oxford University. He earned his doctorate in 1372 and came to be considered one of Oxford’s leading philosophers and theologians. Remembered by the Church as both a translator and controversialist, Wycliffe conformed to the mold of faithful people who did amazing things but would probably never be anyone’s first choice to share a beer with (see also John the Baptist, Cardinal Walsingham, and the Apostle Paul).
Not everyone was a fan of Wycliffe’s criticism of the doctrine of transubstantiation, his challenge of indulgences, and his repudiation of private confession. His deep belief that every Christian should have access to scripture in their own language made him a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation and Public Enemy #1 for the Roman Catholic Church.
He was summoned to appear before the Bishop of London in 1377 to answer to the charges of heresy, but before the trial could start, recriminations on both sides filled the air and erupted into an open fight, ending the trial. Three months later, Pope Gregory XI issued five church edicts against Wycliffe, in which Wycliffe was accused on eighteen counts and was called “the master of errors.”
The Church tried to silence him but it was too late. Wycliffe had by this time many followers known as Lollards. They preached anticlerical and biblically centered reform. The more the Church attacked and suppressed Wycliffe’s teachings, the more determined his followers became. At one point the Lollards were driven underground, but they remained a constant source of irritation to the English Catholic authorities until the English Reformation made their views the norm.
John Wycliffe died December 28, 1384, from a stroke. In May 1415 he was declared a heretic, and his writings were banned. Wycliffe’s impact on the church was so great that forty-three years after his death, officials dug up his body, burned the remains, and threw the ashes into the River Swift as a protest against his teachings.
Collect for John Wycliffe
O God, your justice continually challenges your Church to live according to its calling: Grant us who now remember the work of John Wycliffe contrition for the wounds which our sins inflict on your Church, and such love for Christ that we may seek to heal the divisions which afflict his Body; through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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236 comments on “Francis of Assisi vs. John Wycliffe”
Love St. Francis and he's responsible for some great music (and other stuff) but had to go with the guy who got in the face of the establishment. We need more like him today.
Once again, I vote for the underdog--as it were. John Wycliffe may not have been someone with whom to have a beer (or ale or mead or whatever they were drinking in the 1400's) but he stirred things up and most importantly began the tradition of bringing the Bible to ordinary people.
I agree with Kathy that Francis was an amazing person who has influenced many over the centuries, but he doesn't need my vote. John just might.
I struggled a bit because I had some inclination toward Wycliffe, but in the end Francis won my vote as he has always held my heart.
In honor of Francis, I bring you this heartwarming story: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
Kind of hard to vote against Francis with the current Pope taking on his name. I did though.
Was babtisted and became an Episcopalian in Moab, UT at St. Francis,, I have to say this has always been my favorite Saint.
Wasn't Wycliffe the guy who thought that the church should be forbidden to own property on the theory that devout, wealthy people are better stewards of church buildings?
I like having Scripture in the vernacular, but making the church so profoundly dependent on the wealthy is just crazy talk.
Wycliffe was one who supported the secularization of ecclesiastical properties ~ not b/c he thought the wealthy would be better stewards, but b/c he was in favor of the church renouncing temporal role of the clergy. It was also a time when the clergy had a tendency to misuse ecclesiastical property, in which case Wycliffe thought it should be taken away. (De civili dominio)
Wycliffe. As on Facebook, do not be distracted by the cute little animals...
Interesting ... judging from the comments here, I think Wycliffe won. (Yes, I read the comments before I vote.) I think everyone decided that St. Francis would walk away with it and voted the underdog. That wouldn't be the first time that happened this year, either. But who cares, with two deserving saints. OK, now I'll vote ... for Francis.
This is an impossible choice.
My favorite prayer about St. Francis says that God sent St. Francis "when the world had grown cold" to heat it with his passion for God. Today's world is in need of such a saint, someone to set us ablaze with love for God again. Francis also confronted the evils of his day; namely, the heresy that claimed that the material world was so evil that it could not have been created by God. He journeyed to the Holy Land during the Crusades to confront those who were guilty of the horrible things that were done in God's name. He preached to the Sultan and tried to convert him to Christianity. The Sultan was so taken with this little man and his goodness that, while he did not convert, he did allow Francis to return to the Christian camp without harming him. The story of the wolf of Gubbio also shows us Francis confronting evil. The "wolf" was a rapacious man who was savagely dealing with the townsfolk of Gubbio. For all of these reasons, Francis gets my vote today.
Trust me, not everyone loves animals and certainly they don't all love people who defend animals . . . but my vote is for Brother Francis - it would be nice to see a Religious win the Golden Halo!
NOT fair - Butting poor John up against Francis - popularity can be a killer!
That being said, they both were reformers of the church each in his own way, addressing issues of the Faith in their time.
A note about Francis - everybody loves the "bird bath saint", few want to follow him in
the ascetic mystical journey. Living the way of the cross is hard compared to sentimental feel good spirituality.
I'm in a open-air restaurant and there are scads of birds dive-bombing our food. Bah to the birds! I vote for Wycliffe!
I cannot help but vote for someone who preached to the birds. Or so they say he did.
Once again I find myself voting for the guy I didn't expect to vote for. I love St. Francis, I love what he did, what he inspired others to do, and his basilica in Assisi is one of the most profoundly God-imbued physical places I have ever been.
But Wycliffe! He fought not only for what was right, but also what was practical. Accessible scripture is nothing to laugh at, while (in my opinion) indulgences are. He forced people to think about what they believed, to such an extent that he was declared a heretic years after his death, and after that dug up and burned. That is an amazing testimonial to his work and I have to vote for him.
Francis it is for me. I, too, have taken Animal Blessings everywhere I've served (if they did not already have one). Even if Francis did not actually pen The Prayer of St. Francis, it bears his spirit and evokes his image. It's still his prayer as far as I'm concerned.
Voted for Wycliffe because we have so much in common! (though I'm much more High Church than he).
Looking forward to the kitsch round -
Francis: innumerable statues of a guy holding a bird
Wycliffe: EVERY English Bible EVER printed
Wycliffe it is.
Wycliffe followed the 'Road Less Traveled" with the courage needed for the future well-being of the Church. I would gladly have voted for his exemplary leadership, but for an incredible visit to Assisi, where upon the solitary morning (off season) walk toward the mountaintop Statue, the dozens upon dozens of birds in the treetops could be heard ensemble in truly joyful birdsong. Inspiring. Love, it would seem, is the redeeming truth.
Brother Francis has had his day in the sun - let's see a revolutionary spirit like Wycliffe advance in the wonderful madness.
All weekend I was all set to vote for Fran - but, after reading the thorn in the side our friend John was to the Catholic Church, I changed my mind! Yes, he may not be the guy you want to have a beer with, but I'm not really a beer drinker anyway!!!!
I have a great deal of respect for Wycliffe's desire to ensure the scripture was in the laity's native tongue, but Francis saw the scripture in the very Creation, and for that he has my vote.
Has to be Francis...I'd be another one freeing rabbits from traps... Also I love wolves too....!Actually I love all creatures, and love the idea of preaching to them, of course they have many things to teach me..
For me this was almost as difficult a choice as last year's decision between John and Charles Wesley. Nevertheless, I ultimately voted for John Wycliffe rather than Francis. Firstly, because I have a soft spot for the Anglican Reformers in Lent Madness. They tend to get hosed because many people in our church grew up in the Roman Catholic church and have never heard of them, or heard them described as monsters by RC apologists. Secondly, Francis is an example of virtues proper to all people, and he challenged society to do more to help the poor. Wycliffe, OTOH, is an example of specifically Christian virtues and he challenged the church to be true to its particular calling, the Gospel.
Loved the dialogue today. The bibliography information is great. Hard choice, but having walked the paths St. Francis walked and feeling deep peace, I had to go with Francis.
Most likely because I was introduced to Francis as the '70s hippy dippy bird bath saint, I have never really warmed to him. Wycliffe has his flaws, but anyone who made it easier for me to read the bible in my own language gets my vote.
Both promoted significant reforms. Both faced stiff opposition from ultra-conservative forces in their own times.
Today, Francis serves as an example of Christianity at its best for Christians of all traditions, for people of other living faiths, and for all people of good will.
Sadly, Wycliffe today seems to be an positive symbol mainly for evangelical Protestants who cherish the split from Rome.
While I honour both the historic Francis and the historic Wycliffe, in terms of their iconic status today, the ecumenist in me must vote for Francis.
I don't think there is anything "easy" about responding to God's call to renounce one's old way of life and start over in the service of the needy. Francis spread God's Word and opened his heart to see that Christ was in the beggars in front of the church, not just the ceremony inside of it. I think his vibrant example of living faith makes him at least as popular as his connection to animals.
For me, there is no saint to compete with Francis. In fact, I had Francis and Teresa of Avila in the final round of my original bracket and gave the Golden Halo to Teresa because Francis has the current Pope. It seemed only fair. Alas, my bracket was shattered in the first round! I will stay with Francis to the Halo. Wycliffe was significant, but critical. Francis is positive love. I tire of negativity and criticism.
Can you imagine if we didn't each have our own Bible, but had to hope a well-reasoned Gospel was being given to us? In a church like ours where thoughtful debate and intellect are valued, we are especially indebted to Dr Wycliffe. Thank you, sir, and God bless. I'll buy that first beer in heaven.
Here, here!