800 Years of St. Francis · Day 1 of 31 · Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eight hundred years ago this week, a man was dying on the plain below Assisi. He had given away everything he owned, and the world still has not finished receiving it.
This month, one short page a day, I want to walk with Francis. He shouldn’t be treated as a statue in the garden or a name on a feast day. I’d rather walk with him as a traveling companion.
Here is what I have come to believe about him after many years at a retreat center that carries the name of his little chapel. Francis wasn’t following a system. He was doing what you do on your best days. He stopped. He saw what was actually in front of him. He responded from somewhere deeper than habit. The difference is that he did it on purpose, every day, until it became who he was.
That is the whole invitation of this month. It isn’t a curriculum and there is nothing to join. Each day there is a moment from his life, a few words, and one question to carry into yours.
Notice today: What would it mean to spend one month noticing the world the way Francis did?
The saint is not the destination. He is company for the road.
Day 1 of 31 · 800 Years of St. Francis: A Daily October Companion · spiritualbreak.com
Reflection © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS.
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