By Fr Pedro Zitha OFM
INTRODUCTION
Death, often regarded as the ultimate enemy, instils fear in the hearts of both believers and non-believers. The uncertainty surrounding death is a persistent source of anxiety, highlighting its mysterious nature that can only be understood through faith.
Francis, like many, initially grappled with anxiety and fear regarding death. However, he eventually came to realize the futility of such worries, recognizing death as an inevitable
part of life. Embracing this reality, Francis embarked on a transformative journey of faith. He began to perceive death not as a dreaded adversary but as a sister—one to be welcomed and embraced, acknowledging her integral role in the human experience.
In moments of profound struggle, particularly during his blindness and experiences of solitude, Francis cultivated a deep connection with creation. He came to see everything, including death, as part of God’s creation—each element deserving reverence and praise. This shift in perspective allowed him to appreciate the beauty in life’s cycles, ultimately leading to a reverent acknowledgment of death as a vital component of the divine tapestry of existence.
In recognizing Sister Death as a companion rather than an enemy, Francis invites all to embrace the reality of mortality. This perspective fosters a richer understanding of life and death, encouraging a spirit of gratitude for every moment and a recognition of the sacredness within all aspects of creation. By transforming the fear of death into a celebration of life, we too may find peace in the inevitability of our earthly journey.
Francis’ conversion as a symbol of death to the world
The conversion experience of Francis, like that of many saints, was marked by the abandonment of self to focus on God’s will. This dying to self and dying to the world not only brought Francis to a true freedom to embrace the heavenly Father as his only treasure, but it also led him to a continuous search for the meaning of life and how he could better die to self in order to find true joy in following, loving, and serving Christ. At the very early stage of Francis’ conversion, it became clear to him that dying to self could never be an option for Christians, but a radical choice that leads to eternal life. The famous act of stripping off his clothes in front of everyone and then claiming that from now on his true father is the Heavenly Father illustrated how Francis desired to die to self in order to find a more meaningful life in Christ.
In this very episode, we can see that the old self dies in Francis, and the new self comes to life (John 3:3-7; Ephesians 4:22-24). Even before he fully realized that he wanted to embrace a gospel way of life, Francis already understood the meaning of denying oneself for the sake of Christ. In the early stages of his conversion, Francis began a lifelong process of dying to self. Without a doubt, Francis’ act of stripping himself held spiritual, symbolic, and physical meaning in dying to self. It was an act that illustrated the firm conviction Francis had in following Christ. However, the maturation of faith and resolution to follow the gospel way of life ultimately led him to comprehend that to “die to self” means that no one can come to Christ unless he is willing to see his old life “crucified with Christ” and begin to live anew with Him. Francis gradually learns to die to self, embraces the lepers, renounces an extravagant lifestyle, and is reborn to a new life of penance inspired by the Gospel. Reflecting on the Gospel, Francis began to understand what it meant ‘‘If you will come after Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow Me.” (Mt 16:24 & Lk 9:23).
In a practical way, Francis expressed his praises to God, which was illustrated by his particular and extraordinary affection for God the Creator. St. Bonaventure, in his writings on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, says, “that after Francis kissed the leper and then put money [in his hand], then, mounting his horse, he looked round him on all sides, and the plain was spread before him unbroken, and no trace of that leper might he see. Then, filled with wonder and joy, he began devoutly to chant praises unto the Lord, purposing from this to rise ever unto greater heights.”[1]
Francis: From Fear to Embrace of Death
Francis’ salutation to Sister Death is rooted in both human and spiritual understanding. The spiritual comprehension of this human reality enabled Francis to reach the point of calling “death” a sister whom he could not fear but rather acknowledge her presence and reality — a sister he considered embracing and being at peace with, for it is through her that one can transition to the fullness of life.
This Christian approach restores hope and provides a new perspective on life. Francis first experienced a near death experience during the war; he feared death, but through his journey of conversion, as he reflected on and meditated on the Scriptures, he began to make peace with mortality, seeing death as a step toward resurrection.
In Francis’ earlier exhortations to the brothers and sisters of Penance 2: 14 and in the later exhortation to the brothers and sisters of Penance 82, his approach is one of fear, threat, and inevitability. In these exhortations, Francis’ attitude toward death is negative, but as he continues his profound search for meaning in his life, he develops a mature understanding of death as a passage toward eternal life, a view highly influenced by his deeper love of the Scriptures.
As he continued to pray and meditate on the Scriptures, especially on the passion and 
resurrection of Jesus, his dread and fear of death slowly but surely began to disappear, and he started to give praise to God, saying: “Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape.”[2] Francis’ praises were driven by the full acknowledgment that we are mortals, but most importantly by his inner spiritual awareness and realization that, as human beings, we are connected to our Creator, and to Him we belong. Thus, Francis understood then that neither death nor the tomb would ever hinder us from remaining in relationship with God or separate us from Him (Rom 8:38-39). The Christian belief is centred on this fact: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death, like a natural sister from whom we separate when she gets married and begins a new life, is a bodily death that separates us from earthly life and enables us to enter into heavenly life.
Why praise death?
For Francis, death was a natural phenomenon of life and is part of God’s plan for humanity, and such a phenomenon is experienced by all created beings. However, reaching such an understanding requires a maturity of faith, which, in the case of Francis, allowed him to see and find in creation a true manifestation of God’s love that will never be cancelled by death. Like a human sister, death can never be avoided or feared because her presence is real and must be embraced. Death is a reality that cannot be denied. How you face it is a different question altogether. For Francis, approaching death with praise was the ultimate act of faith in the risen Lord. It was a journey of faith that enabled Francis to reach the point of even praising the Lord while confronting death.
For Francis, the best way to face death was to acknowledge its presence first, then move from fear to a Christian hope that resulted from a lifelong search for God in his life — a search that developed through attentiveness to what God asked of him. Francis’ continuous reflection on the love of God, slowly and yet steadily, enabled him to find new meaning in his life. He encountered God’s presence in all creation. In some ways, Francis came to understand that death inevitably cannot be avoided; therefore, he acknowledged it, embraced it, and praised it.
But why praise something that will cut you off from earthly joys and pleasures? Francis, during his conversion, immediately understood that he needed to die to all earthly pleasures and embrace God. The famous episode of stripping himself and boldly embracing the Heavenly Father marked his first death from material wealth and his entry into a new life full of hope for a certain future, which, from a human perspective, is unexplainable. It was clear that later on, Francis could understand that bodily death shouldn’t be feared because his conversion had already been marked by “spiritual death,” which brought him closer to God.
A “spiritual death” in which he renounced his former way of life and embraced a new existence centred on God. This “death to self” liberated him from worldly attachments and transformed his perspective on physical death, allowing him to live in joyful anticipation of eternal life with God. His dedication to observing the Holy Gospel and embracing poverty exemplified this continuous act of dying to the world. So, awaiting his own physical death, he had nothing to fear or worry about but, rather, to praise and welcome his beloved sister Death, who would enable him to finally be with God, whom he loved and longed to be with.
Praises of Death as a Form of Gratitude for Francis of Assisi
Francis, having embarked on the journey of penitence, immediately grasped the importance of praising God in all circumstances of life, both joyful and sorrowful. Without a doubt, it took him a while to reach such a moment of praise, as we know that the Canticle of Creatures was written almost at the end of his life.
Nevertheless, such praises were the result of a continuous conversion, enticed by his constant contemplation and thanksgiving to God for being the author of the universe. His search for God led him to deep contemplation and a love of creation. St. Francis’ acceptance of death can be seen as the ultimate expression of his love for God and creation, as he viewed death as a transition to complete union with God. This understanding arose from his approach to life regarding what God created.
His exemplary lifestyle of poverty and humility, along with his strong relationship with God, creation, and humanity, illustrates a life lived in preparation for eternal union with God. This perspective allows for an interpretation of death as a transition to ultimate fulfilment and a profound expression of gratitude for the gift of life. It is, however, a perspective — a view that can only be comprehended by believers in the God of life. Francis understood that the view of death is deeply intertwined with belief in the God of life. Death merely marks the conclusion of a person’s earthly existence, representing the culmination of their time for either accepting or rejecting divine grace as manifested through Christ. So, why not praise God for such an end to one’s transition from earthly pilgrimage to a new entry into a life of joyful union with God?
The whole idea of Francis doing penance had the eschatological view of after death; that is, that immediately after death, each person faces judgment based on their actions of faith concerning one’s state of soul at the time of death. One may enter Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.[3]His fear of death might have been caused by such theological teaching, but his penitential lifestyle helped him to grasp the idea that death is a transformation – the gateway to eternal life and union with God – so it is worthy of praise. Francis’ spiritual journey helped him realize that the Christian perspective on death is rooted in hope, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of this hope, promising that believers will also share in His victory over death.
CONCLUSION
There is no better way to embrace death as part of life than by allowing oneself to have an authentic desire to enter into a personal relationship with God as the source of life. Christians have based their faith understanding of death on the Scriptures, whereby they have realized that death will never separate them from the love of God in Christ (cf. Romans 8:38-39). Amid the reality of death, Christians continuously hold on to the hope of new life.
Francis had to go through a conversion experience to reach the understanding that death could not be a threat or an end to humanity because it has no final say, but rather, God’s love has the power to conquer it. However, it requires faith to perceive this reality: that death is definitively defeated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through his resurrection, Christians are offered hope in eternal life because Jesus has triumphed over sin and death and has given humanity a new approach to life. Francis embraced the Holy Scriptures and allowed them to transform his spiritual life in order to enter into a profound relationship with God and creation, going as far as to change his fearful approach to death into a joyous welcoming of death as a sister who gives all believing humanity the opportunity to enter into the fullness of life.
Peace and good!
Fr Pedro Zitha OFM
CIOFS Spiritual Assistant
First printed in KOINONIA Nº 127 – 2025.3: YEAR 32
[1] https://www.ecatholic2000.com/bonaventure/assisi/francis.shtml, THE LIFE OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Saint Bonaventure, Translated by E. Gurney Salter 1904 by E.P. Dutton, New York, US.
[2] Francis of Assisi [Francis of Assisi, “The Canticle of the Creatures” 12, in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, ed. Regis J. Armstrong, J.A. Wayne Hellmann, and William Short (New York, NY: New City Press, 1999-2001), 114. Further citations of this source will be noted as FAED followed by the page number.]
[3] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, Encyclical letter to the bishops, priests, and deacons, men and women religious and all the lay Faithfull on Christian Hope., 45
