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Francis
Solano was born in 1549 at Montilla in the beautiful province of Andalusia, of
distinguished and very devout parents. At the special request of his mother,
he received the name of Francis in baptism, because she ascribed the fortunate
delivery of the child to the intercession of the Seraphic Founder to whom she
had recommended herself in her distress.
The boy grew to be a joy to his parents. While he
was pursuing his studies with the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, his
modesty, gentleness, and piety merited the esteem of his teachers as well as
the friendship of his fellow students.
At the age of 20 he entered the Friars Minor. It
was necessary to check his zeal rather than to stimulate it, for he knew no
bounds in the practice of the strictest penitential exercises. In everything
he chose the worst for his own use and spent the greater part of the night in
prayer.
After he completed his studies and was ordained to
the priesthood, he evinced tireless zeal for souls. The heroic sacrifices he
made during an epidemic were especially admirable. He cared for the corporal
and spiritual needs of the sick without any fear of infection. He became
afflicted with the malady, but was miraculously restored to health. On every
hand the name of Father Francis was spoken with the greatest reverence, and he
was regarded as a saint. Such veneration offended his humility, and he
requested his superiors to send him to the missions in Africa. But another
field of mission activity was assigned to him.
Since the discovery of the New World by Columbus,
the sons of St. Francis had been active in preaching the Gospel in America.
The fearless missionaries advanced farther and farther in their effort to
bring the message of salvation to the savage Indians.
In 1589 Father Francis was sent to South America
with several members of his order. The provinces of Tucuman (Argentina), Gran
Chaco (Bolivia), and Paraguay fell to his lot. He encountered countless
hardships; nevertheless he began his mission activities with glowing zeal. He
approached the Indians so courteously and kindly that they rejoiced at his
very appearance. God Almighty assisted him in an extraordinary way. He learned
the difficult language of the Indians in a very short time, and he was
understood wherever he went, even in those places which he visited for the
first time.
God also gave him marvelous power over hearts. Once
when he was in the city of La Rioja, a horde of thousands of armed Indians
approached in order to slay all Europeans and Christianized Indians. Francis
went out to meet them. His words at once disarmed them. All understood what he
said although they spoke different languages. They begged him for
instructions, and 9,000 were baptized.
Francis would lay his mantle on roaring streams and
sail across on it to the opposite shore. He placed his cord around the neck of
a mad bull that had everybody in a panic, and led it away as though it were a
lamb. Once when a swarm of wild locusts came up and hovered like a black cloud
over the fields of the poor Indians, threatening to devastate the entire
harvest, he commanded that none of them should alight but that they should
depart to the mountains; at once they withdrew. Such miracles and benefits
opened to him the hearts of all; they loved and revered him as their common
father.
During the holy season of Christmas, he assembled
his Indians around the crib, and taught them to sing the most beautiful hymns
to the Christ Child, and he himself accompanied them on the violin. He often
cheered the sick with song and music. Once he was seen sitting under a tree,
playing his beloved violin, and the birds flocked about him and sang
along.
After Father Francis had labored 12 years among the
Indians, and had won an uncounted number of heathens to Christendom, he was
called to the city of Lima in Peru. There Christianity had been established
for a longer time, and many Spaniards lived there. But much wantonness and
immorality prevailed in this large city. One day, led by divine inspiration,
St. Francis passed through the town the way the prophet Jonas once did at
Ninive, and proclaimed to the inhabitants the judgements of God if they would
not be converted. They were all seized with fear. They called aloud upon God
for mercy, and desired the holy sacrament of Penance. The worst sinners
publicly declared their determination to reform. The saint thanked God for
these fruits of grace, and in devout hymns at her altar gave praise to the
Mother of Mercy.
He had labored untiringly for the salvation of
souls in South America for twenty years, when God called him to Himself on the
feast of his special patron, St. Bonaventure, July 14, 1610. The viceroy and
the most distinguished persons of Lima bore the body of the poor Friar Minor
to the grave. Almighty God glorified him after death by many miracles,
especially in favor of sick children; yes, even dead children were restored to
life at his grave. Pope Benedict XIII canonized him amid great solemnity in
the year 1726.
CONCERNING SACRED SONG
1. Consider how St.
Francis Solano softened the savage spirit of the Indians and made it receptive
for Christian teaching by means of spiritual song. Singing exercises a
powerful influence on the mind. Not only the words but the very melody has its
effect. It affects the heart and inclines the mind, according to the character
of the melody, to be worldly and sensual, or Christian and devout. When David,
who later composed the psalms for the Israelites to sing, played on his harp
for Saul, the evil spirit, who frequently plagued the latter, departed. --
Your mind, too, can be attuned to what is Christian and devout by sacred song.
What kind of song has hitherto given you the greatest pleasures?
2.
Consider that the Church has used vocal music made in her services from the
earliest time, in order to glorify God on the one hand, and on the other, to
edify the faithful. Thus the Apostle admonishes us: "Teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in
your hearts to God" (Col 3:16). The Israelites also sang at the command of
God, and they were instructed to know their song by heart (Deut 31:19). The
angels sang their song of peace at the birth of Christ, and the blessed will
join the choir of heaven in singing God's praise throughout eternity. We
should, therefore, have a high regard for the Church's sacred song, encourage
it as much as possible, and cheerfully join in the singing ourselves. -- Do
you do that?
3. Consider the qualities that singing must possess so that it
may serve the purpose for which it is intended. It must be devout,since it
should be a prayer, exalted prayer. But just as a prayer said without devotion
does not reach the heart of God, so it is with thoughtless singing, no matter
how loud we may shout in the process. Moreover, our singing should be
intelligible, so that the words may serve to edify. The Apostle says: "I will
sing with the spirit, I will sing always with the understanding" (1 Cor
14:15). In singing we should also keep in unison with the other voices,
otherwise it will not foster devotion but rather disturb it. Whoever cannot
sing in harmony should remain silent. Also, whoever believes he has an
exceptionally good voice should not try to outsing the other singers; that may
easily result from vanity, and then the devil rather than God is made to
rejoice. If, however, like St. Francis, you employ vocal music for the sole
purpose of honoring God, of edifying yourself and your neighbor, you will
surely obtain grace and mercy for yourself and many others.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
O God, who through St.
Francis Solano did lead many of the nations of America to the bosom of Thy
holy Church, turn away Thine anger from us through his intercession and
merits, and in Thy mercy impart to the nations who still do not know Thee the
fruits of Thy holy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
from:
The Franciscan Book
of Saints, ed. by
Marion Habig, ofm., © 1959 Franciscan Herald
Press
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