Frank M. Rega - St. Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims

If anybody in human history ever had the right approach to invite the Muslims to Jesus Christ, it was St. Francis of Assisi. He was a fearless man of God, on fire to share the truth and love of the God-Man to all the world, even to the most difficult assignment that could ever be given to any Christian. St. Francis was wise and prudent, willing to put his life on the line to bring everyone home to the embrace of our Heavenly Father. This most dangerous commission is given only to those who are qualified to be sent, after submitting their inspiration to the Lord in prayer and to their superiors in the Church for approval. Their goal is salvation for themselves and for all those invited to submit to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The author of this volume is qualified to present his thesis for our reflection because his research has been thorough and he has known St. Francis now for many years, as he is a follower and student of the Franciscan way of life in the Secular Franciscan Order. His research is trustworthy and acceptable, without any undue bias in interpreting his original sources.

The subject is timely because the Muslim world in some places has taken a hard line against Christians, in some instances refusing to give them permission to worship in their customary way through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Punishment, incarceration and death are the threats in some Muslim countries for those who would break their laws. When Mother Angelica in 1982 visited Pope John Paul II in Rome and presented him with a baby satellite dish, his only comment to her was: Beware of the Muslims! And there was a certain foreboding to his voice.

The example of St. Francis in confronting the Sultan of Egypt offers the Eternal Word Television Network and the world probably the best way possible to present Christianity to Muslims. St. Francis did not attack Mohammed! He presented Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God without apology, even though the Moslems did not believe in the Holy Trinity. He did not ridicule any of the tenets of Islam. He established his credibility by truly loving those he was addressing. There is no other accepted entre than this. St. Francis did all of the above, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to the point of working miracles. A Saint can do all that with the help of God. The Sultan recognized that St. Francis was a Saint who loved God very much; and even before that, was also convinced that St. Francis himself was loved by God. St. Francis was full of love for God and for all Gods people, even those who at the present moment do not accept Him as their Saviour.

St. Francis wanted everyone to love the God revealed by Jesus Christ. He would go to the ends of the earth, make the most difficult sacrifices, endanger his own life, if only he would bring one more soul to Heaven. Jesus came into this world to die and to rise, to give His life as a ransom for many. St. Francis would do the same, and he would invite his followers to do likewise. Some Franciscans went among the Saracens and other infidels explicitly for that purpose: to be martyrs for Christ in order to establish their witness before an unbelieving world. This is especially difficult when the ones you are praying for and working for call you infidels for not accepting their idea of God, and they have declared holy war on all infidels!