St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) can justifiably be called a “liturgist” in the deepest sense, as his life and work consistently advanced the understanding, celebration, and practice of Christian worship. Through his exhortations to friars and the faithful, Francis fostered not only a doctrinal grasp of the Eucharistic mystery, but also a genuine and solid piety that shaped hearts as well as minds. His writings concerning the liturgy reflected a commitment to celebrating the sacraments—especially the Eucharist—with utmost dignity, attentiveness, and devotion. Francis was not content with rubrical compliance alone. He composed prayers and hymn-like praises focused on adoration and longing for union, inviting not only humanity but all of creation into a symphony of thanksgiving, as evidenced by his Exhortation to the Praise of God (ca. 1212-1215) and Canticle of the Creatures (1225). In his personal life, he modeled the inner disposition essential to true worship, animated by love for God and neighbor. Moreover, Francis innovated paraliturgical practices, notably the reenactment of the Nativity, first performed at Greccio in the year 1223, to deepen popular engagement with the central mysteries of faith, nurturing greater fervor for both the Incarnation and the Eucharist. Taken together, these contributions establish Francis as a true liturgist: one whose teachings, example, and creative expressions enrich the Church’s worship from its external forms to its innermost core.

Word and Deed

In the writings of Francis, the Eucharist is understood as far more than a symbol or mere memorial; it is the real presence of Christ himself—he who, in unfathomable humility, condescends to dwell among his people under the forms of bread and wine. Francis marvels at the Son of God who, “so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under an ordinary piece of bread,”¹ recognizing in faith that it is the same Jesus who once walked with his disciples in Galilee and now gives himself fully in the sacrament. At the center of this mystery lies the saving and humble self-gift of the Incarnate Son, who offers himself anew in each celebration of the Eucharist for the life of the world: “Behold, each day He humbles Himself as when He came from the royal throne into the Virgin’s womb; each day He Himself comes to us, appearing humbly; each day He comes down from the bosom of the Father upon the altar in the hands of a priest.”² What is required, he concludes, is a response in kind: the faithful must give themselves unreservedly to the God who gives himself totally.³

Furthermore, in order to foster within the faithful an inner disposition of humble self-giving, Francis in 1223 devised a paraliturgical celebration at the town of Greccio, staging a live reenactment of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem so that all might behold with their own eyes the poverty and love manifested at the Nativity. His biographer, Thomas of Celano recounts the heartfelt praises, jubilation, and profound devotion that suffused the scene, as well as the enduring spiritual fruit it bore in those present. Francis’s purpose was to awaken in hearts a vivid and loving remembrance of the Incarnation, stirring joyful gratitude for so great a gift.⁴ Francis’s reenactment of the Nativity at Greccio demonstrates his inspired commitment to making worship tangible, accessible, and powerfully evocative for the senses, inviting the faithful to encounter the mystery of the Incarnation in an embodied and immediate way.

Venerable Priesthood

For Francis, Eucharistic realism is not merely a theological assertion, but the foundation for a profound reverence expressed toward the consecrated elements, the liturgical setting, and the ministerial priesthood through which Christ sacramentally extends his presence: “We must also frequently visit churches,” the saint writes, “and venerate and revere the clergy, not so much for themselves, if they are sinners, but because of their office and administration of the most holy Body and Blood of Christ which they sacrifice upon the altar, receive and administer to others.”⁵ Shortly before the end of his life, Francis wrote of the reason for his reverence: “I act in this way because, in this world, I see nothing corporally of the most high Son of God except His most holy Body and Blood which they receive and they alone administer to others.”⁶ Thus, even amid widespread scandal and moral failure, Francis insisted that priests be honored not for their personal virtue, but for the sacred office through which Christ himself chooses to come to his people.

On the other hand, Francis issued some of his most pointed admonitions to priests themselves, urging them to fulfill their duty by rightly ordering the liturgy and attending diligently to all that pertained to its worthy celebration. In the earlier edition of his Exhortation to the Clergy, he writes: “Let all those who administer such most holy mysteries, however, especially those who administer them illicitly, consider how very dirty are the chalices, corporals and altar-linens upon which His Body and Blood are sacrificed. It is placed and left in many dirty places, carried about unbecomingly, received unworthily, and administered to others without discernment.”⁷ With a solemn urgency, he reminds priests of their sacred vocation and the grave consequences of neglect: “My priest brothers, remember what is written in the law of Moses: whoever committed a transgression against even the externals died without mercy by decree of the Lord.”⁸ Further, he demands unwavering fidelity to ecclesial liturgical norms: “We know that we are bound to observe above all else all of these matters according to the precepts of the Lord and the constitutions of holy mother Church. Whoever does not do this, let him know that, on the day of judgment, he will be bound to render an account of himself before our Lord Jesus Christ.”⁹ Francis thus esteems priests not as masters, but as humble servants of the sacred mysteries, accountable to both God and Church authority. Yet their role transcends mere ceremonial exactitude—they must embody and model for others the interior disposition of reverence and devotion befitting the profound mystery they serve.¹⁰

Textual Respect

The Poor Man of Assisi extends profound reverence not only to the Eucharist but also to the Church’s liturgical and scriptural texts, lamenting that “even His written names and words are at times left to be trampled underfoot; for the carnal person does not perceive the things of God.”¹¹ His dismay could perhaps invite reflection on contemporary practices of discarding disposable worship aids without regard. Throughout his official letters, Francis issues liturgical directives that frequently intensify the reforms of Lateran Council IV, particularly concerning the dignity owed to the Eucharist: “When It is sacrificed on the altar by a priest and carried anywhere, let all peoples praise, glorify, and honor on bended knee the Lord God living and true.”¹² What ultimately accounts for this approach is not a spirit of liturgical maximalism, but a pastoral corrective to the widespread abuses and deficient faith formation of his time.

By even a cursory view of his writings, it is clear that for Francis, encountering Christ in the sacrament of his “most holy Body and Blood” was the constant point of reference in his relationship with the risen Lord. From his attentive reception of Christ’s words and presence in the liturgy flowed his entire missionary vocation—the inexhaustible font from which he drew nourishment, strength, and zeal for preaching and performing works of charity. This integration of worship and service demonstrates that concern for liturgical matters does not hinder service to the poor; rather, it impels and animates it, rendering such works pleasing and acceptable to God. For Francis of Assisi, the Christ he adored in the Eucharist, honored in the priesthood, and worshipped in the church was the very Christ he encountered in the poor and afflicted; thus, reverence for the marginalized became an essential corollary of his Christological and liturgical vision.

To One and All

Relatedly, in the Franciscan tradition, liturgical prayer was always situated within a missionary horizon—ad gentes, to those who had not heard the Gospel, and equally as a force for the renewal of Catholic life within Christian societies through doctrinal preaching and the witness of a Gospel life of penance. The friars were to teach the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist not only through instruction but through outward signs of reverence and obedience to the liturgical law of their time. Their program of liturgical renewal often began with simple yet profound acts of reparation: cleaning, ordering, and restoring abandoned churches so that they might once again become fitting places of worship. Yet the heart of this renewal was not merely architectural renovation, but the faith and charity that transformed these spaces into living centers of prayer. Behind Francis’s insistence on these matters was not aestheticism but a theological conviction that liturgical beauty is pedagogical. Pope Benedict XVI underscored this in his address to the Franciscans gathered at the tomb of their Seraphic Patriarch: “Francis was a great teacher of the via pulchritudinis. May the Friars imitate him in radiating the beauty that saves; may they do so in particular in this stupendous Basilica, not only by means of the art treasures preserved here, but also and above all in the intensity and decorum of the liturgy and fervent proclamation of the Christian mystery.”¹³

St. Francis of Assisi’s liturgical vision continues to challenge and inspire. At the heart of his spirituality is the unity of external reverence and internal devotion, realized in a spirit of prayer that becomes adoration, transformation, and mission. The legacy of Francis—liturgist, devotee, missionary—demonstrates that worship must always tend towards deeper conversion and active love, making the world itself an altar for the presence and praise of Christ.

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1. Francis of Assisi, Letter to the Entire Order, in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume 1 – The Saint, ed. Regis J. Armstrong, J.A. Wayne Hellmann, and William J. Short (New York: New City Press, 1999), 118. All quotations excerpted from the above edition except where indicated.
2. The Admonitions, I. “The Body of Christ,” 129.
3. See A Letter to the Entire Order, 118.
4. See The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, 255-256.
5. Later Admonition and Exhortation to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, 47.
6. The Testament, 125.
7. Exhortation to the Clergy, 52-53.
8. Letter to the Entire Order, 117.
9. Exhortation to the Clergy, 54–55.
10. See Letter to the Entire Order, 117–118.
11. Exhortation to the Clergy, 54.
12. First Letter to the Custodians, 57.
13. Benedict XVI. Message to the Participants in the General Chapter of the Friars Minor Conventual and to the Community of the Sacro Convento Gathered in the Upper Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi, 17 June 2007.