Saint Frances of Rome and Respect for Authority

Welcome to the fourth installment of Saint of the Month! For March, I’m focusing on Saint Frances of Rome, whose feast day is March 9.

Saint Frances was born in 1384. She discerned very early on that she was called to the religious life, but her father, who had already arranged her marriage, forbade it. St. Frances resisted, but when her confessor suggested that she was more seeking to follow her own will than God’s, she reluctantly gave in and married the man in question, Lorenzo Ponziani.

She had many troubles over her married life – her marriage had a rocky start, for one, for although her husband was a good man and devoted to her, she hated the social life she was dragged into. Later on two of her children died of the plague, her oldest son was taken hostage, and her husband had to leave Rome because of the political unrest and returned emotionally scarred by his experiences. While caring for her family, St. Frances still found the time to give to the poor and care for the sick. Eventually she started a community of lay women called the Oblates of Mary, whose mission was to care for the poor.

Lorenzo died while St. Frances was still middle-aged, and she joined the Oblates of Mary herself and became the superior. She died herself just four years after joining the Oblates.

The virtue which I’m focusing on is that of obedience and respect for those in authority. St. Frances knew just what she wanted to do with her life. In the end, however, with the prompting of her confessor, she decided to be obedient to her father instead.

I think few of us would have blamed St. Frances if she had decided to become a nun anyway against her father’s wishes. Her father’s authority came from God Himself, however; it was God who placed that particular man in that family as its father. And God tells His people to honor and obey their parents and their rightful authorities.

It’s easy to become annoyed and restless about having to obey superiors, especially when we feel that they misunderstand us or are making decisions we disagree with. Unless we are being told to do something actively sinful, however, we are called to obey them. They are, in a sense, representatives of God for us. This is not to say we shouldn’t voice our opinions or objections, but if we are overruled, we should accept it. Since obedience is a law given to us by God, obeying can’t be the ‘wrong’ decision. Even if it seems wrong, God can turn it to good, as he did in St. Frances’ full and holy life.

Saint Frances, please help us to have more respect for those in authority over us.