The Bio of St. Francis of Assisi & Sadhu Sundar Singh and their writings.
Saint Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan Order. He was born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181 or 1182 — the exact year is uncertain; he died there on the 3rd of October, 1226. He grew up as one of many children and in a wealthy family. It is said that in his youth, he was given to spending money lavishly and his parents seemed to indulge his every whim. Francis was given to dreams and visions from the Lord that directed his steps and kept him at times from making many tragic directional errors. Many of which would have radically changed the course of his life. A yearning for the life of the spirit possessed him in his early 20’s and he gave himself entirely to seeking the Lord in prayer and solitude. At this point he committed to own nothing and give everything. His heart to posses nothing and yet have everything lives on today in the hearts of many who have gleaned revelation from his writings. He is most known for his authority in nature and his selfless life that was given to the poor and destitute.
Sadhu Sundar Singh was born into an important landowning Sikh family in village rampur (punjab state) in northern India. Sikhism is a religion, founded about 1699 AD, that teaches belief in one God and rejects the caste system. Sikhs, rejecting Hinduism and Islam since the sixteenth century, had become quite established in the area. Sundar Singh's mother took him to sit at the feet of a Sadhu, an ascetic holy man, who lived in the jungle some miles away, while also sending him to Ewing Christian High School, Ludhiana in order to learn English. The death of Sundar Singh's mother, when he was fourteen, plunged him into violence and despair. He took out his anger on the missionaries, persecuted Christian converts, and ridiculed their faith. In final defiance of their religion, he bought a Bible and burned it page by page in his home while his friends watched. Three nights later, he took a bath before going to the railroad track to commit suicide. While he was bathing, Sadhu loudly asked who was the true God. If the true God didn't show Himself that night, he would commit suicide. Finally, that night before the break of dawn, Singh saw a vision of Christ with His pierced hands.Sundar announced to his father, Sher Singh, that henceforth he would follow Christ. His father denounced him and his brother, Rajender Singh, attempted to poison him. Sundar's life was saved by the help of a nearby Christian community. On his sixteenth birthday, he was publicly baptized as a Christian in the parish church in Simla, in the Himalayan foothills. Prior to this he had been staying at the Christian Leprosy Home at Sabathu, near Simla, serving the leprosy patients there. In October 1906, he set out on his journey as a new Christian, wearing a turban and the yellow robe of a Hindu sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. Singh viewed himself as a sadhu, albeit one within Christianity rather than Hinduism because he realized Christianity could not penetrate India unless it was in an Indian way. "I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but, like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all men of the love of God."After returning to his home village, where he was given an unexpectedly warm welcome, Sundar traveled northward through the Punjab, over the Bannihal Pass into Kashmir, and then back through Muslim Afghanistan and into the brigand-infested North-West Frontier and Baluchistan. He was referred to as "the apostle with the bleeding feet" by the Christian communities of the north. He suffered arrest and stoning for his beliefs, and experienced mystical encounters. In 1908, he crossed the frontier of Tibet, where he was appalled by the living conditions. He was stoned as he bathed in cold water because it was believed that "holy men never washed." In 1908 he went to Bombay, hoping to board a ship to visit Palestine but was refused a permit, and had to return to the north. On this trip he recognized a basic dilemma of the Christian mission to India. A brahmin had collapsed in a hot, crowded railway carriage and was offered water by the Anglo-Indian stationmaster. The brahmin could only accept it in his own drinking vessel. Sundar Singh realized that India would not readily convert to Western-style Christianity. Although people had responded to his sadhu's robe. During his twenties, Sundar Singh's ministry widened greatly, and long before he was thirty, his name and picture were familiar all over the Christian world. He described a struggle with Satan to retain his humility but he was, in fact, always human, approachable and humble, with a sense of fun and a love of nature. This, with his "illustrations" from ordinary life, gave his addresses great impact. Many people said, "He not only looks like Jesus, he talks like Jesus must have talked." In 1923 Sundar Singh made the last of his regular summer visits to Tibet and came back exhausted. His preaching days were obviously over and, in the next years, in his own home or those of his friends in the Simla hills he gave himself to meditation, fellowship, and writing some of the things he had lived to preach. In 1929, against all his friends' advice, Sundar determined to make one last journey to Tibet. He was last seen on the 18th of April 1929 setting off on this journey. In April he reached Kalka, a small town below Simla, a prematurely aged figure in his yellow robe among pilgrims and holy men who were beginning their own trek to one of Hinduism's holy places some miles away. Where he went after that is unknown. Whether he died of exhaustion or reached the mountains remains a mystery. Some said that Sadhu was murdered and his body thrown into the river; another account says he was caught up into heaven with the angels, and still others suggest he is still alive interceding for his homeland, living as a hermit.
Sadhu Sundar Singh was born into an important landowning Sikh family in village rampur (punjab state) in northern India. Sikhism is a religion, founded about 1699 AD, that teaches belief in one God and rejects the caste system. Sikhs, rejecting Hinduism and Islam since the sixteenth century, had become quite established in the area. Sundar Singh's mother took him to sit at the feet of a Sadhu, an ascetic holy man, who lived in the jungle some miles away, while also sending him to Ewing Christian High School, Ludhiana in order to learn English. The death of Sundar Singh's mother, when he was fourteen, plunged him into violence and despair. He took out his anger on the missionaries, persecuted Christian converts, and ridiculed their faith. In final defiance of their religion, he bought a Bible and burned it page by page in his home while his friends watched. Three nights later, he took a bath before going to the railroad track to commit suicide. While he was bathing, Sadhu loudly asked who was the true God. If the true God didn't show Himself that night, he would commit suicide. Finally, that night before the break of dawn, Singh saw a vision of Christ with His pierced hands.Sundar announced to his father, Sher Singh, that henceforth he would follow Christ. His father denounced him and his brother, Rajender Singh, attempted to poison him. Sundar's life was saved by the help of a nearby Christian community. On his sixteenth birthday, he was publicly baptized as a Christian in the parish church in Simla, in the Himalayan foothills. Prior to this he had been staying at the Christian Leprosy Home at Sabathu, near Simla, serving the leprosy patients there. In October 1906, he set out on his journey as a new Christian, wearing a turban and the yellow robe of a Hindu sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. Singh viewed himself as a sadhu, albeit one within Christianity rather than Hinduism because he realized Christianity could not penetrate India unless it was in an Indian way. "I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but, like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all men of the love of God."After returning to his home village, where he was given an unexpectedly warm welcome, Sundar traveled northward through the Punjab, over the Bannihal Pass into Kashmir, and then back through Muslim Afghanistan and into the brigand-infested North-West Frontier and Baluchistan. He was referred to as "the apostle with the bleeding feet" by the Christian communities of the north. He suffered arrest and stoning for his beliefs, and experienced mystical encounters. In 1908, he crossed the frontier of Tibet, where he was appalled by the living conditions. He was stoned as he bathed in cold water because it was believed that "holy men never washed." In 1908 he went to Bombay, hoping to board a ship to visit Palestine but was refused a permit, and had to return to the north. On this trip he recognized a basic dilemma of the Christian mission to India. A brahmin had collapsed in a hot, crowded railway carriage and was offered water by the Anglo-Indian stationmaster. The brahmin could only accept it in his own drinking vessel. Sundar Singh realized that India would not readily convert to Western-style Christianity. Although people had responded to his sadhu's robe. During his twenties, Sundar Singh's ministry widened greatly, and long before he was thirty, his name and picture were familiar all over the Christian world. He described a struggle with Satan to retain his humility but he was, in fact, always human, approachable and humble, with a sense of fun and a love of nature. This, with his "illustrations" from ordinary life, gave his addresses great impact. Many people said, "He not only looks like Jesus, he talks like Jesus must have talked." In 1923 Sundar Singh made the last of his regular summer visits to Tibet and came back exhausted. His preaching days were obviously over and, in the next years, in his own home or those of his friends in the Simla hills he gave himself to meditation, fellowship, and writing some of the things he had lived to preach. In 1929, against all his friends' advice, Sundar determined to make one last journey to Tibet. He was last seen on the 18th of April 1929 setting off on this journey. In April he reached Kalka, a small town below Simla, a prematurely aged figure in his yellow robe among pilgrims and holy men who were beginning their own trek to one of Hinduism's holy places some miles away. Where he went after that is unknown. Whether he died of exhaustion or reached the mountains remains a mystery. Some said that Sadhu was murdered and his body thrown into the river; another account says he was caught up into heaven with the angels, and still others suggest he is still alive interceding for his homeland, living as a hermit.
