Roberto Sabbadini Júnior (photo) is an economist and local council official in the Brazilian city of Muriaé, in the state of Minas Gerais. He is an active member of the local Spiritist Movement and is affiliated to the Maria de Nazaré Spiritist Centre. He is also a keen researcher and biographer and has studied in depth the life of St Francis of Assisi, as he explains in the following interview. 

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

I was born into a Spiritist family in the city of Bicas, in Minas Gerais, where my paternal grandfather was a renowned member of the Spiritist community. He was the founder of the Paulo de Tarso Christian Home, a home for the elderly, and also a member of the Francisco de Assis Spiritist Centre. 

Where does your interest in the life and work of Francis of Assisi come from?

Our connections go beyond the constraints of our present life as incarnates. As far as I can remember in my life, I’ve felt the energy of Francis of Assisi near me. I have a feeling that he has always loved me, while I have only now woken up to his love and affection. 

What is the importance that this great figure has had for humanity?

His importance was in setting a true example of how to put love into practice. He has come to show us in an indisputable manner that you can live a simple life and be happy and in peace yourself. That is something that any of us can achieve. Divine mercy has also sent to this world souls like that of Francis in order to encourage us to move forward, in the direction of personal and collective moral progress. 

What does he mean for religions?

He was and still is a representation of ecumenic values at their best. He put into practice the principles of universal fraternity, going beyond the limits imposed by individual and class interests. An example of that was when he visited the Sultan [al-Kamil of Egypt] in his tent [during the Fifth Crusade in 1219] and offered a truce in the middle of the war, earning then the respect and understanding of the sovereign. That was a demonstration that love is unconditional. 

In the world we live now, marked by so many conflicts and polarisation, what can we learn from the historic and moral legacy of Francis of Assisi?

Francis now and forever. He was an example of simplicity and humbleness and understood that we are special and unique human beings. Francis was the main follower of Jesus Christ! May we take him as a great example of love in our lives.

How can Spiritism help us understand more clearly this amazing individual?

It’s essential to understand reincarnation as part of the process. It explains how experiences in successive lives add up in our souls. In his previous incarnation, as John the Evangelist, he left his mark through his personality and his contribution to the Gospel. He used his mediumship to bring to the world the revelation of Christ. His visions were compiled in the Book of the Apocalypse. And he continued to make the practice of charity the core of his life, in a life where his actions spoke louder than his words. 

What do you think was the most important event in the life of Francis?

I think it's sacrilege to pick one single event out of so  many. That reminds of the last verse of the Gospel of John, when he says that if someone was to try to depict all the glories, teachings and actions in the life of Jesus, there wouldn’t be books on Earth where all that could fit in. As Father Antônio Vieira said: “Christ told the others to follow him, but he only allowed Saint Francis to equal him.” Love is endless and it appears in the smallest aspects of our lives. All we need is to open up our eyes to see it. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

If we wake up the Francis we have inside us we would be opening up a portal of light for life experiences that go much beyond the reaches of our imagination. It’s about allowing yourself to look at life with the eyes of an immortal Spirit. It’s about seeing other people as brothers and sisters and to understand that life is sizzling around us and we must move according to the gusts it generates, singing the praises to the dawn of an era of immortal peace. I leave you with a quote by Francis of Assisi, to continue to inspire us today and forever: “Sad, sad friar, sadness is an illness of the devil.”