Wisdom of St Francis of Assisi
Genesis 2:18-24; Revelation 5:11-14; Matthew 6:25-29 - Season of Creation — Sunday, October 3, 2021
Pastor Ritva H Williams
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, all praise is yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings.
Praised be you my Lord with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day through whom you give us light …
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in the heavens … bright, precious and fair.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air … fair and stormy …
Praised be you my Lord through Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be you my Lord through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night …
Praised be you my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth
who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs …
These words are excerpts from a song called the Canticle of the Sun. It was composed by Francis of Assisi in 1224, while he was recovering from an illness. According to tradition, with the help of Brothers Angelo and Leo, Francis sang this song on his deathbed, adding a final stanza
Praised be you, my Lord through Sister Death, from no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they she finds doing your will.
Francis was 44 years old when he died on October 3, 1226. He was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in the Italian town of Assisi. His father Pietro insisted on calling him Francesco/Francis, and that was the name that stuck. Francis grew up to be a handsome, witty, gallant young man who enjoyed fine clothes, rich friends, and extravagant pleasures. At the age of 21, Francis joined the military and went to war, only to be captured and held prisoner for almost a year. He returned home and spent another year recovering from his ordeal. On his way to rejoin the military, Francis had a strange vision that sent him back to Assisi, and caused him to lose interest in living the good life. Instead he went on pilgrimage to Rome where he hung out with the beggars in St. Peter’s square. Back home, he spent a lot of time wandering in lonely places.
Francis’ favorite haunt was an old forsaken chapel at San Damiano where he liked to pray. One day the icon of Christ Crucified spoke to him saying, “Francis, Francis, go and repair my house which as you can see, is falling into ruins.” Francis interpreted this to mean that Christ wanted him to fix the chapel. To raise money for the repairs he sold some of his father’s choice cloth without permission. This got Francis into a lot of trouble and ended in a public confrontation with his father. Francis renounced his father, his wealth and his future inheritance, even going so far as to return the clothes on his back (as depicted in this painting in which the Bishop of Assisi is shown wrapping Francis in his own cloak).
Francis wandered about, spent time in a local monastery, and begged for stones. Over the next two years, he rebuilt the old chapel at San Damiano and several others, including the Chapel of St Mary of the Angels, where he settled in a hut. Francis began nursing lepers quarantined in and around Assisi. Dressed like a peasant in a simple woolen tunic tied with a rope belt, he wandered about the countryside preaching repentance, brotherly love and peace. Francis’ mission and vision drew others to join him, and resulted in the formation of two religious communities, the Order of Friars Minor for men, and the Order of St Clare for women. For those who couldn’t leave their homes to join a religious community, Francis formed an order of men and women committed to living out understanding of Christianity in their daily lives.
The wisdom of Francis is captured in the Canticle of the Sun — a deep appreciation for the inter-connectedness of all created things. Sun, moon, stars, wind, air, water, fire are our brothers and sisters. The earth is our sister and our mother. Francis’ companions remembered him preaching to or about larks, lambs, rabbits, pheasants, falcons, cicadas, waterfowl, bees, and pigs. He made peace between the villagers of Gubbio and ferocious wolf that was harassing them. He was noted for picking up worms from the road and moving them to the side where they wouldn’t get stomped on. He objected to cutting down whole trees, urging people to take only the parts they needed (1). Francis is credited with setting up the first nativity scene that featured live animals — an ox and a donkey lying on either side of a simple manger filled with straw.
You can see why the Season of Creation concludes on the feast day of Francis of Assisi, who is celebrated as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and ecology. He took very seriously scriptures like Genesis 1 in which God calls creation “good” and “very good.” Our reading from Genesis 2 reminds us that God created animals from the earth to be companions for the first earthling in their aloneness. Our reading from Revelation shows us that in the world to come for every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and in the sea has a place in God’s choir. Jesus assures us the God who loves and cares for birds and lilies, cares for us just as much, maybe even a little more.
We honor Francis of Assisi as a renewer of the church, who 800 years ago became an example of what faithfulness to Christ looks like — deep reverence for the earth and all its creatures, caring of the poor and the sick, and even engaging in inter-faith dialogue. In the midst of the Crusades, Francis traveled to Egypt and spent a week with Sultan Al-Kamil. The content of their conversation was never revealed, but in the midst of vicious fighting they met in peace.
Francis of Assisi’s legacy is present and active today. The most famous proponent of Franciscan spirituality today is the Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis. We can learn about Franciscan spirituality through the books of Fr. Richard Rohr, or by becoming engaged with Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center here in Cedar Rapids, or checking out the Lutheran Order of Franciscans which is affiliated with the ELCA, is a Reconciling in Christ community committed to spiritual renewal, accompanying the poor, caring for creation and building bridges between different faith communities. ecumenical bridge building.
Here at St. Stephen’s we remember Francis of Assisi today with a blessing of pets. At the second service outdoors we anticipate having live pets to bless. At this early service I have prepared a collage of photos from past pet blessings and internet sources …
“Blessing
the
Animals”
by Jan Richardson
(The Painted Prayerbook)
[Good and gracious God] who created them and called them good:
bless again these creatures who come to us
as a blessing fashioned of fur or feather or fin,
formed of flesh that breathes with your own breath,
that you have made from sheer delight,
that you have given in dazzling variety.Bless them who curl themselves around our hearts,
who twine themselves through our days,
who companion us in our labor,
who call us to come and play.Bless them who will never be entirely tamed
and so remind us that you love what is wild,
that you rejoice in what lives close to the earth,
that your heart beats in the heart of these creatures
you have entrusted to our care.
Richard Rohr, Eager to Love — The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, 2014, p. 45-46
