Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 4, 2008 - Holy Father St. Francis of Assisi
[Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 and Luke 10:17-24]I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
If a saint of the Catholic church could be considered a saint for all Christians (and non-Christians as well) it would have to be Francis of Assisi! He is certainly the best known. We Dominicans revere him even if our charism (preaching) is quite different from the Franciscan charism (poverty). For Dominicans, religious poverty has an instrumental value. For the Franciscans it is an essential part of their identity. St. Francis and St. Dominic were contemporaries but only legend tells us that they met once at the home of a cardinal in Rome. Both men founded religious orders that are in existence still today: Franciscans (1209) and Dominicans (1216). Lord knows, good preaching and a simpler lifestyle are much in need (dare I say, "in demand," too?). The Franciscan charism of detachment from material possessions, coupled with the "personality" of St. Francis, is a powerful preaching of its own. Francis is a patron of the movement to be better stewards of the environment! He is associated with friendship with all living creatures which is one reason his statue is found in so many gardens! I fear his charism of poverty, however, is placed so far up on a pedestal in "Western Society" that it is either too great an ideal or too negative in terms of human misery to have any practical spiritual value. This is a shame because the conspicuous consumption of our own nation is a scandal in a world where so many go hungry and without even minimal clothing, shelter or health care. Nevertheless the attractiveness of St. Francis and his movement remain today to the extent that the various branches of the Franciscan Family, including Secular Franciscans, make it easily the largest of religious orders in the church. The tradition of the "Blessing of the Animals" on the feast of St. Francis is one that is followed in many Catholic parishes. I fear the animals that are gathered for the occasion do not always appreciate (to put it mildly) the peaceful quality of St. Francis' legacy. Nevertheless, as we bring our bird, dog, iguana, cat of whatever to that church parking lot, I hope we won't get too distracted from thinking about the way we could change our lifestyle to realize a greater peace and a greater sharing of the world's fundamental resources with those who are consistently deprived of them. AMEN
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