St. Francis Day: October 4, 2017

Gal 6:14-18 Ps 27   Mt 11:25-30

Deacon Jim McFadden; SFHS

 

       In March of 2013 when the conclave to elect the next pope was voting, it was becoming apparent that the cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was going to be chosen. When he went over the 77 votes needed to become pope, his “great friend”, Brazilian Claudio Hummes, leaned over to and said to him, “Don’t forget the poor.”

Pope Francis took to heart what his good friend said, which is why he chose to be called after St. Francis of Assisi: “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” These virtues are a challenge to us. Can we, like St. Francis, “follow the footsteps of Christ?”

St. Francis’ conversion to discipleship did not happen overnight nor will ours. It began one night in Spoleto, en route to military service, where he had a dream in which a heavenly voice urged him to “serve the master, not the man” and return to Assisi. That was the first necessary stage of conversion for Francis and for us: to what or, better, to whom are we going to give our heart and soul? Francis struggled with this invitation, but he began to find his old life of self-indulgence, partying, less and less attractive. Over time, he started living more simply, praying more, and giving alms.

Being poor in spirit and clean of heart, Francis was able to see   other human beings as his brothers and sisters; so, the former soldier sought to build bridges not walls between conflicting parties.  Francis knew that lasting peace could not be attained through violence, but only through justice. So, amid all the useless bloodshed of the Crusades, Francis joined the 5^th Crusade not as a warrior but as a peacemaker. He visited the Egyptian sultan al-Malik al-Kamil, greeting him with “May the Lord be with you.” Though their visit was brief and no alliance was forged, they did have a genuine dialogue. Some have said that Francis was the “first person from the West to travel to another continent for the sole revolutionary idea of peacemaking.”

This peacemaker from Assisi was also a lover of Creation. His “Canticle of the Creatures,” written after he had become blind is a challenge , no matter how insignificant something may appear to be, it is still precious in God’s eye. He understood that each aspect of the created order praises God by doing what God has intended each to do. The sun gives praise to God, by being “beautiful and radiant with great splendor”; the earth gives praise to God by being that which “sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.”

       Throughout this Canticle, St. Francis referred to the non-human elements of creation as his “brothers” and “sisters,” such as Brother Sun, Sister Moon. While this may seem cute to our modern ears, he was revealing a deep kinship we have with all of God’s Creation. Troubies, we are not above and beyond the rest of Creation, but part of it and alongside animals, plant life, and all the rest of creation. We should never forget our interdependence with the whole cosmos and remember that “God made the world to be lived in, not to be a wasteland” (Isaiah 45:18).

Pope Francis embraced the legacy of St. Francis . As he strives to rise to the challenge of his name, may we who attend St. Francis High School do the same. May we embrace a spirit of poverty, may we be peacemakers, and may we be responsible caretakers of creation. Amen.