October 4 St. Francis of Assisi

The Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi

As I have come to understand it through my reading and experience with myth, archetypes, and our universal human need for role models. The importance of a saint for humanity goes way beyond some pious and distant recollection or connection to our childhood.

A saint, in all the world’s religions, is someone who embodies and exemplifies those noble and good qualities of mind, heart, and spirit that we humans all admire and appreciate: The values and virtues such as devotion, harmlessness, unselfishness, kindness, and love…

The most enduring, and I dare say, the most beloved saint in Western church history, was St. Francis of Assisi. He has been considered to be the one person, who through his life and devotion, became the model Christian, considered to be closer to Jesus than all the rest.

What makes him such a favorite? Part of his popularity stems from how broadly and commonly his life and teaching examples have been portrayed in Western religious literature, art, and film. For instance, I have read 4 biographies of him, various accounts of his monks, and have seen three different films, and the words to his prayer appears in many places: from classical devotional anthologies, to the latest bestseller, bookmarks, and greeting cards! Today, I feel that his ideas and ideals still hold value for us.

From this exposure, we can safely say that one need not be particularly Catholic or even Christian, just universal, to appreciate the core of his teachings.

Because the story of St. Francis’s life is so well known, I have intentionally left it out of this page. (A full Sermon/story and a few reflections on poverty, chastity, and humility are available from me, if requested)

In its place, I will offer the well known story of the Wolf of Gubbio; as an instructive look at empathy, trust, caring, and as a reminder of our larger responsibility to the other living creatures on the earth…

Children’s story: St. Francis and The Wolf

Who was St. Francis? When you look at all these different pictures of him, what kind of person do you think he was? (I hold up my portrait of St. Francis by Nicholas Roerich) I want to tell you a short story about Francis and the Wolf, and how he showed us that love overcomes fear…

There once was a little town near where Francis lived and taught. The people of that town were not happy, they really were sad and afraid! You see, there was this big, fierce gray wolf that walked and stalked, and growled all around the town… What does fierce look like?

That’s right, the wolf would bear his teeth, and the people would run, put their sheep in the barn, stay inside, and bolt all the doors! They did not know what to do, or what the wolf wanted from them… So, some townspeople went to Francis, and asked him for his advice. They knew of his reputation of being able to talk to the animals, and that he was such a peaceful person, he might know what they should do.

So Francis said he would come over, and soon Francis began walking all around the town… One evening, Francis came face to face with the wolf! And the large gray wolf began to growl and show his teeth to make Francis afraid, but Francis calmly stood there, and showed that he wasn’t afraid!

Francis knew that often when someone snaps or growls, that it was just the wolf’s way to say, “I need some love!” And if the people won’t love me, then at least, I can make them fear me!” Francis saw that behind unhappiness and anger there is often a need to be understood…

Francis reached into his cloak for some bread, and gently held it out to the wolf to eat. The wolf was amazed at Francis’s kindness! Francis then patted the wolf, and the wolf felt relaxed and glad. Francis quoted the Song of Songs to the wolf, saying that love is stronger than death, stronger than fear, and that hate is often the lack of love.

From that evening on, the wolf began to follow Francis all around the town… And gradually the wolf became more tame and trusting. All the townspeople were amazed; they began to relax, unbolt their doors, and the children came out to play, and soon, happiness returned to the streets and town square.

Then it was time for Francis to leave. So he asked his brother, the wolf, to stay and protect the very people he once threatened. The wolf agreed, and in appreciation, the townspeople set out all their table scraps, so the wolf would feel loved and well-fed. He soon became the town’s pet!

Through Francis’s love and courage to face and then go beyond fear, the prophecy of Micah, where the wolf and the lamb are together, was made real and true. Whenever we can turn fear into love, and treat animals and one another with kindness, we will heal our hearts, and become happy….

Blessing For The Animals….

Spirit of Life, and of Love, we ask you to bless these animals that live with us. We pledge to look after them and treat them with kindness. We now bless these animals, in the name of St. Francis, who loved all the creatures of the earth.”

A last note: Francis’s prayer (Lord make Me An Instrument) is so well known that I hesitate to include it and theologically, it is so rich with implications, it would be at least another 4 pages of reflection…

I sincerely encourage anyone to read and re-read its words frequently, as I do because it sits next to my desk, and because it is the essence of the spiritual life for me and for many of us. Consider using it as you begin to reflect on the message and meaning of this remarkable man.