Today the Christian Church remembers a remarkable person, Francis of Assisi. (1182-1226)
He was born in 1182 almost a thousand years ago in Italy. As a young man he sought adventure but also looked to the future. After an illness he underwent a change after a voice in a dream told him to ‘follow the master rather than the man’. He returned a changed man, and began to meditate and pray a great deal.
This conversion led Francis to share his family’s wealth with those less fortunate. Concerned about this, his Father took him to court in 1205, which led to that famous scene where Francis returned all his Father’s possessions to him, including his clothes, thereby renouncing his inheritance. Many people joined Francis, and they lived according to simple rules of poverty (not owning anything), and the teaching of the Church. He was one of the great originals, as he introduced a radical way of following Christ and depending entirely on others. This gave hope and strength to those on the edges of society.
Francis was a whole man. He wanted to be like Jesus Christ in every way, not to pick and choose what to believe or follow: every word had to be obeyed, every action tested to see if it conformed to God’s will.
Francis loved creation and lived very close to it. He preached to the birds on number of occasions, and they listened, but to him this was less important than preaching to people to save them from their sins. He rescued lambs from slaughter, but this was less important than saving lepers from a rotting to death, unloved and uncared for. He tamed the wolf at Gubbio but was more concerned with people of the neighbouring towns who were fighting with each other.
We recall Francis’ love for all God’s creation was not just for the beauty of what he saw. He loved creation for two reasons:
God made it and therefore to was good
In creation one could see signs and learn about the creator.
Today we bless pets and remind ourselves of our God who gives great gifts to our world. He gives us the gift of companionship through our pets, who teach us to care and love even as they show us an aspect of the beauty of God’s creation.
Blessing of Pets, OLQP 4th October 2011, Feast of St Francis of Assisi.
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