There is a danger though in these times of sound bites and
tweets. There are well known saints that
are known by name but our society seems to have trivialized them into
caricatures of themselves. St. Francis
of Assisi seems to have gotten caught in this trap much like Saints Patrick and
Valentine. The secular and common understanding
of theses saints paint the picture of their faith that is incomplete. Contrary to popular belief, St. Patrick is not
the saint of green beer and St. Valentine is not the CEO of Hallmark. Their
lives are much deeper and richer than that.
Today you can see statues of St. Francis in gardens and
paintings of him surrounded by animals.
Many churches include blessings for pets and farm animals on his
memorial. These are great things and are
derived from the life of St. Francis, but if we end up believing that Francis’s
life was about butterflies and flowers then we are missing the point of why he
is a saint and how we can use his life to model our own.
One of my favorite stories about St. Francis is about how he
heard Jesus speak to him and tell him to “rebuild my church.” Of course, he gathers materials like bricks
and stones to rebuild the chapel in the hillside that had been in
disrepair. Eventually God says to him,
‘Knock knock pudden head, I meant the people, not the building.” (That quotation of God talking is my own
interpretation because I often sense God is saying the same to me.)
How many times in my thoughts have I felt a movement to act
on behalf of what I think God may be asking me to do without proper
discernment.
I seem to have a temperament like Francis, and this is why
he makes a great teacher for me when I study his life in a deeper way.
Francis preached about returning to the Church, and
obedience to the Church. Obedience has
never been a strong suit for me so I look to Francis.
I look to St Francis when I need courage. After using his father’s materials to build
the chapel, his father took him to authorities.
Instead of bowing down to his father to go back to his materialistic way
of life, Francis threw off his rich clothes and walked naked through the streets
– well not totally naked. The bishop saw him and covered him with his own
cloak. After this, his father disowned and disinherited Francis.
Following the will of God through obedience and humility are
some of the lessons I learn from Francis above and beyond his friendship with
the animals.
Today I will ponder how I can live a radical life following
Christ and doing God’s will. Am I
prepared to trust in God to provide if I follow Him? How can I (and you) discern, ponder and
follow Christ in a deeper way with greater trust. Beyond the flowers and butterflies, God calls
us to be saints!
