St. Francis

St. Francis Sunday
Oct. 7, 2007

I want to share with you the story of Francis as told by Robert Ellsberg in his book All Saints Daily Reflections on Saints Prophets, and Witnesses for our Time.

“St. Francis was born in the city of Assisi in 1182. He was one of the privileged young men who was attracted to adventure, frivolity and romance. He was about 20 years old when he donned knights armor and went off to war. Hew was captured, imprisoned for about a year and then ransomed. When he returned, he became seriously ill and his recovery was slow. These experiences provoked a spiritual crisis which was ultimately resolved in a series of dramatic episodes.

“Francis had always been a fastidious person with an abhorrence for paupers and the sick. As he was riding in the countryside one day he saw a loathsome leper. Dismounting, he shared his cloak with the leper and then, moved by some divine impulse, kissed the poor man’s ravaged face. From that encounter Francis’s life began to take shape around an utterly new agenda, contrary to the values of his family and the world.

“While praying before a crucifix in the dilapidated chapel of San Damiano, Francis heard a voice speak to him: “Francis, repair my church, which has fallen into disrepair, as you can see.” At first inclined to take this assignment literally, he set about physically restoring the ruined building. Only later did he understand his mission in a wider, more spiritual sense. His vocation was to recall the church to the radical simplicity of the gospel, to the spirit of poverty, and to the image of Christ in his poor.

“Francis gave away all that he had, including the clothes off of his back. The bishop hastily covered him with a peasant’s frock, which Francis marked with a cross. And so his transformation was complete.

“The spectacle which Francis presented – the rich boy who now camped out in the open air, serving the sick, working with his hands, and bearing witness to the gospel – attracted ridicule from the respectable citizens of Assisi. But gradually it held a subversive appeal. Before long a dozen other young men had joined him. They became the nucleus of his new order, the Friars Minor. The beautiful Claire of Assisi was soon to follow, slipping through the city walls in the middle of the night to join the waiting brothers.

“Francis left relatively few writings, but his life – literally the embodiment of his message – gave rise to numerous legends and parables. Many of them reflect the joy and freedom that became hallmarks of his spirituality, along with this constant tendency to turn the values of the world on their head.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus also was turning the world on its head. “Come unto me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This might be one of the verses that Francis looked to often as it talks about turning things around and turning the upside down. The yoke of life is hard and our burdens are heavy, so what does this mean? Jesus wants us to turn our lives so that we can identify with the love of God which he experiences each day and once we can do that, our lives will look very different.

Francis did just that and his life radically changed. In today’s world, Saint Francis is one of the most “popular” of the saints. He may be seen in gardens around the world. His is enshrined on bird baths and bird feeders. “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” are words that we remember him by. He is the patron saint of animals, of animal lovers, of peace-makers and ecologists. He is remembered for his mercy to the poor and marginalized.

He marched to the beat of a different drummer. The rhythm of his walk continues to attract and fascinate people. He lived a radical life that makes some people nervous, and they would prefer to look at Francis from a perch in the corner of a garden, as a companion to our flowers and the world we love outside.

For me, Francis’ life story is an amazing challenge. He preaches the gospel not in words but in his actions and in his story. I think that is why people both love and fear him. Some want to pass him off as crazy – and let’s face it, he was a bit “out there”, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention to him. We could call Jesus and all of his outrageous actions crazy as well.

When we really look at Francis’ life, he does not just speak the truth of the Gospel, but he lives it. In Francis’ life, we see the gospel made flesh – another incarnation story. Now, for us a call to serve like Francis does not have to mean a call to poverty or a call to leave behind our families. It is a call to live our lives differently, to turn things on their head – to live life as Micah charges us today, when he says “… and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8b

To do justice – the definition of justice as it is used here is the fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are being made. So, in today’s world how can we do justice - how can we contribute to the just treatment of people, the environment and the gifts that God has given us?

To love kindness – how can we practice being sympathetic or compassionate? How do we help those around us, how do we bring the Gospel into every interaction with people, either people we know or don’t know? How can we do the random acts of kindness that will change the world? Where do we start?

To walk humbly with God – how do we modestly, respectfully, lovingly walk with God each step of the way? How do we bring others on that journey with us?

Marcel Proust wrote “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but seeing with new eyes.” These are not new things that we are talking about today. Justice, kindness, humbleness on our walk with God are things that most if not all of us have thought of before. Today, Francis calls us to look at them in a whole new way. Since Francis is our patron saint here at the house, I’m hoping that we can take some time today, during dinner to look at ways that we can live out our call to justice, kindness and humbleness on our walk with God in innovative and creative ways. My hope is that we can all find ways to be instruments of peace in the world.