Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
The story of Francis of Assisi is a reverse rags-to-riches full of moral conviction. He was the wealthy scion who gave it away to live intentionally in extreme poverty. As the church says “Of all the saints, Francis is perhaps the most popular and admired but probably the least imitated; few have attained to his total identification with the poverty and suffering of Christ.” His is, as they might say, a perfect example . . . for someone else.
I’m not sure we ought to follow Francis’s example, however. Life isn’t about seeking an end to excess by experiencing pain! But his example reflects something more valuable than wealth: living a life centered on God. On the beauty of creation. On living within the confines of such a blessed life.
We associate his feast day with animals, blessing, and humility, which is all fitting to the saint and the tradition. But there is also something a bit easy about this. Like a Disney take on a Grimm fairy tale. None of this is bad, mind you. It has its own moral center that is valuable and meaningful. Heck, we’ll be honoring our blessed pets at church that afternoon (4:00, this Sunday!). But it removes a big part of the story. And in Francis’s case, I dare say, the most important part.
We can choose to let go of the things that bind us to economic hamster wheel. And we can choose love instead. To love our neighbors as ourselves, yes. And to love the earth as a manifestation of God’s love. Not for our gain, like another kind of wealth, but as manna from heaven, as shared, as all a gift.
With love,
Drew+
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Join us Sunday, October 4th @ 4:00 pm
for our celebration of Saint Francis with Pet Blessing
in the Mabley Garden
