October 4th is the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, a saint much beloved and respected by many facets of society throughout the years since his death in the early 1200's. Many of my seminary years were under the guidance of the Third Order Regular Franciscans at Saint Francis in Loretto. I have a great love of Francis and find a universal inspiration in his life and example. I was the celebrant at our liturgy this morning, and the following is what I shared in my homily. It comes from the words of the Francis of our day, Pope Francis, in his encyclical "Laudato Si!" of a few years ago.
Pope Francis says of his namesake: " Francis loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his open heartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace.
His response to the world around him was ... for him seeing each and every creature as a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists.
If we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical.
Francis invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness."
Great words to ponder the gift of this first Saint of Assisi.
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