The First Reading: Galatians 6: 14-18 The Gospel Reading & Preaching of the
Word: At That Time, Jesus Said..., -
Matthew 11: 15-20
At that time Jesus said,
"Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have revealed
to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned."
On
the closest Sunday to the anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi,
the Rev. John’s Reflection/Sermon was focused on him and his life. But for me - a good quote to begin our own personal
review - comes from the summing up at the end of the Sunday Sermon.
“So what are we to make of
this famous saint? He has been called "the Other Jesus" by some. He
is revered and loved universally, by Christians and non- Christians alike. And
yet, he didn't seem to Get it Right.
Perhaps this is what Jesus is
talking about when he suggests that the foolish and unlearned may know
something that the wise and learned don't know. Perhaps certainty and Being
Right are not what Jesus wants from our lives.
Maybe Saint Francis shows us
something completely different, something that looks more like perseverance in
the face of uncertainty. Maybe the lesson I can learn from Saint Francis is the
lesson that faithfulness is more valuable than Being Right; that humility and
unknowing are a more appropriate response to God than certainty and knowledge.
Perhaps abandoning the pride of self may be the way to begin to understand God.
Or, in the words of Saint Francis' famous prayer, that it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life.”
It
is interesting to consider that perhaps the most famous prayer often attributed
to one of the most famous saints is not included in the official “Prayers of
St. Francis” of the Franciscan Order, although the prayer has been recommended
by members of the order. The lavish use
of the personal pronouns "I" and "me" and the
complete absence of the words "God" and "Jesus" are often
used as “proof” of a different author.
It
is widely thought to be more like the writing of Giles of Assisi (c.1180 – 1262),
one of the close companions of St. Francis and has similarities to his “Golden Sayings of Blessed Giles of Assisi.”
Blessed is he who loves and does not
therefore desire to be loved;
Blessed is he who fears and does not therefore desire to be feared;
Blessed is he who serves and does not therefore desire to be served;
Blessed is he who behaves well toward others and does not desire that others
behave well toward him;
And because these are great things, the foolish do not rise to them.
St. Francis has been
recognised and loved by much of the civilised world going back for many
centuries. He is not just a Roman
Catholic saint, but a person with many of the human traits that we can
recognise in ordinary people. His early
life was privileged because his father Pietro di Bernardone, was a wealthy and
successful cloth merchant who travelled extensively and was in France when Francis
was born in 1181/1182. His was
christened Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone, but his father called him Francis
and gave him every opportunity to enjoy a carefree “entitled” life with his
friends. It seems that young Francis was very popular and seen by his friends
to be a happy and carefree person who loved parties. His first biographer, Thomas of Celano wrote
that friends called Francis the “King of Revels”. He was a great favourite among the young
nobles of Assisi and had dreams of becoming a Knight, although he was being
encouraged by his father to follow him as a merchant, which was not something
he enjoyed. It is recorded that even as
a young man Francis had began to develop an intuitive sympathy with the poor
people.
When he was 19 or 20 Francis
went off to fight the Perugians in a petty skirmish, but he was taken prisoner
and held in captivity more than a year. After suffering from a fever while captive, he
began to turn his thoughts to the emptiness of his life but on recovery he
again wanted to have a splendid military career. So Francis arranged to go with a Knight of
Assisi who had agreed to accompany Walter of Brienne, who was known as the
“gentle count”, who was supporting the Neapolitan States against the Emperor. The biographers of Francis tell us that the night before he
set forth he had a strange dream and heard what he believed to be
the voice of God. In good spirits,
Francis started the next day on his journey, but a second illness caused him to
stop at Spoleto in Umbria, and in another dream where he said that he heard the
same voice tell him to return to Assisi he immediately returned to his home city.
It
seems clear that at this point in his life he was touched by the Spirit of God
and after a short period of uncertainty, Francis the fun loving “would be”
knight turned to serious prayer and sought solitude
as he answered his call by giving up his fancy clothes and wasteful ways. In the reading I have done, a recurring theme
developed and Francis began to literally embrace and welcome and even kiss
lepers and beggars and give away his clothing and his money. About this time, he made a pilgrimage to Rome
where the horde of beggars at the door of the Basilica caused him to exchange
his clothing and stand at the door with the beggars and fast.
Not long after Francis returned to Assisi, the incident
described by the Rev. John in his sermon, when Francis was praying before an
ancient crucifix at the forsaken wayside chapel of St. Damien’s below the town
of Assisi, took place. Francis heard
God’s voice again and he said; “Go
Francis and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin”. This event was responsible for panic reactions
which resulted in a permanent rift between Francis and his father, who did not
forgive his son for rushing off to his shop, and, impetuously taking a load of
his materials and also his horse which he rode to a market at Foligno and sold
to get the money needed to restore the church.
However, the priest refused to accept the money because of the way it
was obtained and Francis hid for a month in a cave near the church to avoid his
father’s great wrath, which was not abated at all - even when he got back his
money which Francis had thrown down at the feet of the priest.
The stories about the total
surrender of all comfort and worldly goods are long and amazing, and soon St
Francis who was equally kind to people and animals, was no longer considered to
be mad as he wandered the countryside preaching God’s word. Soon he was being joined by some impressive
adherents who joined him and followed his way of life - and the Franciscan
order began to spread throughout many countries and his selfless love and
service to the poor and the sick people of the world is still reflected in this
modern age.
I found this summary about Saint Francis and thought I should share it with you;
St.
Francis of Assisi was a unique spiritual personality who gave up a life of
wealth and social position to embrace a life of poverty and chastity – With the
approval of the Pope, he founded a new Monastic Order, commonly known as the
Franciscans. St Francis is considered one of the greatest saints in the
Christian tradition and an example of a life lived in imitation of Jesus
Christ.
“Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise
is yours, all glory, all honour, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do
they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.” – St Francis –
Canticle of St Francis
In 1982 my husband and I visited Italy and I was thrilled
to be able to go to Assisi and visit the place where St. Francis had discovered
God’s Grace and devoted his life to God’s work.
I felt I needed to pinch myself as we stood in the famous Basilica above
the steep streets of this beautiful hillside town and looked at the famous
frescos of Giotto and other artists who had painted them nearly a thousand
years ago. I still remember the
intensity of my art teacher at school as he held up his precious art book to
show his students the photos of these wonderful paintings. St Francis of Assisi died on October 3, 1226 and work on the
church was started in 1228, the year of Francis's
canonisation, and it was constructed slowly over the next 300 years. We were very sad when the Basilica was badly
damaged by two earthquakes in 1982 and some people died in the Basilica and in
the town.
Many times I have tried to understand how St.
Francis was able to give up all earthly joy and punish himself for his
perceived failings when he led a selfless existence with his every thought
devoted to God. I have to admit that I
have often had doubts about God’s expectations and asked myself if God really
“requires” us to be miserable. I think joy
is the greatest gift in life we can give and share.
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