Last week many congregations celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, whereas others (such as my home parish) do so today (properly, within the Octave, but that's a different disucssion). Whether last week or this week this saint is commemorated with sermons on simplicity, or oneness of nature, care for other creatures, etc. It's a very sentimental commemoration.
St. Francis never underestimated the power of sentiment, but he also was very serious about our relationship with God and the salvation of souls. His collection of friars, unlike my patron St. Dominic's collection of friars, concentrated not so much on digging constantly for the truth and arguing for the faith, but simply being in the faith and translating that to action, a rest from the turmoil that can and does afflict us all.
The Gospel chosen for the Mass commemorating St. Francis is a short one (Mt. 11.25-30), but profound. In this passage Our Lord thanks the Father that true to well-established pattern, God exalts the simple, the weak, the humble, and reveals Himself and His grace primarily to them, rather than to the wise, the mighty, the proud. The Franciscan serves as a good foil to the Dominican, each reminding the other to dig in, but to stay humble, to contemplate, but to let God the Holy Spirit enlighten.
So while we bless our dogs, cats, horses, lizards, goldfish, and think about our impact on the planet, we should also be mindful to be humble and to let God lead us to Himself, to hear Him, and to trust His only begotten, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Comments