Feast of St. Francis

Oct 4

I hope the damage from last weekend’s nor’easter was minimal for you. We found a few more leaky roofs and some of the soffits and flashing flew away but as far as we can tell at this point, the parish did OK. I have never seen that much water on the island and hope we never see it again! We don’t like to cancel Mass, especially over the weekend, but Wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, tells us that it is better to be prudent than take risks that don’t need to be taken. I have come to realize that as tragic as these storms are for so many people and businesses, it is a reality that accompanies the blessing of living a foot above sea level.

Two weeks ago, I wrote to you about the upcoming Feast of St. Francis that will mark the 800th anniversary of his death. Well, it is upon us.

The other day, Fr. Jim referenced an article by Jack Winzt, OFM, “Why St. Francis Belongs on the Birdbath.” You can read this article

He mentioned it because he has heard me say that St. Francis is more than just a garden sentry. The person of Francis of Assisi has a depth of wisdom and an insightful spirituality that literally changed the course of the Church over 800 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, we have a statue of St. Francis in our garden at the friary. We actually have two! I don’t disagree with what our Franciscan brother Jack said in his article. His premise is that St. Francis needs to be in the garden because he found God in all of creation, in the beautiful flowers, but, to St. Francis’ credit, also in the beetles that eat the flowers. Wintz says, “Why shouldn’t Francis be there in the garden where he can be pelted by rain or sleet or kissed by the sun and wind or a passing butterfly?” Wintz also tells us that St. Francis help us see “that the world of nature and the world of God are one. Francis did not fall into the trap of dualism, which creates an artificial wall between the natural world and the supernatural, the secular and the sacred. For Francis, every creature was sacred. The world he lived in was not something wicked to be rejected but a sacred ladder leading to its Creator.”

Because of this insight, St. Francis saw himself as a steward of creation. Understanding himself as simply another creature made by God he recognized that he as part of the whole, not above it nor below it, but brother to it all.

Yes, St. Francis has a rightful place in the garden as long as it leads us to understand why St. Francis is in the garden.

Over the next three weekends, the Parish Liturgy Commission has created wonderful reflections on Franciscan Spirituality: St. Francis, The Leper and Conversion, [October 4], Saint Francis and a Closer Look at Peacemaking: Its Healing Power [October 11], and Franciscan Poverty and Detachment, [October 18]. I think you will enjoy them as much as I have.

Along with those reflections I share with you again the resources available on our Parish Website or by scanning the QR Code. that can help us all learn a little bit more about who St. Francis was and what he can still teach us today.

Franciscan Resources — St. Francis of Assisi Parish LBI

May God continue to bless us with Peace and All Good, especially on this 800th Anniversary of the Feast of St. Francis.