Faith in Practice

St. Francis of Assisi 

In the Gospel according to Luke, the disciples beg Jesus to bestow upon them the gift of faith so that they can work signs and wonders for God. Jesus replies, You already have faith. Now practice that faith.

Yes, with faith in God, we can work wonders by becoming the generous hands, compassionate eyes, hopeful voices, and dedicated feet of Jesus to the people who touch our lives every day.

Consider an extraordinary person of faith whose feast day we celebrated October 4: Francis of Assisi. Francis has been portrayed as a lover of animals, an environmentalist, a flower-child (ala the movie Brother Sun Sister Moon), a peacemaker, a mystic, a reformer, a poet. But who really was he?

“Francesco” came from a comfortable middle-class family in central Italy. He went off to fight in wars in that region; and failed miserably. Then, back in Assisi, yearning for meaning in his life, gradually, in silence and in prayer, he searched for God.

Eventually Francis gave up “his things,” so to speak. He experienced his absolute dependency upon God, and in that, he found everything: an all good Creator God who became flesh in Jesus and is gloriously alive in our midst by the power of the Spirit.

Francis began to pursue the Gospel way of life in a literal way, living simply, rebuilding a chapel, attending the sick. Eventually, men and women began to gather around him as religious and lay men and women, to live what became known as the Franciscan way of life.

Eight hundred years later, does Francis have anything to say to us? Of course! In addition to his writings like his Canticle of Sun, and his letters, we can find inspiration in experiences from his life.

One day, Francis was praying and suddenly he experienced the marks of the crucified Jesus in his hands, feet and side. This captures for me the depth of Francis’s relationship with God; God gifted him with the stigmata. Francis challenges us always to be in relationship with God, especially through the sacraments.

Another, earlier incident occurred as he prayed before the crucifix in the tumbledown chapel of San Damiano, outside the city walls of Assisi. Francis heard Jesus whisper from the crucifix: “Francis, rebuild my house which you see is falling into ruins.” Francis at San Damiano challenges us to build up our households, our parish community and beyond.

And a third experience: as Francis rode on horseback one day, a man with leprosy appeared. Francis started to ride away. But no! He slowly dismounted and embraced the leper. Like Francis, we may want to avoid distressing situations. Francis’s embrace challenges us as well.

Francis transcended trivia and focused on essentials: our relationship with God and one another, and our positive, pro-active response to the “brokenness” in our fellow human beings and in ourselves.
May Saint Francis inspire us to intensify our prayer life, to build up our family and to reach out with helping hands.

An Instrument of Peace

Francis of Assisi receiving Stigmata

In light of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4), I would like to explore this extraordinary person of faith. Francis has been described as a lover of animals, an environmentalist, a peacemaker, a mystic, a reformer, a poet. Who really was he?

Francis, from a middle-class Italian family, went off to the wars in that region and failed miserably. Then a dream compelled him to return to Assisi. Francis began to wrestle with fundamental questions. He yearned for something greater than himself that would give purpose to his life. In silence and in prayer, he began his search for God: “Who are you, oh Lord, and who am I?”

Eventually, Francis gave up every “thing” he had. He experienced his creaturehood, his nothingness. In that experience, he found everything—an all-good and compassionate God; a God who became one of us in Jesus; a God who is alive in our midst by the power of the Spirit, especially in the sacramental life of the community of disciples we call the church.

Francis began to pursue the Gospel in a literal fashion. Eventually men and women began to gather around him, to form what we know today as the worldwide one million-plus Franciscan family.

We may wonder, does the thirteenth-century Francis have anything to say to us in the twenty-first century? I believe we can see his message in three incidents.

As Francis prayed before the crucifix in the tumbledown chapel of San Damiano, he heard the crucified Jesus tell him, “Francis, rebuild my house which you see is falling into ruins.” Francis challenges us to build up our family and community life. Holiness comes from learning to forgive and to ask for forgiveness, learning to face challenges together.

Another incident occurred as he rode one day along a road. Out stepped a man with leprosy. Francis started to ride away. But no! Francis slowly climbed down from his horse and embraced the leper. Francis saw in that leper the brokenness of human beings, lacking wholeness. We experience this, in ourselves and in other people, in many ways.

The third incident was at La Verna, a cliffside sanctuary not far from Florence, Italy. Francis was praying, and suddenly he experienced the stigmata or marks of the crucified Jesus in his hands, feet, and side. This incident captures the depth of Francis’s relationship with God: such a close friendship that God gifted him with the stigmata. Francis challenges us to deepen our relationship with God.

This planet of ours, in some ways, hasn’t changed much since the times of Francis. There are so many ways in which we can be healers, peacemakers, bridgebuilders.

Francis was able to cut through trivial questions and focus upon the essentials: our life with God and one another.

May the life of Francis inspire us to intensify our life of prayer with God, to build up one another, and to reach out with a healing hand to those whose lives have been broken.

More about the blessing of pets:
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/blessing-of-animals/