Do all you can to preach the gospel and if necessary, use words!
As a young girl I chose Francis as my Confirmation name, Virginia Mary Francis. And so began a lifelong fascination and deep appreciation of the genius and humility of St Francis.
My parents were committed members of the Franciscan 3rd Order and like many of their generation they were influenced and shaped by a Franciscan spirituality. They had a special prayer book which I loved reading. Fr Paul Tindale encouraged lay men and women to participate in their faith and provided them with many opportunities to gather and celebrate. Mount Alverna, the retreat centre in Wahroonga was a special place for many Catholic families. Looking back, you can see how the involvement of lay people with Religious Orders provided a vital faith formation and accompaniment. It was a great support to that generation, and a support which is not available in most parishes today.
When I was in Year 11 our School Principal, Sr Jeanne, decided to take all Year 11 into the city to see Brother Sun, Sister Moon. Once again, I feel in love with the gentle way Francis saw the world, God and the whole of creation. He was inspiring and he was my hero.
His feast day has prompted me to look at little closer at the way Francis, who was born 1118 still captures the imagination of a vast array of people today: Christians and Muslims, royalty and prime ministers, rich and poor, intellectuals and workers, philosophers and theologians, poets and novelists, artists and filmmakers, historians and sociologists, peacemakers and environmentalists. people of all religions or none.
It is quite extraordinary the way people flock to Assisi. It is a scared place. A place to encounter and transformation.
Our recently deceased Pope Francis was asked why he had chosen this name. He replied that during the conclave he was seated next to his friend, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes. When it became clear that the cardinals had elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be pope, Cardinal Hummes embraced his friend and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor!’ It was at that moment that the newly elected Pope thought of St Francis of Assisi who was, he said ‘a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation.’
Brain Purfield, the English theologian writes, “For St Francis, God was not someone to be feared but a close personal friend, a Father wanting to see his sons and daughters do well, giving them every grace necessary to do so while leaving them free to respond or not in love. He also had a deep love of Christ. However, it was not the Christ of many of the late medieval paintings- the judge at the last judgement – that he loved. It was the Christ of Bethlehem who became one of us because He loved us; the Christ of the Last Supper who gave Himself as food for spiritually starving humanity; and the Christ of Calvary, who died as a sacrifice so that we would be raised up from our own humanity.”
One of the great gifts Francis bestows upon the Church is Franciscan theology because although it conforms to broad doctrine with the Catholic Church it also involves several unique emphases. Franciscan theologians view creation, the natural world, as good and joyous, and avoid dwelling on the “stain of original sin.” Francis expressed great affection towards animals and inanimate natural objects as fellow inhabitants of God’s creation, in his work Canticle of the Creatures (Laudes Creaturarum, also known as the Canticle of the Sun. Special emphasis is put on the Incarnation because it is viewed as a special act of humility, as Francis was struck by God’s great charity in sacrificing his son for our salvation; they also exhibit great devotion to the Eucharist.
by Virginia Ryan