A Reflection and Poem for the feast of St Francis (Transferred)
All Saints Church Southern Shores,
September 25, 2016
Thomas E Wilson, Rector
Walking With Francis
From Matthew's Gospel reading for the feast of St. Francis Jesus says to us:“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
I grew up with that verse in the King James Translation after the Confession of Sin before the communion "Hear what comfortable words our Savior Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him. Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you."
That verse comes to me whenever I start tuning into my unconscious internal radio station of WFMC, standing for Whine Fuss Moan and Complain, and I realize that I am throwing a pity party for all those things I have concern about and over which I don't seem to have any control. "Oh poor me" I would refrain, "I am all alone"
Funny thing about that plaintive whine is that I thought the Italian Song "O Sole Mio" was saying that kind of complaint; "Oh poor me" -but it is not. The song is about the sun shining after the rainstorm and a lover is singing to his beloved that "O Sole Mio"- "My own true sun" shines on her face. When I hear that song now I start to hear the refrain from Jesus- "come unto me and I will refresh you"- my sun will shine on you.
That understanding of God's love shining on his face happened to Francis. In the first half part of his life he, like all of us, was the center of his own universe. He was baptized as Giovanni after he was born in Assisi Italy, while his father, a cloth merchant, was in France selling cloth. It was such a successful selling trip that when he returned he started calling his son Giovanni, Francesco,which means "the Frenchman".
He father doted on him and gave him everything he wanted and then some. Francis was spoiled rotten, so Francis thought he was the center of the universe. The life of indolent pleasure grew old and Francis decided he wanted to win great glory as a soldier and begged his father to outfit him with armour as a soldier at great expense. His father could refuse him nothing. Well Francis, being self centered was no soldier and he was captured and held for ransom - a hefty ransom. His father paid and Francis came home to party with his friends. After awhile the celebration got old and Francis wondered what the purpose of life was. One day he was wandering in the countryside and came across a ruined church. Francis had a vision of Jesus saying to him that Christ's church was in ruins. Since Francis was still narcissistic and self centered thought he was called to repair that particular church. Since he had no money he stole some of his father's cloth from the warehouse, selling it and repaired that church. He liked the way he felt being generous with someone else's money that he continued to make raids on the warehouse, selling the loot and giving it away for religious purposes. His father did an inventory and went ballistic. After beatings did no good, his father dragged him before the Bishop as a judge to get some repayment. Francis, still self centered announced that he needed nothing from his father and took off his clothes and started to walk away, as we say in the South, “stark nekked”. The bishop whipped off his own cloak to cover the defendant, then getting a robe for Francis, Francis marched off into a new life.
In that new life, he made a living as a traveling acrobat and beggar. What he found was that he needed very little and he gave away much of what he had earned and begged to the poor. Francis started to look out at the world over which he had no control ands saw everything as a blessing and he was intimately connected to all of creation. The sun was his brother, the moon his sister, his enemies were gifts to be loved. The birds of the air were fellow travelers in God's mercy and he would preach to them about how much God loved them; the same message he would share with the beasts of the field and anyone who would stop and listen.
Francis never became a Priest and as new friends joined him he formed an order who embraced three parts of a consecrated life. Poverty is the decision to focus on people not things; not to be so burdened down by things that one loses sight of the needs of the poor and the worth of God's creation. Chastity is not a repudiation of the gift of sex but to use the gift appropriately and respectfully to remain chaste in whatever state we are in, married or single. as we open ourselves up to love with all of God's people. Obedience was to follow God and not one's own selfish desires and wants.
The Franciscan order was called by Francis the The Order of Friars Minor, Friars meaning "Brothers" and Minor meaning a humility of self. Francis had a friend named Clare and she formed an order for women originally called the the Order of Poor Ladies but became know as Poor Clares. Francis either started or converted an order of Lay People who were married or for some other reason could not join the Friars monastic life style.
Francis was called to bring the church back from ruins not by building building but by sharing a vision of love instead of power and possessions, of giving oneself in daily life rather than just attending religious activities, of caring for the poor instead ending care at our homes front doors, of prayerful action rather than pious formulas.
Francis' vision has an Icon of Christ say ""Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins." Let me say to you today that the church is always in danger of ruin, not its buildings but its soul. THE call is still being made to us here in Southern Shores to work on rebuilding the House of God in our lives. We need to walk with Francis each day being instruments of God’s peace. Being connected in love and awe with all of God’s creation and feel the sun of God’s love shine on all of God’s children’s faces.
Walking With Francis (poem)
Today instead of sleep walking
I plan to be in awe, not leaving
to random chance but believing
that Grace will come knocking
saying, “Let me you astounding
things to show; see sister stars
with a brother asteroid of ours
born before heaven's founding.
Hear infant laughs discovering
new old treasures without guile
not bothering to suppress smile
for all new ways of a wondering
how much we'll miss not to pay
mind to joyful rhythms each day.
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