All Saints’ Episcopal Church                                                             The Rev. John M. Allen

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi                                                             October 3, 2004

 

 

“Most high, all powerful, all good, Lord!

All praise is yours, all glory, all honor

and all blessing.”

 

These words begin “The Canticle of Brother Sun” written by St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate today.  St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved of God’s saints.  When I say the name Francis of Assisi, what image comes into your mind?  Birds?  Puppy dogs and kittens?  A pristine forest where animals run free?

 

When I think of St. Francis, I picture a small, perhaps two foot tall, ceramic statue of him in one of the well-tended side gardens of my former parish church in Seattle. I don’t think Francis would be unhappy with any of those images but they really don’t tell the full story.

 

Francis was a complex, deeply thoughtful individual, possessed of many gifts and talents, which are overshadowed by his image as friend of all creatures, great and small. Certainly the tone of our service and the blessing of the animals today will celebrate Francis’ appreciation of nature and stewardship of creation but I would like to highlight another important aspect of Francis’ life, his role as peacemaker.

 

One thing I used to find scary in reading the lives of the saints is that I thought that they were born saints, always lived as saints and then died as saints.  I don’t know about you but that doesn’t describe me.  There have been, are, and will probably yet be times in my life where I’m not so saintly.  Reading the life of St. Francis gives me hope, for his was a life not of perfection but of conversion.

 

Writers tell us that Francis was not always a saint, in fact he lived the early part of his life in quite an unsaintly manner.  Of his early years, one biographer writes that Francis was born into a wealthy family, was not very studious and “No one loved pleasure more than Francis; he had a ready wit, sang merrily, delighted in fine clothes and showy display.”  At the age of twenty, he was the favorite among the young nobles of Assisi and joined many of them in the battles against the Perugians.  His side lost and Francis was taken prisoner and held captive for more than a year.  Francis was very ill during this time and his thoughts began to move to more serious concepts of life, death and eternity.

 

Once he was no longer in captivity and his health returned, his thoughts of the glory of war and victories returned and he sought to join the crusades.  Gradually through dreams and visions Francis was converted from a carefree profligate youth to a caring and concerned adult.  Wealth’s amusement turned to concern for the poor and marginalized. 

Unlike the rich young man in Scripture who could not abide Jesus’ mandate to sell everything he had and give to the poor, that is exactly what Francis did.

 

 

 

 

With this new life came a sense of peace, peace in all of its aspects.  Francis experienced individual internal peace that comes from the freedom of having little, and peace with nature which comes from the tranquility of respecting and enjoying the gifts of creation.  Francis moved from extolling the thrill and excitement of battle to professing the joy in his role as peacemaker.

 

This joy-filled peace Francis exuded drew others of like mind to him and he founded a religious order for men, called the Friars Minor, whose work was to live in poverty and serve the poor.  Although drawn to the contemplative life, his work took him throughout Italy and to Spain and Morocco to “convert the infidels.”

 

The rule of life that Francis wrote for the Friars Minor also attracted women, most notably Clare, a noblewoman from Assisi, who founded an order of women, the Second Order of Poor Ladies, known now as the Poor Clares.

 

Francis was concerned about peace between warring countries and among religions.  A famous story provides an example of how the use of nonviolence by Francis improved relations between Christians and Muslims.  During the time of the Crusades when many religious people sought to protect Christian shrines from the Muslims by battle, Francis grew tired of the warfare and sought to apply a more peaceful solution.  He sought and gained an audience with the Sultan of Egypt and tried to persuade him of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  While the Sultan was not won over by Francis preaching, he was affected by the respectful manner in which Francis spoke and acted.

 

Perhaps there are lessons for us to learn today in our dialogs with others of different religions.  Francis did not contradict the teaching of Mohammed but preached Christ.  Francis came to the meeting unarmed, not from the world of politics and diplomacy but of faith.  Francis respected the religion of the Sultan.  We are told that Francis incorporated some of the Muslim religious practices he learned into the daily prayer routine of his friars.

 

This is a wonderful story but what does it mean for us today in Palo Alto in 2004?  We are living in a turbulent time, a time of fear, of violence and of war throughout the world.  Poverty and disease are rampant and growing in an alarming manner, yet we are still self-possessed and indulgent.  Never before has the need for peace, reconciliation and unity been more urgent.  We can learn much from the example of Francis.

 

Francis shows us a simple way of life, a way of life that centers not on power and possessions but on the love of God and the care of all other creatures.  Francis calls us to a life of service together with the contemplative life.  Francis gives us examples of forgiveness and reconciliation.

 

One last story about St. Francis….

 

One day Francis said to one of the young monks, “Let us go down into the town and preach!” The novice, delighted at being singled out to be a companion of Francis, obeyed with great enthusiasm.  They passed through the main streets, turned down many of the

 

byways and alleys, made their way into the suburbs, and at great length, returned by a circuitous route to the monastery gate.  As they approached the gate, the younger monk reminded Francis of his original intention.

 

“You have forgotten, Father, that we went to the town to preach!”

 

“My son,” Francis replied, “we have preached.  We were preaching while we were walking.  We have been seen by many; our behavior has been closely watched; it was thus that we have preached our morning sermon.  It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk.”

 

Francis’ words to us are, “Preach the Gospel always and if necessary use words.”  How many sermons have you preached without even knowing it?  We are called, as Christians, to bring the love and peace of Christ into the world not only with our lips but also in our lives.  Let us resolve to live the Peace Prayer of St. Francis.

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

 

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in forgiving that we are forgiven;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

Pray it; preach it; live it!