Less words and more action...

Today is the feast of St Francis of Assisi and the saint has me thinking of a man of Peace who  has captured the attention of billions of people attracting admirers among atheists and believers of other faiths. There certainly does not exist any other saint that is as popular as he is, both among Catholics as well as Protestants and even among non-Christians. He was such a giant in Christian goodness, a great figure in the church renowned especially for connecting with fellow Christians and many people outside the Christian family; a powerful social and religious reformer. Doesn’t he sound just right for our times?

Renouncing  his own self, he wasn’t afraid to involve himself in the messiness of human living to bring Peace, understanding and love in order to follow Christ radically and to become the "mirror of Christ", a vivid reflection of Jesus Christ. There are many people who claim to be Christians but not many are willing to live according to Christ's teachings. As G K Chesterton who wrote a super book on St Francis  put it: Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. St Francis proved it could be tried and lived. We sometimes cop out by saying saints are to be admired but not emulated! But surely imitating another person whom you admire or treat as a role model is the fastest way to learn anything? Isn’t that how as babies we learned about the world and how to speak, walk, and interact with others? If one treats imitation of admirable people as a learning technique throughout our life, one will benefit a great deal from other people's experiences and knowledge. St Francis discovered that to be true about Jesus Christ. As a young man he imitated the members of the “in-crowd”, wanted to dress like them, behave as they did and follow the values of the go-along generation squandering his youth away in having excessive fun. In his youth, Francis had money in abundance and he flaunted his wealth. He was not interested in his father’s business which had provided that wealth or in his studies; he was only interested in having fun with vain things which are commonly called “enjoying life,” though he was not in the habit of licentiousness and he was very generous out of love for God with the poor who asked him for help.   Caught up in civil discord and war as a young man it landed him up in a prison for a year and, when he was freed, he fell gravely ill.  This illness tested his patience and strengthened and matured his spirit leading  to the experience of hearing the invitation “Francis, repair my Church which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” The story is a great one and worth knowing because like Francis we may be called to do something like that too. Saint Francis of Assisi captured the imagination of his contemporaries by presenting to them poverty, chastity, and obedience with purity and strength of a radical testimony.  Any chance of us doing something the same? After, Francis converted, he renounced his inheritance, and he offered himself totally to God. He embraced poverty, and lived an evangelical life, preaching to everyone about the love of God. He became known as the Poor one of Assisi by his marriage with poverty, his love for the birds and all of nature. All of this reflects a soul in which God meant everything to him, a soul that was nourished by the truths of the faith and who had offered himself entirely, not only to Christ, but also to Christ Crucified.
 
Perhaps as one of the best known saints of the world, his example is very much as a man of action. He gave away all his worldly possessions and lived a life of radical penance, manifesting itself in a deep spirit of poverty, simplicity and humility. His life of penance was evangelical in its fervour and purpose, namely, to lead people to God in Christ. For Francis, a life of penance was a way of life, involving a radical self-emptying and self-surrender; open to constant change under the daily guidance of the Divine. It was also a life of service to the poor, the disabled, and the marginalized in society. Francis believed that deeds expressed our Faith more than creeds. He said, "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." He exhorted his brothers: "Preach the Gospel at all times and use words when necessary." Dare we look around and see where we should be walking so that it becomes our preaching of this same Good News using words only when necessary but showing acts of love constantly?
 
Now, for the first time, we have a Pope who has chosen the name 'Francis' and he seems to have caught the message of his namesake in following Christ. Let’s pray for the Pope and the Church which once again is “falling into ruins” and for which the Pope must care and in that task we must share.

St Francis, pray for us!