Happy Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi!
The Archdiocese of San Francisco celebrates the feast of its
patron saint, Francis of Assisi, this Sunday, October 4, 2015, with special
readings chosen in his honor, readings that exemplify the virtues we have come
to associate with the patron saint of animals and ecology: poverty, humility, and joy-filled love!
Chapter 3 of the Book of Sirach reminds us that by the humble God is
glorified: true humility helps us to
understand what we are capable of, as well as what is beyond our understanding;
it helps us to stay on an even keel, a path always directed toward right
relationship with God through our right relationship with other people. This is the path to life described in Psalm 16, one in which we can trust fully
in God, saying, my Lord are you, my only
good. Francis surely knew abounding joy in God's presence, and
would boast only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul writes to the
Galatians, focusing not on this
world, but entirely on God, eschewing all that might separate him from the
Lord.
Meek and humble of heart, St. Francis of Assisi lived a life of simple poverty, accepting the yoke of Jesus that is the gracious will of the Father in Matthew's Gospel. Francis' journey was a lifelong journey of radical discipleship, dedicated to teaching brotherly love, peace, and stewardship. May his virtues be ours, as we commit ourselves to the joy of the gospel and the good of this planet that is God's beautiful Creation.
This post is based on OLMC's Thursday Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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