May God Give You Peace
In Celebration of the Feast of St. Francis
A Sermon by Laura Vennard, Senior Warden
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
October 10, 2004
"May God give you peace."
I first met St. Francis in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The patron saint of the city, he sat, as a carved wooden statue, in a shaded corner of a walled garden - amidst flowers and sagebrush, a bird feeder at his side. Birds, carved and alive, perched on his shoulders. Our dog, Gus, who is here today, sniffed cautiously at his feet.
I was hoping Saint Francis was smiling down on Gus. Just as I'm sure he would be smiling at all our animal companions here at All Saints this morning.
Francis lived in medieval Europe, in Assisi now part of modern day Italy, 800 years ago. He spent his adult years traveling the countryside preaching the message of Christ. He told the people that God loved them. He told everybody about the beauty of the world.
Francis' connection with animals is legendary:
Once, when trying to preach in the village of Alviano, a flock of swallows started shrieking and chirping. They were so loud that Francis could not be heard. He turned to the birds and said, "My sister swallows, now it is time for me also to speak, since you have said enough. Listen to the word of the Lord, and stay quiet until the word of the Lord is completed". Immediately, reports Thomas of Celano,"'those birds fell silent - to the amazement and surprise of all present - and they made no move from that place until the sermon was over."
Sheep, rabbits even worms found themselves the object of Francis compassion. One day he read a text that quoted Jesus as saying , "I am a worm and not a man." From then on whenever he saw a worm on the road, he stooped over, picked it up and placed it safely to the side so that it would not be crushed by travelers.
My personal favorite St. Francis story is recounted in The Little Flowers of Saint Francis- the story of Francis and the fierce Wolf of Gubbio.
It is important to remember that 800 years ago the world looked very different. There were few roads, cities built walls to protect themselves from enemies and most towns were surrounded by field and woods. People hunted and farmed in the lands surrounding the cities. There were no grocery stores, no street lights, no engines or electricity. There were no cell phones to dial 911 in case of a wolf emergency.
Gubbio, a walled city, high on an Umbrian hill, was being ravaged by a "fearfully large and fierce wolf." The wolf was rabid with hunger, devouring both animals and men. The townspeople often went into the forest with weapons, as if they were going to war but they were not able to escape the sharp teeth and raging hunger of the wolf.
When Francis visited the town he had compassion for the people when they told him how afraid they were. He went out to meet with the wolf in the forest. Upon seeing Francis, the wolf charged with a roar, mouth agape, teeth bared. Francis made the sign of the cross and wolf stopped dead in his tracks.
"Come to me Brother Wolf," said Francis and the wolf obeyed. "You have done great harm. But it was only because you were hungry. In the name of Christ, I order you not to hurt me or anyone. It is not right to destroy God’s creatures without any mercy. If now you agree to live in peace with the people, I will ask them always to give you food."
The wolf signaled his promise by nodding his head. Francis then took the wolf into town, preached a sermon to both people and the wolf. He asked both parties not to hunt one another again. He asked the people to give food to the wolf. The people agreed and the wolf gave a pledge by raising his right paw. From that day the wolf and the people kept the pact which St. Francis made. In fact, the wolf became a mascot of the town and was greeted with affection and seen frequently in the town square, being fed by the townspeople.
If only Francis had remained on his benign garden perch, enchanting wolves, quieting birds and blessing all creation, he would be an easy saint to live with. The story of Francis, however, is not all instant sunshine and light, but instead a complex journey to live the life that Jesus would have lived. It is in living this journey, this struggle, that Francis changed the world. In living as he thought the gospel commanded, Francis experienced not only the beauty of creation, but the love of the Creator.
Francis did not start out in life preaching the gospel and knowing the right thing to do.
As a teenager, Francis was somewhat of a "wild man." Francis' father was a successful cloth merchant. The family was well to do by medieval standards. Francis' crowd of knights and nouveau rich knight "wan a bees" were locally acknowledged as arrogant bon vivants, in pursuit of wine, women and song. Francis was a big spender and he possessed of a beautiful voice. He was the natural born leader of a rat pack - the consummate party animal.
Life 800 years ago in medieval Europe was incredibly savage. War was a constant. Not only at the international level with invasions from the German emperor, but with city states, like Assisi and neighboring Perugia, rising up against one another for control of the region. Unlike the Yankees and the Red Sox, Perugia and Assisi settled their rivalries with swords.
In the midst of this brutality it was no wonder that the cult of chivalry was all the rage. Francis grew up with the legends of Charlemagne and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Francis wanted nothing more than to be a knight.
This aspiration ended and his conversion to the "knighthood of God" began when he was imprisoned by the neighboring city of Perugia after a bloody battle in which Assisi was trounced and many of Francis' friends and fellow citizens were brutally slaughtered.
The prison was cold and damp. Francis sang and joked to cheer up his fellow prisoners to no avail. They were all sad. While in prison Francis became very ill. After a year or so his family paid a ransom to Perugia and Francis returned home to Assisi. At home, Francis became very sad and depressed. He wandered his beloved countryside but it did not cheer him.
Francis began to pray often asking God for help. One day while praying at the ruined church of San Damiano, outside of Assisi , Francis heard a voice: "Francis, my church is falling into ruin. Go and repair it for me." Francis began to dance. God had spoken to him and he knew that God wanted him to repair, not only the ruined church of San Damiano, but the spirit of the church and its people, as well.
From that point on, Francis began, in earnest, the life that would kindle the Franciscan brotherhood - which grew in number and even ended up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, spreading God's good news throughout the world. Francis gave his money to the poor and returned money he had taken from his father. In the town square he publicly shed his glorious, colorful clothing to signify the change taking place in him. He donned the dress of a simple beggar or hermit. With what we would call nothing, he took up a trowel and began the work of rebuilding the church of San Damiano.
I don't think his conversion was an easy time for Francis. One step at a time Francis gave up his comfortable, upwardly mobile, middle class life. He consciously and deliberately chose actions to open his heart and mind to what he prayed would be God's will. Francis teaches us that we can choose.
He sought out the poor, sought out the sick, to tend to them - even spending time in a leper colony to overcome his fear of the diseased. He repaired God's ruined churches, by begging for rocks and other materials. To lead the life of humility that Jesus instructed Francis deliberately gave up ownership of everything and begged for his own food, from door to door. This prior party animal was now eating scraps on the street, enduring the taunts and ridicule of his friends.
Now, I have to admit that if one of my friends gave her house in Newton, left a role as aspiring CEO of her family's textile business and moved to the Pine Street Inn, I would be very worried. Furthermore if she then roamed the streets begging for food or money in order to become humble I would think she was crazy. Nor would I have the courage to do the same. Have we not been taught that success, home ownership, a good job and standing in the community is of paramount importance?
Francis heard a different call.
In begging with the poorest of the poor, living with the sick and ostracized Francis discovered that these people were not the "other". Just as those homeless sleeping on the Boston common or those suffering aids or some other horrible disease are no different, deep down inside, than you or me. Francis found the God in the sick, the poor and the ostracized, just as we see the God in each other every Sunday morning at All Saints. He discovered a well of compassion, inside himself, that led to an inexplicable joy and a love for all of God's creation.
Saint Francis embraced poverty for himself and his brothers. He believed it went hand in hand with the humility. He wanted to be as humble as Christ. It was also a way of transforming a world that seemed to know only the rule of acquisition at any cost, the medieval version of "he who has the most toys wins".
The brothers gave everything to others. Such generosity arose from complete freedom from possessions.
Have you ever thought, as I have, that you don't have enough money? If only you could get that next raise, or sell the next painting you could move to a larger house, buy that new dress or take a great vacation? Francis believed that money was like a drug, as addictive and destructive to the soul as we today believe heroin or cocaine are to the body. The more you have the more you crave. Francis founded his order on the premise that non attachment to material things would make space for worship, service and experiencing communion with the creator. Through, what we would call poverty, the brothers made space to appreciate the abundance of all the gifts freely given, by God. Their lives and ours are truly rich when seen through this lens.
Francis preached far and wide. He began each sermon by saying "May God give you peace". He told the people that God loved them. He asked people to repent, to do penance, to seek forgiveness for their sins.
Repentance, penance, forgiveness - these are heavy words - from this joyful Saint with the birds on his shoulders. It was probably difficult to spend time with Saint Francis. Who would want to acknowledge their own failings?
I think Francis knew that repentance was liberating. Imagine how happy you would be if you told your sister or brother that it really was you who spilled the ink on his favorite T shirt - and you were truly sorry. Think how wonderful he or she would feel forgiving you. How freeing it would be to visit a family member that had been hurt by your excessive drinking, or rudeness - to acknowledge that pain - to make amends and reconcile. To be in relationship again.
Francis wanted people to own their flaws and choose the bittersweet poignancy of forgiveness. If we ask, God will show us great compassion and love. We will reconciled to our true selves, and, in turn, become instruments of compassion. We will experience the universal connection in the heart of animals, plants, air, stars and humans. There we will know peace.
Towards the end of his life - when the brotherhood had grown and Francis had traveled the world over, he was overcome with an excruciating eye disease. He knew that he would die shortly and he was in horrible pain. So deep was his love and appreciation for God and God's creation, born out the discipline of the choices he had made, that he composed one of the most beautiful prayers of joy and thanks ever written. In closing I dedicate the reading of this prayer to our animal companions with us today:
Canticle to Brother Sun
O most high, almighty, good Lord God,
To you belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing!
Praised be my Lord God with all your creatures,
And especially our Brother Sun,
Who brings us the day and who brings us the light.
Fair is he and shines with a very great splendor:
O Lord, he signifies you to us!
Praised be my Lord for our Brother Wind,
And for air and cloud, calms and all weather
Through which you uphold life in all creatures.
Praised be my Lord for our Sister Water,
Who is very useful to us and precious and clean.
Praised be my Lord for our Brother Fire,
Through whom you give us light in the darkness;
And he is bright and pleasant and very mighty and strong.
Praised be my Lord for our Mother Earth,
Who does sustain us and keep us,
And brings forth many fruits and flowers of many colors and grass.
Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for your sake,
And who endure weakness and tribulation;
Blessed are they who peaceably endure
for you, O most High, shall give them a crown.
May God give you Peace. Amen.