Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
This morning, I was reminded, in the most wonderful way, that today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. A friend who is a priest blessed the Qatteri Cat. It is a tradition on the Feast of St. Francis in some churches to have a blessing of the animals. It delighted my heart to have the Qatteri Cat blessed today!
St. Francis of Assisi was a controversial person. As a young man, upon hearing the voice of God, he sold off a bolt of silk from his father’s family warehouse to repair a church that had fallen into disrepair. His father was very angry and disowned him publicly. When he did, Francis took off all his clothes, left them for his father and walked away naked, or so the legend goes. He considered himself “wed to Lady Poverty” and preached simplicity in life and worship. This was not always popular with the Catholic Church.
This is called “The 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;
O Divine Master, 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 pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
You can read more on the official church legend of St. Francis here, although it does not go into detail about the simple way he lived his life, preached poverty, and loved all animals.
Reading through the above, I learned something. Here is an excerpt:
In 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. He was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. Francis proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis’s deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. Francis returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands.
The wonderful Giotto painting of St. Francis and the birds shown above I found at St. Francis Feeds the Birds. If you like art, you will love this link, which takes separate elements of the painting and helps you see what the artist may be saying. Even the way fingers are arranged has meanting.
On the Sunday in the United States when the priest blesses the animals, people bring dogs on leashes, cats in cages, bunnies, iguanas, even guinea pigs and parakeets. Every pet is welcome. It’s one of the sweetest Sundays of the year.
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The Franciscan denomination is highly present in Syria especially the part of the country where I come from. I remember back when I was a little child our local parish arranged a camp at a Franciscan Monastery close to Safita. The Monastery was really beautiful snuggled at a bottom of a valley and surrounded by olive trees.
I didn’t know he had a knack for animals though!
I don’t know, either, Kinan about why he is associated with kindness to animals.
But I remember on an archaeology trip in Syria we went to San Shimon, and I was feeling like “oh right, sitting on pillar as a holy thing . . . ” feeling very cynical. When we got there, it was like the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. for me, there really was something very holy in that lonely, magnificent spot, and what had seemed crazy suddenly seemed understandable.
I had no idea the Franciscans had such a presence in Syria. Every time you comment (well, almost) I learn something.
I would love to have my pets blessed. Your priest friend – is he Catholic or Anglican?
Anglican! A Catholic priest can do it too. 🙂 AND they can bless your house!
I know about Catholic priests blessing homes – is it something Anglican priests do as well? Just curious.
Yes, or at least Episcopal priests do. There is a service, where all the rooms are visited and prayed over. Technically, it is a blessing for those who dwell in the house, and it is very beautiful and moving.
blessed are the peace makers for they will be called children of God.