The Feast of St. Francis

by Sarah Nyhan

This weekend we will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis.  At all of our services we will invite the animals to come in (most of them arrive on leashes or in carriers, but hopefully they will feel a special sense of welcome).  We will experience services that may be punctuated with a bark or a yowl.   We are inviting in those who are different.

We celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with animal blessings because St. Francis loved all animals.  We know this because he wrote prayers about the beauty of God’s creation, and people shared stories of Francis preaching to the birds.   Francis cared for not only the lovely songbirds, but creatures that others might consider “unlovable”, and that love extended not only to wild animals, but groups of people others might believe to be unlovable too.  Francis left a life of wealth to live in poverty, and preached and converted many of the downtrodden.

This special caring Francis exhibited is clear in a famous story about St. Francis, a wolf and a town in Italy called Gubbio.  Even if you are not familiar with the story, you can probably make a guess about the issues a 12^th century villager might have with a wolf.

Having a reputation as one who had a special connection with animals, Francis was called upon by the Mayor of Gubbio to help.  Upon his arrival, Francis could sense the fear of the people, but he believed in the power of God, and with God’s help he knew he could meet with the wolf and solve the problem.

Francis did something a little unusual and special in Gubbio, as it is said he did not go and tell the wolf to behave.  Instead, he actually listened to the wolf to hear what his concerns were.  Francis cared about the wolf enough to talk WITH him, so that he would be able to understand and help resolve a dangerous situation.

St. Francis brought the wolf and the people of the village together, and a happy ending ensued.  In several versions of the story that I read, it was stated that the people who had experienced fear and loss because of the wolf felt a burden lifted when they were able to forgive him and move forward with a new relationship based on kindness and understanding.

Clearly the story is much more than a medieval fairy tale. What can we learn from it?  Do we sometimes decide WHY someone did something, without really knowing WHY?  Do we let the fur and the fangs scare us away from someone who might need our help?  Are we judging based on assumptions alone?  Are we hearing but not listening, turning away those we should really let in?  With Francis as our example, maybe we can all approach strangers with a kinder eye, a listening ear, and a gentle heart, no matter how shaggy their coat.  Happy Feast of St. Francis!