The Feast Day of Saint Francis in Our Plague Year

 If we made a list of the most famous saints, the ones that even the most non-religious are likely to "know," Saint Francis would be on the list, perhaps just under Saint Patrick.  Or maybe Francis is more famous, if we judge by how often he appears as a statue in our gardens or our birdbaths.

Born in 1181 or 1182, Francis didn't have to deal with bubonic plague or any of our more modern diseases.  He did work with lepers, so he had experience with contagion.

He founded an order not based in monasteries but in going out and being with the people who needed the friars most; the traveling friars would stay in church properties.  

In our current plague year, the idea of a cloistered monastery appeals to me more.

Our current pope is the only one who has chosen the name of Francis.  Francis is not a saint who is usually the favorite of those in power.  During his life, Francis did all that he could to challenge our ideas of wealth and power and who deserves riches--and what constitutes riches.

Traditionally, many churches would have a pet blessing service today.  How did Francis come to be associated with pets?  Our pets often lead more pampered lives than we do.

In a year in which we are already to Hurricane Gamma and the west coast burns, I think of Saint Francis and his commitment to the care of all creation, not just the cute pets.  We live in a society run by those determined not to see how interconnected we all are; it's a good time to return to Saint Francis.

In this plague year, I think about Francis and his fierce commitment to living an authentic life.  I think about his father, who beat him and left him bound and locked in a small storeroom.  I think about his mother who set him free.  I think about all the ones we love who so often act in baffling ways.

Here's a prayer that I wrote for today:

Creator God, we don't always take good care of your creations. Please give us the generosity of St. Francis as we wrestle with the best way to use our resources. Please open our hearts the way you opened the heart of St. Francis so that we can take care of the members of our society who are at the lowest levels. Please give us the courage to create communities which will allow the light of Christ to shine more brightly.