Lessons from St Francis

21 Sep 2023 • By Julie Guest - Faith in Waipa

St Francis of Assisi. Photo by Jason Youngman.

If I asked you who your favourite saint is, who would you say? Maybe you would name your wonderful neighbour or someone who is a local community hero like those who are recognised as Good Sorts on television.

Those saintly people certainly deserve to be named and recognised for their modelling of compassion and selflessness. But they are called “saintly” because of the example of people who lived centuries ago, who were recognised as saints because of their extraordinary relationship with God and God’s creation. If I kept encouraging you to name one of those saints, it might be St Francis. Mostly because of his association with animals, Francis is one of the best known saints today.

There are many aspects to note in St Francis’ life, but I want to focus on his connectivity to creation. Francis was the son of a wealthy silk merchant and just as young people do today, he took advantage of the wealth of his family and lived a life of decadence and indulgence. But through a number of experiences, including a year of being held as a prisoner of war, growing awareness of those without his access to wealth and a powerful encounter with a vision of Christ, he chose to live following the example of Jesus.

His choice to give up the trappings of wealth, along with his deep connection with Jesus, made him a powerful and convincing example, so that before long others were following his example. St Francis founded a monastery and wrote a rule of life so that fellow followers had guidelines for life. Franciscans continue to follow those guidelines for Christian living to this day.

What set St Francis apart from other saints, firstly, was his embracing of poverty and, secondly, his belief that nature and all living things are interconnected. And here is why I think St Francis was onto something that we need to take very seriously indeed.

In January, Auckland was hit by Tropical Cyclone Hale. Only weeks later the whole country was hit by Cyclone Gabrielle. Nearly every week since then we have heard news, somewhere in the world, of extreme floods, extreme heat or drought, winds and fires.

We know that all these extreme weather events are being made worse by global warming, and in particular the warming of the oceans. More and more we become aware of the interconnectedness of every aspect of nature and all beings. Where one part suffers, so do we all. St Francis’ example of living a simple life, taking only what we need, and of deep respect and care for all living things is one we would all benefit from following.

St John’s church will hold a blessing service for animals and pets in honour of St Francis on October 4, at 10am. All animals – on a lead or caged if needed – and owners are welcome.