Everyone of good will wants to participate in making our earth, our only home for the foreseeable future, a better place. The example of St. Francis, an early 13th century mendicant preacher and friar, can be instructive for the people of the 21st century in how to approach restoring and healing ourselves and the natural world from the ravages of modern life.
Francis taught the Christian doctrine that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers at every level (physically and spiritually) because of human sin. As someone who saw God reflected in nature, Francis was a great lover of creation and signified that love by naming natural phenomena as his brothers and sisters.
In the Canticle of the Sun, also known as Laudes Creaturarum (Praise of the Creatures), Francis praises God in song for such creations as “Brother Fire” and “Sister Water”. One commentator notes that “with unparalleled clarity he perceived the basic unity of all creation and his own place as a friar in the midst of God’s creatures”.
Many of the stories concerning the life of St. Francis demonstrate his love for animals and the environment. He is most often portrayed with a bird, typically in his hand, because of the great trust wildlife were able to place in him, instinctively knowing his perfect intention to respect and love all creatures, great and small.
In 1979 St. Francis was declared the Patron Saint of Ecology. In so doing, Pope John Paul II said the life of St. Francis was a reminder “not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, so as to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us”.
As we struggle with the contemporary challenges of climate change and endemic pollution, studying and emulating St. Francis is profoundly useful towards placing ourselves in a “right attitude” to beginning the work necessary for building up that peace with all creation that is inseparable from peace among peoples.
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