"Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up." (Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi).
Monday, 4th October 2021 in the 27th week in Ordinary Time is the great feast of St Francis of Assisi, the Little One.
Who is St Francis of Assisi? (1182 - 1226). Italian. Deacon and Founder of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as the Franciscans. We Salute all our Franciscan friends all over the world who have labored in the Lord's Vineyard since the 1220s in all fields of the Apostolate. Persevere to the end and your reward will be huge.
Francis became famous for imitating closely the poverty of Jesus Christ in spirit and in deed. Holiness always attracts. After Francis was seized by Jesus and said Yes to the Lord, Francis soon attracted a group of like-minded young men who bound themselves together to live evangelical poverty, chastity and obedience. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church has used simple men like Francis and the Franciscans to renew the Church which is ever in need of reform.
What comes to your mind when you hear of St Francis of Assisi in 2021? Many people would think of a man of peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of peace..." Others will think of radical evangelical poverty... "The little poor man of Assisi." Both are salient attributes in the profile of this exceptionally gifted holy man. I want to mention too Francis' deep love of creation and care of the earth. Most people that are aware of the impending disaster from Global Warming will know Francis of Assisi and his contribution to this topical debate.
Other pivotal figures raised up by Jesus for the renewal of the Church are:
Benedict, Clare, Dominic, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Kolkata, etc.
Are you the next great Saint? You too can be a saint. You too can be an instrument of Peace. You too can be committed to preserving the beauty and goodness of the environment for future generations and become an apostle of Care for Creation and Safe Environment.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 3).
"We thank you for the beauty of creation: may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory." Amen.
"For some time already, Our Lord has made me desire to have adoration on Thursday in thanksgiving for the Holy Eucharist, and also in thanksgiving for the mystery of the priesthood. After Mass, I made my confession to the chaplain of the monastery. He confirmed certain things having to do with the resistances to grace that I confessed. He directed me towards the saints, something that corresponds exactly to the strong attraction to the friendship of the saints that has always marked my life." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, October 4, 2007 Saint Francis of Assisi).
Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com
Do you not believe God put the resources of the earth for us to use, but not abuse? I am not sure the “environmentalist “ know what they are talking about….don’t use paper bags, it destroys the trees; don’t use plastic, it destroys the environment. Use paper bags. etc. Don’t you think God knows what He is doing?
ReplyDeleteMy friend, I hope you have come to believe today that Climate Change poses a huge danger to our world. Look at Florida October 2, 2022.
ReplyDelete