Blog # 191 St. Frencis of Assisi

Blog # 191 St. Francis of Assisi Part of the text used at Mass this morning , the feast of St.Francis, was taken from a common text designated for the celebration of feasts of holy men and women. It is part of the Preface of these Mass texts and reads like this: "Father, You renew the Church in every age by raising up men and women outstanding in holiness, living witnesses of your unchanging love. They inspire us by their heroic lives, and help us by their constant prayers to be the living sign of your saving power". Then we praise the Lord with all the angels and saints in our minds and hearts as we proclaim as our own the praise of the angels around the throne of God in the vision of Isaiah : "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is full of his glory!" (Is. 6:3). All the earth is full of God's glory! The life of St. Francis of Assisi was a wonderful witness to a constant awareness of the presence of our Creating God in all that exists and a response to God in a deep personal love. Last Sunday (27 Ord Time A), the Gospel at Mass considered creation as a vineyard of the Lord. From Adam and Eve right on through to St. Matthew the author of Sunday's Gospel, through to St. Francis of Assisi over seven hundred years ago and than on to ourselves reflecting on creation as we know it in 2011, ALL THAT EXISTS can be seen as a vineyard willed to BE, by God! God owns it! Every sunny day, every drop of rain and flake of snow, every leaf on every tree of every species, every fish , every bird, every valley, every stone every calf, every colt and every human person ever conceived, all belong to God. St. Francis knew this and experienced it as the good soil in which the seeds of his faith and love were planted. The same God and Father who made the mountains made the sea. The same God who sent the Word from Heaven to live among us as one like us though as well divine, is the same God who called Francis and calls us to hear God speak in the faithful message of Jesus and see God act in the perfect obedience of Jesus, then make that faith and obedience our own. The same God who called Jesus to know and love Him as Father is the same God who calls us to make the faith and love of Jesus our own through the work of the Holy Spirit in the gift of Sanctifying Grace, the supernatural gift that makes us holy or like to God. No wonder Francis waa so happy in his simple humble holy life!