St Francis revisited

I was going back through some old blogs and discovered a comment on the St. Francis Feast Day Blog I didnt realize was there. It was interesting and beautiful. Change's comments were beautiful and made me realize there is alot more to St. Francis than loving animals, calling things brother and renouncing things of this world - which are wonderful things, but Francis's Love went much deeper than that.

Change gave us a link, below, to a wonderful art exhibit by Darren Waterston and Tyrus Miller, that was based somewhat on St. Francis.

If you look at the link, read the comments by the reviewer about the compassion of St Francis. Not something all of us are willing to embrace.

"...Saint Francis found the divine through the body. He did not find it by looking at the ideal beauty of the ancient Greeks but in the wounds of the lepers and the homeless that surrounded his home in Assisi. He embraced things that we would normally turn away from like the bleeding sores of those who are sick. He resisted the temptation to run away, transcended his natural feelings of self preservation, and cultivated compassion to discover the divine through the path of caring for those around us"

http://www.portlandart.net/archives/2007/09/darren_watersto_1.html

Thanks Change
Peace
Keren

Saint Francis of Assisi

"Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Instill in me a correct faith, a certain hope and a perfect love; a sense and a knowledge, Lord, so that I may do your holy and true command." A Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Tomorrow, October 4th is the Feast Day of St. Francis. You will probably see a lot about him on the internet, and you may know all of this anyway. I just wanted to give him a little Love from the TLIO site also. St. Francis was joyfully in Love with God and all of God’s Creation. He embraced the connection and communion of all Creation and called everything in Creation (from people, birds, animals, the Sun, even Death) his Brother or Sister. He chose to live in poverty and purity; he gave assistance to the poor and sick; and basically lived in imitation of Jesus.

He is the patron saint of animals and animal welfare organizations among other things. Many churches have Blessing of Pets on October 4th or the closest Sunday to the 4th. Bailey and Loretta (a couple of nobody-cats who live with us) would have to go to work with me first to be able to go be blessed at my church tomorrow evening – not going to happen. I’ll have to bring some holy water home for them. Him and I get so much love and laughter from these two, they are blessings to us every day of the year.