Think like Francis
October 4th is the feast day for one of the most well known religious figures in the world, Francis of Assisi. Born Giovanni (John) to French nobility on his mother’s side, he was nicknamed Francesco, “the Frenchman”, by his childhood friends in Italy. After a heated battle against neighboring Perugia, Francis was one of a handful of survivors imprisoned until their families paid a steep ransom for their return. Despite his horrific experience as a POW, he set out for the Fourth Crusade in 1205. A vision in a dream inspired him to turn back, and he would soon begin life as an ascetic monk.
Many churches will celebrate Francismas with a ‘Blessing of the Animals’ in remembrance of the saint’s fondness of flora and fauna. He is even said to have preached to the birds and pacified a hungry wolf. But as many veterans like Francis know, it is usually the other way around; it is more often the animals who bless us.
LORD make me any instrument you wish, just PLEASE don’t give me that lion’s forehead…
Take, for example, the popularity of support animals for veterans diagnosed (as Francis surely would have been) with posttraumatic stress. Animals neither doubt your experiences nor question your interpretation of painful events. Our furry companions offer pure, unfiltered affection and hope simply to receive the same. When everything has fallen apart, animals offer the single-minded acceptance that civilians often cannot.
It’s so typically human to seek a solution to our pain in the bottom of a bottle, don’t you think? Whether through a pill or a pint, the best self-medication can do is forestall the inevitable moral fallout. I think we turn to bottles not because we’ve forgotten how to build and maintain healthy human relationships, but because we think we know the difference between good and evil. It reminds me of Job’s friends, who exemplify the typical human response to moral pain; initial compassion gives way to ethical sloganeering. We think all soldiers kill, so every veteran must be guilty, right? What if our assumptions are totally wrong, what if the world is (gasp!) morally complex?
Animals don’t care if Chrisitan soldiers like Francis of Assisi or Chris Kyle killed anyone, all they care about is loving and being loved. And they should, because humans are the babies of creation. The Bible calls us the youngest of “the generations of the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 2:4, ESV) We might look down on animals, just like we look down on veterans, but that’s on us. So this year, consider the blessings you’ve received from those you percieve as lower than you, more carnal and brutish than you. Because that’s what Francis did. And that’s what Christians are called to do.
Pray with Francis;
Lord of the earth and everything that is in it, you gave us your servant Francis, who brought your glory to all the world and all who live on it. May we, by his example, come to a greater thankfulness for your creation, the beauty of the land, and our fellow creatures that walk, swim, and fly therein. Keep our hand from war as you did with brave Francis. Convict our hearts to love the flora and fauna as readily as we do our fellow human beings. Strengthen our efforts at peace, both before violence breaks out and after it subsides. Help us to care equally for those we send to and those we receive from war, that we may honor the created dignity of their lives as we honor the life of this, your most holy servant, with the help of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
