Ooh, ooh, want to share my insight about St Francis of Assisi

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I was reading the kids a story of St. Francis of Assisi today when I confessed to the kids that I found all the animal stuff with him sort of silly. Why move a worm out of the road? Why not swat mosquitoes? Why spend time preaching to birds or singing songs of praise to God with a cricket?

I immediately felt guilty for criticizing a great saint, so I said I would pray that God would help me to understand this “silliness.”

Almost immediately, I realized that St. Francis’s regard and relationship with the animals was the well ordered relationship that Adam and Eve shared with the animals in the garden before the fall. All cared for each other and praised God together–man and beast.

After the return of Jesus. we will be restored to this order. St. Francis must have been close in nature to the prefall Man.

And, obviously, I’ve got a ways to go. :rolleyes:

I’m so excited to understand this better. I’m not natually a “critter” person, but maybe I can grow in this area.
 
Thank you for sharing. That is a good insight.

I am learning to take good care of my fish 🙂
 
leonie said:
I was reading the kids a story of St. Francis of Assisi today when I confessed to the kids that I found all the animal stuff with him sort of silly. Why move a worm out of the road? Why not swat mosquitoes? Why spend time preaching to birds or singing songs of praise to God with a cricket?

I immediately felt guilty for criticizing a great saint, so I said I would pray that God would help me to understand this “silliness.”

Almost immediately, I realized that St. Francis’s regard and relationship with the animals was the well ordered relationship that Adam and Eve shared with the animals in the garden before the fall. All cared for each other and praised God together–man and beast.

After the return of Jesus. we will be restored to this order. St. Francis must have been close in nature to the prefall Man.

And, obviously, I’ve got a ways to go. :rolleyes:

I’m so excited to understand this better. I’m not natually a “critter” person, but maybe I can grow in this area.
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Leonie, good insight: St. Francis is a model of hope for a new Heaven and a New earth. A new order as promised in Rev.

The reason, I suspect, that you thought of the silliness of the Saint’s concern for animals is that in some parts of our culture St. Francis is equated with PETA type of people. They are good in as much as they share his love of animals and of creation but their motive of the love is totally opposite.

For the Leftist type of PETA extremists, animals and humans are on the same level of dignity-since there is no God, No Adam and Eve, and therefore no hierarchy in creation. Humans are no more sacred than the spotted owl etc. Actually most would call on us to save the spotted owl while we, at the same time, sacrifice millions of human babies to the gods of self-love.

You know what I mean?
 
leonie said:
Almost immediately, I realized that St. Francis’s regard and relationship with the animals was the well ordered relationship that Adam and Eve shared with the animals in the garden before the fall. All cared for each other and praised God together–man and beast.

After the return of Jesus. we will be restored to this order. St. Francis must have been close in nature to the prefall Man.
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Interesting insights. I just had the benefit of having been on pilgrimage in Assisi. I was told an interesting story by a priest while there.

It is widely held that Lucifer was the most beautiful and holy of all the angels before his fall. Many people believe that St. Francis was so holy, so in tune with God, that he was given Lucifer’s place. Who knows, but I thought it was interesting in light of your comments that St. Francis must have been very close to what Adam was like before the fall.
 
Franciscan said:
Leonie, good insight: St. Francis is a model of hope for a new Heaven and a New earth. A new order as promised in Rev.

The reason, I suspect, that you thought of the silliness of the Saint’s concern for animals is that in some parts of our culture St. Francis is equated with PETA type of people. They are good in as much as they share his love of animals and of creation but their motive of the love is totally opposite.

For the Leftist type of PETA extremists, animals and humans are on the same level of dignity-since there is no God, No Adam and Eve, and therefore no hierarchy in creation. Humans are no more sacred than the spotted owl etc. Actually most would call on us to save the spotted owl while we, at the same time, sacrifice millions of human babies to the gods of self-love.

You know what I mean?
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Yes, I know exactly what you mean. It’s nothing new. All sorts of pagan cultures throughout time have elevated animals over people.

It’s definitely not a Christian reverence for creation. It’s another disorder caused by the fall.

I would say though that some people seem to have a greater natural love for animals. I’m not one of them. I’ll have to enlarge my heart. Perhaps St. Francis could help me. 🙂
 
All life created by God, ergo, all life worthy of our respect.
 
leonie said:
I was reading the kids a story of St. Francis of Assisi today when I confessed to the kids that I found all the animal stuff with him sort of silly. Why move a worm out of the road? Why not swat mosquitoes? Why spend time preaching to birds or singing songs of praise to God with a cricket?

I immediately felt guilty for criticizing a great saint, so I said I would pray that God would help me to understand this “silliness.”

Almost immediately, I realized that St. Francis’s regard and relationship with the animals was the well ordered relationship that Adam and Eve shared with the animals in the garden before the fall. All cared for each other and praised God together–man and beast.

After the return of Jesus. we will be restored to this order. St. Francis must have been close in nature to the prefall Man.

And, obviously, I’ve got a ways to go. :rolleyes:

I’m so excited to understand this better. I’m not natually a “critter” person, but maybe I can grow in this area.
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St. Francis, one of my favorites saints, was really into nonviolences at every level. Something I’m praying for in myself.

Jim
 
It’s even Biblical!
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
(Daniel 3:79–81)​
 
PhilotheaZ said:
It’s even Biblical!
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
(Daniel 3:79–81)​
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Thanks!
 
I think God has given you a beautiful grace. I think you will find God will do beautiful works in you by developing this love of His Creation. St Francis is one of my favourite Saints. I love his peace and kindness to all the world; people and creatures.

I hope you don’t think this silly, but I apologised to my animals for the suffering they now endure because of man’s fault and sin. I see them as my smaller brothers and sisters, my little friends who praise God just by fulfilling their nature as an animal.

I firmly believe it is wrong to put an animal before a person and even the animals know this themselves as has been seen in many cases of dogs saving their owners even to the point of dying trying to help them.

I often talk to my animals about God and I notice that when I am with my friends and we pray together the animals lay down quietly as though they sense the holiness of the scene.

I tell animals I meet that they are a beautiful creation of God and God the Father made them good and then I bless them. The first time I did it to my friends dog she laughed a little embarrassed at what I was doing, but now she too does the same thing. Her dog was recently diagnosed with a tumour on her foot. We both laid our hands over the dog and prayed to God for healing if it was His will. The tumour has just disappeared. Thank you Jesus!

Before I go to bed I bless my animals and when I get up I ask St Francis to watch over them during the day. I love them all and they give me much more joy than I give to them.

I am constantly amazed by the little creatures, a tiny bug with a heart and everything working in no more than a little dot! How great God is! I watch my sleeping child and think how much more wonderful she is. I can’t pass by a worm labouring for it’s life in the hot sun on a path in danger of drying out and dying, I have to pick the worm up and place them on the soil where they will be safe. I am saddened if I accidently tread on a tiny creature and kill it; yes everything suffers. I often watch the swifts soar the air over the field where I live and think what a beautiful prayer their life is to God. I hope my prayer of life, this Living Prayer, carries such beauty.

God has let many sick, neglected and lost animals come across my path and I have felt compelled to help or rehome them keeping some myself to the degree I can afford.

You are blessed and I thank God for you.🙂
 
Thank you for sharing this, leonie.

Only men and angels can choose to act against God’s will.

Animals can only act according to God’s will. I like to meditate on this as I spend time with the animals in my care.
 
nobody said:
Animals can only act according to God’s will. I like to meditate on this as I spend time with the animals in my care.
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I often think about the swine that Jesus cast the evil spirits into and they ran down to the water and drown themselves. I believe they did this because they could not bear the evil that had been cast into them as there is nothing evil in animals, they are and they are because they live to praise God in their limitedness of being as they are because God wills it and God wills that they exist for man as well as for God.

Jesus is teaching us a great deal by what He did in casting the evil spirits into the swine.
 
tkdnick said:
That’s easy to say, but unfortunately not always easy to do.
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True to a degree – I just feel it means we should not abuse our privileged place of being at the top of the creature kingdom.
 
St. Francis saw the beauty of God’s creation in all creatures, and in the plants, the sun, moon, the wind, the earth, and so on.

To think that humans are the only component worthy of our attention is to cheapen God’s creation.

Crazy Internet Junkies Society (Mudgie/Junkie Hybrid)
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
CarolAnnSFO said:
St. Francis saw the beauty of God’s creation in all creatures, and in the plants, the sun, moon, the wind, the earth, and so on.

To think that humans are the only component worthy of our attention is to cheapen God’s creation.

**Crazy Internet Junkies Society (Mudgie/Junkie Hybrid)
**Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
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I agree CarolAnn! 🙂 I am only just starting the learn the beauty of St Francis and all his writings. A few months ago I came across this, which others probably know well, but I did not…

Canticle of the Sun, The Canticle of Brother Son, and more:
conservation.catholic.org/prayers.htm

(very appropriate considering tomorrow is earth day!)

more background on it’s origins and some other works:
franciscan-archive.org/patriarcha/opera/canticle.html
 
I know this is off topic, but it has been bothering me for some time, and even my confessor and spiritual adviser could give me an answer that sufficed.

Yes, nature is beautiful and reflects God’s greatness.
That is, until you witness a pack of lions attacking a wilder beast, or a baby elephant, and her the pathetic creature cry for its life.

OK, we as humans suffer because original sin separated us from God. But what about the animals?

If this needs to move to another thread, please Moderators, do so.

Never mind I opened a new thread, Nature And Gods Mercy.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Yes, nature is beautiful and reflects God’s greatness.
That is, until you witness a pack of lions attacking a wilder beast, or a baby elephant, and her the pathetic creature cry for its life.
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I realize you started another thread, but I thought I’d just add the following: St. Francis even considered death to be part of God’s creation. Towards th very end of his life, he added “Sister Death” to the Canticle of the Sun.

Seeing animals kill their prey is not a pleasant sight for us, but they are simply doing what they need to do to survive.

Crazy Internet Junkies Society (Mudgie/Junkie Hybrid)
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
Yesterday, I went to my first meeting at a Secular Franciscan meeting.

During the meeting, there was a little tiny spider on the carpet, and few of the SF sisters there looking at the spider. At that moment, I was keeping my eyes on those sisters to see how they would deal with the spider - smash it? or pick it up?

Well, I was glad they didn’t smash it, but gently picked it up and take it outside of the meeting room. 🙂
 
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