At this time of year, the world gets a little quieter. The roads, devoid of the school-run traffic, are more easily negotiated and people take time off work to chill out (in exotic places, if they can cope with the increased prices). One of my most memorable, recent overseas holidays was spent in Rome and Assisi. The former I had visited before, but the later, being the birthplace of St Francis, was as new experience. Though it takes considerable effort to cut through the commercialism which nowadays pervades this saint’s hometown, both town and surroundings remain ideal places to settle with a readable biography and ponder the stories we have of this great saint and of his time. Declared a saint in 1226 (less than two years after his death), you might think of some reasons behind this move… his love of animals, care of the poor, evangelistic work in the Holy Land etc., but did you know that as late as 1979, Francis was declared Patron of Ecology. Today’s growing focus on ecology and the environment makes a revisiting of St. Francis particularly interesting and fruitful, especially in the summer months when God’s creation can be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace and to better effect.

Francis loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving and his openheartedness. As a mystic and pilgrim, he lived in simplicity and in harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. These connections speak of an ‘integrated’ way of life displaying an inseparable bond between a heartfelt concern for nature, social justice, and an interior peace. To understand St. Francis, we have need to recognize and take seriously the level of integration which he achieved; without so doing his reported preaching to the flowers of the field and his invitation to them to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason, become the rantings of someone whose sanity might otherwise be called into question.

Today we’re encouraged by competent scientists, by national figures such as Sir David Attenborough and relatively new-to-the-scene, yet no less passionate folk such as Greta Thunberg, to take seriously the scientific arguments underpinning a need for global action in saving our planet. Naturally, there will be differing responses to these calls, yet into this arena of thought comes St. Francis’ 700 years-old contribution. The development of his particular relationship with the world is well documented in most published books about his life. The film “Brother Sun and Sister Moon” also shows the development of these bonds; a convalescing, young Francis initially observes birds on the terracotta-tiled, pitched rooftop beyond his bedroom window. The simplicity and dependence of these wild animals upon God and nature becomes enlightening to Francis. One observation leads to another and the process of connection and integration within his own life is accelerated.

The voluntary poverty and austerity of Francis’ life were no mere veneer of asceticism, but an indication of something most radical and transformational within his life which came at a cost. The price was paid willingly as it was part and parcel of what underpinned his real joy. It is a wonderful thing when the experience of deep joy pervades the soul; it makes all things bearable and brings real quality to life. I would suggest that seven centuries on, Francis can still help us look at God’s world less as a problem to be solved and more as a joyful mystery to be received and contemplated with gladness and praise. So, however and wherever you spend your holidays or free time over the summer, I hope that some of what Frances noted, you will notice, and that you gain as much from observing God’s creation as he did. Enjoy!

With all good wishes.

Fr Terry