Today Is Saint Francis Of Assisi's Feast Day

Saint Francis Of Assisi

Wikiquotes

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi

Alan: Oral traditions transmit sayings by Francis that do not appear in early texts. 

Notably, people embedded in oral traditions put more credence in what is spoken than what is written.

Even in the "literary" world, everyone "leans in" to a spoken story. 

The four canonical gospels, for example, were written after oral traditions had already kept "the stories" alive for 30 to 90 years. 

Alan: Here is my a.m. correspondence with Patrick O'Neill, co-founder of The Catholic Worker House in Garner, North Carolina.

Dear Patrick,

Thanks for your email.

Last night I mentioned Francis in my Spanish class - how his followers initially lived in the forest above Asissi, dressed in rags and sleeping under the many rock outcroppings there.

When townsfolk walking in those whoods came upon them unexpectedly, they were routinely startled, wondering if these "creatures" were feral wild men or some sort of mythic wilderness dweller.

Pax

Alan

On Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 11:05 AM, <pmtoneill@aol.com> wrote:

Thanks Art -- Very powerful prayer for this feast day honoring St. Francis. Peace and gratitude, Patrick

-----Original Message-----
From: AL
Sent: Tue, Oct 4, 2016 10:56 am
Subject: Fw: Prayer to St. Francis by AL

  

Dear Friends, 

Four years ago, when I was speaking in Italy, I had the great opportunity to go to Assisi and visit the small church that St. Francis built. Below is a prayer I wrote while there which I have slightly revised. On this day when we celebrate the life of St. Francis, and during this election season and time of perpetual war, pervasive racial violence, poverty and environmental devastation, let us us pray for each other, and for our church, that we can be inspired by his faithfulness and witness to the Gospel as we strive to bring about God's reign of love, justice and peace and create the Beloved Community.

With deep gratitude,

Art

Prayer to St. Francis

(Written by Art Laffin on December 4, 2012 at Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi Italy, where the church St. Francis built is located.)

Dear St. Francis,
As I pray in this small church you and your friends built by hand, stone by stone, help me and all followers of Jesus to build a church today that has as its foundation the Gospel mandate of unconditional love, mercy, compassion, justice, peace and reconciliation.

Recognizing that the reign of God is at hand, help me and all followers of Jesus to build a church that seeks repentance and conversion and is committed to living and proclaiming the reign of God. Through your intercession, help the church to be a true sign of fidelity to the Gospel, renouncing wealth and power, and embracing voluntary poverty and simplicity. Help all followers of Jesus to create a church of true communion, recognizing that each person is a special member of the body of Christ. A church that embraces each person as equal in God's eyes; a church that acknowledges its sin's and seeks forgiveness for any harm done to others; a church that denounces racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination; a church where the dignity of each person is revered and all are welcomed and cherished; a church of servant leaders. 

Empower all followers of Jesus to embrace Gospel nonviolence and be a prophetic witness for peace and social justice, without counting the cost. Help us to make the church truly be a peace church, a church that renounces all injustice, violence, killing, weapons and war, and always advocates for the poor and the victims. As you loved peace and creation, help all people to protect and safeguard all life and our sacred earth and environment. Help all people who comprise the church to always stand for love, life and creation.

Amen.