St. Francis of Assisi, whose memorial feast is on October 4, is recognized as patron Saint of environment, as proclaimed by St. John Paul II. St. Francis’ ministry puts the poor and the vulnerable first, as he placed himself and fellow friars, amidst of them. As they are the most defenseless to hazardous effects prompted by environmental deterioration, his care for the poor and the vulnerable also meant the care for the environment. But his care for the environment in his practice of the preferential option for the poor and the vulnerable goes further, as it is to direct our attention to God through His Creation’s mysterious goodness.
Pope Francis wrote:
Saint
Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book
in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and
goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know
by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity
have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom
1:20). For this reason, Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be
left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who
saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather
than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated
with gladness and praise (Laudato
Si, paragraph 12).
To better understand St. Francis of Assisi’s care for
environment, to lift our minds and hearts to God, we must remember that the
risen Jesus has commissioned us with this commandment:
Go
into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature
(Mark 16:15).
This means that we are to go and make disciples in all
nations on earth (Matthew 28:19), as to sing a new song for how marvelous God’s
deed with His holy arm is, including His work on our salvation, out of His
love, to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:1-3). This also means to affect
not just people on earth but of all God’s all creation so that they all
joyfully sing praise to the Lord, who comes to govern all of us, all His creations,
with justice (Psalm 98:4-9).
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15), while we are being
created in God’s image to serve as God the Creator has entrusted us as stewards
for His creation (Genesis 1:26-28), which is held altogether in him (Colossians
1:17), because all things were created through him (John 1:3) for him
(Colossians 1:16) in the hope that all creatures will praise the name of the
Lord for His splendor all over the earth, for raising up His strength for us,
His loyal servants (Psalm 148:7-14), as good stewards of His creations (Genesis
1:26, 28).
This means that we must remain obedient to this
primary commandment to care for all God’s creations while we show the glorious
power of God to all the ends of the earth, making disciples of all
nations. And Pope Francis reflected this
in his encyclical, Laudato Si, which
means, “praise be”, taking this title from St. Francis of Assisi’s reflection
of Psalm 148.
St. Francis composed:
|
Original Umbrian dialect |
English translation |
|
Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore, Tue so le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione. Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano, et nullu homo ène dignu te
mentouare.
Laudato sie, mi Signore cum tucte le Tue creature, spetialmente messor
lo frate Sole, lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui. Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore: de Te, Altissimo,
porta significatione. Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle: in celu l'ài formate
clarite et pretiose et belle.
Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Uentoet per aere et nubilo et sereno
et onne tempo, per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.
Laudato si, mi Signore, per sor'Acqua, la quale è multo utile et
humile et pretiosa et casta.
Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Focu, per lo quale ennallumini
la nocte: ed ello è bello et iucundo et robustoso et forte.
Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra, la quale ne
sustenta et gouerna, et produce diuersi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.
Laudato si, mi Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo Tuo
amore et sostengono infirmitate et tribulatione.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace, ka da Te, Altissimo,
sirano incoronati.
Laudato si mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale, da la quale
nullu homo uiuente pò skappare: guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata
mortali; beati quelli ke trouarà ne le Tue sanctissime uoluntati, ka la
morte secunda no 'l farrà male.
Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate e seruiteli cum grande
humilitate. |
Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To You, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to
pronounce Your name. Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and You give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of You, Most High,
he bears the likeness. Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the
heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and
storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures
sustenance.
Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You brighten
the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.
Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and
rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You; through
those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace, for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.
Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death,from whose embrace
no living person can escape.Woe to those who die in mortal sin!Happy those
she finds doing Your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,and serve Him with great
humility. |
And Psalm 148 praises God the Creator:
Hallelujah!
Praise
the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights.
Praise
Him, all you His angels; give praise, all you His hosts.
Praise
Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all shining stars.
Praise
Him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens.
Let
them all praise the Lord’s name; for He commanded and they were created,
Assigned
them their station forever, set an order that will never change.
Praise
the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all the deeps of the sea;
Lightning
and hail, snow and thick clouds, storm wind that fulfills His command;
Mountains
and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars;
Animals
wild and tame, creatures that crawl and birds that fly;
Kings
of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth;
Young
men and women too, old and young alike.
Let
them all praise the Lord’s name, for His name alone is exalted,
His
majesty above earth and heaven.
He
has lifted high the horn of his people; to the praise of all his faithful, the
Israelites, the people near to Him.
Hallelujah!
Pope Francis wrote:
Francis
helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which
transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of
what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone,
whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he
burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with
all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord,
just as if they were endowed with reason”. His response to the world around him
was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to
him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection.
That is why he felt called to care for all that exists…..
If
we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder,
if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship
with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless
exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we
feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up
spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer
of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into
an object simply to be used and controlled (Laudato Si, paragraph 11).
Do we have the same affection and openness to God’s
Creation in environment? Are we willing to form fraternal harmony with
creatures in environment, as St. Francis did?
We must, in order to fulfill our stewardship to God’s Creation as entrusted by the Creator God (Genesis 1:26, 28). St. John Paul II said on this matter to general audience on January 17, 2001, calling our stewardship as “lordship”:
Man's
lordship, however, is not "absolute, but ministerial: it is a real reflection of the unique and
infinite lordship of God. Hence man must exercise it with wisdom and love,
sharing in the boundless wisdom and love of God" (Evangelium vitae, n.
52). In biblical language "naming" the creatures (cf. Gn 2: 19-20) is
the sign of this mission of knowing and transforming created reality. It is not
the mission of an absolute and unquestionable master, but of a steward of God's
kingdom who is called to continue the Creator's work, a work of life and peace.
His task, described in the Book of Wisdom, is to rule "the world in
holiness and righteousness" (Wis 9: 3) .
Our stewardship in way of lordship to God’s Creation,
therefore, must be exercised in transformative work to establish the Kingdom of
God here on earth, as it is in heaven. And, as the stewards, we must be humble
and obedient to our master, God, Francis, Francis, go and repair My house
which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.and love His Creation, especially,
the poor and the vulnerable with special care, as St. Francis of Assisi
exemplified.
In the Gospel Reading of his memorial feast (Matthew
11:25-30), we hear Jesus praising the Father for keeping things in His gracious
will to those who think of themselves “wise” but for revealing only to child-like
humble people (vv. 25-26), like St. Francis of Assisi. Because of things in God’s
gracious will revealed to him for his humility, Francis was able to do his work
obediently, in response to Jesus’ call on him, “Francis, Francis, go and
repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins”. So, he began
literally repairing dilapidated churches, starting with the church of San
Damiano. As he carried out this carpentry work, brick by brick, some men
offered help and began to join him. He wondered from place to place, begging alms,
to continue his repair works for churches.
What St. Francis of Assisi repaired was not damaged
churches. He began a repair work of the Church and of God’s Creation. To repair
the Church in general, St. Francis called to bring radical obedience to Christ
and his Gospel message. Rather than making sermons, Francis preached this
through his own actions and the very life of obedience to Christ, chastity, and
poverty, as reflected in the three knots of the white string attached to the
Franciscan habit.
St. Francis’ work helped the Church to have a place in
Jerusalem, working with the Muslims that occupied the Holy City, because of his
outreach to them, as an ambassador of Christ’s peace. And it was made possible
because God revealed to him what was necessary to work with the Muslims. This
is why the Franciscans took the stewardship of the Christian section of
Jerusalem in 1217, working in peace with the Muslims and the Jews.
For him, the Church exists in fraternal harmony with
all God’s creations. This is why his repair work of the Church also meant to
care for environment. Unless environment did not allow mysterious splendors of
God’s creations, how could we better praise God for His great art, reflected in
these words of David:
For you are great and do wondrous deeds;
and you alone are God.
Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk
in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name.
I will praise you with all my heart,
glorify your name forever, Lord my God (Psalm 86:10-12).
God revealed His will to St. Francis through Christ the Son clearly as he embraced the Cross of San Damiano, as he knelt down and prayed in front of it, humbly seeking His guidance, after denounced all of his earthly attachments. In this sense, Francis boasted nothing but the Cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14), resulting in bearing the marks of Christ in his body (Galatians 6:17), receiving stigmata. Indeed, he has let God be praised (laudato si) by all His creations through his works to repair Christ’s Church. Indeed, he has let God be praised (laudato si) by all His creatures through his works to repair Christ’s Church.
Given how the Church has been and how our environment
has been, we need to join St. Francis of Assisi in our apostolic works more
than ever, with our humility and charity.
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