This Sunday we will celebrate the feast day of Francis of Assisi. The feast day of Francis is October 4, but we are transferring it to October 5.
Francis was born in 1182 in San Damiano, Italy. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, and as a young man he lived a frivolous and wasteful life. An experience of sickness and a difficult experience in the military caused him to re-think his life. One day, as he was meditating in the shabby church of San Damiano, he heard God say to him, "Francis, rebuild my church."
He took the call literally and sold some cloth from his father's business to pay for repairs to the church. His father was so furious at this extravagance that he brought Francis before the bishop, and asked the bishop to order Francis to repay him.
Francis gave all his money to his father, and he even took off his clothes and gave them to him. He stood there naked and said, "Now I owe you nothing." From that point on, Francis was determined to live a life of utter poverty, living for God alone. He would beg scraps of food from leftovers and waste-bins, and he only wore discarded clothing.
He began rebuilding the church using stones from the field. He cared for the sick, especially those with terrible sores on their body. His total devotion to the life of simplicity and poverty caused him to be filled with joy and holiness, and soon he was joined by a few companions who wanted to share his life.
After a few years the Pope allowed Francis and his companions to form the Little Brothers, an order which eventually became the Franciscan Order we know today.
Francis was a "holy fool". He always took the simplest, most loving path, and he had no guile within him. He wandered through the woods and fields, rejoicing in the goodness of God's creation. He composed the words to the hymn, "All creatures of our God and King", a song of praise to the whole creation (Hymn 400 in our hymnal).
Francis was so simple and kind that even the animals recognized him. He would preach to the animals in the forest, telling them about God's love for them. Because of this, he's famous for being the patron saint of animals, and many churches will have a blessing of the animals on St. Francis' Day.
I'm told that the tradition of St. Antony's is to have a blessing of the animals on the Sunday nearest St. Francis' Day, so this Sunday we will bless all pets that are brought to our church. St. Francis would love it!
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