The Reverend Philip Banks writes:

What we believe shapes what we do

St Francis of Assisi, born in the late 12^th century, is most popularly remembered because of his love and respect for creation. Legend has it that, on his deathbed, St Francis thanked his donkey for carrying and helping him throughout his life! He is commemorated in the church’s calendar this month on 4^th October.

Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates Francis’s humility towards nature is told in a collection of legends (the 'Fioretti') that sprang up after his death. It is said that, one day while Francis was travelling with companions, they came a place where birds filled the trees by the road. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds". The birds surrounded him, drawn by the power of his voice:  “My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you… the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore always seek to praise God”. The picture here, from one of the windows at the community of Taizé, depicts this very scene – you may recognise it, as we have a copy in the entrance lobby at the Vicarage.

Understandably, as we seek to care better for God’s earth, some think that Francis should be the “patron Saint of the environment”: he believed that the world is created good and beautiful by God, and that our duty is to protect and enjoy nature both as the stewards of creation and as creatures ourselves. Part of his appreciation of the environment is expressed in his Canticle of the Sun, which expresses an appreciation of “Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Earth, Brother Fire”. Let’s hope that we get some ‘brother sun’ when we say this canticle at the service on the site of Marks Hall church on Harvest Sunday afternoon, 5^th October!

But his teaching went well beyond concerns about birds and animals. His work with the poor and his life undergirded by prayer and devotion to Christ, challenges us in our generation to say that “what we believe shapes what we do”: to be people whose lives are shaped by our concern for the world and its peoples. The Franciscans today continue to support the poor in our town and cities today.

Francis preached to ‘man and beast’ the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God. This Harvest-tide, as we praise God for all his gifts in creation, may we like St Francis truly show our love for the planet as God’s earth and our care for its peoples as our neighbours.

This comes with my love and prayers,

Fr Philip Banks

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Picture: Speaking to the birds: St Francis of Assisi. Stained Glass at Taizé, France.  © www.taize.fr