Faith-Repentance-Simplicity-St Francis of Assisi

HOMILY WEEK 26 05 –  Year I

Listen and Repent:

Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

(Bar 1:15-22; Ps 79; Lk 10:13-16)

**************************************************

“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory” and “Admitted to God, ourselves and another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs”

These two sentences are Step 4 and Step 5 of the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and together with the readings today, they provide us with a message to both listen to God’s word and repent of our wrong-doing.

Within the Church, those two steps of A.A. connect directly with two stages of the sacrament of reconciliation: examination of conscience, and confession. The readings today focus on both.

The prophet Baruch, in the first reading, is a powerful example of a communal examination of conscience, and an admission of guilt. He laments that his fellow Israelites, even after they celebrated the Torah upon their return from exile, still failed miserably to keep it: they disobeyed it, did not listen to it, were stubborn and willful, gave themselves over to false gods in idolatry, and even did evil deeds. His was certainly a searching and fearless moral inventory, as well as an honest and humble confession.

The psalmist continues along the same line of repentance – “Do not remember against us the iniquity of our ancestors” and adds a prayer for deliverance.

Jesus in the gospel uses even stronger language in addressing his disciples, chastising the Israelites for their lack of repentance and telling them that they are worse off than the pagan nations surrounding them. He then honors those who believe in him and have repented with the statement that those who listen to them, listen to him and to the Father.

So, in a nutshell, to follow Jesus is to listen and take to heart his word, to search our hearts in response for how we have failed to truly listen and live that word, to repent and to turn to him for forgiveness and deliverance.

Those who pray using both centering prayer and contemplation are encouraged to use a mantra derived from the words of scripture. My mantra for these readings today became, “Lord Jesus, listen, repent.” As I prayed I realized these four words expressed quite well the message from the readings today.

Today the Church honors someone to whom the words of Jesus certainly apply as his disciple – “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” We would do well to listen to the teachings and life of St. Francis of Assisi, born Francesco Bernadone in Assisi, Italy, in 1811 or 1812. The son of a wealthy silk merchant, he grew up with all the material comforts and status the wealth and standing of his family could provide. As a young solider and prisoner of war, he survived severe illness and gave up the idea of being a knight. His life changed one day when he met a beggar, with whom he shared his cloak, and followed an impulse to kiss the leper. That led him to try to follow Christ more closely. Believing his call was to serve God and the poor, he chose the way of poverty. He began to pray more, and in 1206, received a message from the Lord that seemed to say, “Rebuild my Church.” He took it literally and started rebuilding an abandoned Church nearby. His father was upset with the course his life had taken and confronted him, pressuring him to follow him in the dry goods business. Then the famous incident took place where Francis made his choice to follow his heart, took off all his clothes, gave it to his father who disinherited him, and walked away naked.

In 1209, he understood his work was to build up the Church by preaching repentance. Francis tried to live as simply as possible, following Lady Poverty. He preached the love of God to anyone who would listen – even the birds seemed to listen to him. His zeal attracted others and thus began the religious order of the Franciscans. In 1210 a rule was approved, with the pope giving Francis and his companions commission to preach. By 1219, they numbered 5,000.

The women who gathered around his example and ideals were led by his close friend and soul mate, St. Clare. An example of the practical piety and faith of Francis is the creation of the very first crèche in 1223 to mark the birth of Christ, which led to the nativity scene we have today.  He used this as an evangelizing tool to spark the imagination of his hearers. That same year, Francis was blessed with the stigmata resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ, a sign of extraordinary holiness and his radical participation in the very life of Jesus.

Such practical knowing of his value and identity allowed Francis to let go of status, privilege, and wealth. Francis knew he was part of God’s plan, connected to creation and other beings, inherently in communion and in love. He taught his followers to own nothing so they would not be owned by their possessions. Francis is also recognized as being the first to teach the earth itself is holy.

A deacon all his life, Francis’ visionary leadership inspired thousands to lead lives of poverty, simplicity and humble service, delighting in creation and consumed with love for Christ. He died a poor, humble and holy death at Assisi on October 3, 1226 and was canonized two years later. He is a popular saint who was loved by all, and to this day is revered as a universal saint and patron of Italy and ecologists. The prayer/hymn “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” is attributed to him.

The Eucharist is a celebration that includes repentance through the penitential rite, listening to the Word of God, and both forgiveness and healing. It also missions us to go out to the whole world and live out the word of God through humble, selfless service, like St. Francis of Assisi.