My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Peace.
I hope all is well, and that you are finding times of joy in a tough world.
On Sunday October 4th the Church celebrates the life, work and witness of St Francis of Assisi. One of our most loved saints, and an inspiration to many way beyond the church.
Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, who lived quite a lively life to start with, spending money lavishly, and becoming a devotee of the troubadours.
He later joined a military expedition, but was caught and held prisoner for over a year. He returned home, and went back to his former life but was soon disillusioned by the worldly ways. When his friends teased him and asked him if he was going to marry he replied “Yes, a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen”, meaning his “Lady Poverty”.
Francis had on occasion already shown exceeding generosity to the poor, and soon joined some beggars and started to live a very simple life, begging and staying in very lonely places. It was in the forsaken country chapel of San Damiano, just outside Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father’s store to assist the priest there for this purpose.
But the plea from Christ to restore his church meant so much more than the repairing of a particular building. Francis spent the rest of his life building the kingdom by putting Christ at the centre of everything, and letting go of all that would come between a person and God. He embraced simplicity, poverty and the whole of creation, and felt such a close connection to nature that he referred to the Sun and moon as his Brother and Sister.
There are so many stories about his life that fascinate me, but today I want to focus on the one we have just heard – his desire, and the words of Christ to restore the church.
I would like to take this as a prompt to ourselves to build the kingdom in this beautiful place in which we live.
This year has been devastating for so many. Business have failed, people’s livelihoods have dried up, and all of our plans, whatever they were have probably come to nothing, and there is a real sense of uncertainty, as we don’t know what next week, or next month will be like. Add to that the folk who have suffered from the virus, all who have been so poorly, and the risks taken by those who have cared for them has meant that this has been a truly difficult time.
Alongside everything and everyone else the church has struggled, and for months we were not able to worship together, and even now some folk are nervous about returning. We missed coming together for the great celebration of Holy Week and Easter, and something has gone from our normal fellowship.
Fr Rodney and Fr Robin have been streaming live services which is brilliant, Fr Jim has been doing wonderful pastoral work which is great, and I have been producing these offerings and videos.
‘Thank you’ to those who have told us you appreciate all of this.
However great our offerings are, they are not the same as the joy we experience when we can gather together. We miss the fun and laughter that just flows naturally between us. We miss the touch of others, that hug when we haven’t seen someone for a while. We miss that natural way we communicate when we are just mixing with each other, and through our regular chat things get done.
Those things are not happening, and they are replaced by a sense of weariness and anxiety, of concern and fear, and normal things have become a struggle, and what would have been resolved over coffee has become an issue here and there. Folk are feeling flat at best, and are getting crappy much more quickly than normal.
We are all in need of a lift, some joy, some hope, some restoration, some knowledge that it will be OK.
Well Francis is the person to show us the way to make sense of all of this, and I shall focus on just three of his greatest examples, which of course are completely linked together.
Firstly he let go of any sense of ego, and absolutely embraced an intimate relationship with……everything and everyone. For him there was a connection that meant whoever he met he treated as if they were Christ. He showed love and honour and respect to all, and his humility became infectious. He loved and loved and loved, and of course was loved in return.
And the whole of creation was his family, knit together by the bonds he knew existed because we all come from God. Brother Son, Sister Moon, Lady Poverty, but also Brother Hunger, and Sister food.
He was able to see the hand of God in everything.
The second was that his starting point was nothing. There was no waiting until things were in place before he started to restore the church. He focused on what he had, not what he wanted or was told he needed. Very soon people came to him. He restored the church by loving the people, valuing every one, and making sure that they knew they were loved, and included, and were part of something. He managed beautifully the mixture of simplicity, quiet, and being alone, with the joy and freedom of coming together. Francis had a great love and devotion to the Eucharist, and believed it bestowed sufficient grace to last us until the next time. So where possible his followers would have a daily Eucharist, but sometimes they would have to wait days, weeks or even months, and Francis made that Ok
Thirdly he couldn’t help himself, but saw the Joy in everything, and found every reason to sing praises to God. Life could be tough, but when you know that you are an awesome creation of a loving God who brought you in to being in order that he could love you, and gave you this incredible world, and all it’s beautiful inhabitants to be your home, and your family, then what could you do but Praise Him.
I am so inspired by St Francis that I named my firstborn Son after him. Joseph Francis.
But I am also inspired to think that all of us in the beautiful Chaplaincy of ours can be moved torestore this place, and not let the Covid Blues drag us down. Let’s build on all of our relationships, every single one. Let’s tell the people that we love that we love them. Let’s tell our friends that they are important to us. Let’s treat our fellow church members as our brothers and sisters, and let’s share in a glorious virtual (for the time being) hug.
For those of us who can safely make it to Church, what a joy it is to receive our Communion. For those not ready, Bless you, I hope you are being spiritually fed by our online presence, and we will welcome you when the time is right.
For all of us, may I plead that we look for the best in every thing and everyone. We couldn’t be closer than we are in the eyes of God.
I want to do that singing thing to finish again, but as you know God gave the beautiful voice he had planned for me to Elvis, and I got this one, so it’s good that you can’t hear me as I sing
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love;
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
Oh, master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light;
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all men that we receive;
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.
As ever,
Fr Marcus