FS #80: Nature in Franciscan Spirituality, Part 10 – Jun 25 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jun 25, 2024, on how St. Francis saw Jesus in all of creation, viewing nature as a reflection of Christ's presence, inspiring a deep, Christ-centered spirituality. This is a continuation of his series on Franciscan spirituality and the subsection, "Nature in Franciscan Spirituality," emphasizing the Franciscan understanding and appreciation of nature and how it should lead us to God.

Father continues his series on Franciscan spirituality by explaining how St. Francis of Assisi saw the presence of Jesus Christ in all aspects of creation. Creation is like a book or a concert of voices that must be deciphered and understood, a task that poets and saints are especially equipped to do. St. Francis, as both saint and poet, found divine connections in the natural world, viewing every part of creation as a reflection of Christ.

St. Francis saw Jesus in flowers as the "flower" from the root of Jesse, in trees as the "tree of life" (Genesis 2:9 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/2?9), in rocks as the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/2?6), and in fire as the light of the world (John 8:12 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?12). Francis also connected water to Christ’s promise of living water (John 4:14 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/4?14).

In worms, he saw humility as expressed in Psalm 22:6 - "I am a worm, not a man" (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/22?6), and in lambs, the humility and sacrifice of Christ (John 1:29 - Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?29; Isaiah 53:7 - He was led like a lamb to the slaughter - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/53?7).

St. Francis' love for nature and animals reflected his deep love for Jesus and Mary. His vision was Christocentric, seeing Christ in everything being revealed through creatures, but due to the wound of original sin, especially through the cross. St. Bonaventure, his follower, prayed to see Christ crucified in everything he saw.

Nature reveals its secrets to those who are made similar to Christ and faithful to the Creator.

00:00 – Introduction to Franciscan Spirituality
00:12 – Creation as a Book
00:26 – St. Francis: Saint and Poet
01:30 – Francis' Love for Flowers, Trees, rocks
03:20 – Fire, Light and Water
04:11 – Compassion for Creatures
05:01 – Christocentric Vision
06:01 – Rediscovering Purity and Simplicity

Further reading:

CCC 301 - "With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end." - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/301.htm

CCC 339 - "God willed the diversity of his creatures and their own particular goodness, their interdependence and their order. Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness." - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/339.htm

CCC 2416 - "Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness." - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2416.htm

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom
and the subsection "Nature in Franciscan Spirituality."

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., "I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana" in Italian, which translates as "The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality." No English translations of this book exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Tuesday 12th Week of Ordinary Time - Wkdy
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062524.cfm
1st: 2ki 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36
Resp: psa 48:2-4, 10-11
Gsp: mat 7:6, 12-14

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1632

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