Homily, Blessing of the Pets in Honor of St. Francis

Which Francis do we remember today?  With all these beautiful animals around us, and the statues of Francis holding the birds in his hands: we certainly can recall the man who took unlimited joy in God's creation.  We recall the monk who achieved such harmony with creation that he preached to the birds of God's care for them, and they responded by chirping joyfully and flapping their wings.

But do we remember today the rich clothier's son who married "Lady Poverty"?  Do we remember the man who heard the call of God, "Rebuild my church," and took it literally by selling his father's silk to pay for the renovation of the church where he had heard that call?  Finally, do we remember the man who literally stripped himself naked of everything his father had given him rather than abandon that call?  How many statues of that Francis have you seen?

On the one hand, no man or woman before or after Francis was able to find such joy and harmony in the good earth that God created.  On the other hand, no man or woman before or after Francis was as able to renounce the gifts of creation so completely.  Ah the gifts of creation.  Perhaps what Francis understood was that the only giver of anything good is God, so he didn’t confuse the creation with the creator.  And perhaps Francis understood that the whole creation was God’s gift.

For all of us in varying degrees, this earth is something we fight in order to scratch out a living.  Or this good earth is something that we bring under our control, and squeeze out all of the wealth we can until this patch dries out, and we move on to the next green part, while all around us the desert grows.
Can we let go of the fear that pushes us to seize what God has already given us?  Can we learn to separate what we need from what we want?  Can we let go of the illusion of security with which we surround ourselves?  By God's grace, Francis was able to do all that.

Karl Marx once said that if there had been 12 Francises at the same time, then there would have been no need for a revolution.  Now I am not demanding that you all become like Francis.  But as you bring forward these creatures -- these creations of God -- whom you love: let that offering be your first baby step toward trusting God to give you whatever you need.  Let this offering be the first step toward your total trust in the God who gave us all life, and through Jesus Christ gives us the only life that matters.

In the spirit of St. Francis, let us renounce whatever we want, so that God can fill the empty space within us with whatever we need.  And so filled, let us renew this good earth by God's extravagant grace.