St. Francis and Diana
Let me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them....
Spoken by Thomas Aquinas of Francis in Dante's Paradiso.
READINGS:
Psalm 148:7-14 or 121
Galatians 6:14-18
Matthew 11:25-30
PRAYER
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever
Saint Francis’ Canticle of All Creatures
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,
Mother Earth who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon
for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.
Heavenly Father,
You gave Your servant Francis
great love for each of Your creatures.
Teach us to see Your design in all of creation.
We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Dedicated to the guardians of Grendel, a fine dog, who recently joined Our Lord in his perfect kingdom.
:)
ReplyDeleteThis is my namesake day. It may seem odd but it is not.
ReplyDeletePJ, I did not want Diana's bed in the picture, but she would not "stay" otherwise. She doesn't listen. What would MadPriest say?
ReplyDeleteFred-Francis, Happy Name Day! You've a lovely namesake.
I had so much fun at church today, with all the critters, animal and human, that it must have been sinful. St. Mark's in Seattle is a big, ugly, "Holy Box", on the central portion of the nave that was to be a gothic cathedral, so ugly that it's beautiful in its own way. Throw a bunch of animals, including a chatty lovebird, in the reverberant expanse, add a fabulous pipe organ, and stir. What a great sound! A friend of mine who is blind, giggled through most of the service.
ReplyDeleteServing as an acolyte, I got to see most of the animals in attendance, and the critters joined the procession out.
Sadly, I could not take The Wiener for the festival, as he would have wanted to bite the arse of every other dog. So, I had to satisfy myself with greeting all the other dogs I possibly could (Sharing the peace has never been as much fun. I think the Mad One would become downright huggy in such a setting.). My favorite moment was while kneeling down to greet a gorgeous Golden Retriever, she felt that it was necessary that that our foreheads touch; the Golden that owned me when I was in high school would do the same thing. I think she was blessing me!
Thanks, Grandmere,
ReplyDeleteIt was a bittersweet St. Francis Day. We took one of the cats (Tuxedo) in to be blessed, but Grendel's absence was palpable.
God Bless All Dogs and Cats!
Agha, I'm sure Grendel was greatly missed at the blessing.
ReplyDeleteGod bless all dogs and cats! God bless all creatures great and small.