Brother
Sun-Sister Moon
“In
loving the creation and all beings in it, Francis {of Assisi} was
also loving God, and he was loving all these beings in God. He
experienced the divine in everything, and everything in the divine.
Francis' mysticism was panentheistic because his was a vision of the
totality of God.”
Wayne
Teasdall (The Mystic Heart)
Have
you ever read St. Francis' “Canticle of Brother Sun?” It is a
beautiful tribute to the created order and all beings. “Be praised
my Lord through all Your creatures, especially though my lord Brother
Sun...” He goes on to praise Sister Moon, Brother Wind and Air,
Sister Water, Brother Fire, Mother Earth, and all of creation. You
may have seen the movie, Brother Sun-Sister Moon, by Franko
Zeffirelli, from 1972—if you haven't, it's worth watching, both for
its historical content and for Zeffirelli's gorgeous cinematography.
I
watched a show on PBS last night called “My Wild Affair” about a
family in Africa who have taken on the job of raising orphaned wild
animals. It was the story of the mother of the household and a baby
elephant she tried to save. What was most wonderful about it was all
the footage of their farm with everything from elephants and ostrich,
to hippos and warthogs running around in peaceful community with
their human family. This woman was not able to save the baby
elephant, but in working with it, she learned how to save others
orphaned in the wild when their mothers were poached. It was a tale
of love and devotion, and also of freedom from violence, and mutual
respect. I couldn't help thinking of St. Francis and his love of the
animals, and also of my friend, Leslie Lee, and her little troop of raccoon.
There
is a video circulating on YouTube of the friendship between a
cat and a dolphin that's incredible to watch. We don't have to go to
Africa to love wildlife. We can provide for the birds and bees and
for the squirrels and chipmunks right in our own neighborhood. I have
a “porch squirrel” who interacts very well with the “porch
cat.” They have a symbiotic relationship...an agreed upon truce,
and mutual aid society regarding cat food. We humans could take some
pointers from them.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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