Francis of Assisi: The Message in His Writings

CHAPTER 4. HUMANITY, A VISION OF CONTRASTS

85 Humanity CHAPTER 4 HUMANITY, A VISION OF CONTRASTS Francis addresses his song of thanksgiving to the Father in particular (RegNB 23:1-6), yet we humans and the creation of which we are a part also figure there prominently. His hymn of thankful praise to God celebrates us, too, since God and we are inseparable and, in a way, interdependent . So far, we have been considering the mystery of God as revealed and proclaimed so eloquently by Francis, and we come next to his “anthropology ,” his thoughts about humanity, about people. Once again, we shall begin with the two passages which we took above as models and guidelines (RegNB 23:1-6; 2EpFid 2-15). We shall try to describe as completely as possible the vision in contrasts which Francis had of each one of us, for we are a combination of greatness and wretchedness . We shall also reflect on the Church as the collective aspect of that vision. CREATION, GOD’S LOVING PLAN Before turning his thoughts to us, Francis fixes his attention on God, whose power, “otherness,” majesty, Lordship and Fatherhood he celebrates , as if to imply that we can be truly known only in relation to God and that whatever dignity we may possess is founded on, and guaranteed by, Him. Moreover, Francis expresses his thoughts on the relationship between God and us in the form of a hymn of thanksgiving . In fact, for him, “giving thanks” seems to be a basic necessity, for he uses that phrase four times in the first verses of his prayer (RegNB 23:1-6). “Giving thanks” presupposes that we first receive and acknowledge God’s “grace,” His free gift, without hoarding it or attributing it to ourselves but returning it to God: And let us refer all good to the most high and supreme Lord God, and acknowledge that every good is His, and thank Him for everything … (RegNB 17:17f.). 86 Francis of Assisi–His Writings The first gift we receive is the gift of ourselves, our coming into existence as living persons capable of knowledge and love. Francis sees that such a gift comes from the abyss of the Father’s love, and he gives thanks to God for Himself (“for yourself”: propter temetipsum), since he knows that the abyss of divine love is not centered on God Himself but that He created everything because of His “holy will” and His “holy love” (vv. 1-3). The words “love” and “charity” in Francis’s writings nearly always mean the love of the Father and Christ for us, the love that was the motive for creation. Although we are at the pinnacle of God’s creation , we are still only part of the “things spiritual and corporal” which the Father created with “His only Son and with the Holy Spirit.” The “visible and invisible” world includes the angels who form the nine choirs of tradition (RegNB 23:6), among whom “Blessed Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” receive special mention. The evil spirits, whom Francis variously calls “devils” (fourteen times), “demons” (three times), “Satan” (twice), “the enemy” (once), are also present where we are working out our salvation. Francis also speaks about material, “corporal” creation, but he does not do so as much as we would expect from “the patron saint of ecology .” In fact, material creation plays only a small part in his writings. Of course, his Canticle of Brother Sun gives a striking account of the fraternal presence of the three sets of elements—the sun, moon, and stars; air and water; fire and earth, with fruits, flowers, and herbs. But his references elsewhere in his works to the heavens, earth, sea, abysses, rivers, and birds are taken from the Bible, especially the Psalms. In his Rule, he speaks about horses and domestic animals (RegNB 15; cf. RegB 3:12), and in one text (SalVirt), he alludes to “all beasts and wild animals ” but says no more about them. Only his Canticle of Brother Sun has an original, profound approach to inanimate nature but makes no mention of animals or birds. IN “THE IMAGE” AND “LIKENESS” OF GOD In two key passages in his writings, Francis declares that we are made in the “image” and ”likeness” of God. In his hymn of thanksgiving for creation (RegNB 23:1), he places us at the summit of the Father’s work: 87 Humanity You have created all things...