Homily: Oct 4 2016 - St. Francis of Assisi - Making room for God

There is a little story about Saint Francis, about a conversation he had with a Gardner.  Francis told the gardener never to plant the whole garden with vegetables but to always leave part of the garden for flowers, so that at every season of the year it may produce, “our sisters, the flowers”.  He always wanted there to be beautiful flowers to honor the Blessed Mother Mary and also he wanted people to see these beautiful flowers and be moved to praise God for the beauty of creation.

To some, that area of the garden set aside for flowers would seem like wasted space.  It’s not being used for production and food was scarce as it is.  This is one of the temptations of modern man who is always so busy that he barely makes time for God: no time for prayer, he is at work and busy all day, and considers faith a waste of his time.  Ask many of our families who don’t come to Church and they’ll say, we just don’t have time for that sort of thing. 

And to look at the life of busy modern man, you can definitely detect that something is missing.  He is not in harmony with God or the world.  And when man is not in right relationship with God, his nature simply cannot flourish.

To reflect on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi is to discover a man who, at first, was also ignorant of his saintly calling. As a young man, Francis gained the reputation of squandering his Father’s money, dressing in the latest fashion, drinking in taverns all night. Definitely an example of man who made no time for God. Yet, Francis became one of the greatest saints of Christian history through a radical commitment to Christ’s Gospel. Francis’ nature flourished because he entered into harmony with God.

Francis wanted nothing more than to become like Jesus Christ.  He embraced Jesus’ poverty, he embraced Jesus’ itinerant preaching, he embraced Jesus’ love for God and love for man, and what happened?  He performed miracles like Jesus, he drew men to himself and won souls like Jesus, he even more the marks of the crucifixion in his flesh, the holy stigmata, like Jesus.  His nature flourished because he was in harmony with God and his holiness continues to echo through the ages 800 years after his death.

We pray that our desire may be the same, to desire nothing more than to become like our Savior and Our Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.