Badaliyya02 St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis remains the Model of Christian Witness in
the world of Islam…The offer of
St. Francis before the Sultan at Damietta – the
“Test of Fire” and his “crucifixion” at Mt. Al-Verna are, today, read in the
spirit of Badal (Ransom)…
Frs. Charles de Foucault and Louis Massignon traveled
“mystically” the path of Badal as inspired by St. Francis…
Francis of Assisi
It is enough to utter his name and everyone
knows who he is. St. Francis was a
man of God. And because he was a man
of God, he always lived what was essential.
So he was a simple, courteous and gentle to everyone, like God in his
mercy.
The Phenomenological Manifestations of
our epoch…
- Emptiness.
It is born of a feeling of impotence. There is very little we can do to change
our life, our community and society. Finally there is really nothing
important…
- Loneliness. It is an experience of lack of contact
with nature and others in terms of friendship and gentleness. There is the
lack of courage to commit oneself.
- Fear. It is the fruit of
objective threats to life, to employment, to collective survival of
humanity in general.
- Anxiety. It has its origin in imagined fear, ignorance as to what one
ought to do, in whom to trust, and what to expect. When anxiety grips an entire society it
means that the whole society feels threatened and senses its approaching
end.
- Aggressiveness without objectives. It reveals a rupture with the norms of relationship without which
a society cannot be built or defended.
What results is anonymity and the loss of the meaning of the self,
that is, the worth and sacredness of human person.
From the above, Two consequences ensue… first is Emptiness and
second is Loss. It is the loss of language of everyday communication,
the loss of meaningful relationship and the lack of vital relationship with
nature and habitat.
St. Francis and the New Ethos… It is a new way of life with many and varied
relationship to nature, to others, to religion and to God. In St. Francis, it was through Pathos –
Sympathy and Eros – fraternal communication and tenderness. Manifestations are:
- His
Innocence
- His enthusiasm for nature
- His gentleness to all beings
- His capacity for compassion with the poor and “confraternization”
with all elements and even death itself.
To Be Saint … in the case of Francis…
- To be Saint, it is necessary to be human.
- To be human, it is necessary to be sensitive and gentle.
“Man knows as much as he does.” Francis’s gentleness was demonstrated,
especially in his human relationship. He
broke the rigidity of the feudal hierarchy and called all persons as brothers
and sisters. He himself was called “little
brother” (fratello). He wanted to unite great and small, to treat the wise
and simple with brotherly affection, to bind with tie of love those who were
held at a distance. He treated everyone
with outmost courtesy, even Saracens, Infidels and thieves.
Peace…
One of the global values lived by Francis was Peace.
The World is the “regio dissimilitudinis” and
behind these dissimilarities are camouflaged injustices and violence.
Every time Francis began his preaching, he
invoked Peace… saying: “the Lord gives you peace.” It is Peace and all good. His group carries out a true mission of peace
– “Legatio Pacis”.
The peace that is proclaimed in word ought
always to be present in the heart. Let
no one be provoked by us to anger or scandal, but rather let all through your
gentleness, be led to Peace, Tranquility and agreement. “BE KINDER WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS.”
The Role of Mediation… During the Crusades, Francis had a profound
impact on the Sultan. Francis gave a vote of confidence to the liberating
capacity of kindness, gentleness, patience and understanding. Peace in his own PERSON manifested in his
words, poetry and song.
Bapa Jun Mercado, OMI
October 4th, 2015
