UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD OF ST: FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Francis’ understanding that all the creatures had the same Father and their interrelationships and interdependencies, leads him to refer to the creatures as his brothers and sisters. Their individuality is recognized. In the diversity of creation, could be seen as an ethical application of reverence for every living things :because they were not merely symbol, but living realities for him. The conviction of St. Francis that all the living and non-living things are to be loved and respected, not to be exploited or manipulated. Thus everything – animals, birds- comes to Francis, they sensed the friend ship.

The story of brother wolf of Gubbio[1], tells us how tenderly and gently Francis made the friendship with him. In fact, today the integrity of all creation is lost. Interdependence in interrelationship is broken due to man’s exploitation of the nature. The lack respect from thee part of man to animals plants etc., creates fear and tension. Today we cannot think of friendship with animals as Francis had. He could it out of his reverence and respect to the created things. He felt that they belong to the same family of his own. Due to the absence of this attitude, the nature and its resources- animals, plants etc., - stand as the threatening to man, which is reflected in the natural disorder, and diseases affecting man. At the confrontation of Francis, the wolf which was a great terror to the people , became a tamed animal and the inhabitants of the locality were freed from fear. It was not simply a command of Francis, rather he established a covenant between the wolf and the human community. Francis alleged to have said, “but brother wolf, I want to make peace between you and them – so that they will not hurt you any more....”[2] Francis wholeheartedly believed that all things were created by God and he cannot create evil.

One day when Francis was at Greccio, a hare which had been caught in a trap was brought to him alive. Out of compassion, Francis said, “little brother rabbit, come here to me, why did you let yourself be trapped that way?”[3] And when the hare was released, instead of fleeing , it ran to Francis and hopped up to his bosom.

On another occasion, while Francis was preaching at Alviano, a flight of swallows troubled him that no one could hear him because of their noisy twittering. Francis turned and requested them, “my sister Swallows, it is time now for me to speak too, for up till now you have talked enough. Now hear the word of God and remain silent and quiet until the word of the Lord has been taken care of.”[4] To the utter amusement of the bystanders, the birds compiled and remained quiet until the permission was given them to chirp again.

Francis’ concept of universal brotherhood does not limit with the living creatures alone. It broadens it include even the great five elements of the universe. When Francis suffered the infirmity of his eyes later in life, as part of treatment of his eyes Sician brought an iron for cauterizing. Struck with horror, Francis engaged in conversation with Brother Fire in the shape of a red-hot iron “My brother fire, that surpasses all other things in beauty, the Most High created you strong, beautiful and useful, be kind to me in this hour, be courteous.”[5] Finally the iron was plunged into the tender flesh of the saint. Brother fire indeed responds in kind, to such a persuasive plea of a man. “If that is not enough burning, then burn it again, for I have not felt the least pain.”[6], thus was the words of Francis to the Physician. In the Canticle of Creatures the five elements are presented and through them Francis praises the Creator, calling them ‘sisters’ and ‘brothers’.

The history presents us number of legends regarding Francis, his feeling for the animate and inanimate things of the universe. Until and unless one understands, “the deep sense of kinship entertained by Francis for the other inhabitants of this planet”[7], these legends can be misleading . No aspects of dehumanization and sentimentalization in Francis’ attitude towards the universe can lead to their rights of kinship with him. This value- oriented approach, always remains as something unique to Francis.


[1] Raphael Brown, Fifty Animal Stories of Saint Francis as Told by His Companions, p.75-80.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Lives, p.32.
[4] Lives, p.32.
[5] Thomas of Celano, Saint Francis of Assisi, p.83.
[6] Ibid.,.p.271.
[7] Roy M. Gasnick OFM (ed.), The Francis’ Book, p.83.

ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Ecology is no more an exclusive question reserved only to a few. Everybody, whether he is rich or poor, mystic or state level planner, feels the punch of eco-problems in their daily life. The facts are explicit; man’s inability to value matter in appropriate ways, lack of communitarian aspect in his world view as to include trees, birds, animals in it. Instead of being an antidote to the present day of approach to science and technology, man moves hand-in-hand with them without any consideration of its consequences.

At this extreme environmental distress, we turn to the tradition for assistance. It is true that our predecessors had different questions, different concerns, and to some extent they were slaves to their own time and culture. At the same time one cannot deny that there were some aspects of tradition that might prove useful in our ecological concerns. thus one is led to the creation mysticism of the medieval Franciscan tradition. Francis of Assisi is seen as the epitome of the Franciscan tradition. How can a medieval saint’s world view be an antidote to the modern world view? Is Francis truly an answer to our present ecological issues?

As we understand today, Francis may not be an ecologist in the strict sense of the term. Every body who approaches Francis, should know that he is not the solution of modern ecological crisis. But he is a great help to understand our relationship with the earth. He will also stand as an inspiration to relate to the earth in ways that are proper to our understanding of true ecology. This will in turn lead us to act on behalf of the planet. Francis is to be seen and understood as one who is able to value matter in an appropriate way – a way of giving intrinsic dignity to all the inanimate things, rather than instrumental value. The modern man lacks this. And here lies the originality and creativity of Francis.

Today people look at the world as some objects which can be made use for his development and for his style of life rooted in greed and selfish. All the creatures are instruments for him to be used. In his outlook earth and its resources are something that can be tamed, abused and subdued. And due to this worldview of modern man, the balance of whole environment is broken; water, air, soil and the whole atmosphere is polluted, suffering from different diseases. It is at this situation that we need to turn to Francis. The way Francis looked at the world is quite different from that of today. He could recognize all creatures with their intrinsic worth. His ecological outlook is surely an inspiration for the modern man in thee sense that it emphasizes reverence and respect to all creatures and universal brotherhood and sisterhood. This attitude of Francis realizing the intrinsic value and dignity of all creatures is what we need today... thus we need a shift from our present attitude of looking at the nature. Hence this study is relating to the ecological concerns of Francis is very important. Because, the inspiration which we draw from him, can only solve the present ecological crisis.

Top Ten Tips to Fight Global Warming

The recent hot and muggy weather has us all thinking about how to take the temperature down a notch. With that in mind, we've culled the top ten ways consumers can cut into the 22 tons of carbon dioxide each of us produces in the United States. Take these small and not-so-small steps and you'll help ensure a more comfortable future for us all (all carbon savings are annual averages).

1) Replace five incandescent lightbulbs in your home with compact fluorescents: Swapping those 75-watt incandescents with 19-watt CFLs can cut 275 pounds of CO2.

2) Instead of short haul flights of 500 miles or so, take the train and bypass 310 pounds of CO2.
3) Sure it may be hot, but get a fan, set your thermostat to 75 degrees and blow away 363 pounds of CO2.

4) Replace refrigerators more than 10 years old with today's more energy-efficient Energy Star models and save more than 500 pounds of CO2.

5) Shave your eight-minute shower to five minutes for a savings of 513 pounds.

6) Caulk, weatherstrip and insulate your home. If you rely on natural gas heating, you'll stop 639 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere (472 pounds for electric heating). And this summer, you'll save 226 pounds from AC use.

7) Whenever possible, dry your clothes on a line outside or a rack indoors. If you air dry half your loads, you'll dispense with 723 pounds of CO2.

8) Trim down on the red meat. Since it takes more fossil fuels to produce red meat than fish, eggs and poultry, switching to these foods will slim your CO2 emissions by 950 pounds.

9) Leave the car at home and take public transportation to work. Taking the average U.S. commute of twelve miles by light rail will leave you 1,366 pounds of CO2 lighter than driving. The standard, diesel-powered city bus can save 804 pounds, while heavy rail subway users save 288.

10) Finally, support the creation of wind, solar and other renewable energy facilities by choosing green power if offered by your utility. To find a green power program in your state, call your local utility or visit U.S. Department of Energy's Green Power Markets page.

(Links: http://www.thegreenguide.com/blog/tow/825)