The Sense of a Goose!

Our Wisconsin skies  are filled with migrating Canada Geese.  Thought it would be good to share this reading: 

In Autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in a "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another. 

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are. 

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. 
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. 

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. 
What message do we give when we honk from behind? 

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their own group. 
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that. (Author Unknown)

In Praise of Fall!

In the stillness of an autumn afternoon
we sit in quiet communion. Before us,
hills and valleys yawn, spreading wide
their yellow and green, ochre and gold
harvest of hay, beans and corn.
All summer long these fields drank
daily offerings of dew and sunlight.
We listen to the hush of hills, a hawk
above us riding thermal winds,
the drying corn nearby whispering
Praise! Praise! Praise!, the grass
beneath our squeaking swing
chanting, sotto voce, Thank you, God. 
Everything around us whispers shhh.
And when we do, we hear the holy
breath of God bringing forth the world.

Poem by: Sister Irene Zimmerman, SSSF

"Outsiders 'n Insiders"

There is a supermarket in my city whose mission is expressed through the philosophy of Servant Leadership. Servant Leadership is a theory of management that fosters organizational growth, individual development, and values. Its characteristics are: listening, empathy, healing relationships, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to human resource development, and commitment to building community.  (I wonder if the US Government - Senators and Congress members would be interested in this form of leadership?)  

So here we are with this Sunday’s Gospel of the Ten Lepers and another view of Servant Leadership with all its characteristics manifested in Jesus! We have in our story a band of ten men (nine Jews – “insiders” and one Samaritan - an “outsider”) who would normally not be in relationship with each other.  Jews despised Samaritans – they were considered heretics. However, their common affliction of leprosy brought them together as “outsiders”. This disease of physical disfigurement brought with it isolation from the faith community as well as social isolation.  Lepers lived on the outskirts of the town, begged for alms, had to stay yards away from the healthy people, and were outcasts from their family, friends, work, and especially the Temple. 
“Shunned by family and friends, called ‘unclean’ and forbidden to come within two paces of a healthy person, they lived in graveyards and garbage dumps and begged for scraps of food from passersby.”

The story unfolds when the lepers saw Jesus, they asked for mercy. They turn to Jesus for not only physical healing, but spiritual healing as well.  Such amazing faith! Jesus, in turn, invites them to move toward Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests. It is in the turning that they become healed, freed, restored. “The purpose of visiting a priest after a cure (Luke 5:14; Leviticus 13:49; 14:2) was so the cured person could officially resume his place in society. The nine lepers, presumably Jewish, had their minds on the future, on resuming the life they had left behind with the onset of illness. Their minds were full of scenes of reunion with wives, children, with reentry into market and synagogue.  There is no indication that their goals and future actions were anything but respectable and legal.” 

Now what about the leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus?  As a Samaritan (an outsider) he knew that he would not be welcome to enter into the Temple at Jerusalem.  Author, John Pilch, writes: “In the ancient Middle East, to say ‘thank you’ is to end a relationship . . . The Samaritan recognized it would be impossible to repay his Galilean benefactor or approach him again if the problem returned. The Judean lepers were a different story.  As members of the same in-group, they could approach Jesus anywhere at any time.  The Samaritan knew he was in the ‘wrong’ place at the ‘right’ time, and such an opportunity may never occur again for him.” Through the writings of Luke, we witness Jesus welcoming “outsiders” into the reign of God, so that all become “insiders.”  Let us pray to be aware when we keep others as “outsiders” – may we have the faith and courage to be servant leaders wherever we are.

So what is the good news for us reflecting on this reading?
• Ponder if you have ever been an “insider” or “outsider.” What were the circumstances?  What were your feelings surrounding this experience? Was there a time when you noticed a movement of gratitude for your feelings, insights, and learnings in this circumstance?
• Thomas Merton writes that God is mercy, within mercy, within mercy.  Reflect on this and ask for the gift of mercy – compassion – and healing for your life, those of others, and our world.
• “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” 
                                                                       ― Melody Beattie 

• Did Jesus consider himself an “insider” or “outsider”?  

http://www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/a-good-day.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&hl=en&gl=IL&v=bzM4aRIg-xo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jF6u4GJQ-U

• The paradoxes of being a "Servant-Leader" poem 
Strong enough to be weak; Successful enough to fail; 
Busy enough to make time ;Wise enough to say "I don't know"
Serious enough to laugh; Rich enough to be poor;  
Right enough to say "I'm wrong"; Compassionate enough to discipline; 
Mature enough to be childlike; Important enough to be last
Planned enough to be spontaneous; Controlled enough to be flexible
Free enough to endure captivity; Knowledgeable enough to ask questions
Loving enough to be angry; Great enough to be anonymous
Responsible enough to play; Assured enough to be rejected
Victorious enough to lose; Industrious enough to relax; 
Leading enough to serve

Poem by Brewer --- as cited by Hansel, in Holy Sweat, Dallas Texas, Word, 1987. (p29)

A Franciscan Prayer for Peace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw1LDSV23zA

Lord, make us instruments of your Peace.  In a world all too prone to violence and revenge, we commit ourselves to the Gospel values of mercy, justice, compassion, and love.

We will seek daily to promote forgiveness and healing  in our hearts, our families, and our world. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; Where there is injury, let us cultivate peace.

Fear and distance prevent people from recognizing all as brothers and sisters; tensions lead to violence and mistrust; We will strive to honor the dignity that God places in each and every human person.

Grant that we may not seek to be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. Our failure to understand the other can create exclusion in all its negative forms – racism, marginalization of those who are poor, sick, the immigrant; it can also create situations of domination, occupation, oppression and war.

We pledge to seek the way of solidarity, to create hearts, homes, and communities where all people will experience inclusion, hospitality, and understanding.

For it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned and in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Let us Pray:
Lord God, create in us:
-the Capacity to hear and understand the voices of those who suffer from
every form of violence, injustice, and dehumanization;

-the Openness to receive and honor people from other cultures, languages,
religious traditions, and geographical regions;

-the Creativity to explore new ways of communication and dialogue through
music, poetry, performing arts, and the mass media;

-the Audacity to undertake the building of communities of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.

To God who is above all and in all are the glory and the honor. Amen

St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio.

The people of the little Italian city of Gubbio are understandably very proud of their beautiful home. Then one night a shadow comes out of the nearby woods and prowls the streets. In the morning the people of Gubbio find a mangled and gnawed dead body. This happens again and again. Finally an old woman says that she has seen a wolf on the streets at night. The terrified people decide to ask a holy man who has a reputation for being able to talk to animals for his help. They send a delegation to get St. Francis.

They have very specific ideas on what St. Francis should tell the wolf. First, he should preach to him and remind him to obey the commandment against killing and to follow Christ’s commandment about loving God and neighbors. And then, just in case, since a wolf is, after all, a wolf, he should tell the wolf to move to someone else’s city.

Francis goes into the forest to meet the strange shadow, addressing it as ‘Brother Wolf.’ Then he returns to the town square. ‘My good people of Gubbio, the answer is very simple.  You must feed your wolf.’ The people are furious, especially with the suggestion that this uninvited beast in the midst is somehow to be regarded as ‘their wolf.’ But they do feed it, and the killing stops. (From Starlight, by John Shea)

An unconventional sculpture of St. Francis enjoying the night sky at his mountain retreat outside Assisi

http://www.franciscansisters.org/english/publications/sfp_voices/oct10/voices_oct10.html
This is the original story as written in 1276 by Brother Ugolino di Monte Santa Maria.
Little Flowers Of St. Francis, Chapter XXI

At the time when St. Francis was living in the city of Gubbio, a large wolf appeared in the neighborhood, so terrible and so fierce, that he not only devoured other animals, but made a prey of men also; and since he often approached the town, all the people were in great alarm, and used to go about armed, as if going to battle. Notwithstanding these precautions, if any of the inhabitants ever met him alone, he was sure to be devoured, as all defense was useless: and, through fear of the wolf, they dared not go beyond the city walls.

St. Francis, feeling great compassion for the people of Gubbio, resolved to go and meet the wolf, though all advised him not to do so. Making the sign of the holy cross, and putting all his confidence in God, he went forth from the city, taking his brethren with him; but these fearing to go any further, St. Francis bent his steps alone toward the spot where the wolf was known to be, while many people followed at a distance, and witnessed the miracle.

The wolf, seeing all this multitude, ran towards St. Francis with his jaws wide open. As he approached, the saint, making the sign of the cross, cried out: “Come hither, brother wolf; I command thee, in the name of Christ, neither to harm me nor anybody else.” Marvelous to tell, no sooner had St. Francis made the sign of the cross, than the terrible wolf, closing his jaws, stopped running, and coming up to St Francis, lay down at his feet as meekly as a lamb.

And the saint thus addressed him: “Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without his permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer. All men cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee, O brother wolf, is so be thou no more offend them, and they shall forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall pursue thee anymore.”

Having listened to these words, the wolf bowed his head, and, by the movements of his body, his tail, and his eyes, made signs that he agreed to what St. Francis said. On this St. Francis added: “As thou art willing to make this peace, I promise thee that thou shalt be fed every day by the inhabitants of this land so long as thou shalt live among them; thou shalt no longer suffer hunger, as it is hunger which has made thee do so much evil; but if I obtain all this for thee, thou must promise, on thy side, never again to attack any animal or any human being; dost thou make this promise?”

Then the wolf, bowing his head, made a sign that he consented. Said St. Francis again: “Brother wolf, wilt thou pledge thy faith that I may trust to this thy promise?” and putting out his hand he received the pledge of the wolf; for the latter lifted up his paw and placed it familiarly in the hand of St. Francis, giving him thereby the only pledge which was in his power. Then said St. Francis, addressing him again: “Brother wolf, I command thee, in the name of Christ, to follow me immediately, without hesitation or doubting, that we may go together to ratify this peace which we have concluded in the name of God”; and the wolf, obeying him, walked by his side as meekly as a lamb, to the great astonishment of all the people.

Now, the news of this most wonderful miracle spreading quickly through the town, all the inhabitants, both men and women, small and great, young and old, flocked to the market-place to see St. Francis and the wolf. All the people being assembled, the saint got up to preach, saying, amongst other things, how for our sins God permits such calamities, and how much greater and more dangerous are the flames of hell, which last forever, than the rage of a wolf, which can kill the body only; and how much we ought to dread the jaws of hell, if the jaws of so small an animal as a wolf can make a whole city tremble through fear.

The sermon being ended, St. Francis added these words: “Listen my brethren: the wolf who is here before you has promised and pledged his faith that he consents to make peace with you all, and no more to offend you in aught, and you must promise to give him each day his necessary food; to which, if you consent, I promise in his name that he will most faithfully observe the compact.”

Then all the people promised with one voice to feed the wolf to the end of his days; and St. Francis, addressing the latter, said again: “And thou, brother wolf, dost thou promise to keep the compact, and never again to offend either man or beast, or any other creature?” And the wolf knelt down, bowing his head, and, by the motions of his tail and of his ears, endeavored to show that he was willing, so far as was in his power, to hold to the compact. Then St Francis continued: “Brother wolf, as thou gavest me a pledge of this thy promise when we were outside the town, so now I will that thou renew it in the sight of all this people, and assure me that I have done well to promise in thy name”; and the wolf lifting up his paw placed it in the hand of St Francis.

Now this event caused great joy in all the people, and a great devotion towards St. Francis, both because of the novelty of the miracle, and because of the peace which had been concluded with the wolf; and they lifted up their voices to heaven, praising and blessing God, who had sent them St. Francis, through whose merits they had been delivered from such a savage beast.

The wolf lived two years at Gubbio; he went familiarly from door to door without harming anyone, and all the people received him courteously, feeding him with great pleasure, and no dog barked at him as he went about. At last, after two years, he died of old age, and the people of Gubbio mourned his loss greatly; for when they saw him going about so gently amongst them all, he reminded them of the virtue and sanctity of St. Francis. 

For Pondering:
• Who or what is the “wolf” in our cities, government, churches, or society today?
• What is our collective or personal response to those we fear because of how they dress, what they believe, or attitudes they may hold?
• Francis was a reconciler of enemies – what in us personally or collectively  that needs the grace of reconciliation?
• What are the hungers that we experience personally or collectively?  How do we pray for mercy, insight, guidance, and openness to divine healing?

Angels We Have Heard On High?? Angels We Have Heard Near-by!

The Annunciation - Tanner 1898

Feast of the Guardian Angels - October 2

When we see pain on a tortured person’s face, we might glimpse for a second the image of Jesus crucified, a reality that artists for centuries have shown in infinite variation and detail and one that enters the lives of all of us at one time or another.  We might look at a woman in a jewelry shop with eyes of D.H. Lawrence, who saw Aphrodite in the body of the woman washing her clothes in a river.  We might see a Cezanne still life in a momentary glance at our kitchen table. When a summer breeze blows through an open window as we sit reading in a rare half-hour of quiet, we might recall one of the hundreds of annunciations painters have given us, reminding us that it is the habit of angels to visit in moments of silent reading. (-Thomas Moore, in Care of the Soul)

Story: Once upon a time there was a blacksmith who worked hard at his trade. The day came for him to die. The angel was sent to him, and much to the angel’s surprise he refused to go. He pleaded with the angel to make his case before God that he was the only blacksmith in the area and it was time for all his neighbors to begin their planting and sowing. He was needed. So the angel pleaded his case before God. He said that the man didn't want to appear ungrateful, and that he was glad to have a place in the kingdom, but could he put off going for a while? And he was left.

About a year or two later the angel came back again with the same message: God was ready to share the fullness of the kingdom with him. Again the man had reservation and said: ‘A neighbor of mine is seriously ill, and it’s time for the harvest. A number of us are trying to save his crops so that his family won’t become destitute. Please come back later.’ And off the angel went again.

Well, it got to be a pattern. Every time the angel came, the blacksmith had one excuse or another. The blacksmith would just shake his head and tell the angel where he was needed and decline. Finally, the blacksmith grew very old, weary and tired. He decided it was time, and so he prayed: ‘God, if you’d like to send your angel again, I’d be glad to come home now.’ Immediately the angel appeared, as if from around the corner of the bed. The blacksmith said: ‘If you still want to take me home, I’m ready to live forever in the kingdom of heaven.’ And the angel laughed and looked at the blacksmith in delight and surprise and said: ‘Where do you think you've been all these years?’ He was home. (-Megan McKenna in Parables)

Story: Once upon a time there was a woman who longed to find out what heaven is like. She prayed constantly, ‘O God, grant me in this life a vision of paradise.’ She prayed in this way for years until one night she had a dream. In her dream an angel came and led her to heaven. They walked down a street in paradise until they came to an ordinary looking house. The angel, pointing toward the house said, ‘God and look inside.’

So the woman walked in the house and found a person preparing supper, another reading the newspaper, and the children playing with their toys. Naturally, she was disappointed and returned to the angel on the street. ‘Is this all there is to heaven.’
The angel replied, ‘Those people you saw in that house are not in paradise, paradise is in them!’ (-Edward Hays in Feathers on the Wind)

In Irish spirituality, there has always been great reverence for angels. The word ‘angel’ in the Irish language is derived from two words ‘ain’ and ‘geal’ – the place of brightness. The belief that the angelic spirits come from the place of light, which is heaven. Angels are depicted in much of early Irish sacred art and appear in the writings of St. Patrick when he refers to the angel of the nation. The early Christians held a great reverence for spiritual things and believed that they were protected by the angels in all places and at all times. Many of the ancient prays reveal a close relationship between heaven’s helpful spirits and a believing people. There were no boundaries in the Celtic imagination and such messengers were present in all areas of life. 
So what then is the purpose of the angels in the twenty-first century where the sacred and the secular often clash and where many are wandering desperately seeking for some meaning in life and hoping for something deeper? The angels exist to bring the hope and protection of God into our lives though we all have free will and can make choices of our own.  

Perhaps unknowingly, we too have encountered the angels in our own lives in various guises and forms as they reveal to us the goodness and compassion of God, who longs to be close to us.
(-Liam Lawton, Where God Hides)

Reflections in honor of St. Francis

It is said that at one time Rabbi Lot went to see Rabbi Joseph and said, “Rabbi, as much as I am able, I practice a small rule of life, all the little fasts, some prayer and meditation, and remain quiet, and as much as possible, I keep my thoughts clean.  What else should I do? Then the old Rabbi Joseph stood up and stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like the torches of flame.  And he said, “Why not be turned into fire?
                                                            (From the Desert Fathers and Mothers)
October 4,  we celebrate Francis of Assisi, who not only turned into fire but set the world on fire with his generosity, creativity, imagination, dedication to the poor and his austere living of the Gospel.  He had a profound faith, a deep prayer life and an abiding love of God and creation.   Many commentators have called Francis “a Second Christ,” because he tried in so many ways to be exactly like Jesus.

He was born in the Tuscan country side of Assisi in 1181 to a wealthy cloth merchant.  Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life growing up; he received little formal education and during his early years he was preoccupied with having fun.  Today, we would perhaps say he is among the bold and the beautiful, the rich and famous, and the young and the restless!  As a young man, he was popular, charming, enjoyed practical jokes and was usually the life of the party.  He was good at business, but wanted to become a troubadour and write poetry.   Everyone loved Francis.  He was constantly happy, a dreamer and a born leader.  

When he was twenty years old he was eager to be a knight and took part in a battle of a nearby country, yet his townspeople were defeated and he spent a year in prison.  After his return to Assisi, he became seriously ill and dissatisfied with his way of life.  He endured a spiritual crisis and devoted himself to solitude, prayer and service of the poor.  One of the many conversion experiences of his life that is told was when he was riding one day; he came face to face with a leper who begged for money.  Francis had always had disgust for lepers, and turning his face, he rode on; but immediately he had a change of heart and returned to the leper and gave him all the money he had and kissed his hand.  As he rode off, he turned around for a last glance, and saw that the leper had disappeared.  From that day on he dressed in rags and gave himself to the service of the lepers and the poor.

Another conversion moment is told when he was in the nearby Church of San Damiano.   While he was praying, he heard Christ on the cross speak to him.  “Francis, repair my church.”  With this mandate and with the words of the Gospel, “The kingdom of God is at hand, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out devils; freely have you received, freely give. Carry neither gold nor silver nor money, nor bag, nor two coats, nor sandals. . .” 

Francis, then at once felt that this was his vocation and proceeded to preach to the poor.  In time, 12 others joined him in preaching the Gospel and working among the poor. They took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach.  They would have no money and not property, individually or collectively. 

Their task was to preach, “using words if necessary,” but declaring the love of God by their words and actions.  Francis called his order the “Order of Friars Minor” or the order of lesser brothers.  They were to live as brothers of all, to reveal by their love that all human beings are sisters and brothers. Francis did not live in a monastery but among the people, and in that world, he sought and found God.  

His approach was an Incarnational approach – God was a loving Father/Creator and all that Francis had was gift, Christ was his Brother and the Spirit of that love lived and burned in him.  
Following the Gospel literally, Francis and his companions at first frightened their listeners as these men dressed in rags talking about God’s love.  But soon the people noticed that these barefoot beggars wearing sacks seemed filled with constant joy. They celebrated life.  

An early biographer gives an account of Francis’ physical appearance.  “In stature he was rather on the short side, his head of moderate size and round, his face long, his forehead smooth and low, his eyes of medium size, black and candid, his hair dark, his eyebrows straight, his nose even-shaped, thin and straight, his ears prominent but delicate.
  
In conversation he was agreeable, ardent and penetrating, his voice firm, sweet-toned and clearly audible, his lips delicate, his beard black and rather sparse, his neck slender, his shoulders straight, his arms short, his hands small, with long fingers, his feet small, his skin tender, his clothing rough, his sleep brief and his bounty most liberal.”

Francis’ brotherhood included all of God’s creation.  He had a deep love for animals and a special fondness for birds.  He liked to refer to animals as his brothers and sisters.   

In one famous story, Francis preached to hundreds of birds about being thankful to God for their wonderful clothes, for their independence, and for God’s care. The story tells us the birds stood still as he walked among them, only flying off when he said they could leave. 

Another famous story involves the wolf of Gubbio.  Out of hunger, the wolf took to attacking the people of Gubbio as they worked in their fields. The people were so frightened of the wolf they didn’t dare go out into the fields without armed protection.  Francis said to them, “Let me go out to talk with the wolf.”  So he went out to meet the wolf and spoke with him, who became docile at his approach and so the wolf returned with Francis to meet the people of Gubbio.  Francis arranged a peace pact between the people and the wolf.  The people would feed the wolf and in return the wolf would live peacefully with them. 

Francis’ final years were filled with much suffering.  Praying to share in Christ’s passion he had a vision and received the stigmata, the marks of the nails and the lance wounds that Christ suffered. 

Years of poverty and wandering had made Francis ill.  In his final months of his life, being blind and enduring intense suffering, he joyfully and with cheerfulness wrote his beautiful Canticle of the Sun that expresses his brotherhood with creation in praising God.  He died at the age of 45 and at which time there were now several thousand members throughout Europe to carry on his mission and call.  He was canonized two years later.

So what is the good news for us today?
• Francis speaks to us to live with joy, simplicity and faithfulness to the Gospels.   Let us dare to search for meaning and fulfillment in our relationship to God even when we may look a little foolish or even when it may call us to make drastic changes in our attitudes and behaviors.
• Francis speaks to us about our relationship to creation.   Let us be voices that challenge as we confront the environmental issues that affect our planet today. “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
• Francis was called to “repair the church.”  Let us live with integrity and courage to witness a church of inclusivity, compassion, forgiveness and hope so that the message and mission of Jesus will be revealed – and let us use words, if necessary!
• Francis speaks to us about the gift of suffering.  Let us ask for the graces we need when we find life tiring and burdensome so that the gentle and loving presence of God will bless us with refreshing peace, healing and bravery.
• Francis speaks to us of poverty.  Let us live with an awareness that all we have is gift, and that we are to share the resources of this world with everyone; we are guardians and stewards of creation; sisters and brothers to all.
• Francis kisses the leper and tames the wolf.  Let us be aware of the things in our lives that we may fear; the things that scare us – let us ask for the graces to embrace them with courage and love.   

Let us search for the wolf that hungers in our world, church, government, community, and in our personal lives – let us name and tame the hungers so that we may live with trust, harmony, justice and peace. “While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”