CARE OF THE EARTH: TEN REASONS FRANCIS IS PATRON OF ECOLOGISTS
                       

 By Al Fritsch, S.J.

Copyright © 2000 by ASPI Publications

This book is offered here free of charge.  Any reference or
use of the materials must include full attribution of the title and
the author.                   

Introduction
1. The Act of Letting go of all Possessions
2. Chapel Construction
3. The Habit
4. Relationship with Women
5. Miracles      
6. Pilgrimage to Holy Land
7. The Crib
8. Stigmata
9.  Deacon
10. Smiles
Conclusion

                             Introduction
    In the spirit of this Fest let us try to bring together two
themes, namely the need to care for the Earth, and that of seeing
Francis Bernadone or Francis of Assisi, (1181-1226) patron of
Ecologists.  Francis is the one who embodies what good ecological
practice is all about. The marvel is that Francis lived a half a
millennium before ecology became a formal course of study.  Francis
did not spend time in the learned halls of academia where ecology
would be appropriately taught.  Rather, he was a person who loved
creation as God's gifts, saw creatures with a sense of kinship, and
initiated a process of preserving and repairing the damage done by
neglect to the immediate environment near where he lived.

    Francis did say much more in deed than in word, even though
preaching the word was an important aspect of his years of
ministry.  In fact, the first name of his association of brethren
was Preachers of Penance.  His words were heard at various times in
exhortations to followers, prayers with friends, consoling words to
those of other faiths, and pleas before popes -- Innocent III
(1198-1216).  Thus he was certainly a person of words.  However,
Francis knew that good words are not sufficient, and so the focus
right here is to Francis' deeds and the references for caring for
the Earth are deeds -- not necessarily words.  My references are
thus to the deeds which ecologists must and are willing to do.  

     1. The Act of Letting go of all Possessions:   Francis born
in 1181 (or 82), was the son of a rich cloth merchant, a typical
Middle Ages new rich, who regarded dress and the latest styles and
colors as a mark of one's chosen station in life.  Francis was
expected to follow that routine;  however, he rebelled early on and
did the opposite.  He gave up all worldly possessions.  He put on
garments which had the texture of sack cloth, and he wore sandals
and not shoes.  He opposed the affluence of his own family and the
culture of his day.  In place of affluence he chose to be
influential without having money or power to do it.  He broke with
a tradition which was fast becoming the first bourgeoisie  or
social class of freemen of the medieval times, which was emerging
with all its smugness, conventionality, and materialistic practices
of the dawning age of capitalism.  Instead, he performed
countersign deeds which stressed a downward mobility, a movement
spoken of in the revolutionary Magnificat which called for those in
high places to come down, and those in low places to move upward.
He embraced Mother Poverty.

    Ecological Deeds: Today we are called to be countersigns in
the way we live.  We are to show modern affluence for what it is,
namely a chronic addiction, which afflicts many in our culture --
and to which some in the so-called Developing World aspire to be
like.  The modern Francis sees this addiction, realizes the power
of advertising, and regrets the improper demand on the earth to
satisfy the material wants -- not needs -- of all people.  Space is
the primary marker of addictive behavior with residence,
educational, commercial and worship space doubling in the last two
decades.  This places heavy demands on building materials, for
increased maintenance, and for fuel needed for heating and cooling.
It means more denuded forests, oil field contamination, air
pollution and strip mines.  Today we have no rules for the civility
of behavior as in the age of nobility.  Money speaks and has power
to buy elections, set precedence, teach people to buy, and
encourage more indebtedness on the part of consumers.  Educators,
clergy, and lawmakers are all within the patterns and are unable or
unwilling to speak.  The crisis is far greater than in the time of
Francis.  Those who try to live simply are often marginalized.  All
the while the wealthiest three billionaires of the world hold more
wealth than the bottom six hundred million in the so-called
Developing World.

     2. Chapel Construction: Rebuilding through Appropriate
Technology at the Grassroots.  In 1206 Francis as a young man went
into a neglected Chapel of San Damiano just outside Assisi in
Umbria and knelt to pray.  While kneeling before the crucifix he
heard a voice coming from it saying three times,  Francis, go and
repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.  This
began his program to rebuild unused religious space and to care for
small chapels.  At first he used family funds, but then had to
resort to begging when his family sort of disowned him.
     The  Portiuncula --  The chapel of our Lady of the Angels was
given to Francis early in the 13th century to be repaired as a
chapel and made into the first church of the Franciscan Order.  It
is now enshrined in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in
Assisi.  To start small was not against his commitment to
simplicity, and so this humble beginning was of a mobile mendicant
who still saw the need to be located in one place.  Thus Francis
saw that grassroots chapel worship was a good worth emphasizing.

     Ecological Deed:  The need to rebuild our Earth is not a
grand crusade out to all the world, but rather one which has a
start in our own backyard.  We need to see that Francis started on
his own --  stone-by-stone -- and others came and helped through
the power of his example.  He knew there is power in local
demonstration, and especially when it is something we can all do --
not just the experts and gifted souls.  Francis began and others
saw they could do it also through their helping and cooperative
efforts.  Caring for the Earth has its own dynamic power of
starting small and locally through such appropriate technologies as
solar energy, dry compost toilets, cisterns, intensive gardens,
raised bed crops, and planting and protecting of ginseng as a crop
which can replace tobacco.  Example of the workman at St. Luis Rey
Mission.  Globalization problems overlook the grassroots, take up
sustenance farmlands for growing specialty crops for export, and
introduce more complex and inappropriate technologies.  Exponents
tend to start globally, stumble over and bypass the little ones
around them, and neglect what can be done more easily.  

    3. The Habit:  Demonstrating the Simple Life.  Francis
championed simple garb, begging for the basics, and living very
simple lives.  The initial rule of Francis was called by church
historian Thomas Bokenkotter as hardly more than throwing together
a few of his favorite quotations in the Bible about love and
poverty.  He received a verbal approbation in 1209 and the first
rules of the order were drawn up in 1223.

 Generally these are able to hide their escapades by distancing
themselves from their own wasteful ways, leaving waste problems to
the poor and destitute, and making the general population think
that it is the poor who pollute and the wealthy who have no waste.
We are asked to put on a habit of simplicity of lifestyle and to
see that the wealthy are more to blame than the poor -- the former
can get tax write-offs for giving soon-to-be junk to the aspiring
but poorer portions of the population.
   
    4. Relationship with Women.  The formation of the second order
has a long history which many know better than I.  The noble lady
Clare was certainly at first connected to Francis through
conversation about 1212 and was received into a start of religious
life by Francis, but only with immense discretion due to the
customs and opposition of her male relatives to what she was doing.

    Ecological Deed:  A balanced ecology must respect and focus to
some extent on the role of women in Society.  The frontiers being
pushed back by Clare were to be advanced still further in future
generations with the right town property and vote and an unfolding
of liberation movements.  A factor to consider is that of eco-
feminism and the place it holds in the total movement of women's
liberation and the rise of environmental consciousness.  Women hold
a unique position in healing the Earth, for they are more nurturing
and intuitive.  They are quick to begin something when needed, and
men often must be open, learn and imitate in the secondary role
that Earth healing often places them.  We must work to overcome
major gender barriers and inequalities because the health of the
planet depends on nurturing these relationships and working as co-
equals.  The better we work in partnership using our combined good
gifts, the more the wholesome relationship will transfer to the
rebuilding of the Earth.
 
    5. Miracles:  Showing kinship among Creatures:  The atmosphere
of humility made Francis regard all of creatures as praising God.
His Canticle of the Creatures called on Brother Sun and Sister Moon
to praise God.  Birds and animals are known to have respected and
come close to him.  He preached to birds and fish, for everything
from angels to rock were part of his family.  Francis was truly
catholic in trying to enlarge -- not belittle -- all.  Among the
many wonder stories you are familiar with the man-eating wolf of
Gubbio which was terrorizing the townspeople.  He said there was no
need to kill the wolf, for he would go and reason with the beast.
The wolf guaranteed that it would never hurt anybody again, if the
people agreed to put food out for it.

   Ecological Deed:  Today, a sense of kinship stands juxtaposed
in our culture with its hostility, haughty mastery and
unconditional conquest of nature over the globe by resource
extracting corporations.  This attitude of conquest happened in
various parts of the world and some Western European languages use
the "exploration" and "exploitation" as the same word.  The
attitude of subjugation of colonial peoples by colonial empires and
subsequent "conquest of souls" by religious personnel in these
nations helped create levels of inferiority/superiority.  Kinship
involves a covenant with the creatures of the world so there will
be no exotic invasions and no extinction of species, both highly
likely probabilities in the ongoing conquest of nature by modern
corporations and cultures.   Instead of this, the opposite is a
sense of respect for all creation.  We need to be mindful that we
are elevated to the family of God, entering into this relationship
reverently, with hushed voices and palpitating breasts.  We
participate in this mystery, guarding our surroundings and
protecting what is so fragile and vulnerable.
 
  "There are two ways of living your life, one as though nothing
is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle."
                                       --Albert Einstein

     6. Pilgrimage to Holy Land:  Collaborating with Others.  In
1219 Francis made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt and even
preached to the Sultan.  Francis was known to have made a wide
variety of friends and to gain respect through his personality.  He
opposed the stance of warfare in place of dialogue and was really
the first to open up interreligious interaction.
 
    Ecological Deeds:  We cannot care for the Earth without the
support of all people of good will.  This means we need to expand
our interreligious and cultural relationships.  The Society for the
Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is the only interreligious
group operating openly in the Middle East.  SPNI thrives because
the threatened environment of that relatively crowded section of
the world is really the care and concern of people of all faiths.
We cannot neglect the environment due to cultural  or ethnic
divides.  The diversity of the Earth's people must be maintained,
especially when we consider that half of the world's languages are
expected to disappear in this century.  That is an ecological
catastrophe.  
 
    7. The Crib: Teaching Children Profound Mysteries:  The genius
of Francis was that he celebrated the way the Lord was born and the
humble setting through deed and not word, namely in the
presentation of the event with live people and animals.  The custom
of erecting cribs is ascribed to him.  In 1223 he obtained
permission from Honorius III (1215-1227) to use the crib and the
images of the Christ child, Mary, Joseph and Wise Men to re-present
the mystery of the nativity -- a creative pedagogical tool.  

     Ecological Deed:  Today, Earth caring includes environmental
education which targets children -- the hope of the future.  This
education includes a respect for the beginnings of plant and animal
life for these are precious and vulnerable moments.  It includes a
respect for the habitat of the vulnerable plants and animals.
Children must be the focus for they have a deeper sense of the
damage done by ignorance and greed with respect to the environment.
Children are willing to start a down-to-earth repairing process
through caring for animals and plants, constructing nature trails,
and planting trees.  The profound mystery of the Incarnation as
taught through a simple crib opens up the marvels of Creation,
Redemption, and Renewal -- the threefold or Trinitarian work of
Earth caring.  Open wonder, deep heartfelt vulnerability, and
playful enthusiasm to recreate the wounded Earth.  The simple
flower and animal reveals creation in its depth, redemption in its
need, and renewal in its spirit.

    8. Stigmata:  Welcoming the Marks of the Lord.  Francis love
for Christ was so intense that he was gifted to have the marks of
the cross on his very person.  This phenomenon, granted to a few
others, began in September, 1224 just two years before his death.
He became one with the suffering Christ and he gloried in the cross
on his person.

    Ecological Deed:  Today, caring for the Earth is not an
elitist operation or good will gesture of the wealthy to pristine
areas which they have the travel money to enjoy.  Rather, such
caring must be coupled with social justice issues;  we burn when
observing the desecration of the Earth seeing in suffering people
and in suffering Earth a intimate relationship that cannot be
broken.  We cannot solve the Earth's problems unless we first solve
our social ones.  We cannot expect the wealthy to give up without
ever touching the wounds of the Earth, nor do we see the gift of
suffering as a mark of hatred and rage wherein the poor lose their
sense of direction and focus -- when they take upon themselves for
gaining what is rightly theirs.  Eco-suffering becomes a challenge,
and when properly understood, becomes an opportunity.  It is our
modern day stigmata -- the markings of the crucified Jesus in the
Body of Christ that is the Earth and all suffering inhabitants.
Are we willing to take these on freely and creatively?
 
    9.  Deacon: Serving Others.  Francis was one of the famous
deacons in the Church which include Stephen, Lawrence, Justin, and
Vincent.  It is the Church role of deacon to be of special service
to the whole Body of Christ.  Francis fulfilled that role
perfectly, both through his preaching and in his humble service to
the poor.

    Ecological Deed:  Earth carers who see the need both to care
for those who suffer as part of the human family and as part of the
Earth family are following in the footsteps of Francis.  We must be
of service to the plants and animals, not overlords over them.
This service includes healing the wounded, preserving the
threatened, nurturing the stressed and ailing, and showing other
caring persons through demonstration how they also can be of
service.  The future health of the Earth depends on loving and
caring service and so carers are eco-deacons.

    10. Smiles: Dancing in Celebration.  Francis loved to
celebrate -- to skip down the road when traveling, to smile easily,
to sing and converse.  He is what is regarded as a lighthearted
person, and he never lost the trait throughout his life.  He is
said to have been a generous, poetic, high-spirited youth who
dreamed of performing daring deeds of chivalry.  He had a brief
disillusioning career as a soldier.  But on taking on Christ
Francis manifests the sheer wonder of God's goodness while still
doing so in song, dance, and engaging personality.  His love for
celebration did not dampen when he introduced it within his
gathering brotherhood (the Friars Minor) which was starting to
spread throughout Europe even in his own life.  

     Ecological Deed:  Caring for the Earth does not leave out the
need for celebration.  Just as Francis celebrated the greatness of
creation, so should a balanced carer of the Earth celebrate the
gifts given and the plans which are unfolding.  All work and no
play makes for a dull person, and the same can be said for those
who are carers of God's creation.  We need time to rest and time to
celebrate and this is all the more true as the urgency becomes more
apparent to us.  The time of restfulness, which includes silence
and song, allows us to distance ourselves from our culture's all
night malls and neon lights.  Activists among others find it hard
to give time to rest and time to pray -- a natural right of all
people and a natural need of all people.
         
      Conclusion:  From a number of examples from Francis' life
and from the possible deeds which modern day eco-activists are
invited to do, we can make a strong case for why Francis of Assisi
is truly the best choice for patron of ecology.  It is also why his
appeal goes far beyond Christian circles to embrace the world.