This past week I have been to Assisi and so has Pope Francis. Assisi, the epicenter of the Christian message—love, care for the earth and all of God’s creatures. It warms my heart that the message I heard at my church today is the same one that Pope Francis proclaimed in Assisi. I am hopeful.
I go to one of those UCC ‘God is still speaking,’ churches, Memorial Congregational Church. And yes, God was speaking there today, as God always does. World Wide Communion Sunday, bread from many cultures, the youth helping the deacons serve communion. The message always at my church is God loves everyone, lead your life for Christ, and feed the poor.
This past week I have been to Assisi and so has Pope Francis. Assisi, the epicenter of the Christian message—love, care for the earth and all of God’s creatures. It warms my heart that the message I heard at my church today is the same one that Pope Francis proclaimed in Assisi. I am hopeful.
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A few days ago I posted about Assisi but I have more to say because today, October 4th is the Feast Day of St. Francis and this year Pope Francis, the first pope to have chosen that name, is there to celebrate. The citizens of Assisi must be particularly elated as plans were made, satisfying hopes and dreams. I was in Assisi in 2004 on the very day that Pope Benedict was elected. It was early evening and my friend and I stepped into a bar to see if the white smoke had risen from the Sistine Chapel. Indeed it had, and the TV was just announcing that Cardinal Ratzinger, a German, was the new pope. The owners of the bar, husband and wife, looked disgusted, turned off the TV, and went about closing up for the night. On the street outside a little nun, all by herself in the middle of the street, clasped her hands in gratitude. She had a ‘papa’. Although my daughter and I only spent twenty-four hours in Assisi, I find that with each visit I feel a closer affinity to this little town on the hill, this hometown of St. Francis, this town that calls out to us to care for the earth, the animals, the poor. I sense that everyone who visits here, everyone who lives here, loves St. Francis. Many are Roman Catholic and of course one sees many Franciscan monks and nuns. But there are also the rest of us who, with our own thoughts about saints, know that St. Francis energy can only benefit us and the world. It’s already affected Pope Francis. Home in the AR, the Angel Room, with all my favorite books, posters and angels. Happy to be here in this very private prayer place. I loved praying in the churches in Florence, but they are public. People come and go; some as tourists, many to light candles and pray. There’s much good to say about public worship and praying in community, but there’s also many benefits to being in that solitary space. S. Damiano is one of my favorite prayer spots. While sitting in front of this cross, St. Francis heard God tell him to mend God’s church. Much later the cross was moved to the Church of St. Clair, where I took this picture. If you follow my cottage by the sea blog, you’ll find the following entry. I said goodbye to Florence yesterday and now I am saying goodbye to Assisi. We had a magical twenty-four hours in this little Umbrian hill town. You have walk the streets and look out at the vista to feel the magic. Best I can do is offer a few photographs. Suffice to say, I’m dreaming of returning. I love the energy in Assisi. Alive but peaceful. For one reason or another everyone is bustling up and down the steep streets and stairways because of St. Francis. To add to the energy, October 4th is St. Francis’ Feast Day, and yes, Pope Francis, the first pope to claim the name Francis, is coming to celebrate. Yesterday we walked beyond the city gates and down the hill to the Convent of S. Damiano, founded by St. Clare and where she lived for twenty-five years after the death of her soul mate St. Francis. S. Damiano is also where St. Francis heard the voice of God to ‘mend my church’ and where he wrote the Canticle of the Creatures. It was a lovely stroll as thunder clouds formed, and we felt the first drop of rain just as we reached the portico. It poured and thundered for a good hour as we wandered through the convent before sitting in the cloister waiting for it to clear. The monks and nuns offered us umbrellas. A lovely moment. When the rain abated, we headed up the hill, feeling the last drop just as we reached the Church of St. Clair. |
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