‍St Francis and Animals

October 1^st 2023, Glynn Cardy

Thomas of Celano in the 13th century recorded some stories, legends, about St Francis of Assisi and animals.

The first story concerns birds:  Francis was no stranger to walking great distances.  One day as he was making a trip through the Spoleto valley, he spotted a great number of birds of all varieties.  Swept up in the moment, Francis left his friends in the road and ran after the birds, who patiently waited for him.  (Remember this is a story!)

He greeted them, expecting them to take flight as he spoke.But they did not move.  Filled with awe,he asked them if they would stay awhile and listen to a little sermon.  Francis allegedly said to them: “My brotherand sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love God.  God gave you feathers for clothes, wings tofly and all other things that you need.  Itis God who made you noble among all creatures, making your home in thin, pureair.  Without sowing or reaping, youreceive God’s guidance and protection.”

At this, the birds began to spread their wings, stretchtheir necks and gaze at Francis, rejoicing and praising in a wonderful wayaccording to their nature.  It has beensaid that the brothers who journeyed with him stood in amazement.

Then Francis gave the birds his blessing.  At that they flew off and Francis, rejoicingand giving thanks to God, went on his way.

When we, some eight centuries later, revisit such stories wecan easily dismiss them as fantasy, as some might with a fairytale.  But they deserve a closer look, not becausewe wish to take them literally, but because they point to a way of building respectand interdependence between all living things.

Firstly Francis walked, feet touching the earth, facefeeling the wind, ears and eyes seeing more than human beings, buildings, andcomputer screens.  If we are to ‘touchthe earth lightly’ as the hymn says, we first need to touch the earth.

Secondly, and dependent on the first, he noticed.  He noticed not just his companions and theirconcerns (and no doubt some of his own), but he noticed the eco-system in whichhe walked, and the birds with their special blessings.

Thirdly, he went to the birds and spoke to them.  Could they hear and understand?  I, like many, speak to the animals I livewith and meet.  And for the last twoweeks I’ve been talking to a newborn child. What do they understand?  Well, Ithink they understand feelings and emotions, which our voice can convey.  But I suspect they understand much morebesides.

Lastly, Francis was encouraging the birds to give thanks andpraise for their life as it is.  My guessis that he was preaching to himself as well (as preachers do), and to hisfollowers who would later retell the story. Having an attitude of gratitude is not only a foundation ofspirituality, but it is also the means by which we get through the hardtimes.  

But I also think we can see our world, if we choose, in a differentway.  We can see the trees in the wind ‘clappingtheir hands,’ as the psalmist said.  Wecan see the playful dog rolling in the grass ‘giving thanks to God.’  We can see the birds as they chirp and flit ‘delightingin the joys of abundant life.’  In otherwords, we can use the eyes of our imagination, as Francis did, to see gratitudeand praise all around, and allow such to lift our spirits.  And then join in its song.

The second story:  Oneday a brother brought a rabbit who had been caught in a trap to Francis.Francis advised the rabbit to be more alert in the future, then released therabbit from the trap and set it on the ground to go its way.  But the rabbit hopped back up onto Francis’lap, desiring to be close to the saint.

Francis took the rabbit a few steps into the woods and setit down.  But it followed Francis back tohis seat and hopped on his lap again!  FinallyFrancis asked one of his fellow friars to take the rabbit far into the woodsand let it go.  That worked.  This type of thing happened repeatedly toFrancis.

Fish were also known to communicate with Francis.  Whenever a fish was caught and Francis wasnearby, he would return the fish to the water, warning it not to be caughtagain.  On several occasions the fishwould linger awhile near the boat, listening to Francis, until he gave thempermission to leave.  Then they wouldswim off.

Like our first story with the birds, the rabbit and fishtales invite us to pause and see the world with the eyes of our imagination.  The rabbit and fish, both of which were partof the then diet, rich sources of protein, were to Francis God’s creatures tobe treated with kindness and respect.  

Was Francis therefore a vegetarian?  The evidence would suggest not.

I’m currently reading a series of novels set in the farnorth of Alaska, and the lead character, Kate, is an Aleut, the indigenouspeople of the Aleutian Islands.  Giventhe extreme weather, she must gather and hunt and store in the summer andautumn to prepare for winter.  In onenovel she shoots a moose.  Immediatelyshe places her hand on the moose and acknowledges his fading life energy orspirit.  Then she dances, as her peoplehave for centuries, to express her gratitude to not only the moose but to thespirit of life that will enable her to now survive the winter.  And then she spends three days skinning,salting, cutting up the meat and bagging it. Some she will give away to those less fortunate in their hunting.

Over the years I have met hunters and fisherfolk likethis.  Catching and killing only whatthey need.  Honouring the animal orfish.  Honouring their lifeforce.  And using all of the carcass for variouspurposes so that there is no waste.

Allied with this, and a major concern in today’s world, isthe mahi (work) of enhancing the habitats and food supplies of these animals inorder that they not only survive but multiply. As our human population has increased, as our love affair with meat andfish likewise, allied with the financial greed of more than a few, sosanctuaries and bigger sanctuaries to preserve wildlife and fish have becomeincreasingly necessary.  Maybe if Franciswas alive today, he would be advocating a politically-motivated vegetarianism?

Our third and last story from the Francis tradition, andprobably the most well-known, concerns a wolf.  

While Francis was staying in Gubbio he learned of a wolf soravenous that it was not only killing and eating domestic animals, but people,too.  The people took up arms and wentafter it, but those who encountered the wolf perished at its sharp teeth.  Villagers became afraid to leave the citywalls.

Francis had pity on the people and decided to go out andmeet the wolf.  While walking suddenly thewolf, jaws agape, charged out of the woods at Francis.  Francis said to the creature: “Come to me,Brother Wolf.  I order you not to hurtanyone.”  At that moment the wolf loweredits head and lay down at Francis’ feet, meek as a lamb.

Francis explained to the wolf that he had been terrorizingthe people.  “Brother Wolf,” saidFrancis, “I want to make peace between you and the people of Gubbio.  I will offer you a deal – if you won’t harmthem, they won’t harm you, instead they will feed you and past wrongs will beforgiven.”

The wolf showed its assent by moving its body and noddingits head. Then the wolf meekly followed St. Francis back to the town.

By the time they got to the town square, everyone was thereto witness the miracle.  With the wolf athis side, Francis offered the townspeople peace, on behalf of the wolf.  The townspeople in return promised to feed thewolf.

From that day on the people kept the pact they had made.  The wolf lived for two years among thetownspeople, going from door to door for food.  It hurt no one and no one hurt it.  When the wolf finally died of old age, thepeople of Gubbio were sad.

Again with the eyes of our imagination, we have a storyextolling brave negotiators (like Francis) and the wonder of finding win-winsolutions.  The town got freedom fromfear, the wolf got freedom from being feared.

One way of telling this story is to extol the courage oflooking for solutions to problems, solutions where everyone can live togetherin peace. This is about facing what frightens us.  About finding what feeds our ‘wolf’s’nastiness and help it get its needs met in a different way.  It’s about even befriending that whichfrightens us.  Peace-makers the worldover can see something of what they do in this tale.

But the story of the wolf of Gubbio is also aboutresources.  Why was the wolf riskingattacking humans in the first place? What had happened to the food that others in his species had survived onin the past?  What ecological imbalancehad led to the attacks?

This too has echoes in our time, for behind many conflictsthere are questions about ownership or access to natural resources, includingissues of food and water supplies.  Andbehind the real and threatening extinction of species are the diminishingnatural habitats and quality of those habitats for animals, birds, and fish.  Including wolves.

The Francis tradition offers us simple stories.  Often with the gloss of the godly andmiraculous.  Yet they also, when seenwith the eyes of imagination, touch our reality – encouraging us to care forthe wild habitats and their inhabitants, to let gratitude not greed or need beour guide, and to learn to live in harmony with the rhythms of our environmentsand with all the creatures within them.

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