Thankfully, the weekly debacle of Prime Minister’s Question Time with all its political points scoring was suspended as the two opponents shared a common grief.  For a brief period in time political enemies stand united.

Here, the shared of enemies was open but of course it is often hidden. “If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility” so wrote  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. So often (and perhaps quite naturally) we only think of our own grief. Along with the news of the death of Ivan we have heard of further deaths in Afghanistan; more names to be added to the blank walls of the National War Memorial. But what of the grieving Afghan widow or Mother?

Soon we will come to the Passion of Christ and then to Easter which is said to be the most important festival in the Church Calendar. For me, however,  it will always be Christmas it was at that point were God in Christ started to take on the sufferings of humankind; the everyday trials and struggles that are the lot of us all. God and humankind could easily have been enemies if it had not been that God took the initiative and shared in our grief. Through that move we are able to share in the mind of God, particularly his hopes and aspirations for us. Through shared suffering, dialogue between humans and God was opened up.

Ivan R.I.P

Can I learn something here? Am I able to share with those I consider my enemies? Am I able to bear the cost? The honest answer is I don’t know. The one thing I do know is that if I am to do it I must first share with the one who shared himself with me and who commanded me  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
(Matthew 5:44-45)

Whenever I mention St. Francis I usually get the response “Oh, he is the one with the animals.” True there are many stories of Francis and animals, but there are lots about other Saints too. It my be that you have come here thinking more about Ecology,  after all Francis has been made Patron Saint of Ecology – I hope somebody has told him! Whatever your reason for visiting it is true to say that Francis was interested in the world around him and that included the animals and the environment, but that is not to say he was an environmentalist as we would know it today. He was not a vegetarian and he certainly did not go round trying to save the planet, the truth is he was more concerned with saving souls from hell.

Francis lived in a world that was changing. The feudal system was breaking down; townsfolk were fighting their Lords and even each other. The Church was amassing wealth at an alarming rate alienating itself from the ordinary people in the process. Francis was involved in all of these things.

That is the real challenge for Franciscans today. We are concerned for the environment not becuase of Francis but because, like him, we hate to see God’s creation abused. We are concerned about the wars which surround us and bring in their wake poverty and famine. We are concerned about a Church that is pulling itself apart and spending its time ‘navel gazing, while out in the real world there are those that desperately need both our support and the knowledge of Christ we can offer.

OK, I may well mention animals from time to time; I will certainly mention the environment, but forgive me if I tend to concentrate on peace, social justice and encouraging people on their Christian walk – I think that is what Francis would want me to do.