The Hummingbird...
(Or How to Know Perfect Love
One Moment From Now -- A Story of the Ragged-Man -- better known as St. Francis of Assisi))
Due to an affliction of laziness, an affliction I'd been carrying my entire life, I was again let go by my master. I was now too old to apprentice with another. My future looked quite bleak -- my friends, though, were only too happy to welcome my return to their circle of game and misery. There was talk of another fight with Perugia -- but a foot soldier had no hope of winning any spoils. Still, maybe a knight would witness my valor and take me into his service... All six of us were sprawled in the shade, sharing the last of our wine and bread. The talk was easy and familiar -- which passing maiden we would most like to mount, and our ritual banter of imaginary pursuits for the night. The winsome Clare aroused our unanimous desires far beyond those for any other. She was the only girl who could silence a room or an entire street with her mere presence. Of course she had never seemed to notice us, even when we threw pebbles at her feet. But on this day, there was no Clare, just a couple of fools strolling, laughing, and bowing to everything and everyone. One of them started to sing some "Sweet Mother" song, the other just cried, and seemingly no one noticed but us. We thought, without saying a word to each other, that this was just too good to be true. We hurried, in our slow motion sort of way, to circle them and prod them with how sweet their mothers must have been to make such fine looking young men. Were they two drunken shepherds? How much fun were the sheep at night? Did their sheep get jealous if they were dropped for another? The bigger of the two, I could see, was getting angry. This was just too much fun and getting better! Of a sudden, the smaller of the two, stopped singing and dancing. He seemed frozen in place. We followed his eyes. Clare emerged from the shadows and stood watching the scene unfold. Emboldened now with the eyes of Clare surveying us, our banter turned to pushing and forcing the little guy to spin in circles. He kept shouting, "Brother Bernard! You must see the Face of God even in your tormentors!" Clare approached a few more steps. We stopped our game, but the guy just kept spinning of his own accord. Finally, he stopped and fell into the arms of his friend. Clare held her hand out to him. I saw him barely touch her skin, and he seemed to jump up into the sky! When he came down he was chirping like a flock of birds. I heard Clare say she didn't understand that language. At first he seemed puzzled, then he smiled, spun in another circle, and started preaching.
"Brothers! Brothers and Sisters! Don't believe the stories you are told by the rich and powerful! You are not here to satisfy their whim -- you are here to glorify Him -- and Her. Love is all and love is everything! The boys who were trying so hard to torment me really only want to know love. The beautiful Lady Clare only wants to know love. The most miserable leper alone and forgotten by all only wants to know love. The richest man in our beautiful city, only wants to know love. I should know that one -- because he's my father! And the great thing, the most wonderful thing, is that we can, we truly can know perfect love -- just one moment from now! But I'm not going to tell you just yet. First you must give me some food for the poor! Bread for the poor of San Damiano!"
Amazingly, the few people who had gathered, each seemed to have some small amount of bread with them. Giles said, "Maybe we should apprentice with him." I moved closer. I needed to hear how to know perfect love -- right now! Silence rained down upon each one of us as we stood waiting in the sunlight. He lifted his arms to the sky and stood again as if fixed to that one spot on the street. Then I heard Giles once more, "The man's a simpleton, a fool. He knows about as much about love as Lady Clare." I knew who the fool was -- at the moment it was Giles, not him. I kept my eyes intent upon him. His arms dropped, he sagged as if utterly exhausted. His friend propped him up. Someone said, "You said we can know perfect love, just one moment from now. We gave you bread, will you say something?" Once again he seemed to be a bird, one with the tiniest of chirps. But, this time without Clare's prompting, he switched back to human words:
"Brothers and Sisters! It really is very simple. My friends, the lepers have taught me this, and I know it is true. All you have to do to know perfect love -- just one moment from now -- is to treat the person in your eyes as God. God will then give birth to herself in your heart and you will give birth to him through your good actions. God will multiply God until all there is, is God. And all of this only needs your Amen, may it be so. And it can all happen, just one moment from now!"
Clare collapsed in a heap on the street. I heard her say, "It is true!" Another woman said, "I gave birth to two sons. God? I don't think so!" Giles said, "Who'd like to multiply with me?" I said, "That's the first time I heard a hummingbird preach."
-- Robert Daniel Smith
(Or How to Know Perfect Love
One Moment From Now -- A Story of the Ragged-Man -- better known as St. Francis of Assisi))
Due to an affliction of laziness, an affliction I'd been carrying my entire life, I was again let go by my master. I was now too old to apprentice with another. My future looked quite bleak -- my friends, though, were only too happy to welcome my return to their circle of game and misery. There was talk of another fight with Perugia -- but a foot soldier had no hope of winning any spoils. Still, maybe a knight would witness my valor and take me into his service... All six of us were sprawled in the shade, sharing the last of our wine and bread. The talk was easy and familiar -- which passing maiden we would most like to mount, and our ritual banter of imaginary pursuits for the night. The winsome Clare aroused our unanimous desires far beyond those for any other. She was the only girl who could silence a room or an entire street with her mere presence. Of course she had never seemed to notice us, even when we threw pebbles at her feet. But on this day, there was no Clare, just a couple of fools strolling, laughing, and bowing to everything and everyone. One of them started to sing some "Sweet Mother" song, the other just cried, and seemingly no one noticed but us. We thought, without saying a word to each other, that this was just too good to be true. We hurried, in our slow motion sort of way, to circle them and prod them with how sweet their mothers must have been to make such fine looking young men. Were they two drunken shepherds? How much fun were the sheep at night? Did their sheep get jealous if they were dropped for another? The bigger of the two, I could see, was getting angry. This was just too much fun and getting better! Of a sudden, the smaller of the two, stopped singing and dancing. He seemed frozen in place. We followed his eyes. Clare emerged from the shadows and stood watching the scene unfold. Emboldened now with the eyes of Clare surveying us, our banter turned to pushing and forcing the little guy to spin in circles. He kept shouting, "Brother Bernard! You must see the Face of God even in your tormentors!" Clare approached a few more steps. We stopped our game, but the guy just kept spinning of his own accord. Finally, he stopped and fell into the arms of his friend. Clare held her hand out to him. I saw him barely touch her skin, and he seemed to jump up into the sky! When he came down he was chirping like a flock of birds. I heard Clare say she didn't understand that language. At first he seemed puzzled, then he smiled, spun in another circle, and started preaching.
"Brothers! Brothers and Sisters! Don't believe the stories you are told by the rich and powerful! You are not here to satisfy their whim -- you are here to glorify Him -- and Her. Love is all and love is everything! The boys who were trying so hard to torment me really only want to know love. The beautiful Lady Clare only wants to know love. The most miserable leper alone and forgotten by all only wants to know love. The richest man in our beautiful city, only wants to know love. I should know that one -- because he's my father! And the great thing, the most wonderful thing, is that we can, we truly can know perfect love -- just one moment from now! But I'm not going to tell you just yet. First you must give me some food for the poor! Bread for the poor of San Damiano!"
Amazingly, the few people who had gathered, each seemed to have some small amount of bread with them. Giles said, "Maybe we should apprentice with him." I moved closer. I needed to hear how to know perfect love -- right now! Silence rained down upon each one of us as we stood waiting in the sunlight. He lifted his arms to the sky and stood again as if fixed to that one spot on the street. Then I heard Giles once more, "The man's a simpleton, a fool. He knows about as much about love as Lady Clare." I knew who the fool was -- at the moment it was Giles, not him. I kept my eyes intent upon him. His arms dropped, he sagged as if utterly exhausted. His friend propped him up. Someone said, "You said we can know perfect love, just one moment from now. We gave you bread, will you say something?" Once again he seemed to be a bird, one with the tiniest of chirps. But, this time without Clare's prompting, he switched back to human words:
"Brothers and Sisters! It really is very simple. My friends, the lepers have taught me this, and I know it is true. All you have to do to know perfect love -- just one moment from now -- is to treat the person in your eyes as God. God will then give birth to herself in your heart and you will give birth to him through your good actions. God will multiply God until all there is, is God. And all of this only needs your Amen, may it be so. And it can all happen, just one moment from now!"
Clare collapsed in a heap on the street. I heard her say, "It is true!" Another woman said, "I gave birth to two sons. God? I don't think so!" Giles said, "Who'd like to multiply with me?" I said, "That's the first time I heard a hummingbird preach."
-- Robert Daniel Smith