Perhaps best known now as a garden statue, St. Francis of Assisi stands much better, though, as a figure in the revolutionary vangard of Yeshua, the Poet of Nazareth... gardeners might place his statue amongst the flowers -- but his place is actually in a Soup Kitchen, in a field with farmworkers, in an Occupy demonstration... or best of all, in an Equality Parade... An Equality Parade? The Ragged-Man of Assisi lived -- not among flowers -- but among lepers! He lived side-by-side with workers, not the wealthy. He walked the dusty roads in bare feet -- even when they bled. He organized "places" for his friends to pray -- and instructed them to rotate leadership: and to call their leader "Mother"! The Ragged-Man who loved Yeshua with an unmatched intensity, so much so that "Franciscan Mysticism" is one of "identification with the Holy Beloved": not within the mind (through correct dogma), but through the heart: which inevitably leads to compassion for every "other" and a daily life of solidarity in struggle: the struggle of life-in-poverty, the struggle of hunger, the struggle of suffering, the struggle of injustice, the struggle to change the power dynamics of the dominator paradigm... the Ragged-Man of Assisi continued the pre-figuration of Yeshua of the Eternal Way: "We were created by Love, for Love, to become Love" (as Simone Weil wrote)... Washing the wounds of the lepers altered forever the way in which the Ragged-Man interpreted his life-experience... and he struggled mightily to bridge the differences between his experience of love and compassion and the dogmas of limitation, judgment, and exclusion fostered by a church hierarchy... he knew liberation: but was confronted with heavy-handed theologies and politics that fostered and manipulated division in service to power... what was his response to all of the abuses of power that cruelly oppressed the poor, every woman and child, and the Earth itself with the beginnings of "capitalism"? Recognizing his powerlessness, he sang! He wrote poetry. He preached to birds and to wolves. He reconciled opposites whenever given the opportunity. But most importantly, he was really the first person to radically recognize, honor, and revere Mother Earth, all the Creatures, the Elements and Forces that have created Life, and from that new awareness, call Power to submit to Peace and Justice... His last great poem, the Canticle of the Creatures, is still a clarion-call to a solidarity spirituality: solidarity with the Earth in deep ecological commitments and actions: solidarity with all of life as a weaving of "inter-being" and a call to practice beauty and harmlessness: solidarity with every human being in Justice, Equality, and the Good, Kind, and Beautiful... Does it need to be said that the Ragged-Man of Assisi has been very effectively ignored by the insitutional church which recommends his devotional path and way of life? Looking at him, one can easily understand why Dorothy Day said she didn't want to be canonized a saint -- she didn't want to be dismissed so easily! So St. Francis is a saint, a garden statue, patron of puppies and other pets... but once you really get to know him, he's a shredder! Walk next to his spirit for awhile, and he will shred every good thought you ever had! He will shred your ego, shred your manipulative pretensions, shred your lust for power and domination, and as importantly as anything else, shred your love for the church... with all of the shredding will come the identification and solidarity and "Way" that the Lovers of Yeshua hunger for... So, yes, the Ragged-Man of Assisi would be in the Equality Parade: walking in solidarity with sisters and brothers who have been marginalized and oppressed and judged unworthy of the New Creation of Yeshua: walking with them: but calling everyone into the "next step" of Equality of the Creatures and this Precious Blue Planet... we must get to the roots of the dominator paradigm, dig them out, and re-plant the Tree of Life: this is the essence of franciscan mysticism... and the way into the future worthy of our children and all of our hopes and dreams... Comments are closed.
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AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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