Celebrating St. Stephen

Saint Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, informally named as Francesco, was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, and preacher.

He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the Custody of the Holy Land.

St. Francis died at Portiuncula, Italy on October 4, 1226.

Pope Gregory IX pronounced St. Francis a saint on July 16, 1228. The pope also laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, Italy. The church, also known as Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Along with Saint Catherine of Siena, Francis was designated Patron saint of Italy.

Francis fell in love with the humanity and the humility of Jesus; while most of Western and even Eastern Christianity focused on proving the divinity of Jesus.

It’s not easy to put into a capsule the spirit and gifts of Franciscan thinking. Its hallmarks are simplicity, reverence, fraternity, ecumenism, ecology, interdependence, and dialogue. Its motto and salutation is “Peace and All Good!”

Francis believed that God was nonviolent, the God of Peace. This belief may be a simple presupposition for us today, but at the time when the Christian church was waging a Holy Crusade against its enemies, the Saracens, Francis’s interpretation of the gospel life and its demands was revolutionary. Francis saw it from the viewpoint of the poor, especially from the place of the poor, naked, suffering Christ. He had deep devotion to the God who is revealed as nonviolent and poor in the stable of Bethlehem, as abandoned on the cross, and as food in the Eucharist. God’s meekness, humility, and poverty led Francis to become “perfected as his Heavenly Father was perfect.” Francis identified with the “minores,” the lower class within his society…And he passionately pointed to the Incarnation as the living proof of God’s love. He frequently cried out in his pain that “Love is not loved!”

Incarnation is absolutely foundational to the Franciscan worldview. It is said that Francis created the first live Nativity scene. Franciscans emphasize Incarnation perhaps even more than redemption. In other words, Christmas is more important than Easter. Francis said that for God to be born a human being, born in a stable among the poor, shows that we already have redemption. Christmas is already Easter because if God became a human being, then it’s good to be a human being! The problem is already solved. That Jesus was born into a poor family shows God’s love for the poor.

Source: Adapted from John Quigley, “Brothers,” Richard Rohr: Illuminations of His Life and Work, eds. Andreas Ebert and Patricia C. Brockman (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 1993), 5-6.

At Greccio near Assisi, around 1220, Francis celebrated Christmas by setting up the first known presepio or crèche. His nativity imagery reflected the scene in traditional paintings. He used real animals to create a living scene so that the worshipers could contemplate the birth of the child Jesus in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight. Both Thomas of Celano and Saint Bonaventure, biographers of Saint Francis, tell how he used only a straw-filled manger set between a real ox and donkey. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity, with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.

On November 29, 1979, Pope John Paul II declared Saint Francis the Patron Saint of Ecology. During the World Environment Day 1982, John Paul II said that Saint Francis’ love and care for creation was a challenge and a reminder “not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, so as to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us.” He wrote on the World Day of Peace, January 1, 1990, that the saint of Assisi “offers Christians an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation…As a friend of the poor who was loved by God’s creatures, Saint Francis invited all of creation – animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon – to give honor and praise to the Lord. The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples.”

On 13 March 2013, upon his election as Pope, Archbishop and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, becoming Pope Francis.

At his first audience on March 16, 2013, Pope Francis told journalists that he had chosen the name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, and had done so because he was especially concerned for the well-being of the poor. He explained that, as it was becoming clear during the conclave voting that he would be elected the new bishop of Rome, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, “Don’t forget the poor,” which had made Bergoglio think of the saint. Bergoglio had previously expressed his admiration for St. Francis, explaining that “He brought to Christianity an idea of poverty against the luxury, pride, vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He changed history.” Bergoglio’s selection of his papal name is the first time that a pope has been named Francis.

Quotes

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith.

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

Lord, make me an Instrument of Thy Peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon…

If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.

If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

Sermon to the Birds:

My little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noah that you might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst, mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favoured you with such bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise to God.

Symbols associated with St. Francis of Assisi:

• A bag of gold and rich raiment at St. Francis’ feet.
• A winged crucifix with five rays.
• Stigmata.
• A crown of thorns.
• A lighted lamp.
• A fiery chariot.
• Animals such as birds, deer, and a wolf.

Things to Do:

• Pray the Canticle of the Sun, which was written by St. Francis.
• Many churches and parishes have a Blessing of animals or pets on or around this day.
• St. Francis was influential on our present-day Christmas crib or creche. Make or buy a special nativity set to play with or display.
• Although St. Francis is one of the most popular saints of the Church, and his feast is a huge celebration in Assisi, there are no particular foods attached to his festival. Tradition has passed on that on his deathbed he requested Frangipane cream or Mostaccioli (almond biscotti). Fire is a symbol of St. Francis, first of all because his heart was on fire with love of God, but there are other stories that deal with fire, particularly when he prayed, the surrounding areas would become so bright that people thought the areas were on fire. So a flaming dessert or wine would be an appropriate ending of a wonderful feast. One could also try some Umbrian style recipes, or just have “Italian night” at home, even simple pasta and sauces.
• What does poverty in our state of life mean? How can I follow the Gospels like Francis?
• Study art and photos of Francis. Find out more about the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Although an earthquake in 1997 damaged the basilica, it reopened in 1999.
• Read about St. Clare and her relationship with St. Francis.
• Read about the Tau Cross.

Resources

• The Catholic Toolbox
• Sweet Little Ones
• The Kennedy Adventures
• Real Life at Home
• Catholic Icing
• Catholic Inspired
• Homeschool with Love
• Catholic Playground
• Ducksters
• A Slice of Smith Life
• Teaching Catholic Kids
• Lovely Waldorf read alouds
• Virtual Pilgrimage Tour
• A Love Letter to St. Francis of Assisi from St. Clare

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joyO Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen.

~Prayer of St. Francis by Sarah McLachlan

It’s officially autumn or fall in the northern hemisphere.

Even if it is 90° outside.

by the way, it’s pronounced “Micklemess.” you’re welcome.

Autumn Equinox Traditions

Some traditional rituals for the Celtic festival Mabon include building an altar to offer harvest fruits and vegetables, meditating on balance, gathering and feasting on apples, sharing food, and expressing gratitude. The holiday is named after the Welsh God, Mabon, son of Earth Mother goddess Modron.

Many people gather at Stonehenge to watch the equinox sunrise.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish fall festival for the New Year.

Japan marks both equinoxes with a period called Ohigan. The Buddhist belief is the afterlife land is in the west, and during the equinoxes, the sun sets more directly on the western horizon. The equinoxes are also symbolic of the transitions of life. The week around each equinox a time to visit the graves of one’s ancestors, to tidy up the grave sites, and leave flowers. It is also a time of meditation and visiting living relatives.

Many Asians celebrate the Moon Festival on the full moon nearest to the equinox. On a lunar calendar, that is the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It is celebrated with festival activities, gazing at the moon, and eating moon cakes. In the southern U.S., Moon Pies are often used in place of moon cakes.

Celebrating Michaelmas

Michaelmas is the Catholic feast of the Archangel Michael. Some traditions use this feast day to celebrate other archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael as the Feast of the Angels. The feast day is September 29, which is celebrated as the beginning of fall in many locales. The feast day was probably set near the autumn equinox to draw the faithful away from pagan celebrations, as with most other Christian holidays. Traditions include gathering and eating nuts (which begins on Holy Rood Day on September 14), and eating a fattened goose, which was supposed to protect against financial need for the next year.

“Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day,
Want not for money all the year”.

It is a time of transitions, as servants were paid their wages after the harvest and workers scrambled to find new employment contracts. The employment fairs that facilitated this custom became an opportunity for community celebration. It’s one of the quarter days, when accounts had to be settled.

In Ireland, finding a ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie meant that one would soon be married. 

In remembrance of absent friends or those who had died, special Struans, blessed at an early morning Mass, were given to the poor in their names. Nuts were traditionally cracked on Michaelmas Eve.

In Scotland, St. Michael’s Bannock, or Struan Micheil (a large scone-like cake) is created from grain grown on the family’s land during the year, representing the fruits of the fields. It is cooked on a lambskin, representing the fruit of the flocks. The grain is also moistened with sheep’s milk, as sheep are deemed the most sacred of animals. As the Struan is created by the eldest daughter of the family, the following is said:

“Progeny and prosperity of family, Mystery of Michael, Protection of the Trinity”

It is also a good time to eat blackberries, as “Old Michaelmas Day” on October 10, is traditionally the cutoff time for picking blackberries. It is said that on this day, when Lucifer was expelled from Heaven, he fell from the skies, straight onto a blackberry bush. He then cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath, spat, and stamped on them and made them unfit for consumption! And so the Irish proverb goes:

“On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on blackberries.”

The Michaelmas Daisy, which flowers late in the growing season between late August and early October, provides color and warmth to gardens at a time when the majority of flowers are coming to an end. The daisy is probably symbolic since St. Michael is celebrated as a protector from darkness and evil, just as the daisy fights against the advancing gloom of Autumn and Winter.

“The Michaelmas Daisies, among dede weeds,
Bloom for St Michael’s valorous deeds.
And seems the last of flowers that stood,
Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.”

Resources for Families

Michaelmas is celebrated in the Waldorf schools, which celebrate it as the “festival of strong will” during the autumnal equinox. The primary idea behind the festival of Michaelmas is to get children to face their own challenges – in other words, their internal and external dragons. Michaelmas is typically the first festival of the new school year celebrated.

Courage

St. George is the Earthly counterpart to St. Michael. Read about dragons. Read stories about St. George. Do something that requires bravery. Make a cape. Make courage tea from edible flowers or salve from calendula. This is a time for spiritual growth as a family.

Decorate with daisies.

Make chains or fill a vase with wild ones. Bunches of daisies are super cheap in the markets now.

Study the moon.

The moon is really beautiful and meaningful on clear crisp nights. We like to look at it rise on our evening walks and sometimes it’s still up during the day! We often get the binoculars to study the craters and terminator at night.

Thank a police officer.

Saint Michael is the patron saint of police officers. Stop by your local police station with a yummy treat to thank them for their service. Tell them that it’s their feast day so you brought some food for feasting and let them know that you are praying for them in an extra special way on Michaelmas. Many churches pray a blue mass.

Pick and eat and cook with blackberries.

We often like to find wild berry patches or a pick your own farm. We’ve mad jam before or pies. It’s a fun tradition with kids!

Feasting

Roast a goose, chicken, duck, or turkey. Or even get a rotisserie from Costco or somewhere. Serve traditionally with carrots and apples and stuffing or homemade bread. Maybe try to roast a bannock!

Check out these great recipes!

A Michaelmas Prayer:

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle;

be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:

and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits

who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

A lovely lesson from Kennedy Adventures.