This year the feast of St. Francis is superseded by the Sunday celebration. Nonetheless, Francis presents us with a model and a challenge for being a fully faithful disciple of Jesus in our daily lives. He gave his life in the service of the Gospel and the building up of the Church.
At the heart of that Gospel is the affirmation of the fundamental God-given dignity of every human life. Our Scriptures highlight this in reference to marriage. People find a very powerful attraction to the Prayer for Peace, perhaps in part because there is such a lack of true peace in our living. As the Church affirms the importance of being committed to and working to implement a consistent ethic of life, we find seek our inspiration in the faith and life of Francis. An authentic way to honor him this month might be use the Prayer of St. Francis to guide and judge our daily decisions and actions. In an all too violent and destructive society we might become, with him, instruments of peace and justice.
