Friday, October 2, 2009

St. Francis Day in Asia Pacific

Happy St. Francis Day!

I post these greetings while news of tsunamis, storms and earthquakes dominate the world headlines. All The Solomon Islands have escaped these storms, but we are watching the news and keeping our Pacific neighbors in our prayers. It is sobering to watch these terrible events, and know how fragile is our own safety. There are several places in the Solomon Islands where people have begun to move away from them permanently because of rising sea levels due to global warming. Weather patterns have changed such that formerly dry seasons are wet, and at other times we wonder where our water will come from (most of the friaries depend on rain water for drinking water). And changing weather means the crops are affected. So this weekend my prayers are for a deeper awareness of the earth and nature, and the demands for justice and healing which are laid upon us all. It is hard to watch my brothers grapple with these events, telling stories of dislocation, crop failures.

For too long we have not taken care of our Mother Earth. So let us dedicate ourselves anew as we celebrate the life and example of St. Francis to his radical understanding that every creature and the whole earth share the same source and we are all kin.

Last week I was in Kira Kira, and spent a week with the brothers there. I preached at the Cathedral, we had a party for some friends. But it wasn't all roses. A brother who no longer lives at that friary once tore up a floor board in order to spit betel nut juice. He chose for some reason to tear up a piece of flooring from the hallway! And the other brothers, though dismayed, did not fix the hole. I stepped in it and nearly broke my left leg. So I am black and blue from the knee down! But not so impaired I couldn't grab a piece of wood and fix the damn hole!!

I have had to follow my own advice about letting go, praying for others and trying not to carry burning resentments. The struggle continues...

1 comment:

VK McCarty said...

The dear Lord bless your bruised body and bring you to wholeness. So glad the Brothers are spared from the chances and changes of the recent severe weather but it is a sobering time to dwell on and pray our use of the Earth
--VK McCarty