October 4, the Day of the Patron Saint of Ecology

By vpaulose, 4th Oct 2010 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/vy543qrp/
Posted in Wikinut>Celebrities>Personalities

October 4th of every year is observed as the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of ecology. St. Francis of Assisi is known as the lover of Nature. In fact, he was a lover of both creation and the Creator.

October 4, the Day of the Patron Saint of Ecology

Every year on 4th October, the Catholic Church commemorates the memories of St. Francis of Assisi. Recently, Pope Benedict cited St. Francis of Assisi as an example in urging Catholics to adopt his path of valuing ecology, commenting on his life as “a way of life that is respectful of the environment.”

Patron Saint of Ecology

Francis of Assisi is honored by the Catholic Church as the Patron Saint of all living beings and ecology. He was a lover of nature. He addressed the living beings as his own brothers and sisters. He invited them to pray with him saying, “My brothers, birds, you should praise your Creator.”

A Vocation to Serve God through Nature

Francis was born at Assisi in Umbria in 1181 in a merchant family. His life with an ambition of becoming a knight was saw a turning point when he took part in an attack on Perugia. He was taken hostage and remained a captive there for a year. As a result of his captivity and a severe illness his mind began to turn to religion. He felt the call of God in his inner heart and set out to serve the sick.

Congregation of Friars Minor

He denounced his possessions and started a congregation which received approval from Pope Innocent III for the brotherhood, which Francis called the Friars Minor. Traveling throughout the country and preaching people to turn from the world to Christ was their ministry. The congregation emphasized simplicity and poverty and complete dependence on God’s providence rather than worldly goods. The Friars Minor brothers worked or begged for their livelihood and if they had any surplus they gave it to the poor.

He called all the Living Beings as Brothers and Sisters

Francis was very fond of all living beings. He always loved gardening. In his garden there were vegetables and flowers. Birds and animals visited his garden. He had dialog with them. Flowers of the garden were his sisters. Flying birds of the sky were his sisters. Roaring and roaming animals were his brothers. His love for flowers was so great that he called “the flower of the field and the lily of the valley” (Song 2:1) and talked with them about the immense love of God.

Even Lifeless Creatures were dear to Him

He loved everything as he found each and everything the most beautiful, even things seen by others as the ugliest. Planets and lifeless things of nature were also dear to him. He addressed the sun as “My Brother Sun” and the moon as “My Sister Moon”. He always welcomed death as his “Sister Death”. He considered the whole creation including plants, animals and men as his own siblings.

Francis was a Nature’s Peacemaker

Francis insisted amicable life of men and all living beings. He pointed out living in harmony with each and every creature is very important to have a harmonious life. He showed that if we go against nature, nature will also turn against us.
Global warming is threatening the world. A lot of problems are shooting up everyday due to pollution and global warming. Ecology is more and more defiled causing dangerous diseases. May the life of St. Francis of Assisi guide the world towards a safer earth.