In our first reading today, the prophet Baruch tells us how the people in Israel were contrite for their sins during their exile in Babylon, how they recognized the ways that they and their leaders had strayed from the faith to which God was calling them. The people recognized the ways that they rejected the word of God, the ways that they turned away from him even though he brought them to the dessert to the land of milk and honey.
Sometimes we don’t understand what God is communicating to us, so he sends special messengers our way. Sometimes those messengers are prophets like Baruch. Other times they are angels, in fact, earlier in the week, we celebrated the feast day of the Guardian angels. Other times, God send special missionaries and saints to us to bring us a special message and to be for us an example of faith. Today, we celebrate the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, who was born in Italy way back in the 12th century. Yet, even though Francis was born many centuries ago, his message seems so fresh and relevant to us today. We praying in the chapel in San Damiano, Francis heard Christ telling him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis not only helped rebuild that humble little chapel in San Damiano, but he help rebuild that entire Church. And Francis’ message of seeing God in all of creation, of being an instrument of healing and renewal, of caring for the earth and the animals, all resonates with us today in the modern world.
Today, we have the tradition of the healing mass on the First Friday, when we come to receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick with God’s healing touch entering our lives in a special way. It is a great way for us to celebrate St Francis of Assisi and the example of faith that he continue to give to us.
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