Margaret Felice

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Media
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Performances
    • Upcoming Speaking Events
  • Speaking
  • Publications
  • Performance
    • Biography
    • Repertoire
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

The loving vision

July 14, 2014 · Filed Under: faith, Places · Tagged With: Assisi, Francis, prayer, saints, travel

I began the descent to San Damiano a half hour before the church and monastery were due to reopen after riposa. Knowing I would arrive before that time I eased down the hill, admiring olive trees and Umbrian vistas while trying not to think about the impending ascent after I visited the holy site.

San DamianoTucked away amid groves outside Assisi’s walls, San Damiano sees fewer pilgrims and tourists than the other Franciscan sites, and the air remains peaceful and quiet. At this church Francis had the vision of Jesus speaking to him from the cross – Repair my Church, which has fallen into disrepair, Clare and Agnes shaved their heads and founded the Povere Dame. Clare died in her room at San Damiano, and it was in that monastery, several years prior, that Francis wrote the Canticle of the Creatures.

CanticleFrancis is often portrayed as a proto-environmentalist and patron of vegetarians and tree huggers. I’m afraid that impression in the popular imagination comes from an overly simplistic reading of the Canticle of the Creatures, with its blessings for Brother Sun and Sister Moon. After some time spent with Francis such an evaluation rings hollow.

It wasn’t so much that Francis had a unique love for animals and nature. Rather, he had a great love for everything. That loving vision drew people to him, motivating his labor prayer and manifesting his sanctity.

What is it we want from this “faith” thing? Salvation? Moral certainty? A like-minded club? For me, those goals don’t satisfy. I long for the loving vision that Francis knew, that snaps into place from time to time, pushing me into service and wonder. Maybe it was easier to cultivate for Francis, as it was for me, beholding the green hillside where the breezes bear the smell of rosemary and of flowers I can’t name.
Francis on the hillside

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Related

1 Comment

Comments

  1. Geralyn says

    July 14, 2014 at 4:04 am

    Your writing keeps me going. Say a prayer for me while in Assisi. Francis and Clare are two of my patrons. Thank you for writing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More about Margaret

Subscribe to Blog

Sign up to get my posts delivered to your inbox.
How often would you like to receive updates?

Recent Posts

  • What I read, 2022
  • Finding Lady’s Wells
  • A place for grief to go
  • Post-op
  • Eating a tomato sandwich in October

Topics I’ve Written About:

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Biography
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Media
  • Performance
  • Publications
  • Repertoire
  • Speaking

Search

© 2023 Margaret Felice · Headshots by Earl Christie · Website by Little Leaf Design