Thursday, October 4, 2007

Saints and Madmen -- St. Francis of Assisi

"Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins."

October 4 is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Italians like their saints a little mad and Saint Francis fit the bill. Tearing off his clothes to protest his father's materiality, running off to the woods, preaching to the animals when the people of Assisi refused to listen. He was quite mad, which is why Poor Francis is one of the most beloved saints in Italy.

His mission marked a renewal in the church. Given the ongoing pederasty scandals, we need a new Francis.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think I messed up the first attempt at a comment. Sorry.

Let me try again. (more eloquently)

Madness is all about perception.
(G.K. Chesterton writes about many lunatics who are really more sane than the doctors who label them crazy.)

The madness that prevails in today's culture is this: "There is no absolute truth." When we hear someone say something like that, take note! They are called very sane and tolerant people, but they will never renew anything. We need to renew an understanding of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the minds of the faithful before any renewal can occur. What will they renew if they do not understand where we went wrong?

Thanks for the post.