On the 4th October the universal Church commemorates with great joy the feast of St Francis of Assisi. As a Franciscan I could not let this feast passing by without putting pen to paper to celebrate the vivid memory of such an important figure in the history of Christianity. The pertinent question I feel I should simply ask is this: Why is St Francis great?

The more I reflect on his challenging life the more I notice that what made St Francis great was his continual insistence on fraternity. Francis was completely taken and consumed by God's loving fellowship with him. His praises to God are a powerful testimony to this. "You are holy Lord God who does wonderful things. You are strong. You are great. You are the most high … You are three and one … You are the good, all good, the highest good, Lord God living and true." What is most intriguing in these praises is the fact that for the Poverello, God is not only love, charity, wisdom, humility, patience, beauty, meekness, security, rest, gladness and joy, strength, refreshment, hope, justice, protection, and moderation. For Francis, God becomes the source and origin of what is good in us. "You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity, You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life". In God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Francis saw greatness, wonder, almightiness, mercy and salvation.

God's love opened Francis to love his fellow human beings. Indeed, in his writings, Francis heavily stressed the primacy of fraternal love with his brothers. In his 25th admonition he writes: "Blessed is the servant who loves and respects his brother as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him, and who would not say anything behind his back that he would not say with charity in his presence". In his simplicity and great wisdom Francis offers the Gospel way of relating to others. This is eloquently portrayed in his Earlier Rule. "Let each one love and care for his brother as a mother loves and cares for her son in those matters in which God has given him the grace" (Earlier Rule, IX, 11). Whereas in the Later Rule Francis exhorts: "Let each one confidently make known his need to the other, for if a mother loves and cares for her son according to the flesh, how much more diligently must someone love and care for his brother according to the Spirit" (Later Rule, VI, 8).

Imagine if these words are lived in our families, religious communities, country and the entire world? Imagine if we cultivate a deep respect for one another because we truly believe that Christ is present in each and everyone of us? I am sure that we would not find it difficult to nurture the deepest reverence for God's creation since we come to acknowledge with St Francis, that God created them for his own glory. As The Canticle of the Creatures exclaims: "Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun … through Sister Moon and the stars, … through Brother Wind, … through Sister Water, … through Brother Fire".

Loving God, others, and in so doing, ourselves would make our life all the worthwhile to live it. Even if "our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape" knocks at our door, we will be assured that the love we have shown on earth will be intensely and eternally lived in the heavenly fraternity.

Let us follow St Francis' exhortation, which concludes his noted The Canticle of the Creatures: "Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility". Since humility is the factotum of every caring relationship.

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap