Feast of St. Francis

There is much about St. Francis that lends itself to a kind of sweet piety and I'm okay with that. I love the images of him with deer and birds and wolves. When I was confirmed almost 30 years ago I took St. Francis as my patron saint because he loved the animals. But I also knew that he was much more than that. He spoke for peace in a time of the crusades and put his body in harms way to try to bring it about. Despite my middle class lifestyle I am convicted by his embrace of poverty and I am challenged by his embrace of the lepers. Today on Episcopal Cafe there is a reminder of this aspect of St. Francis. It is well worth reading.