Brother Sun, Sister Moon

I live in the burbs of Northern New Jersey. My home is nestled in the bucolic hills of the Ramapough’s. Its very woodsy and the animal population is diverse and pretty prolific considering the fact that the George Washington bridge is only 20 miles to the east.

One of the unfortunate consequences of having a large and thriving animal population is the ugly carnage of road kill that litters community streets and highways. The decaying carcasses of deers, squirrels, woodchucks, chipmunks, Canadian geese, cats, dogs, skunks, opossums, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, snakes, rabbits, turtles, assorted birds and an occasional bear are common sights one expects to encounter each time you take the car out for a spin. Needless to say, driving in my neighborhood is difficult and dangerous. Particularly for the scurrying critters that mindlessly dart into the road and are crushed under the tires of unmindful drivers.

I raise this observation this morning in reverence for the ministry of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis has long been associated with a love and respect for animals and a deep reverence for our environment. In today’s homily, my Episcopal priest offered that St. Francis was asking us to find more balance and more harmony in our relationship with the natural world. The rising death toll of poor creatures that litter our roads are symptoms of a radical imbalance due to habitat destruction and a broken food chain that is horrifically corrected under the unforgiving wheels of rampaging Hummers. As sentient mindful beings who are called by God to be stewards of our planet home; we can find better corrective measures to address this radical imbalance that tilts our earth away from realizing this divine call.

This election has highlighted our need to pay more attention to a changing global climate and the need to become better stewards of our environment and to equitably share the rich bounty mother earth offers all its citizens.

St. Francis reminds us to seek more balance in our lives and in our relations with others and nature. Its a worthy reminder to consider when we vote, when we drive and as we walk along the pathways of our daily life.

May the Lord’s Peace be upon you and all God’s creation this day and always.

Prayer of St. Francis, “Lord make us instruments of your peace.”

Canticle of St. Francis Canticle of Brother Sun, Sister Moon.

Film Clip: Franco Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon song by Donovan.

Music: The Muppet Show, Rodger Moore Talk to the Animals

Risk: balance, proportion, stewardship, unity