Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis Assisi.  When I learn about the life and legacy of St. Francis, the word paradox comes to mind.  A paradox can be defined as one having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases. 

Born into wealth, Francis enjoyed a lavish life style as a young man.  Yet he developed great empathy for the poor and committed to a life of simplicity.  A paradox.  As many young men of his day, he was enamored with military expeditions.  Yet a profound sense of peace characterized his adult life.  A paradox.  In his formative years he helped his father sell rich fabrics of silk and velvet.  Yet Francis came to appreciate the pure and abundant beauty of nature and all the creatures of the earth.  A paradox.

St Francis of Assisi lived over 800 years ago and left us with a model of how we can live our lives today in this world filled with paradox.  Today when I take my beloved pet to receive a blessing I pray for all living creatures, especially humans, to be treated with dignity and compassion.  As I move through daily life I pray to St. Francis to help me see ways I can challenge systems that exploit the poor, unjustly imprison people and denigrate our beautiful earthly home. 

St Francis encountered overwhelming and devastating situations with hope and optimism….a powerful paradox.  His beloved prayer bears repeating as a reminder for us to work together to build the kingdom of God.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.