Brother Wolf

Each year on the Sunday nearest to the feast, Catholic and other Christian Churches around the world host services where animals are blessed. These services are a powerful way to celebrate both Francis’ and God’s compassionate concern for all creatures.

For a number of years I have also been celebrating a Holy Mass out in the open on that Sunday at the church of Santa Domenica, which forms part of a cosy little hermitage perched on the hilltop of Montericco, in the Euganian Hills near Padua. At the end of the liturgy I gently sprinkle all the people and their pets with holy water. Believe it or not, most pets receive this sacramental spritz with dignity, though I must admit I have seen some cats and dogs flatten their ears a bit as the drops of water lightly pelt them. But the owners are happy, and who knows what spiritual benefits may result?

Many of the stories that surround the life of Saint Francis deal with his love for animals. Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates the Saint’s humility towards nature is recounted in the Little Flowers, a collection of legends and folklore that sprang up after Francis’ death. It is said that one day, while the Poverello was travelling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on both sides. Francis said to his companions, “Wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters, the birds.” The birds surrounded him, drawn by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away, even when he went among them touching their heads. The substance of the sermon that Francis made was this: “My bird sisters, you are much beloved of God your Master, and always, in every place, you ought to praise Him, because He has given you liberty to fly everywhere; and He has given you also clothing double and triple. You are loved also by the air which He has given to you; and moreover, you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you, and gives you the rivers and the fountains to drink from. He gives you the mountains and the valleys for your refuge, and the tall trees for your nests, and although you do not know how to spin nor sew, God clothes you and your children. God must love you very much since He gives you so many blessings, and therefore be careful, my sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and always seek to praise God.”

Another legend from the Little Flowers tells us that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, there was a wolf, terrifying and ferocious, who attacked everything that came near him – sheep, children and poor beggars.

Francis went out to meet the animal, and when he found him he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him. Miraculously, the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the Saint’s feet. “Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts, and you have done great evil,” said Francis. “All these people accuse you and curse you… But Brother Wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people.” Then Saint Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens, made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger,” the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly, and in return the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this way Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator.

What Francis desired to teach us is that all animals are gifts from God, and that therefore we should treasure them and not exploit them. They are living creatures and should be treated with wisdom and kindness, not cruelty. Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” By this standard, are we doing well?