Love world, creation as St. Francis of Assisi did

Published: October 21, 2023

By Judy Hoelzeman
St. Edward Church, Little Rock

I imagine that most of us have a favorite time to enjoy the beauty of nature. I look forward most to fall, with its bright colors and its cooler temperatures. Fall is a perfect time to walk, and for me, a perfect time to become more aware of God and the wonder of God’s works of nature.

As we think of nature, and the way we care for it, we have a saint to guide us. On Oct. 4, we celebrated the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. After nearly 800 years, he continues to teach us how to both care for nature and to serve others.

I will never forget visiting Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. Our tour guide’s love for the saint was so reverent that we could not help but catch the spirit of St. Francis, too. St. Francis gave up his wealthy life to serve the poor, underprivileged and homeless and was known for his love of nature, including animals. He died at the age of 44 in Assisi.

St. Francis can teach us plenty about nature and how we can care for it. And we can go deeper into God’s word by reading the Scriptures.

For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us clearly not to worry about our life or what we will have to eat or drink or wear. We are reminded that the birds don’t have to make food or stack it up for later — God feeds them without fail. God will do the same with us. Read the beautiful words from Matthew, Chapter 7 often enough and we might be able to watch our fears go away.

From the Old Testament, we hear in Chapter 1, verse 11 of Genesis: “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on the earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.’ And so, it happened.”
In Psalm 8, we read what God expects of us:

“You have made him little less than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, the fishes of the seas, and whatever swims the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth!”

No matter how and where we enjoy nature (maybe it’s at home in our favorite chair), we can be sure that God is there with us. May we listen to God’s plan for us to protect the beauty of nature.

As we hear more and more about climate change, it seems a perfect time to notice and appreciate, and to get out and see the beauty of God’s nature. It’s not hard to find very interesting things.

A few weeks ago, we saw a glorious moon. All summer we watched Mississippi kites in the sky (you can look them up). We watched hummingbirds fight each other for the feeder, and we at least tried to like the rabbit that ate green, leafy vegetables and flowers out of our garden. It is all from God.

Judy Hoelzeman is a member of St. Edward Church in Little Rock. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic Oct. 21, 2023. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.