“Brother Sun and Sister Moon” is from a canticle hymn written by St Francis of Assisi, which expresses the idea that one might experience God through nature. Theologically controversial, this idea appeals to people of the Celtic Christian persuasion and provides, for secular people, a connecting point to the sacred.
St Francis has always played a big part in our family’s life. For our family, St Francis represented the spiritual innocence that we wanted our children to appreciate.
During the 70s, many young people were looking for a spirituality that did not represent the status quo or materialism: that there must be a simple and kind way to live and worship. At that time, our generation saw Francis as a rebel. Of course, every generation challenges the previous one. It is a part of finding our own way in life.
Francis was against war after his experience in the battle of Collestrada. He was captured and imprisoned. The conditions in prison were miserable, crowded, and brutal. However, Francis tried to overcome the brutality and lift the spirits of his fellow prisoners. Nevertheless, when he returned home, he was suffering from post-traumatic syndrome disorder (PTSD).
In the film “Brother Sun and Sister Moon,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Francis is depicted as a middle-class dreamer who started a commune with like-minded young men disenchanted by the war and attracted to leading a simple life. St Clare was his female counterpart.
The popular image of St Francis of Assisi is one of friendliness to nature; especially, animals. Francis also inspired many discontented youths to choose poverty and piety over war.
Today, thanks to St Francis, our church numbers swell once a year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (in Canada), when the “Blessing of the Animals” takes place. People who rarely darken the doors of a church turn up with their pets (mainly dogs) but also the occasional cat, horse, and hamster arrive for a blessing. This is a time like Christmas and Easter when some secular people might go to church.
The film “Brother Sun and Sister Moon” also has a cult following. Whenever it comes to our local Arts Cinema, you will find the same people attending: a collective ritual for a certain segment of society.
Touching secular society in this way will not necessarily start a wave of new people returning to church but “reverence for the sacred” fulfills a longing in people that we should encourage. Francis did!
