I have already had occasion to mention the recent encyclical published by Pope Francis. It came out in the Fall of 2020. An encyclical merely means a “circular letter,” meant to be distributed world-wide and read by Catholics and, hopefully, non-Catholics alike. As he has before, the Pope, who took the name of St. Francis, medieval monastic figure, as his inspiration. In the beginning of the document, the Pope frequently quotes the medieval saint, who admittedly is one of my favorites.
It is a rather long document, which probably means many folks won’t bother to look at it, much less read it. And so I would like from time to time to bring some of its contents into our awareness. I think it is a significant document and asks us to ponder some serious issues for our own time. I am sure this is what the Pope hoped would happen.
He breaks the document into many small subsections. The first couple serve to introduce the entire piece to us. And then in sections three and four, the Pope lays out his fundamental vision, which I would like to share and to make a few comments. I will say at the outset, I think it is an important vision. It challenges us.
In the third section the Pope tells a story from the life of St. Francis. In the papal words we learn “There is an episode in the life of Saint Francis that shows his openness of heart, which knew no bounds and transcended differences of origin, nationality, colour or religion.” This part of the fundamental vision might be called “openness of heart.” As is typical of the medieval saint, when he describes openness, he means it in a radical way. It goes without saying Francis is trying to follow what he thought Jesus did and would want us to do. He would have read the gospels as documents of radical openness. Jesus had a heart for all. So did St. Francis and, I’m sure, the Pope wants to have an open heart and wants all of us, too.
Openness of heart knows no bounds. There are no limits---national boundaries, state boundaries or any other ones. Openness of heart transcends differences. This is easy to type and easy to be for. But to do it is another matter. It means questions of origin---where are you from---skin color or even religion are not pertinent when it comes to spiritual things. It is not a Catholic thing or a non-Catholic thing. It is not a Christian concern or Muslim concern. God is concerned for all human beings. Every one of us is a child of God---a child of the Light, as Quakers would have it.
Then the Pope tells the story of St. Francis from Italy traveling to Egypt to visit Muslim, Sultan Malik-el-Kamil. Commenting the Pope says this visit “demonstrated the breadth and grandeur of his love.” Clearly this story gives evidence of the openness of heart on the part of St. Francis. He traversed national and geographical boundaries and transcended religious boundaries. He was driven by love---the love of God and all his brothers and sisters. This is a good lesson today when we are tempted to be narrow, judgmental and to circle our wagons.
In another lesson shared by the Pope, “Saint Francis urged that all forms of hostility or conflict be avoided and that a humble and fraternal ‘subjection’ be shown to those who did not share his faith.” Wow, what an amazing stance and so counter-cultural to what we hear over the airways in our own day. Our culture is quick to point fingers, to demonize and ostracize outsiders and those who don’t belong to our tribe. We don’t want “foreigners” of any kind---even those living within our own borders. How provincial and anti-spiritual.
The next section the Pope turns to a perspective that really warms my heart as a Quaker. I want to join him in this. He begins by saying of the saint, “Francis did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God.” Of course, Pope Francis is not saying in this context that he thinks doctrines are dumb or have no place. Of course they do. But I do believe he is claiming doctrines are subservient to love. As the Pope continues, “In this way, he (St. Francis) became a father to all and inspired the vision of fraternal society.” I relish the fact that St. Francis is my spiritual father. I am quite good with that.
I dream of being in a fraternity---also a sorority---where love governs and is both the goal and the means by which we live. The Pope tells us that Francis was not power hungry. He did not want to dominate anyone. He was here on earth to love and to serve. What a role model for all of us. It is well-known that he opted for a life of poverty. If we have nothing, then we are not tempted to hoard and grapple for more. Out of his abundance he would share. Abundance? Yes, abundance of love and care. He shared lavishly and made friends as he went.
His goal was “to live in harmony with all.” That is a laudable vision. It can be our fundamental vision. It was good in the thirteenth century and can be even more valuable in our own century.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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