Weekend Wisdom - October 6th, 2024

All Creatures Great and Small

Within an hour of reaching out to our parish staff about God’s creatures in their lives, there was a flood of responses. As we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (Friday, October 4th), known for his care for God’s creatures, we remember that from the very beginning we have lived and thrived beside all of God’s animal creations. From furry to scaly to squishy, God’s creativity is unparalleled.

Not only did God think to create every single one of them to work symbiotically with nature and one another, but each creature directly impacts the human experience in some way or another. Moreover, God looked at each one of them – flying squirrels to anglerfish – with a purpose. He said, “I want one of those in my creation.” And God looked at His creation and said the same thing about each of us: “I want a Michelle, a Peg, a Michael, a Dave, a Mary in my creation.” Isn’t that something? Let us use this as a moment to be grateful for the creatures in our lives, our homes, our yards and our region. Let us use this as a moment to be grateful for God’s wisdom, humor, and infinite creativity in His creation of each animal and human we encounter.

“Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love animals, love plants, love each thing. If you love each thing, you will perceive the mystery of God in things. Once you have perceived it, you will begin tirelessly to perceive more and more of it every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an entire, universal love” Brother Zossima, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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