This morning I came across this Franciscan blessing. St. Francis was there for me when I first started my rodent rescue in 2004, and the inspiration lives on. Twelve years later, this world is already different for animals around the world, and our current Pope Francis holds their interests and the care of Earth in high enough esteem that he wrote an encyclical, Laudato Si, about it.
A FRANCISCAN BENEDICTION
May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom,
and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation,
or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God’s grace,
to do what others claim cannot be done.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
