Worshipping the Artist – Francis, Creation and the Tau/Tao

Just in time for St. Francis Day – Oct 4

Almost eight centuries after he was born, Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was named as Patron Saint of Ecology by Pope John Paul II in 1979. The message of the ragamuffin monk in his patched brown habit who talked to the animals, and embraced Lady Poverty has persisted through the centuries against all odds. Francis is respected, if not revered, across several world religions, and is even called a Celtic Saint on some lists – Italy’s first chance to be a Celtic country! What is it that’s so compelling about Il Poverello, the Little Poor One?

Well, for one thing he liked to praise the Artist, God, through the work of art, which is Creation. How cool is that! No wonder his ‘coolness’ or with-it-ness survived over eight centuries. Basically Francis felt that nature was transparent to the Divine, that nature is the first book of revelation, through which we see the beauty and goodness of the Creator. This strikes a chord with both a modern ecological desire to highlight the sacredness of nature, as well as fitting in with how many aboriginal people understand God and nature. The Creator is to be revered and all that the Creator has made is to be appreciated, respected and protected.

These links between Franciscan spirituality, ecology and Creation spirituality are not new, although they do merit our ongoing reflection. But here’s what struck me as new last year when I had the privilege of visiting Assisi. Not surprisingly such a popular saint draws in the crowds and the tourist dollars, so the gift shop at St. Francis Basilica was a busy place. Among the items for sale are simple string necklaces with T shaped crosses known as the Tau (see image at top of article). This Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, and was used as a Christian cross by some of the early desert fathers in Christianity; and also has some Old Testament or Hebrew Bible references as the mark on the foreheads of those to be spared in Ezekial 9:4, and also it can be an image of Moses with outstretched arms, parting the Red Sea. Francis favored this form of the cross and it is recognized as the Franciscan Cross among other things.

September 2013 in Assisi, I found myself marveling at the similarity between the word Tau and the word Tao, meaning The Way in Taoism. Jesus’ early followers were also known as followers of The Way. The main original Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching (c. 6th century BC) begins with a mysterious humility and caution to look beyond what seems big in the world. Here are some early verses that remind me of the Franciscan way: “The whole world recognizes the beautiful as the beautiful, yet this is only the ugly; the whole world recognizes the good as the good, yet this is only the bad.” (v.4) and “The way [Tao] is empty, yet use will not drain it.” (v.11) and “Highest good is water. Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with them and settles where none would like to be, it comes close to the way.” (v.20) (1963 Penguin translation by D.C. Lau). Water is an important symbol in Taoism because it flows to the lowest places, seemingly without force – action-less action which Taoists call Wu Wei, and yet water can be extremely powerful like hydro-electric power, and destructive as well, like tsunamis. Soft, pliable Sister Water, as Francis called it (Canticle to Brother Sun), can cut through hard rock leaving behind straight crevices as if an incredibly powerful cosmic knife had come through, but no, it was just water! In places with powerful waterfalls, tourists are constantly reminded to keep a safe distance, and yet people regularly get too close and are swept away.

This is only a small sampling of the similarities I’ve found between Franciscan spirituality and Taoist philosophy. Certainly both Francis and Taoism counseled a simple life, close to nature, and as unfettered as possible by material concerns – a life of ‘live and let live’. The Tau and the Tao have much in common – the path of Francis was in many ways the epitome of Wu Wei – so much to be explored in this realm. Meanwhile we can rejoice in yet another peaceful link amongst world religions, so badly needed in our times, given the horrendously volatile and seemingly endless, overtly religious conflicts in the Middle East.

“Happy those who endure in peace” wrote Francis in his Canticle … may it be so in our times and in our children’s children’s time. For the Creator so loves the world that all God’s creatures are implored to treat each other with dignity, respect and love. May all the earth have comfort and peace; may evil fail and good prevail, Amen.

Rev. Dr. Adela D. Torchia
Parish of St David and St Paul 6310 Sycamore Street Powell River, British Columbia
This is the second of two articles connecting with the Season of Creation 2014

Need, not Greed – Gandhian ethics, ecology & inter-religious dialogue

Special to the ACEN – Connection with the birth of Mahatmas Gandhi, Oct 2

This is the first of two articles connecting with the Season of Creation 2014
In spite of his Beloved Bapu stature, Mohandas K. Gandhi could be a cranky old coot. Certainly his friend, the Nobel Prize-winning Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, experienced this when he tried to get by without a daily hour or more at the spinning wheel – Gandhi would not hear of such an exception to his ideal that spinning cotton every day is something everyone in the India of his time should do. In fact, the more public the figure, the more Gandhi tried to impose this duty.

Why was the spinning of homespun cotton or khadi so important to Gandhi? While a full answer is complex, this 1927 khadi spirit quote helps us see both that, and its ecological implications:

If we have the khadi spirit in us we should serve ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life. … Khadi spirit means fellow-feeling with every living being on earth. It means the complete renunciation of everything that is likely to harm our fellow creatures … (Gandhi’s Collected Works 34:520)

So this khadi spirit is a “fellow-feeling with every living being on earth” – Gandhi captures here the essence of the interconnectedness that calls us towards lives of greater compassion. Although Gandhi was born 145 years ago and never used the term ecology, much of his ethics of economics ends up being relevant to today’s ecological concerns. His idea that “Earth provides enough for everyone’s need, not everyone’s greed” is particularly apropos to a world in which about 20% of earth’s population uses 86% of earth’s resources.

Such statistics can sound depressing to the modern mind, supposedly calling for a life of renunciation of all kinds of pleasures. Most world religions used to also counsel some level of asceticism as a necessary physical counterpart to a good spiritual life. But asceticism became unfashionable by the late 20th century, and was seen as life-negating. How can we help promote a new asceticism that is life-embracing, that calls us to the athlete’s ideal of ‘no pain, no gain’ – a positive view of sacrifice as foregoing something good for the sake of something better?

All major world religions have taught about the dangers of materialism, especially its detrimental effect on the spiritual life. In 1986 the World Wildlife Fund sponsored a gathering of global religious leaders interested in the common religious concern to celebrate the sacredness of nature. This meeting produced the Assisi Declarations including statements from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism – all agreeing that nature is a gift to be honored and respected, and that a human attitude of rapacious greed towards nature is not only morally sinful but a threat to all living beings and the earth itself.

So at least on this subject these religions are finding some important common ground. New doors to greater inter-religious dialogue have been opened and hopefully their unity in this area might lead to greater unity in areas of conflict and strife. Sometimes warring parties can set aside their differences because of a common cause. While the roots of conflict in places like the Middle East go deep, one could dream about a time like that cited in the last chapter of the Bible:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life … on either side of the river is the tree of life … producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. (Rev 22:1-3)

What will it take to bring us to that point – to a world of rivers bringing the water of life to all – life, not death! And a world where there’s enough food for everyone’s need as the trees of life produce fruit. And those leaves of the trees for the healing of the nations – what could that mean? We pray and long for a healing of the nations, and it’s significant that the last chapter of the Bible tells us that the leaves of trees will play a part in that. Just as in the first chapter of the Bible when God says: See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. (Gen 1:29) – human beings are called upon to cherish and protect the earth which God made to nurture all its creatures. The first two Millennium Development Goals set out by the UN in 2000 were: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and achieve universal primary education; and while we’ll likely miss the 2015 original target for their achievement, compassion calls for their ongoing pursuit.

Consciously moving away from so many forces of greed in our culture, may we grow in our awareness of all our interconnections so that our compassion reaches around all of God’s earth, to all God’s creatures.

Rev. Dr. Adela D. Torchia
Parish of St David and St Paul 6310 Sycamore Street Powell River, British Columbia