Francis and the Beast Outside my Window

Something startles me awake in the middle of the night.  I am snuggled down deep in my new warm fleece sheets.  I picked the dark blue ones with big white snowflakes on them that reminded me of soft fluffy snowfalls.  There is no picturesque winter wonderland outside my window tonight, but something sinister and that sounds like a living thing howling and clawing at my tiny cottage in the dark.  I reach out my and touch the wall behind my bed and am shocked at how cold it feels.  The temperature has dropped to 20 degrees below zero, and I am grateful for the warmth of my bed and Baxter’s soft body pressed up against my side. I think of how fragile we are and how quickly the uncaring beast outside could freeze us in our tracks if we dared to venture out. 

I burrow deeper into my nest and try to go back to sleep, but the sound of the beast haunts me as I think of all the creatures huddled in its grip. How will the little birds with their tiny beating hearts survive? What will the gentle deer find to eat in the frozen snow covered wasteland?  Who will care for all of the vulnerable creatures in the path of this monster? Will the farmers be kind like Jon and Maria and give warm shelter to their barn cats?

Then like a small candle in the cold dark recesses of my mind, I remember a story I heard as a child, a story of a gentle and holy man who lived long ago and cared for all of the creatures of the forest and birds of the air.  The story tells of how they gathered around him and were not fearful because of his great love and kindness.  St. Francis of Assisi taught that we are all connected to the One Divine Spirit.  He is believed to be the patron saint and protector of the animals.

It’s been many years since I thought of these long ago stories from my Catholic upbringing.  My search for a personal God has taken me in many directions and my spirituality is a private blend of all the things that I have read and experienced since then.  But tonight it feels comforting and right to think of St. Francis and how love conquers fear.  So, I ask his spirit to protect the deer and the birds huddling in the cold, the barn cats and squirrels and all of the creatures struggling to survive this long cold and fearsome night.  I see his gentle face as I drift back to sleep in my warm, safe bed.