"Francis and Francis" with the Rev. Dr. Amy Slaughter Myers

St. Francis Spiritual Sustenance : September 21, 2022 ========================================

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1).

Relationship is at the heart of what it means to be made in God's image. The trinitarian view of God - God as Three in one, Father, Son, Holy Spirit - means that God's very being is Relationship.

In his encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be To You), Pope Francis writes, "When we speak of the 'environment,' what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and that society which lives in it."

Pope Francis chose the name Francis when he became Pope to lift up the life and witness of St. Francis of Assisi, the one whom many religious and non-religious folk recognize as teaching in an exemplary way the presence of God in all creation. In loving and caring for all of God's creation - including one another as part of God's creation - we are loving God.

We at St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center chose the name St. Francis just a short time after we were born as a community in 2020. We too are called to follow in the way of loving God as St. Francis of Assisi taught and lived by loving all creation.

Watch Will’s video about A Creation-Focused Mindset here.