The Sermon to the Birds . . .

(St Francis of Assissi by Pauline Baynes)

"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from

the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men

who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

 

 St. Francis was a very kind and loving man . . . kind and loving not only to humanity, but to all living things. He referred to the birds as his "little brothers of the air," and he could never bear to see even one of them harmed in any way.

 At Christmastime, he scattered crumbs of bread beneath the trees so that they, too, could feast and be filled with the joys of the season.

A boy once gave him a pair of doves, which he had snared. St. Francis had a nest made for them, and by and by the mother bird laid her eggs in it. One at a time, the eggs hatched and a nestful of young doves grew up. They were so tame that they sat upon the shoulders of St. Francis and ate from the palm of his hand.  

 

(source unknown)

There are many, many stories told of this kind man's great love and compassion for the timid creatures which lived in the fields and woods.

One day as he was walking amongst the trees of the woodland, the birds saw him coming and flew down to meet him. They sang their sweetest songs to show him how very much they loved him, and then, when they saw that he was about to speak . . . they nestled softly in the grass and prepared themselves to listen. 

 

(source unknown)

"O, little birds," he said, "I love you, for you are my brothers and sisters of the air. Let me tell you something, my little brothers, my little sisters: You ought always to love God . . . and praise Him. For think what He has given you. He has given you wings with which to fly through the air. He has given you clothing both warm and beautiful. He has given you the air in which to move and have homes.

 And think of this, O little brothers; you sow not, neither do you reap, for God feeds you. He gives you the rivers and the brooks from which to drink. He gives you the mountains and the valleys where you may rest. He gives you the trees in which to build your nests.

You toil not, neither do you spin, yet God takes care of you and your little ones. It must be, then . . . that He loves you. So do not be ungrateful, but sing His praises and thank Him for His goodness towards you." 

Then, the Saint stopped speaking and looked around him. All the birds sprang up, filled with joy and spreading their wings. They opened their mounts to show that they had understood his words. And . . . when he had blessed them, all began to sing; and the whole forest was filled with sweetness and joy . . . because of their wonderful melodies.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of value more than many sparrows." ~Matthew 10:29-31 

I just love this story of St Francis of Assisi. It is a wonderful reminder to me of how very much my Heavenly Father loves me, and how I can place my whole trust in Him. Even when I am not feeling very brave or strong . . . He will lift me up and give me the courage I need to be able to put one foot in front of the other and move forward. 

A thought to carry with you! 

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *.˛.°A successful woman is one who can build

a strong foundations out of the bricks

that others have thrown at her.

~Unknown  •。★★ 。* 。 

Spiritual Enlightenment

 

Book of Mormon Corner: Today's Reading  1 Nephi 1:16-2:15

What I learned -  In being obedient to the Lord's command to leave his home and take his family into the wilderness, Lehi left the known for an unknown future. Big step of faith!! But he did it. Verse 6 & 7 tell us that when he reached the wilderness he 'built an alter... made an offering... and gave thanks unto the lord'. With everything that had happened and was still happening Lehi felt a need to renew his covenants and give thanks because he knew those things kept him focused on and close to the Saviour.

Also when he left his home he 'took nothing with him save it were his family and provisions'. He left everything else behind. What will I take back to heaven with me? My family relationships. My character. My learning. Strengthening and developing these here and now require sacrifice.

There are things I need to do less, give up, put aside, leave behind - those things that are worldly and important to my natural man. Big job!! But doable if I think of it in a 'little by little, step by step, try after try' way.

Verse 12 stood out to me today too - 'and they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.' It made me think about asking God 'what?' questions instead of asking 'why?' questions and how this will help us better understand the dealings of God in the difficult circumstances we face.

Tomorrow - 1 Nephi 2:16 -3:8

 

There is a different kind of peanut butter cookie in The English Kitchen today. . .  Oaty Peanut Butter Cookies, with plenty of oats, whole wheat flour and chopped peanuts.  These are very moreish. 

Have a wonderful Sunday.  Its blustery and cold and rainy here!  Don't forget today and always, 

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And I do too!