Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Monday, June 15th, and for the summer weeks, we are going to do the ABCs of our Catholic faith and saints.
Today is the letter F, for faith, and the scripture to reflect on is Hebrews 11, 1.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
So what is faith?
Superheroes have faith when he believes in his secret identity.
A detective has faith when his gut feeling tells him the truth.
And we all have faith in God.
Faith means we believe in God.
We believe in his love, his promises, and we believe that he is with us, even though we can’t see God with our eyes.
You may not always see God or feel his presence, but if you put your faith in Jesus, then you know that he loves you no matter what.
Today’s Saint of the Day is F, Saint Francis of Assisi.
He was born 1181 and died 1226.
He is the patron saint of animals.
Francis of Assisi was called the most beloved saint of all time.
Why is that?
Perhaps he was full of love and joy.
He loved people, especially those who were poor.
He loved the natural world.
He loved animals, both wild and tame.
He was full of love.
But Francis was not always like this.
When he was a young man, he thought only spending his father’s money on good times with his friends.
Yet he wanted to do better.
One day, when Francis prayed before a crucifix in the church of San Damiano, Christ spoke to him.
Christ asked Francis to repair his house, meaning the church.
But Francis took this to mean the little church of San Damiano.
So he began repairing the ruined stone church.
So why do we need faith?
God wants us to choose to trust him and believe in him.
Our faith shows God that we love and respect him.
The more we trust God, the deeper our relationship with him becomes.
Do you know who had great faith in God?
Mary.
When the angel told Mary that she would become Jesus' mother, she didn’t question it.
She simply said, yes.
Mary knew that God could do anything.
So she trusted him.
She had faith.
The more you talk to God, the more your faith grows.
Even when things seem hard or scary, faith reminds us that God is with us.
Francis began to preach and devote himself to poverty, wearing a simple robe and a knotted belt.
The people listened to him because he lived what he preached.
Young men joined him and so began the Franciscan order.
St.
Francis is honored at the patron saint of animals.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help me to have faith in you always, no matter what I do.
And help me to see the beauty in the world as a gift from God.
St.
Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow, scattering more flowers.
See ya! Thank you.