St. Francis of Assisi
I feel I first got connected to St. Francis via Meher Baba (the latter I have been very connected to for over 50 years now). Below is the story that deeply intrigued and affected me, and then inspired me to visit St. Francis’s tomb in Assisi. I made that pilgrimage on my way back to the states after one of my many stays in India. It was in 1992, within a few weeks of the beginning of my work with Hafiz. Some of my very first Hafiz poems were written near the tomb of this great Western saint, as well as in Italy as I traveled around that area.
Here is the story of St. Francis:
Meher Baba was making his first trip to the west in 1931, which included traveling through America. But Meher Baba first went to Europe, and just by chance Gandhi happened to be on the same boat traveling to Europe and sought the company of Meher Baba several times. I understand they had a couple of private meetings in Meher Baba's cabin, with both of their secretaries present; and a lot of notes were taken.
Before another visit to Europe, Meher Baba had asked one of his close Western disciples to find a certain cave where St. Francis had meditated; it was a cave that had become unknown to the general public at large. But Meher Baba gave instructions in how to find it from his gnosis that all the truly enlightened ones have. So the cave was found, and Meher Baba spent a night in it when he visited Italy in 1932. And if one is interested in learning more about that, they could just Google: “Meher Baba and St. Francis's cave,” and a couple things should pop up, including photos.
But I wanted to share a St. Francis poem here: a kind of prayer you could say. I have offered some links to that short prayer via a couple links to it, and then that prayer is even expounded upon by some who posted it, here, and in different places on the web. That St. Francis prayer is titled: “Like Roots,” and is below:
http://springsnowpublications.com/drinking-light/
https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/like-roots-st-francis-of-assisi/
That prayer-poem is in my Penguin anthology, Love Poems from God, a book that is over twenty years old and is considered a classic among spiritual books around the world. I was delighted that Oprah recently voted it as: one of six books she loves to gift during the holidays. You can see her exact words if you Google search the book at Amazon USA.
Love Poems from God has twelve chapters in it. And each chapter has 25 unique poem-renderings of the following knockout luminous divine gang: Rumi; Rabia; St. Francis; St. Teresa of Avila; St. Catherine of Siena; St. Thomas Aquinas; Meister Eckhart; Mira; Hafiz; Kabir; Tukaram; and St. John of the Cross.
A profound line-up there indeed, with some deep, unique, touching and at times—playful poems.
The epigraph line in the chapter for St. Francis reads:
No one lives outside the walls of this sacred place, existence.
And being there will someday make us all know— we are holy, with no other possible want then to just be with our true Self. And our truest Self is a— magnificent luminous sovereignty. It is like finding such a treasure that one could gaze upon forever.
And I loved that Merlin Sheldrake, in his international bestselling book: Entangled Life, sought me out to use the first line from this poem, “Like Roots,” in his book. It is right there on page 223— as the epigraph for that chapter.
Gracias, Merlin, gracias, for also choosing a Hafiz line for the front of your book! May we someday click a beer glass.
Always thanks for your time dear reader, and always a big hug to ya.