03 October 2012

taming the wolf



Tomorrow is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.  Now considered to be the patron saint of animals and the environment, many stories arose about him.  One is how he tamed the wolf that was terrorizing the residents of Gubbio.  He negotiated a peace between human and beast.

As I’m listening to my dog, a cousin of the wolf, barking at the world outside the window, I wonder what wolves in our lives (and in our world) need to be tamed.  But I also wonder if “tame” is the right word.  Can we make peace with that wolf without trying to domesticate it? 

(The image is the mural on the wall outside the St. Francis Inn Ministries in Philadelphia.)

No comments: