St. Francis of the Shades. (personal photo)
Catholics like to place religious statues in their yards. I am not exactly sure how this custom began but stories of St. Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds comes to mind. I’ll bet you can easily remember seeing a statue of him in someone’s front yard. Wearing the traditional rough looking robe secured at his waist with a rope that hangs at his side, the bald-headed and bearded young St. Francis has his right arm extended and a bird has landed on his wrist.
Sometimes, it’s a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus that adorns a yard or a garden or grotto. With her hands open and extended at her sides, it’s a statue of Mary as the Immaculate conception. She is usually placed in a spot where roses or lilies bloom. Right now i am in my backyard and I can see my own little Marian grotto adorned with yellow lillies. Mary’s image is inviting me to an experience of prayer.
I can remember walking the streets of Juno, Alaska on a warm bright day. It was vacation time, a time when I love to wander in unfamiliar places. As I passed a yard next to the side of a home, I saw a statue of St. Francis holding a bowl in front of his waist. It was a font where birds would come to drink. Someone had placed a pair of sun glasses that fit St. Francis perfectly. He looked almost jaunty in his robe, holding out the bowl while he protected his eyes from the sun.
I took his picture and dubbed him St. Francis of the Shades.
St. Francis should come to mind when we think of simple acts of giving, even if it’s only a moment of prayer for someone or offering a cup of cold water to a friend on a hot day, or even providing a basin of water for the sparrows in your yard. Generosity flowing from simplicity of spirit was a hallmark of Francis’ life as a follower of Christ.
St. Francis of the shades, pray for us.