Happy October everyone,

I hope everything is well with you? October is a month filled with many feast days honoring many great Saints of the Church (please refer to the Feast Day List). In this month’s issue however, I’d like to pay honor to St. Francis of Assisi whose feast day is on October 4. St. Francis was born at Assissi in Umbria, in 1181 or 1182. He was the son of a wealthy merchant. He had lots of money and spent it recklessly until one day, after recovering from a serious illness, Francis met a very poor man and he was filled with compassion for the man that he decided to switch clothes with the poor man. This was the beginning of Francis’ "inner call" toward the life of holiness. Sometime later, he was ill again and as he laid there, he felt a heavenly voice calling him to "serve the Master rather than the man" and Francis obeyed. Since then, Francis denounced all his fortune and gave all he had to the poor. He often visited and served the sick and the poor. Later on, Francis became the founder of the Friars Minor (Franciscan Order) which was well known for their way of living in poverty in solidarity with the poor. St. Francis lived his life preaching the Gospel and serving the poor and the needy tirelessly until October 03^rd, 1226 when God called him home. May St. Francis pray for us and teach us to know how to be poor in spirit in order that we may grow closer to Jesus’ likeness.

In honor of St. Francis, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you a really pleasant, yet fictional story written by thầy Vũ Ðức, S.J. I heard about this story during a retreat that I attended last August. I enjoyed it so much that I’d asked Thầy Ðức for permission to share it Emmaus Journey’s readers and he’d graciously accepted. Thank you Thầy Ðức! Although the story is fictional, there are several profound meanings in it. I hope it will stimulate your spirit and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Take care and God bless you,

(Condensed version)

St. Francis of Assisi had a special love for animals. It was said that he was able to talk to them. Birds and fish often gathered around him when he was closed to their habitats. But one of his favorite places was the ant hill in the backyard of his home. The ants’ daily activities fascinated Francis. Everyone was busy all the time!

The porter ants shuttled back and forth huge chunks of bread crumbs or a big grain of rice on their mouths. Some carried straws or saps as materials for others to work on. Sometimes, their loads were up to three or four times their body weights. Some ants could even carry twelve times their weights.

The builder ants made sure that the roads were safe, the walls were solid, and storage space was enough to keep food. They worked quite fast and efficiently. In times of bad weather, as soon as the wind or the rain subsided, they would run frantically, clearing the dirt on the road, digging through blocked tunnels, and draining water from the storage rooms. Some just ran a few steps ahead of the porters to clear the roads for them.

There were the interior designer ants who knew how to maintain the right temperature and humidity, so that the food wouldn’t spoil. They kept the queen’s chamber immaculate, well-stocked, and always aromatic. There were the dancer ants who entertained at night, and the cooks who kept everyone’s belly warm.

But the colony consisted more than just the workers and doers. There were those who created: painters and sculptors, singers and composers, poets and writers. Scholars of many sorts wrote their ideas on dried leaves and made beautiful books out of them. They traveled far and high to exchange ideas with other colonies. There were also the priests and magicians who helped the ant folks with prayers, worship and spirituality. They enjoyed colorful garments and public recognition. Around them an aura of mystery and seriousness seemed to enfold. Finally, there were the breeder ants who were most synchronized and enthusiastic. They never left the queen unoccupied or melancholy.

From the outside, it looked as if the queen did the least in the colony. But the opposite was true. She maintained the survival of the colony. Every winter, the heavy snow killed the ants by the hundreds. Once in a while, a terrible flood swept away a quarter or a third of the population. So, the queen took her egg-producing business very seriously. She had to make sure that the whole colony function to its full potential. Therefore, it’s important that everyone was happy and doing their best. In order to rule well, the queen must be knowledgeable in every field. She would never miss the latest reports from the traveling scholars. Moreover, she gathered around her all the first-rate council members - only the wisest, most knowledgeable and most innovative. Together with them, she devised the policy for the colony.

One of the council’s proposals that the queen liked the most was the use of "motivational techniques". The council suggested that in order to make the ant folks happy and the colony thriving, the queen needed to recognize and celebrate their contributions ceremoniously. Thus, the queen had declared a "day-off" every three months for the entire land. It was an all-day celebration. The main events of the celebration included a Citizenship Qualification Test for everyone and an Elite Competition. At the end of the day, awards were presented to the winners.

During the Citizenship Qualification Test, everyone was required to do certain tasks according to their expertise. For example, the porters must carry certain weight; the builders must construct some building projects; and so on. Those who passed would receive their Citizenship Certificate and attend a banquet with the queen. Those who failed would be asked to leave the colony for good. The Elite Competition was of course for the elite members only.

And boy, the celebration was a phenomenal success. As soon as the Citizenship Qualification Test was over and all those who failed it were kicked out of the land, everyone rushed to the center of the colony where the main competitions were to take place. On one platform, the strongest porters flexed their firm and shiny muscles. On a second platform, the skillful builders demonstrated their great architectural skill and dexterity. On the third stage, the designers showed off their ingenious chambers with the most "environmental friendly" soil contents. On the artistic stage, sculptures, paintings, new musical instruments, new types of dance, beautiful songs and poems, all competed for the audience’s attention. On the scholarly platform, debates between scholars were very enlightening and exciting; books and brochures occupied most of the stage. Last but not least, on the religious platform, oh my, there were demonstrations of meditation techniques, yoga, rituals, and all kinds of prayers and retreat direction methods. It was fascinating. Needless to say, the queen didn’t allow the breeder ants to compete, for she knew well their performance, and their skills were . kind of private.

By the end of the day, all the winners lined up, their names were solemnly announced three times to the crowd, and later they were escorted into the Hall of Fame. Then, one by one, they walked up to the queen, bowed their heads, and received their medals from her. Some got a strand of tinsel, some a short stripe of cloth, some a tiny plaque, some a piece of colorful thread. Then, one by one, they stepped off the main stage. With their heads held high and their eyes sparkled with pride, they walked away as the medals dangled on their foreheads or shoulders. Then they slowly went home for some very satisfying sleeps, in order to get ready for another day of routine.

Though Francis might have missed a contest here and there during the competition, he never failed to keep his eyes on those who were rejected in the Citizenship Qualification Test. For every single one of these rejected ants - the feeble, the lame, the deaf, the mute, the blind, the cripple and the paralytic, he picked them up by his own hands. He then took them to a nice corner of his barn, where strong winds and raging waters never reached, where food was unlimited, and where there was.no queen!

Feast Days in October