Most cultural and ecological restoration work is like housekeeping on a larger scale, tedious but also ultimately rewarding. Of course, that depends upon the mood you set: If you feel it is only drudgery to take care of your home, you will perhaps find more excitement in flying off to some space colony or being beamed up to some distant paradise.
But paradise is also here, on the very ground (and often dirty floors) we walk upon. So taking housekeeping/restoration is perhaps an act of gratitude.
So when St. Francis hears the voice of the Creator calling out to him, “Francis, restore my home, for as you can see, it is in disrepair, it is not just a command to rebuild the broken-down church of San Damiano, Heal your body, tour home, your family, your neighborhood, your church, your nation and your universe.
Brother Coyote, OEF
