My human owner has recently come back from a trip to the Isles of Scilly off south-west England. The islands are beautiful, and largely unspoilt. They are one of those rare places where nature and humans still co-exist in relative harmony. The resident birds are very much tamer than on the mainland, because people haven’t yet abused their trust. And it seems to me that’s how the world was always meant to be.
Many folk say that they feel closer to God when they immerse themselves in Nature. And perhaps none more so than St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. He built bonds of love with a great many creatures, which he viewed as an expression of God’s presence around him. And he had a particularly special relationship with the birds that often followed him, perching on his shoulders and arms as he prayed or walked around.
On one occasion, St. Francis was travelling through the Spoleto Valley in Italy when a large flock of different birds gathered around him in the trees, prompting him to give an impromptu sermon……
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