Brother Rabbit
"Once when St. Francis was staying at the town of Greccio, a little rabbit that had been caught in a trap was brought alive to him by a certain brother. When the most blessed man saw it, he was moved to pity and said: 'Brother Rabbit, come to me. Why did you allow yourself to be tricked like this?' And as soon as the rabbit had been let go by the brother who held it, it fled to the saint, and without being forced by anyone, it lay quietly in his lap as the safest place possible. After he had rested there a little while, the holy father, caressing it with motherly affection, released it so it could return free to the woods. But when it had been placed upon the ground several times and had returned each time to the saint's lap, he finally commanded it to be carried by the brothers to the nearby woods." --Celano, First Life, 60
As I read this I thought about how Jesus released us from our trap and continues to be a safe haven for us. But just as St. Francis had the rabbit taken back into the woods, God sends us back into the world to do His bidding there. The difference for us is that we have the Holy Spirit to be with us even in the world.
"Once when St. Francis was staying at the town of Greccio, a little rabbit that had been caught in a trap was brought alive to him by a certain brother. When the most blessed man saw it, he was moved to pity and said: 'Brother Rabbit, come to me. Why did you allow yourself to be tricked like this?' And as soon as the rabbit had been let go by the brother who held it, it fled to the saint, and without being forced by anyone, it lay quietly in his lap as the safest place possible. After he had rested there a little while, the holy father, caressing it with motherly affection, released it so it could return free to the woods. But when it had been placed upon the ground several times and had returned each time to the saint's lap, he finally commanded it to be carried by the brothers to the nearby woods." --Celano, First Life, 60
As I read this I thought about how Jesus released us from our trap and continues to be a safe haven for us. But just as St. Francis had the rabbit taken back into the woods, God sends us back into the world to do His bidding there. The difference for us is that we have the Holy Spirit to be with us even in the world.
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