Keeping the Wolf at Bay

Of the many stories describing the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, perhaps the account of his encounter with the Wolf of Gubbio is the most popular. Francis was living in the Italian city of Gubbio at a time when a savage wolf roamed the countryside, attacking anyone who ventured away from town. Residents were fearful, and many wanted to hunt down the wolf and kill it. But Francis had another idea. Ignoring warnings from his neighbors, Francis set off to chat with the wolf. This excerpt from Franciscanomics explains what happened next:

When Francis came face-to-face with the ferocious animal, it leapt toward him “with gaping jaws.” Francis made the sign of the cross while commanding the wolf to stay, and the fierce creature tamely bowed at his feet. After explaining to the wolf that his brutal behavior had caused Gubbio’s citizens to fear and despise him, Francis offered the animal a deal: if the wolf would stop terrorizing the people of Gubbio, Francis would arrange for the townspeople to keep him fed. Nodding in agreement, the wolf gently laid his paw in Francis’s hand as if the two were sealing their pledge with a handshake.

From then on, the wolf and Gubbio’s residents kept the pact that Francis had negotiated. Not only did people feel safe to travel outside the city again, they also welcomed the wolf into their town. When the animal died two years later, it wasn’t his savage acts that people remembered most, but his role in helping Francis teach this lesson in kindness.

Franciscanomics is about the compassion of current-day heroes, so it seemed fitting for the Great Recession to serve as a metaphoric wolf. After all, few Americans escaped the “gaping jaws” of the recession, or avoided the downturn’s vicious bite.

If you’d like to read a longer excerpt from the book – and about two people who are bravely reasoning with the beast of unemployment – click here.