The Wolf of Gubbio

The attacks on the World Trade Center and on the American Department of Defense have shown us, in a terrifying way, that we live in a time in which new dividing lines and new images of the enemy are emerging, giving rise to hatred and violence.

Peace and reconciliation in a society marked by violence were among Francis’s central concerns. The essence of Franciscan non-violence and peacemaking is shown by way of example in the legend of the Wolf of Gubbio. Taking this story as my starting point, I would like to develop a few suggestions for our own conduct.

“The Wolf of Gubbio”

(Retold after the Little Flowers (Fioretti), a 14th-century collection of legends)

Something wonderful, worthy of glorious remembrance, happened near the town of Gubbio. In the lifetime of the blessed father Francis there was, in the country around the town, a wolf of terrifying size. In his hunger he was fierce and savage, and devoured not only animals but men and women too, so that no one dared any longer to leave the town walls unarmed. Such panic had seized everyone that, weapons or no weapons, hardly anyone felt safe when he had to go beyond the bounds of the town.

The blessed Francis, who had just come to Gubbio, felt pity for the people and resolved to go out and meet the wolf. The townspeople said to him: “Beware, Brother Francis, of going out beyond the town gate: the wolf, who has already eaten many, will kill you miserably.” But Saint Francis put his hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, and so, armed not with shield and helmet but under the protection of the holy sign of the cross, he went out before the town gate with a companion and walked without fear towards the wolf.

And behold, in sight of the many people watching from high places, the terrible wolf ran at Saint Francis and his companion with open jaws. But the blessed father made the sign of the cross over him, and the divine power that went out from him and from his companion tamed the wolf: he suddenly stopped, and the horribly gaping jaws closed. Francis called him over and said: “Come to me, Brother Wolf! In the name of Christ I command you to do no harm, neither to me nor to anyone else!” And wonderful to tell, at the sign of the cross the beast closed its savage jaws, and as the saint had bidden it, it came up with its head lowered and lay down at his feet like a lamb.

As it lay there before him, Saint Francis said: “Brother Wolf, you do much damage in these parts and have committed grievous crimes, for you have killed God’s creatures without mercy. And not only do you kill animals, but, what is worse still, you dare to kill and devour human beings, made in the image of God! For this you deserve to be handed over to a terrible death as a robber and a wicked murderer. Everyone rightly complains about you and is angry with you, and the whole country is your enemy. But now, Brother Wolf, I want to make peace between you and the people. No one shall suffer any more harm from you, and they shall forgive you all your past misdeeds, and neither people nor dogs shall hunt you any longer.”

Then the wolf showed that he accepted the proposal, whereupon the saint went on: “Since you agree to make this peace, I promise you this: as long as you live, I will see to it that the people of this place give you your daily food. You will never have to go hungry again; for I know very well that all the evil you do, you do only because hunger drives you. But you must promise me that you will never again harm any animal or human being. Do you promise?” The wolf showed clearly, by nodding his head, that he agreed, and as a sign of his good faith he laid his paw in Saint Francis’s hand.

Finally the saint said: “Brother Wolf, now come with me without fear to the houses of the people, so that we may seal this peace in the name of the Lord!” And the wolf obeyed and followed Saint Francis like a gentle lamb. When the people saw this they were utterly amazed, and all of them, men and women, great and small, ran together to the market square where the saint was with the wolf. Before the crowd, Saint Francis said: “Listen, my dear people: this Brother Wolf, who stands before you, has promised me that he will make peace with you. He will harm none of you, provided you promise to provide for his daily keep. I stand surety for Brother Wolf that he will faithfully keep the peace treaty.”

Then all who were gathered there promised with a loud shout that from now on they would feed the wolf. And the wolf lived on for some years and was given his food from door to door, without harming anyone; and the people did him no harm either, and fed him kindly. And strange to say, no dog ever barked at him. – To the praise and honour of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Interpreting the legend

In Saint Francis’s encounter with the wolf we can recognise several steps, each one of which is necessary to resolve the conflict.

1. Noticing:

Although Francis is not personally affected by the conflict, he notices it. He “felt pity for the people” and takes responsibility in a situation he could just as well have ignored.

2. Going there:

Having recognised the situation, Francis resolves to go out and meet the wolf together with a companion. So he does not waste time lamenting, preaching or pondering what measures would be desirable; he does what he can do on his own responsibility. This step is surely the hardest, because it demands both childlike trust in God and the courage to accept harm to one’s own life, perhaps even to lose it.

But let us not forget: in human history, millions of people have been ready to die in order to fight for their ideals by violent means. There are situations in which this can be expected of those who stand for non-violence too. Pacifism is not a naive game of sweetness and light; in the last resort it is also a struggle of life and death, but one fought by non-violent means.

3. Encounter:

Against all expectations, Francis and his companion are not torn to pieces by the wolf. The non-violent yet resolute bearing of the two holds him back. This behaviour of the wolf is not as unlikely as it often seems to us amid our everyday conflicts and entanglements. Every human being, every creature longs to be loved and accepted and to belong to a community. The absolute evil we suspect in others is all too often a projection of our own aggression and hatred.

Once again: this encounter takes courage. There is also an evil that does not spare the non-violent, that does not take the chance to turn back. But as history shows, the use of violence cannot solve a problem for good; sooner or later it leads to counter-violence and an ever-widening spiral of retaliation. A real resolution of a conflict is possible only through love and forgiveness. History also shows that violent resistance cannot truly guarantee either one’s own life or the lives of those close to us. There are situations in which danger to life cannot be avoided either way. Francis knows his life to be in God’s hands, and this gives him the confidence to trust in the Gospel.

4. Accusation:

Francis opens the conversation. He glosses over nothing; he confronts the wolf with everything he has done. Without honesty, without everything being brought into the open, the path of conversion and reconciliation cannot succeed. But because Francis is so obviously defenceless, because from the very beginning he sees the wolf as a brother, the wolf has no need to defend himself; he can listen. This gives him the freedom to reflect on his own behaviour.

5. Understanding:

Francis does not mince his words, but he does not stop at accusation. He also tries to understand the wolf, with his needs and motives. He recognises that the wolf saw no way of finding his living peacefully. To summon up this understanding, it is necessary to set aside one’s own interests for once and look at the situation through the eyes of one’s opponent. Often you find that it is not malice that produces violence, but need (however that need is understood).

6. Proposing a solution:

Because Francis no longer sees the wolf as “evil” but as a counterpart with particular motives for his actions and legitimate interests, he is able to propose a solution. In this case it is relatively simple: the wolf promises to behave peacefully, and in return the people of Gubbio promise to supply him with food.

A solution is not always so easy. The political conflicts of our time in particular often involve so many parties and interest groups that a truly just settlement, satisfactory to everyone, is not possible. Through his own absolute poverty, Francis sets a sign that encourages others, too, not to insist on their rights to the very last, and sometimes to be generous even where it means giving up what is actually theirs by right. In Gubbio, for example, the townspeople who had suffered harm forgo any compensation, and are thereby at a certain disadvantage compared with those who had not yet been harmed.

7. Accompanying:

Francis sees clearly that by speaking with the wolf he has taken on responsibility. He guarantees the wolf’s safety, he accompanies him into the town, he sees personally to the making of an agreement, and he vouches for the wolf’s honesty before the people of Gubbio. Franciscan peacemaking requires patience and personal commitment. Whoever has once become involved in a conflict has taken on a responsibility that binds him into a community with the parties to the conflict. At the end there is no pride at having achieved something special, but the awareness that it is God who makes reconciliation, peace and community possible.

Our situation today

The story of the Wolf of Gubbio is, of course, a legend. It is unlikely to have happened quite like that, although some historians have supposed the wolf to have been a highway robber. That it is more than a touching fairy tale, however, is shown by historically documented events in the life of Saint Francis, such as his visit to the Sultan: during the fighting in the Holy Land, Francis went over to the Arabs, let himself be taken prisoner and spoke with the Sultan. The Sultan even gave Francis an offer of peace to take back with him, which the crusaders, however, did not take seriously. (Very much to their cost, as it turned out, for a short time later they suffered a crushing defeat; the whole army was wiped out, and those who were not killed were taken prisoner.)

Since then it has turned out again and again that violence cannot be fought with counter-violence. The apparent realism of politicians is in truth only very short-term thinking, which does not really resolve conflicts but prolongs them further and further, sharpening them in an endless spiral of violence. These destructive processes go on until someone finds the courage to take the path of reconciliation, even towards a violent enemy.

This path of non-violence and reconciliation remains a risk. There is no certainty that a conflict can be resolved at once, or that the opponent will respond to the offer straight away. What is certain, though, is that real peace has never yet been achieved by the use of violence.

In the Beatitudes in Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus puts the situation in a nutshell: “Blessed are those who use no violence, for they shall inherit the land.” (Matthew 5:5). This is not meant as a consolation pointing to a distant paradise, to comfort the naive and unworldly for their failure on earth. The Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims always already begins in our lives. It is always also about ways of acting that are meaningful and healing for people here and now. In the end it is the peacemakers who, through their commitment, their courage and their humility, make the earth habitable, in attempt after attempt. They are the ones who will succeed in the end and who will “inherit the land”.

It makes no difference whether we are dealing with conflicts in private life or with wars on a world scale. In every human life there are situations and opportunities to work for reconciliation. In all these conflicts we are called to profess our faith not only in the form of articles of faith, but through our lives. This is where it shows whether we really believe the message of the Gospel, whether we entrust our actions and the decisions of our lives to the guidance and example of Jesus Christ. In Saint Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons (and daughters) of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Pace e Bene