|
|
Posted By Teresa Redder, on January 7th, 2026 Joyful Gospel Living
“Then you shall be radiant at what you see…”
Unlike Advent, Lent, and Easter, the Christmas season is not very long in days of celebration: Christmas Eve vigil mass (December 24th) until the Baptism of the Lord (January 11th). During those 19 days, though, we hear some of the most wondrous stories of all time and we meet some of the most unlikely people who opened themselves to being part of God’s extraordinary plan for our salvation.
Whenever I listen to or play Christmas carols on the piano, I hear those stories so clearly. These are not the catchy holiday tunes that have played on the radio since Halloween and disappeared the day after Christmas. The true Christmas carols draw from us the desire to experience awe and wonder about the birth of Christ (although King Herod’s reaction, motivated by pride and envy, had no room for awe and wonder). Here are some noteworthy words from the carols that connect us to people and places: Bethlehem; stable and manger; heavenly host; shepherds and sheep; “Gloria in excelsis Deo”; a guiding star; Magi from the East; treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; and the appearance of the Light of the world, transforming our world with His grace, peace, and beauty.
When my three brothers and I were growing up in Camden, the celebration of Epiphany always occurred on January 6th (before Vatican II). Our faith community looked forward to this celebration because our parish distributed chalk and incense for families to take home to bless their homes for the year ahead. Someone from the family would remind everyone of the three kings (Kaspar/Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) and then make an inscription above the doorframe: “20+K+M+B+26.” My Mom would bring out a special bowl with the resin of the incense, lighting its fragrance within each room for the same blessing for our house.
These special traditions help us to appreciate how wondrous it was that the Magi saw the bright star in the sky and followed it to where it led them. These faraway visitors to the newborn King in Bethlehem were the fulfillment of ancient scriptural prophecies in which every nation on earth would adore the Lord. This would become dramatically apparent later when St. Paul had his conversion and chose to bring the Good News to the Gentiles as the Church grew in faith and witness.
During the Christmas season, our worship area is beautifully decorated with the large Fontanini Nativity set and the significant characters in the birth of Christ. When we pause in front of that Nativity set, we understand what the Prophet Isaiah meant when he foretold, “Then you shall be radiant at what you see.” What a privilege to have been present during that wondrous moment! Sacred art enables us to have a taste of what it must have been like.
Our parish Nativity set not only has the Holy Family, offering us their love for one another and God, but also shepherds, animals, and the Magi. The story would not be complete without all of them. Isn’t it interesting that the visit of the Magi is not found in any other Gospel account other than Saint Matthew’s? Let us be grateful that this story and its consequences (the slaying of the Holy Innocents and the flight into Egypt are also significant to the Christmas season) were preserved so that we would understand that Christ’s coming was not totally idyllic and safe.
After more than two years of steady conflict, the Church welcomed Franciscan Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, as the new Custos of the Holy Land. In a true spirit of interfaith dialogue, religious leaders resumed their annual celebration of Hanukkah with Christians and Muslims in Ein Karem, the home village of Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist, followed by a Magnificat Institute concert that expanded dialogue to include Muslims. What a special way to bring light and hope to others!
In his first Christmas message as Custos, Fr. Ielpo focused on this Scripture quote: “She gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger.” (Lk 2:7). The foreign Magi saw this, too:
“Jesus is born in a makeshift place, humble and unsuitable. The disruptive image of Christmas is smallness. Here in Bethlehem we contemplate a small God. A stable becomes the place of the infinite. The holiest liturgy is celebrated on straw, with the sharp smell of manure, in the caresses of a mother and in the cry of a child. Once again, Jesus is not afraid to descend to the lowest point of our humanity, made of violence, sin, pain, tears, and hardship. Once again, He is born and asks us, just as we are, to be a cradle for Him, with the poor straw of our fragility. He is laid in the manger to become food, nourishment of hope for all humanity. By looking at Him, contemplating Him, and imitating Him, we can begin again with renewed hope. In the stable of humanity, we are not alone. Jesus is born for us.”
 
The Prophet Isaiah reminded Jerusalem that they were part of God’s plan: even when darkness covered the earth, the glory of the Lord shone upon them because the light had come for them. On this Epiphany celebration, we share such glad tidings of joy and peace 2025 years later. If we pause to savor what has happened, we will experience what Isaiah foretold. May awe and wonder fill our days!
“…your heart shall throb and overflow.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
SKD Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on January 7th, 2026 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
January 2026
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself that for our salvation
He hides Himself under the little form of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves
so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.
Daily Franciscan Sources from ASSISI COMPILATION, #85 – #88
Daily thoughtful quotes from everyday “nuts and bolts” life
85 – HE COMPOSES ANOTHER SONG TO CONSOLE CLARE AND HER SISTERS
1 – In those same days and in the same place, blessed Francis, after he composed the Praises of the Lord for his creatures, also composed some holy words with chant for the greater consolation of the Poor Ladies of the Monastery of San Damiano. He did this especially because he knew how much his illness troubled them.
– If the plan doesn’t work change the plan, not the dream.
2 – And since he was unable to console and visit them personally because of that illness, he wanted those words to be proclaimed to them by his companions. In these words, he wanted to reveal his will to them briefly, for then and for always, how they should be of one mind and how they should live in charity toward one another.
– Some days you are the lighthouse, some days you are the ship – both matter.
3 – He wanted to do this because they were converted to Christ by his example and preaching when the brothers were still few.
– Confidence is silent; insecurities are loud, so speak with purpose.
4 – Their conversion and manner of living is the glory and edification not only of the religion of the brothers, whose little plant they are, but also of the entire Church of God.
– Your comfort zone is a lovely place, but nothing grows there.
5 – Therefore, since blessed Francis knew that from the beginning of their conversion they had led, and were still leading, a strict and poor life by free choice and by necessity, his spirit was always moved to piety for them.
– Don’t wait for the stars to align, grab a ladder and rearrange them yourself.
6 – With these words, then, he begged them that, as the Lord had gathered them as one from many different regions in holy charity, holy poverty, and holy obedience, so in these they should live and die. And he begged them particularly to provide for their bodies with discernment from the alms which the Lord would give them, with cheerfulness and thanksgiving.
– If opportunity does not knock, build a door with a welcome mat.
7 – And he especially asked them to remain patient: the healthy, in the labors which they endure for their sick sisters; and the sick in their illnesses and the needs they suffer.
– A setback is just a plot twist in your success story.
86 – HE IS TAKEN TO FONTE COLOMBO TO HAVE HIS EYES CAUTERIZED; THE KINDNESS OF BROTHER FIRE
8 – It happened that, when the season conducive to healing of the eyes arrived, blessed Francis left that place, even though his eye disease was quite serious. He was wearing on his head a large capuche the brothers had made for him, with a piece of wool and linen cloth sewn to the capuche, covering his eyes.
– You cannot control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
9 – This was because he could not look at the light of day because of the great pain caused by his eye disease. His companions led him on horseback to the hermitage of Fonte Colombo, near Rieti, to consult with a doctor of Rieti who knew how to treat eye diseases.
– Be the kind of person your future self brags about.
10 – When that doctor arrived there, he told blessed Francis that he wanted to cauterize from the jaw to the eyebrow of the weaker eye. Blessed Francis, however, did not wish the treatment to begin until Brother Elias arrived.
– Dream big, but pack snacks for the journey.
11 – He waited for him, and he did not come because, on account of many engagements he had, he could not come. So he was in doubt about beginning the treatment. But, constrained by necessity, and especially out of obedience to the Lord Bishop of Ostia and the general minister, he proposed to obey, although it was difficult for him to have any concern about himself, and that is why he wanted his minister to do this.
– Your vibe attracts your tribe, so radiate wisely.
12 – Afterwards, one night when the pain of his illness prevented him from sleeping, he had pity and compassion on himself. He said to his companions: “My dearest brothers and sons, do not grow weary or burdened because of your care for me in my illness. The Lord, on my behalf, His little servant, will return to you, in this world and the next, all the fruit of the good work that you are unable to do because of your care for me in my illness.
– Mistakes are proofs you are trying, not proof you are failing.
13 – In fact, you will obtain an even greater profit than those who assist the whole religion and life of the brothers. You should even tell me: ‘We’re paying your expenses, but the Lord, on your behalf, will be our debtor.’ ”
– Don’t just chase dreams; train them to run toward you.
14 – The holy father spoke in this way because he wanted to help them and lift them up in their faint-heartedness and weakness. He did this so that they would not be tempted to use this work as an excuse to say: “We can’t pray and we can’t put up with all this work”; and so that they would not become weary and faint-hearted, and thus lose the fruit of their labor.
– A smile is the shortest distance between two strangers.
15 – One day the doctor arrived with the iron instrument used for cauterizing in eye diseases. He had a fire lit to heat the iron, and when the fire was lit, he placed the iron in it.
– The best way to predict the future is to create it with bold strokes.
16 – To comfort his spirit so it would not become afraid, blessed Francis said to the fire: “My Brother Fire, noble and useful among all the creatures the Most High created, be courtly to me in this hour. For a long time I have loved you and I still love you for the love of that Lord who created you. I pray our Creator who made you, to temper your heat now, so that I may bear it.” And as he finished the prayer he made the sign of the cross over the fire.
– Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods.
17 – We who were with him, overcome by piety and compassion for him, all ran away, and he remained alone with the doctor.
– Your pace doesn’t matter, forward is forward.
18 – When the cauterization was finished, we returned to him. “You, faint-hearted, of little faith,” he said to us, “why did you run away? I tell you the truth: I felt no pain or even heat from the fire. In fact, if it’s not well cooked, cook it some more!”
– Don’t just turn the page; write a better chapter.
19 – The doctor was greatly amazed, and noting that he did not even move, considered it a great miracle. “My brothers,” the doctor said, “I tell you, and I speak from experience: I doubt that a strong man with a healthy body could endure such a severe burn, much less this man, who is weak and sick.”
– Hustle in silence and let your results do the talking.
20 – The burn was a long one, extending from the ear to the eyebrow, because, day and night for years fluid had been accumulating in his eyes. This is the reason, according to the advice of the doctor, for cauterizing all the veins from the ear to the eyebrow, although, according to the advice of other doctors, it would be very harmful. And this proved to be true, since it did not help him at all. Similarly, another doctor pierced both his ears, but to no avail.
– Even the tallest oak was once a little nut who stood its ground.
21 – It is not surprising that fire and other creatures sometimes showed him reverence because, as we who were with him saw, he loved and revered them with a great feeling of charity. He took great delight in them and his spirit was moved to so much piety and compassion toward them that he was disturbed when someone did not treat them decently. He used to speak with them with joy, inside and out, as if they could hear, understand, and speak about God. And for that reason he was often caught up in the contemplation of God.
– Your energy introduces you even before you speak.
22 – Once when he was sitting close to a fire, without being aware of it, his linen pants next to the leg caught fire. He felt the heat of the fire and his companion saw that the fire was burning his pants and ran to put out the flame. Blessed Francis told him: “No, dearest brother, do not hurt Brother Fire.” And he did not permit him to extinguish it. So the brother ran to the brother who was his guardian and brought him to blessed Francis and, against his wishes, he began to put it out.
– Do not fear failure but fear being in the same place next year.
23 – He was moved with such piety and love for it that he did not want to blow out a candle, a lamp, or a fire, as is usually done when necessary. He also forbade a brother to throw away fire or smoldering wood, as is usually done, but wanted him simply to place it on the ground, out of reverence for Him who created it.
– Kindness is free but priceless in value.
87 – HE WILL NOT HELP TO PUT OUT A FIRE AT LA VERNA
24 – Another time, while he was keeping a lent on Mount La Verna, his companion lit a fire at mealtime one day in the cell where he ate. Once the fire was lit, he went to blessed Francis, who was in the cell where he usually prayed and slept, to read him the holy Gospel that was read in the Mass of that day. Whenever blessed Francis was unable to hear Mass, he always wanted to hear the Gospel of the day before he ate.
– You cannot control the waves, but you can learn to surf them.
25 – When blessed Francis came to eat in the cell where the fire was lit, the flames had already reached the roof of the cell and were burning it. His companion tried his best to extinguish it, but could not do it by himself. But Blessed Francis did not want to help him: he took the hide that he used to cover himself at night, and went into the forest.
– Do it with passion, or not at all.
26 – The brothers of the place, although they stayed some distance from the cell, since the cell was far from the place of the brothers, seeing that the cell was burning, came and extinguished it. Afterwards, blessed Francis returned to eat.
– Your dreams do not work unless you do, but naps are still allowed.
27 – After the meal, he said to his companion: “From now on, I don’t want this hide over me since, because of my avarice, I did not want Brother Fire to consume it.”
– Be the reason someone believes in good people.
88 – HIS LOVE FOR ALL CREATURES
28 – When he washed his hands, he chose a place where the water would not be trampled underfoot after the washing. Whenever he had to walk over rocks, he would walk with fear and reverence out of love for Him who is called “The Rock.” Whenever he recited the verse of the psalm, “You have set me high upon the rock,” he would say, out of great reverence and devotion: “You have set me high at the foot of the rock.”
– Small steps every day lead to big changes over time.
29 – He also told the brother who cut the wood for the fire not to cut down the whole tree, but to cut in such a way that one part remained while another was cut. He also ordered the brother in the place where he stayed to do the same. He used to tell the brother who took care of the garden not to cultivate all the ground in the garden for vegetables, but to leave a piece of ground that would produce wild plants that in their season would produce “Brother Flowers.”
– Life is a one-time offer, use it well.
30 – Moreover, he used to tell the brother gardener that he should make a beautiful flower bed in some part of the garden, planting and cultivating every variety of fragrant plants and those producing beautiful flowers. Thus, in their time they would invite all who saw the beautiful flowers to praise God, for every creature announces and proclaims: “God made me for you, o people!”
– Get ready for eternity. You are going to spend a lot of time there.
31 – We who were with him saw him always in such joy, inwardly and outwardly, over all creatures, touching and looking at them, so that it seemed his spirit was no longer on earth but in heaven This is evident and true, because of the many consolations he had and continued to have in God’s creatures. Thus, shortly before his death, he composed the Praises of the Lord by His creatures to move the hearts of his listeners to the praise of God, and that in His creatures the Lord might be praised by everyone.
– If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Posted By Teresa Redder, on January 7th, 2026 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
January 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
(St. Francis of Assisi)
May He live with you. May you always live with Him.
(St. Clare of Assisi adapted)
Our Seraphic Father Saint Francis of Assisi made his own particular blessing the words of God gave to Moses for Aaron to bless God’s People. The Church offers us this blessing as the first words of the Scriptures that begin the calendar year, eight days after the birthday of Jesus. Each year we invoke God=s blessing on the Church as we honor Mary the Great Mother of God and Mother of the Church, the People of God. Through Mary we received Jesus, and in Jesus we receive the Father=s blessing through His Holy Spirit at work in our hearts until the end of the ages.
The thought and image of our Blessed Mother introduces us into a new yearly experience of events that speaks profoundly about ourselves and our relationship with God and one another. Our Mother Mary is the highest honor of our race (Judith 13). Like the Judith of the Old Testament who fearlessly lead and liberated her people and of whom these words were first spoken, Mary is afforded the highest honor, and precedes and far surpasses us in faith. Her availability and courage make her the eminent model for all Christians. Through her divine maternity, she gives humanity our Redeemer, in Whose Death and Resurrection we are freed from the binding power of sin and fear. Thus we are given the possibility to live in the freedom of God=s grace, and in the light of God=s love.
On the last day of the calendar year we are reminded that every end is a new beginning. In the Gospel for that day, the Apostle John reminds us that: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…He came to His own and His own did not receive Him…To as many as did receive Him, He empowered to become the children of God…those begotten not by human means, but by God (John 1: 1-18). The Eternal Word entered a profound relationship with humanity at His Conception in the virginal womb of Mary. The people of Israel continued to pray for and expect the God of vindication who would reveal His power and subdue their enemies. The Word, however, entered our reality as a simple human being, subject to all the experiences of time and human nature, except sin. His identity would be so concealed that He would be rejected by many, and ultimately given an untimely death by execution.
St. John tells us that those who accepted Him would become the children of God (John 1: 12). This adoption in the Spirit allows us to say Abba, Father (Mark 14: 36). The Father sees in us an image of His Son. Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, accepted the mission entrusted to Him by the Father to enter creation and lead us back to our original purpose. We are created to be an overflowing extension of God=s eternal love and life. And, since goodness of its very nature seeks to extend itself, and since God is the essence of goodness, then the extension of His goodness is found in creation, and we are the epitome in this world of the kaleidoscope of God=s unique yet varied image. If we only recognized and appreciated the dignity in which we were created and the majesty to which we are called! (St. Leo the Great sermon) The more we exemplify in our lives the life of the Master, the more we realize this dignity and majesty in our life. One of the purposes of the liturgy is to introduce us regularly into the experience of God through His Word and Sacrament so that we grow in our knowledge and love of God and thus accept to live more meaningful lives.
It is interesting how brief the liturgical season of Advent and Christmas is. Advent preparation lasts no more than four weeks, and the Christmas celebration of the infancy and childhood of Jesus may last three weeks. No sooner do the Magi leave the house where they offer their gifts – symbolizing love, prayer and sacrifice – to the Child Jesus, when the liturgy introduces us to the wilderness of the Baptist=s desert where in the Jordan River Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the City of the Most High, where God=s Temple speaks of His mysterious presence among His People. Jerusalem is where Jesus makes His Father=s Presence known and seen in Him, the Word-made-flesh. Jerusalem is the City of Peace (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 7:2) where the Prince of Peace enters, is proclaimed, rejected, and crucified. As the journey to Jerusalem begins for Jesus, we too journey with the Infant and the Man; the Child of hope and the Man of Fulfillment; the Infant who flees in exile to safety and the Man Who confounds his enemies; the Infant who needs protection and the Man Whose miracles marvel those who benefit from them. We become one in prayer and reflection – one in the Spirit – with our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Jesus is the Promised One God offered our first parents in the Garden of Eden. He is The One Anticipated and invoked (Maranatha) for centuries in the words of the prophets and the hearts of the people. He is The One Who Bursts into Time from Eternity (cfr. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18) when Mary says Yes (cfr. Luke 1: 38-40) to the Father=s invitation for her to be humanity=s spokesperson and Mother in His and her Son. The fulfillment of the Father=s promise and Jesus= mission reaches its climax during those few years that lead to the wood of the Cross at Calvary, prefigured in the wood of the manger at Bethlehem. One wood embraces the Infant; the other receives the Man. One wood protects the Infant; the other wood raises the Man in ignominy and glory. One wood makes people wonder in joy at the Infant; the other wood makes people responsible for their lives before the Man. One wood speaks of the beginning of a life; the other wood cries out about the beginning of Life. One wood reminds us of the doors closed to that young life; the other wood reminds us of the Doors opened for all to enter Life.
We have celebrated a brief yet powerful season. The Season that will end this month is the necessary introduction and Prologue to the rest of the Greatest Story Every Told. We have been introduced into a life that we must not only read, but become. It would be consoling and pleasant to remain in the nostalgia of the intimacy of the Infancy of Jesus. The intimacy of the Family of Nazareth speaks of normal challenges of daily life that we all encounter in one way or another. But, it is when we hear the Man, the Master, who summons us to Follow Me (all 4 Evangelists), that our life begins to have purpose and fulfillment. It is when we leave the comfort and security of the past that we begin to see new horizons and achieve greater goals than we had ever imagined. One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore (Andre’ Gide). We must leave the security of sight to travel in the light of trusting faith that leads where God wills.
The beginning of the calendar year is always surrounded with the idea of new beginnings. We see the new year as an opportunity to clean the slate and begin all over again. We could attempt this, but it is really impossible to do. No matter how much we may try to put past things out of our minds, they are still with us, either in our thoughts or in the circumstances of our life. Who we are depends greatly on where we have come from. And where we go depends on how we build and learn from past experiences. We cannot remain in the past. We cannot allow ourselves to be walled into a nostalgic reminiscing of historical facts. We are called to forge forward into God=s will. God’s Will provides for all who trust in Him and leads through ways often never imagined, but always fruitful for those who let Him be their Forerunner, Scout and Guide.
Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the U.N. who died many years ago in a plane accident, offers us a very timely thought: We die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond reason. The Source is the Father Who illumines us through His Spirit as we wonder at the magnificence of the mystery revealed in Jesus His Son. We no longer wander through life aimlessly, but are led by faith in that same Spirit. How can anyone just sit back and not be excited about the numerous possibilities God offers us each day! God calls us to proclaim His goodness with our lives and to be His heralds of hope. We are called to enkindle hope in a world that often lives in shallowness. The world seduced by the ancient serpent – the spirit of division and confusion with whom Jesus contended His entire life and with whom the Body of Christ contends till the end of the ages – cries out for that hope and love that we can make known to them in Jesus Whom we have met and seek to become more deeply each day.
Our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi loved the mystery of the Incarnation. The Infant Jesus for him was the young lamb of sacrifice prepared by the Father whose holocaust would be accepted for all humanity. Our Seraphic Father’s simplicity, humility, innocence, and love were all images of the Christ in Whom he sought to be conformed. Through Francis’ intimacy with God, he entered the peace of God and was led quite soon to the God of peace.
The Poverello’s journey of discovery transformed his life forever. St Francis did not seek to “feel” God in his life. St Francis sought the God that excels all feeling and is the Great God in Whose image and likeness we live and move and have our being (Acts 17: 28). This God asks that we enter the mystery. The Seraphic Father lived in the mystery that enfolds and protects with love and truth, but does not always caress with feeling. St. Francis, especially after the conforming gift of the Sacred Stigmata of Jesus imprinted on his body as well, extended to everyone the possibility of sharing with him in becoming Christ to the world. This challenge becomes a reality when those who seek perfection live the Gospel, who is not a book but a Person, Jesus the Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary.
As a new calendar year begins, let us pick up the challenge once again and be true Spiritual Children of our Founder and Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi.
May we all experience God’s blessings, Our Lady’s and good St. Joseph’s protection, and St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi’s loving care for all of us. In them may we have a New Year 2026 that is holy, joy-filled, free of insurmountable obstacles of spirit and/or body.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Posted By Teresa Redder, on December 3rd, 2025 “This is the King of the Jews.”
As I prayed over what reflection to share for the Solemnity of Christ the King, I could hear a song playing in my head that the Sacred Heart School students have sung at their monthly Masses: The King Shall Come (#70 in our parish hymnal). There is something so hope-filled and prayerful in the words of this song. It bothered me, though, that it was in the Advent section of our hymnal.
While on a Franciscan retreat (November 3-12) to Assisi, Italy, during which we spent nine days reflecting on the Journey into God by St. Bonaventure, my husband Jeff and I joined 30 other pilgrims from the US, Canada, England, Germany, and the Philippines to appreciate how contemplation leads us to God, the Summum Bonum (Highest Good).
On our fourth day together, our retreat leaders asked the group: How does the outside enter us? This was an important spiritual question for those whose desire was to be a lover of God. As we considered that question, we had help from St. Bonaventure regarding three powers of the psyche that are relational:
- Memory → eternity (the image of God);
- Intellect → Truth (meaning of words, sentences, logical conclusions);
- Will → Highest Good (deliberate, judge, desire).
In this chapter, St. Bonaventure wrote, “The function of the memory is to retain and represent not only things that are present, physical, and temporal, but also things that are successive, simple, and everlasting. Memory holds past things by recall, present things by reception, and future things by anticipation.” After reading that, I knew that the song I was hearing was meant for this reflection.
What does our memory tell us about our image of God? Do we understand who Christ the King is and where His Kingdom exists? Do we anticipate the coming of our King by remembering what Christ promised to us?
In this weekend’s first reading, we remember how David became king of Israel, anointed before the Lord to serve the people. Future prophets would later foretell that the Messiah would come from the royal line of David. The Jewish people held that hope in their memory. When Jesus came, though, it was not in the way people would imagine their King would come.
In the song The King Shall Come, the composer Trevor Thomson gives us a song about the King who has already been with us, but told us that He was returning. How are the faithful waiting and longing for that return? Do we see signs of the King in our midst?
The King shall come when morning dawns
and light triumphant breaks,
When beauty gilds the eastern hills
and life to joy awakes.
Not, as of old, a little child,
to bear, and fight, and die,
but crowned with glory like the sun that lights the morning sky.
This weekend’s Gospel account by St. Luke looks at the kingship of Christ through the lens of the Cross. Who would ever expect their king to be crucified by their oppressors? Part of the mockery that Jesus endured was to have the sign above His cross that said, “This is the King of the Jews.” For the people who journeyed with Jesus, this present situation challenged their memory. Nobody yet knew what was to come. One of the criminals that was executed with Jesus did understand it, though, and he asked Jesus to remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Jesus promised Him that he would be with Him in paradise.
Through the Sacred Scriptures, our memory is able to recall the birth of Christ, the proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Passion of Christ. They are significant past events that shape our faith and our desire to know Christ better.
The people of God today live in much different circumstances than when Jesus preached the Good News. Technology continues to advance rapidly, sometimes with harmful effects on people. Major conflicts continue to erupt in the world that cause great human suffering. Seeing the face of Christ in our midst, a present memory, remains a challenge for all Christians because it requires the full embrace of the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.
The criminal who put his faith in Christ trusted that His Kingdom truly existed. Through memory, we know that the death of Jesus was not the end. The resurrection of Jesus was the King’s glory, witnessed by many people. How beautiful, then, is verse 2 of the song for those who believe and hope for the King:
O brighter than the rising morn
when He, victorious, rose
and left the lonesome place of death,
despite the rage of foes.
O brighter than that glorious morn
shall this fair morning be,
when Christ, our King, in beauty comes,
and we His face shall see!
Memory teaches us that the desire for God is something that should be with us daily, shaping our prayer life and our choices to think and act. This weekend, let us sing confidently…
“Come quickly, King of kings! Come quickly, King of kings!
The King Shall Come – Lyrics Video
May God bless our Advent with longing, joy, and hope for what we see and what we await!
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on December 3rd, 2025 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
December 2025
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself that for our salvation
He hides Himself under the little form of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves
so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.
Daily reminders from the sources are from the Assisi Compilation #82-#84
Quotes for each day from the works of C.S.Lewis
83 – BROTHER ELIAS AND CARDINAL HUGOLINO ASK HIM TO ACCEPT MEDICAL HELP HE COMPOSES THE CANTICLE OF BROTHER SUN AT SAN DAMIANO
1 – The Bishop of Ostia, who later became the apostolic bishop, seeing how blessed Francis was always severe with his body, and especially because he was rapidly losing his eyesight because he refused to have himself treated, admonished him with great kindness and compassion.
– You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.
2 – He told him: “Brother, you do not do well in not allowing yourself to be helped with your eye disease, for your health and your life are of great value not only to yourself but also to others.
– When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.
3 – If you have compassion for your sick brothers, and have always been and still are merciful to them, you must not be cruel to yourself in such a serious and manifest need and illness. I therefore order you to allow yourself to be helped and treated.”
– Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties.
4 – Likewise, two years before his death, while he was already very sick, especially from the eye disease, he was staying at San Damiano in a little cell made of mats. The general minister, seeing and considering how tormented he was with the eye disease, ordered him to let himself be treated and helped.
– Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see HIM.
5 – He also told him that he wanted to be present when the doctor began the treatment, especially so that he could more effectively arrange for him to be cared for and comforted, since he was suffering a great deal from it. At that time it was very cold, and the weather was not conducive to treatment.
– Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
6 – Blessed Francis lay there for more than fifty days, and was unable to bear the light of the sun during the day or the light of a fire at night. He stayed in the dark in the house, inside that little cell. In addition, day and night he had great pains in his eyes so that at night he could scarcely rest or sleep. This was very harmful and was a serious aggravation for his eye disease and his other illnesses.
– Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.
7 – Sometimes he did want to rest and sleep, but there were many mice in the house and in the little cell made of mats where he was lying, in one part of the house. They were running around him, and even over him, and would not let him sleep.
– Once people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe in nothing; rather, the problem is that they will believe anything.
8 – They even disturbed him greatly at the time of prayer. They bothered him not only at night, but also during the day, even climbing up on his table when he was eating, so much so that his companions, and he himself, considered it a temptation of the devil, which it was.
– Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
9 – One night as blessed Francis was reflecting on all the troubles he was enduring, he was moved by piety for himself. Lord,” he said to himself, “make haste to help me in my illnesses, so that I may be able to bear them patiently.” And suddenly he was told in spirit: “Tell me, brother, what if, in exchange for your illnesses and troubles, someone were to give you a treasure?
– If you never take risks, you’ll never accomplish great things. Everybody dies, but not everyone has lived.
10 – And it would be so great and precious that, even if the whole earth were changed to pure gold, all stones to precious stones, and all water to balsam, you would still judge and hold all these things as nothing, as if they were earth, stones and water, in comparison to the great and precious treasure which was given you. Wouldn’t you greatly rejoice?”
– There is someone that I love even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is……me.
11 – “Lord,” blessed Francis answered, “this treasure would indeed be great, worth seeking, very precious, greatly lovable, and desirable.” “Then, brother,” he was told, “be glad and rejoice in your illnesses and troubles, because as of now, you are as secure as if you were already in my kingdom.”
– I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
12 – The next morning on rising, he said to his companions: “If the emperor were to give a whole kingdom to one of his servants, shouldn’t he greatly rejoice? But, what if it were the whole empire, wouldn’t he rejoice even more?” And he said to them: “I must rejoice greatly in my illnesses and troubles and be consoled in the Lord, giving thanks always to God the Father, to His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Spirit for such a great grace and blessing.
– The greatest evils in the world will not be carried out by men with guns, but by men in suits sitting behind desks
13 – In His mercy He has given me, His unworthy little servant still living in the flesh, the promise of His kingdom. “Therefore for His praise, for our consolation and for the edification of our neighbor, I want to write a new Praise of the Lord for his creatures, which we use every day, and without which we cannot live.
– The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.
14 – Through them the human race greatly offends the Creator, and every day we are ungrateful for such great graces, because we do not praise, as we should, our Creator and the Giver of all good.” Sitting down, he began to meditate and then said: “Most High, all-powerful, good Lord.”
– One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts.
15 – He composed a melody for these words and taught it to his companions so they could repeat it. For his spirit was then in such sweetness and consolation, that he wanted to send for Brother Pacifico, who in the world was called “The King of Verses,” and was a very courtly master of singers.
– Evil comes from the ABUSE of free will.
16 – He wanted to give him a few good and spiritual brothers to go through the world preaching and praising God. He said that he wanted one of them who knew how to preach, first to preach to the people. After the sermon, they were to sing the Praises of the Lord as minstrels of the Lord.
– Don’t judge a man by where he is, because you don’t know how far he has come.
17 – After the praises, he wanted the preacher to tell the people: “We are minstrels of the Lord, and this is what we want as payment: that you live in true penance.” He used to say: “What are the servants of God if not His minstrels, who must move people’s hearts and lift them up to spiritual joy?”
– If nothing in this world satisfies me, perhaps it is because I was made for another world.
18 – And he said this especially to the Lesser Brothers, who had been given to the people for their salvation. The Praises of the Lord that he composed, that is, “Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,” he called “The Canticle of Brother Sun,” who is more beautiful than all other creatures and can be most closely compared to God.
– The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed.
19 – He used to say: “At dawn, when the sun rises, everyone should praise God, who created it, because through it the eyes are lighted by day. And in the evening, when it becomes night, everyone should praise God for another creature, Brother Fire, because through it the eyes are lighted at night.“
– If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal; but if you live only for this world, you lose them both.
20 – He said: “For we are all like blind people, and the Lord lights up our eyes through these two creatures. Because of this, we must always praise the glorious Creator for these and for His other creatures which we use every day.” He did this and continued to do this gladly, whether he was healthy or sick.
– God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.
21 – And he encouraged others to praise the Lord. Indeed, when his illness grew more serious, he himself began to say the Praises of the Lord, and afterwards had his companions sing it, so that reflecting on the praise of the Lord, he could forget the sharpness of his pains and illnesses. He did this until the day of his death.
– Love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity.
84 – HE MAKES PEACE BETWEEN THE BISHOP AND MAYOR OF ASSISI, ADDING A VERSE TO THE CANTICLE
22 – At that same time when he lay sick, the bishop of the city of Assisi at the time excommunicated the podestà. In return, the man who was then podestà was enraged, and had this proclamation announced, loud and clear, throughout the city of Assisi: no one was to sell or buy anything from the bishop, or to draw up any legal document with him. And so they thoroughly hated each another.
– Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different.
23 – Although very ill, blessed Francis was moved by piety for them, especially since there was no one, religious or secular, who was intervening for peace and harmony between them. He said to his companions: “It is a great shame for you, servants of God, that the bishop and the podestà hate one another in this way, and that there is no one intervening for peace and harmony between them.”
– We must stop regarding unpleasant or unexpected things as interruptions of real life. The truth is that interruptions are real life.
24 – And so, for that reason, he composed one verse for the Praises: Praised be by You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
– You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
25 – Afterwards he called one of his companions and told him: “Go to the podestà and, on my behalf, tell him to go to the bishop’s residence together with the city’s magistrates and bring with him as many others as he can.”
– Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
26 – And when the brother had gone, he said to two of his other companions: “Go and sing the Canticle of Brother Sun before the bishop, the podestà, and the others who are with them. I trust in the Lord that He will humble their hearts and they will make peace with each other and return to their earlier friendship and love.”
– There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
27 – When they had all gathered in the piazza inside the cloister of the bishop’s residence, the two brothers rose and one of them said: “In his illness, blessed Francis wrote the Praises of the Lord for His creatures, for His praise and the edification of his neighbor. He asks you, then, to listen to them with great devotion.” And so, they began to sing and recite to them.
– To love at all is to be vulnerable
28 – And immediately the podestà stood up and, folding his arms and hands with great devotion, he listened intently, even with tears, as if to the Gospel of the Lord. For he had a great faith and devotion toward blessed Francis. When the Praises of the Lord were ended, the podestà said to everyone: “I tell you the truth, not only do I forgive the lord bishop, whom I must have as my lord, but I would even forgive one who killed my brother or my son.”
– Atheists express their rage against God although in their view He does not exist.
29 – And so he cast himself at the lord bishop’s feet, telling him: “Look, I am ready to make amends to you for everything, as it pleases you, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his servant, blessed Francis.” Taking him by the hands, the bishop stood up and said to him: “Because of my office humility is expected of me, but because I am naturally prone to anger, you must forgive me.” And so, with great kindness and love they embraced and kissed each other.
– Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
30 – And the brothers marveled greatly, considering the holiness of blessed Francis, that what he had foretold about peace and harmony between them had been fulfilled, to the letter. All the others who were present and heard it took it for a great miracle, crediting it to the merits of blessed Francis, that the Lord had so quickly visited them, and that without recalling anything that had been said, they returned to such harmony from such scandal.
– I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.
31 – Therefore we who were with blessed Francis bear witness that always whenever he would predict “such-and-such a thing is or will be this way,” it happened almost to the letter. We have seen with our own eyes what would be too long to write down or recount. – God doesn’t want something from us. He simply wants us.
– I gave in, and admitted that God was God.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on December 3rd, 2025 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
December 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
May the Infant Jesus grant your heart the Peace you desire.
May His Star enlighten your mind with the splendor of His Truth.
May His Love consume your heart so that it beats solely for Him.
Peace, Truth and Love are independent attributes and virtues that have an effect on each other. Taken together, they have the ability to fill a soul with real and lasting Joy. When we enter this ‘three-step program’, we have an insight to understand a little more the depths of the Christmas Joy we wish one another. Most people want to be ‘happy’, and there is obviously nothing wrong with being happy. Happiness is a wonderful experience. Happiness often brings with it a sense of elation, relaxation, optimism, and more of those ‘good feelings’ we all enjoy.
Regretfully, this sensation is not permanent. Unless there is Joy in our heart and soul, happiness is only a passing moment with no real lasting effect except that of regret that it did not last longer. It leaves a yearning for the ‘feeling’ to return. When we follow the ‘process’ of that simple Christmas, Peace-Truth-Love, a more lasting Joy enters our heart and soul. It is this Joy that Christmas and the Mystery of the Incarnation help us to acquire. When we understand how the Eternal Word, equal to God from all ages, entered human history so that humanity could enter the timelessness of God’s Love, we lay the groundwork for the Peace-Truth-Love of God to possess us. God Himself offers us insights into all this through His own inspired Word.
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear … Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm! … The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (cfr. Isaiah 7: 4-15) For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful. (Isaiah 9: 5-6) … who brings glad tidings announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation … (Isaiah 52: 7)
Do you remember how prevalent it became for us to hear the word ‘Shalom’, the Hebrew word for ‘Peace’, extended to others at the moment of the Sign of Peace during Mass? Our own Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi made the word ‘peace’ his own particular greeting: The Lord give you peace! When we reflect upon what peace means to us and pray for it, most often what we ask for is tranquility of soul or cessation of some external violence affecting ourselves or others. This peace is most needed and an appropriate gift to prayerfully request of God. However, in Scripture, the word ‘Shalom’ that we translate as ‘peace’ has a deeper and more life-altering meaning. Our ancestors in the faith of Abraham, from whom our Savior descended according to the flesh, used this word to mean ‘completeness’, ‘fullness’, ‘integrity’, and the like. What flows from this ‘fullness’ and ‘completeness’ is another expression of ‘shalom’.
The Mystery of the Incarnation begins with ‘shalom’. The Angel Gabriel came to Mary and greeting her said: ‘Shalom’ favored one! The Lord is with you. (Luke 2: 28) This greeting of fulfillment, completeness, wholeness filled Mary with a sense of confusion at why this should be said to Her. The prophecies were now to be fulfilled, the time established had reached completion, the person to enter human history was the Creator/creature in the wholeness of a Person Whose two distinct and total natures were not in conflict but in total harmony with each other. ‘Shalom’, the Angel said to Mary, as an introduction and encouragement to accept the challenge because, with Her consent, the Father would send His Spirit to overshadow Mary. Thus, His Covenant and all the Prophecies would be fulfilled in Jesus, His Incarnate Son, the Word made flesh. ‘Shalom-Peace’ is anything but an apathetic courteous greeting. It is an eternally packed word that brings harmony and serenity, and leads to acceptance of Truth.
Jesus then said … ‘If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8: 31-32) I have much more to tell you … but when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. (John 16: 12-13) Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, Father … Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth (cfr. John 17: 1-17). Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. (John 18: 37)
Peace of heart and soul is a liberating gift. Inner peace frees us to be who we were created to be. There is no longer any need to protect an ‘image’ of what we want others to think of us. Protective comfort zones are eliminated. Intimidating precautions and false securities that offer illusory hope are eliminated. Deceptive images we use to camouflage our real personalities are ‘unmasked’. A soul at peace is transparent and that person is at peace with him/herself. Transparency is Truth, and vice versa. Peace frees us from the need to ‘compete’ with others. Self esteem is rekindled and we accept the fact that You are who you are before God and nothing more (cfr. St. Francis of Assisi). Truth and transparency, fruits of a person at peace with God, self and others, inevitably leads to Love.
The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him … He gives health and life and blessings (Sirach 34: 17). For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts (Hosea 6: 6). Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him … Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (John 14: 21-23).
Love is a deceptive word. It is most often used to express an emotional rapport between persons. While love can be expressed as a ‘fuzzy feeling’ of the senses, true love is something else. When we define love, we have already limited or even destroyed it in our minds and hearts. Peace that leads to transparency is capable of love in its fullness. We know that love is God. True spiritual love is manifest in the ability to totally surrender ourselves to the other. This surrender is not a submission to another’s dominance. Loving surrender does not count the cost, it supports and encourages. It lives the present, in view of the future, grateful for the experiences of the past. Love helps us to live in the present, and thus in the Presence of God.
It is a marvelous blessing for anyone to possess Peace-Truth-Love. To state it this way though, seems so academic. They are academic qualities, virtues, attributes that can be taught, preached, reflected upon. But what are the practical effects of these three Christmas gifts of the Father to His world in Jesus? Simply put:
– Peace calms the heart and soul. It offers the space for serenity within and brings about a certain contentment, tranquility, silence in our personality and demeanor. A peace-full person is usually calm, balanced, thoughtful, patient, prudent .
– Truth encourages the person to greater transparency, thus, to live a simpler life. A simplicity of lifestyle eradicates all exaggerations, false securities in persons, places, and things. We are relieved and free to just be ourselves.
– Love is the last of the three ‘steps’ that challenges us to open our hearts to others. The inner peace and total transparency free us to accept others as we would be accepted. They become ‘companions on the journey’ who enhance and support us as we do them. They are not obstacles to overcome or enemies to conquer. They are sisters and brothers in God’s great family of creation redeemed in the Blood of the One Whose Birth we celebrate. In His Blood God’s Covenant with Humanity is ratified and we become truly adopted children. We are children not of the womb. We are children of the heart, the Eternal Loving Heart of the Father.
Sisters and Brothers in the Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi and our Holy Mother St. Clare, let us accept the greeting as a blessing and a challenge. Let us strive at this Holy Season and throughout the year to seek that peace that only God can give. Let us gratefully accept God’s will for us and the role He has asked we fulfill in our life. Thus we shall see all others in the same light, ‘blessed’ and ‘challenged’. May the words of the angels at Bethlehem to the shepherds be in our hearts and on our lips: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests (Luke 2: 14).
Christmas is a time of gift-giving and gift-receiving. Recognize the gift we are and are called to be. Thus, we may become a joy-filled, life-giving, sister and brother in the family of the Poverello of Assisi. For this intention and whatever ones you may hold most dear in your hearts, be assured that you and your loved ones will be remembered in a special way in all the Masses I celebrate during this holy season.
Let’s remember that this Advent begins the celebration of the 8th centenary of the Paschal Mystery of our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi. Aware of his approaching death, he and awaited his encounter with Life Himself, Uncreated Source of Being, GOD. St. Francis sang his song as he saw with his heart’s eye the immensity God’s creation reborn and transformed in the magnificence of God from Whom all comes and in-with-through Whom all are “reborn”. Advent/Christmas is the mystery re-presented in liturgy each year for us to journey with the heart and liturgy as of Seraphic Father did. Contemplate with your mind and heart each day. Offer others the gift of your contemplation. The Jesus considered, contemplated, and offered others will be a source unexpected of Peace-Truth-Love.
In the Name of Jesus I wish all of you a Spirit-filled Advent and a Holy and Happy Christmas Season. As you enter the new calendar year with all its expectations and uncertainties, hopes and fears, may your dreams be fulfilled in a world renewed in Jesus and filled with His Spirit. Let us never forget: A Child is born to us! A Savior is given to us! Come, let us adore Him! Fear not! It is I! I have conquered the world!
Blessed and Merry Christmas 2025 and a Happy New Year 2026!
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Holy and Happy Christmas 2025
Happy New Year 2026
May the New Year be filled with God’s
Peace, Joy and Love.
Posted By Terri Leone, on November 18th, 2025 Advent is fast approaching! You/your Family will probably set up & light the candles & pray. Are you aware of the significance of each candle? Click the link below.
May you have a Blessed & Fruitful Advent Season as you prepare to celebrate the Birth of the Christ Child.
Advent Candles
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 16th, 2025 “Without fraternity, we cannot survive.”
On November 2nd, Jeff and I left for Assisi to attend a 9-day retreat on St. Bonaventure’s “Journey into God.” At the conclusion of this retreat, we departed Assisi for Rome with many of the 30 pilgrims on our shared journey. Most of our group went to the airport for their return trips to the US, Canada, England, Germany, and the Philippines.
To celebrate the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, though, Jeff and I stayed an additional 5 days in Rome. Our hotel was one block from the Franciscan parish of St. Gregory VII—a special place to visit daily. Thanks to our very early arrival in Rome, we were able to attend the weekly papal audience in St. Peter’s Square on November 12. So many pilgrim groups were there to visit the sacred places of the Church in the hope-filled spirit of Jubilee 2025.
During his catechesis at the papal audience, Pope Leo XIV spoke earnestly about fraternity, an essential word in our Franciscan vocabulary. He told the faithful, “Without fraternity, we cannot survive.” What would the world be like if more people took seriously the call to live as brothers and sisters to one another? In the beautiful hymn “Where Charity and Love Prevail,” there are hope-filled descriptions of what this world would be like. Is it possible that “strife among us be unknown and all contention cease?”
The Vatican News Service posted a summary of the papal audience:
Pope at General Audience: Without fraternity, we cannot survive – Vatican News
With the celebration of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s feast day on November 13th, the Church gave us the time to practice solidarity with the poor of the world, because this feast day set the stage for the celebration of the IX World Day of the Poor on November 16th. This was an important observance on the Jubilee 2025 calendar as almost a year of celebrations are drawing to their closure at Christmas.
An international Catholic group called “Fratello” hosted many activities during the weekend:
Friday-November 14th – Prayer Vigil of Mercy (Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)
Saturday – November 15th – Pilgrimages between 9 AM and 3 PM to the four Holy Doors of Rome (St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls)
Sunday – November 16th – Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with Pope Leo XIV for the World Day of the Poor
While sitting in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, Jeff and I had the privilege of observing the reverent procession of dozens of pilgrim groups from all over the world as they entered the Basilica. Some groups were wearing the Jubilee 2025 logo on hats, bandanas, or T-shirts. Many groups were singing or praying as they waited in the long line to move through Vatican security. It was impossible for anyone to be in the square without passing the poor of Rome who were begging for alms and a kind gesture.
In his homily on Sunday, Pope Leo cited his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te of the Holy Father Leo XIV on Love for the Poor (4 October 2025) as a reminder of how God’s love inspires us to love one another, most especially the poor in our midst. The Holy Father spoke about both material poverty, which marginalizes so many people into a daily survival struggle, and spiritual poverty, that leads to loneliness in society. Christians are called to reach out to one another in the way that Christ taught us in the Gospel accounts.
On November 17th, Secular Franciscans have been called to participate in a Franciscan Day of Solidarity as we celebrate the feast day of our patroness, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. In her short, but very faithful life, she embraced the holy Gospel with purity of heart and made the corporal and spiritual works of mercy visible in her daily life through personal example. In the poor, St. Elizabeth always saw the face of Christ. Now, it is ours to do the same for others.
In our fraternal living, let us work together to see where Christ is calling us to serve the poor in our midst—from the inside of our fraternities and our families to our local communities. This weekend’s celebration reminds us of the transformative power of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love.
 
Photos by Teresa Redder, OFS from the Vatican
May the peace of Christ and the intercession of the Blessed Mother guide us to do what is ours to do!
Peace and all good,
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Rome, Italy (November 16, 2025)
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 4th, 2025 A Reflection for All Saints’/All Souls’ Day
by Sister Mercedes Rojo, OSF
In Spain and all Latin American countries this is a very special celebration. It is a time when we remember and honor our family members who had passed on. On this feast, I take time looking at photos of my parents, my brothers, aunts and uncles who have passed on. I take time to remember moments of joy as well as hard moments…. I take time to be with each one… talk to them about those moments… ask them how they think about what we can learn from their new vision of those events.
I believe that they will tell us about the importance of seeing life with a new light. And invite us to be attentive to the daily GRACE we receive. Why? Because we are on a journey. A journey of grace. And if we allow it, we can receive the grace of a NEW HEART. Remember Ezekiel’s promise: “ I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26). It is good to notice that Ezekiel does not say it is a replacement…. This promise is about my own heart now, a heart transformed by God’s grace: a heart softer, more compassionate, welcoming to all, and more receptive to God’s movement within me, and willing to grow. Yes, a new heart transformed by God’s grace.
Let us this month remember the “saints” in our families, remember the blessings we received from them, and ask them to intercede to God for us, so that we will continue to be open to God’s presence in our lives, to be attentive to God’s “nudges” and “challenges” and be courageous to answer with fidelity knowing that God is walking this journey with us.
Sr. Mercedes Rojo, OSF, is the Spiritual Assistant of St. Francis Fraternity (Folsom, PA)
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 4th, 2025 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
November 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
The Lord give you his peace!
We have entered the last of the Jubilee Years of the Franciscan Family, as we prepare for the celebration of the Blessed Transitus of our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi. His death on the evening of 3 October 1226 heralded the beginning of a new experience for the Brotherhood of those who had chosen the Gospel Life lived by and with the “Poverello”.
The “After Francis” movements within the Brotherhood had already begun in the time “during Francis”. The brothers, especially those who had come from other areas of Europe and those who had “specialized” talents began to consider the need for modifications to the Rule of Life they had professed with St. Francis. We know from the sources how this affected our Father. It took a reminder from God, so we are told, to let go and let God guide the Order. Discussions were already happening regarding the possibility, with Church approval, to modify/adapt certain expressions of the Rule to the changing times, circumstances, individual “needs”, and the like.
The question was not just adapting to the times and circumstances that arose, but also, in certain respects, adopting the values of the times and circumstances. The “adopting” was the question. It had to have been a severe blow to Francis’ deep conviction concerning “Madonna Poverta” and the varied ways their life was directed by this wonderful “gift” that liberated the friars from unnecessary concerns so they could live the Gospel as Christ and the Apostles did. This happiness was within the reach of them all, and Francis saw they were losing it. Poverty is a liberating “gift” when lived in the certain hope of God’s never-failing Providence.
St. Francis lay dying. The brothers who could be there were with him. The thoughts that filled his heart and mind can only be imagined. We’ll never know until, God willing, we are with God for eternity and know what is now hidden. This meditative speculation though, might help us all to understand the depth of importance for each one to be totally committed to who he/she is called to be in God. For Franciscans, it is through living, “sine glossa”, whatever that might mean today after eight centuries, the charism of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Dying and Death of St. Francis speaks of his most solemn moment in life and the ultimate encounter with God. To all of us, it speaks of the need to be convinced of whom we seek to follow and become, committed to the Gospel Life we proclaim, and consecrated every moment to the truth we have professed. Impossible? Absolutely not! “The hand does not reach for what the heart does not desire”. If we truly desire what we profess with our lips, we will know, see, and accept all God offers us to “live the dream” of St. Francis and the “dream” of all who gave their “yes” to the challenge.
Considering all the above, we realize the urgency for St. Francis to finalize his Will and Testament. It was St. Francis’ “final word” from the Father-Brother-Founder of the Penitents of Assisi. His “heart” was directed to those who aspired and professed the itinerancy of the Gospel Life. The poverty professed and lived by the brothers enriched and ennobled them to be living witnesses of God’s ever-present Providence. The “Little Poor Man of Assisi”, “il Poverello”, dying naked on the ground, reminds us all that we are what we are before God and nothing more. Anything over and above the bare necessities is extra baggage that makes the journey more burdensome.
Still there remained in his heart the fact that the brothers, during his lifetime, had already begun to re-present his “dream” in a manner different from what he received from God and what he sought to live every moment. His constant refrain and the Lord gave me was a conviction that all that comes from God, as he believed it was for himself and those who sought and accepted to follow him, must not be changed.
He was succumbing to the effects of all his ailments. St. Francis was in the “process of transitioning” from time to eternity. What concerned him more was the “transitions” some brothers had begun adopting that were contrary to his vision of the Order as he expected it to be lived. Dying in the body for someone who had abandoned himself totally to God’s Will was easier than feeling abandoned by those he believed would continue the dream begun at San Damiano and sealed at La Verna. Death would resolve the matter for him. How would his death affect the differences among the brothers concerning their faithfulness to God’s call (?), him (?), the Gospel Life lived in/as the “gift” of Lady Poverty (?), the acceptance of the minimum needed rather than the maximum allowed (?). Oh, how many thoughts passed through the mind and heart of the Poverello! We can only imagine.
In the final stanzas of his Canticle of the Creatures, St. Francis of Assisi sums it all up and offers a startling and serene invocation: Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape. This line, composed near the end of his life, encapsulates a radical theological and spiritual vision that reorients the human relationship with mortality. Rather than viewing death as a grim adversary or a tragic end, Francis personifies it as “Sister”. She is an intimate companion in the human/divine family of creation. The past will be the legacy the brothers will have to deal with responsibly in truth to their profession and to the mind of the founder they sought to emulate, but not necessarily imitate in all ways.
As negative as this might sound, it is seems like God’s way of keeping a healthy tension alive in the hearts of all who constantly seek to become more of what God wants. The Penitents of Assisi are always in the process of conversion. Conversion is not necessarily from bad to good; it can also be a process from good to better. The crux is to be faithful to the “charism” (word usually used to express a “gift from God”) while moving forward in the changing times.
St. Francis’s embrace of Sister Bodily Death is not merely poetic. It is theological. His worldview, shaped by a deep reverence for all aspects of creation, extends even to the final moment of life. In calling death “Sister,” Francis aligns it with the sun, moon, wind, fire, and water. These are elements he also personifies in the Canticle. This act of naming is significant. It transforms death from a feared unknown into a familiar presence, a member of the universal family that praises God. Francis’s language suggests that death, like all creation, serves a divine purpose and is worthy of reverence. This perspective challenges the dominant cultural beliefs/explanations that treat death as an enemy to be resisted or denied, rather than the anticipated companion accompanying us to the gift awaiting us. The gift is that of our encounter with the Source of all Life Whose Love in Christ offers us the “Gift” of Himself for an eternity.
The theological foundation for Francis’s view lies in his understanding of the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery. For Francis, Christ’s suffering and death are not merely historical events but cosmic realities that sanctify the human experience. By embracing poverty, illness, and ultimately death, Francis imitates Christ and participates in the redemptive arc of salvation. His Stigmata, received in 1224, symbolize this union with the crucified Christ. In this light, Sister Bodily Death is not a rupture but a passage. It is a moment of communion with the divine. Francis’s peaceful acceptance of death, even amid physical suffering, reflects his trust in God’s mercy and his hope in eternal life.
This hope is central to Franciscan spirituality. Unlike the despair or dread that often accompanies thoughts of death, Francis’s vision is permeated with joy and gratitude. He sings his Canticle not in health but in illness, not in comfort but in pain. His praise of Sister Death is an act of defiance against fear and a testament to faith. It affirms that death is not the end but the beginning of a deeper union with God. This hope is not abstract; it is embodied in Francis’s life and in the lives of those who follow his path. The Franciscan tradition continues to emphasize the dignity of dying, the importance of accompaniment, and the sacredness of the final journey.
Moreover, Francis’s view of death is ecological and communal. By placing death within the family of creation, he dissolves the boundaries between human and non-human, living and dying. This holistic vision invites a deeper respect for life in all its forms and stages. It challenges modern tendencies to isolate the dying, to “medicalize” the process, and to sanitize the reality of mortality. Instead, Francis calls for a reintegration of death into the rhythm of life, recognition that dying is as natural and sacred as birth. His Canticle becomes a liturgy of life, a song that includes every creature and every moment.
In contemporary contexts, the theme of Sister Bodily Death offers a counter-explanation to the culture of denial and distraction. In a world that often avoids the topic of death, Francis’s joyful acceptance is both radical and healing. It invites individuals to confront mortality not with fear but with faith, not with despair but with hope. His example encourages communities to care for the dying, to honor their stories, and to accompany them with love. It also speaks to movements that seek to restore harmony between humans and the earth, recognizing that death is part of the cycle of renewal.
Francis’s final moments embody his theology. As he lay dying in 1226, he asked to be placed on the bare ground, stripped of all comfort, in solidarity with the poor and with Christ. He sang his Canticle, adding verses that praised God through Sister Death. His death was not a defeat but a culmination, a final act of praise, a return to the Creator. This scene, recorded by his companions, has become a touchstone for Franciscan reflection on death. It illustrates the power of faith to transform suffering into song, fear into peace, and death into life.
The legacy of Sister Bodily Death continues in Franciscan communities, in care for the ill and dying inspired by his vision, and in theological writings that draw from his example. It challenges theologians, caregivers, and believers to reflect on the meaning of death, to embrace its mystery, and to find God within it. Francis’s Canticle remains a prophetic voice, calling the world to see death not as an end but as a “Sister”. She is our companion on the journey “Into God”.
The theme of Sister Bodily Death in the writings and life of St. Francis of Assisi is a profound invitation to re-imagine mortality. It is a call to embrace death with reverence, to live with hope, and to die with peace. Through poetic language, theological insight, and personal example, Francis transforms the darkest moment into a luminous passage. His vision continues to inspire and challenge, offering a path of faith that leads through death into life.
In this month traditionally dedicated to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, let us remember the Poor Souls and pray for their refreshment, light, and peace. May we always be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Do not be afraid to offer all the spiritual benefits you may be granted through your prayers, penances and good works for them. The words of Jesus still hold true: the measure you measure with will be measured back to you (Matthew 7: 2). God will never be outdone in gratitude and graciousness. Trust Him.
Death is a point of convergence between time and eternity. A life condensed in a moment bursts into an eternity of presence with the Hidden Origin of all life Whose open arms invite, welcome, and embrace the soul. The month of November is not centered on death and dying. It is centered on Life and Living: Life with God and living for eternity.
Remember all those who have gone before us and await our prayers to assist them in Purgatory. Be protected in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Be happy in our common brother/sisterhood as Franciscans. Be grateful that so gracious a God has called us to life and journeys with us in mystery until, through our individual histories, we finally live with Him eternally.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
|
|
