|
|
Posted By Teresa Redder, on October 9th, 2024 St. Katharine 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
October 2024
During the centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures it could be a brief meditative opportunity for us to recite the Canticle some time each day as an act of Thanksgiving and Praise for the Gift of Life.
Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon of St. Francis of Assisi
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,
Mother Earth
who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You
and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.
(excerpts taken from the Three Companions and the sayings from various sources)
HOW HE DID NOT WANT TO EXTINGUISH A FIRE, OR ALLOW IT TO BE EXTINGUISHED, THAT WAS BURNING HIS BREECHES
1 – Among all the lesser and inanimate creatures, he loved fire with singular affection because of its beauty and usefulness. That is why he never wanted to impede its function. – Time never takes time off.
2 – Once when he was sitting close to a fire, without being aware of it, his linen pants or breeches next to the knee caught fire. – Time is the deposit each one has in the bank of God and no one knows the balance.
3 – Although he felt the heat of the fire, he did not want to extinguish it. His companion, however, seeing that the fire was burning his pants, ran to him, wanting to put out the fire. – It is magnificent to grow old, if one keeps young.
4 – Blessed Francis prohibited him saying: “No, dearest brother, do not hurt Brother Fire.” And thus, in no way did he want him to extinguish it. – We live in deeds not years.
5 – So the brother quickly ran to the brother who was his guardian, and brought him to blessed Francis. At once, contrary to the will of blessed Francis, he began to extinguish the fire.
– We live in thoughts not breaths.
6 – Because of this, however urgent the need, he never wanted to extinguish a fire, a lamp, or a candle, moved as he was with such piety for it.
– God wants the heart.
7 – He also did not want a brother to throw fire or smoldering wood from one place to another, as is usually done, but wanted him simply to place it on the ground, out of reverence for Him who created it.
– A person of integrity, sincerity, and good nature can never be concealed.
HOW HE DID NOT WANT TO USE A PELT BECAUSE HE DID NOT ALLOW IT TO BE BURNED BY FIRE
8 – While he was keeping a lent on Mount La Verna, his companion built a fire at mealtime one day in the cell where he ate.
– My worth to God in public is what I am in private.
9 – Once the fire was lit, he went for blessed Francis to another cell where he usually prayed, carrying with him a missal in order to read to him the Gospel of the day.
– Nothing is of any worth is it causes one to break one’s word or lose their self-respect.
10 – Whenever he was unable to hear Mass, he always wanted to hear the Gospel that was read on that day, before he would eat.
– The measure of one’s true character is what they would do if they were never found out.
11 – 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.
– The freedom to communicate for a Christian requires integrity and love.
12 – His companion tried his best to extinguish the fire 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 with it.
– Power is never good unless the person who has it is good.
13 – The brothers of the place, who stayed some distance from this cell, seeing that the cell was burning, immediately came and extinguished the fire.
– A good name is better than wealth.
14 – Afterwards, blessed Francis returned to eat. 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.”
– Patience can attain all things.
THE EXCEPTIONAL LOVE HE HAD FOR WATER, STONES, WOOD AND FLOWERS
15 – Next to fire he had a singular love for water through which holy penance and tribulation is symbolized and by which the filth of the soul is washed clean and because of which the first cleansing of the soul takes place through the waters of Baptism.
– By perseverance the snail reached the ark.
16 – Because of this, when he washed his hands, he chose a place where the water that fell to the ground would not be trampled underfoot.
– Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
17 – Whenever he had to walk over rocks, he would walk with great 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.”
– Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.
18 – He also told the brother who cut and prepared the wood for the fire never to cut down the whole tree, but to cut the tree in such a way that one part always remained intact out of love for Him Who willed to accomplish our salvation on the wood of the cross.
– The Word of God became man that you also may learn from a man how a man can become a God.
19 – In the same way 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.
– Real unselfishness consists in sharing the interests of others.
20 – Thus, in their season, they would produce “Brother Flowers” out of love of Him Who is called “the flower of the field” and “the lily of the valley.”
– They that deny themselves for Christ shall enjoy themselves in Christ.
21 – Moreover, he used to tell the brother gardener that he should always make a beautiful flower bed in some part of the garden, planting and cultivating every variety of fragrant plants and those producing beautiful flowers.
– The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of oneself to others.
22 – Thus, in their time they would invite all who saw those herbs and those flowers to the praise of God.
– You give little when you give of your possessions.
23 – For every creature says and exclaims: “God made me for you, O mortal!” We who were with him saw him rejoice so much, inwardly and outwardly, in all creatures, that touching and looking at them, his spirit seemed no longer on earth but in heaven.
– You truly give when you give of yourself.
24 – And because of the many consolations he had and continued to have in creatures, shortly before his death, he composed the Praises of the Lord in His creatures to move the hearts of his listeners to the praise of God, and so that in His creatures the Lord might be praised by everyone.
– The first creature of God was the light of sense, the last was the light of reason.
HOW HE PRAISED THE SUN AND FIRE OVER OTHER CREATURES
25 – More than all creatures lacking reason, he most affectionately loved the sun and fire.
– When you walk towards the light, the shadow of your burden falls behind you.
26 – For he used to say: “At dawn, when the sun rises, everyone should praise God, who created it for our use, because through it our eyes are lighted by day.
– People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.
27 – And in the evening, when it becomes night, everyone should praise God for another creature, Brother Fire through whom the eyes are lighted at night.
– If we behaved like true Christians, there would be no pagans.
28 – For we are all almost blind, and the Lord lights up our eyes through these two brothers of ours. And, therefore, we should always give special praise to the glorious Creator for these and for His other creatures which we use every day.”
– God did not make us perfect but pilgrims searching after perfection.
29 – He always did this until the day of his death. Indeed, when his illness grew more serious, he himself began to sing the Praises of the Lord that he had composed about creatures, and afterwards had his companions sing it, so that in reflecting on the praise of the Lord, he could forget the sharpness of his pains and illnesses.
– To possess all, desire to possess nothing.
30 – And because he considered and said that the sun is more beautiful than other creatures, and could more easily be compared to God, especially since, in Scripture, the Lord Himself is called the sun of justice;
– Read the Bible to know what people ought to do and the newspaper to know what they are doing.
31 – he therefore called those Praises he composed for creatures when the Lord had assured him of His kingdom the “Canticle of Brother Sun.”
– Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on October 9th, 2024 St. Katharine 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
October 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
The Lord give you His peace!
On September 17th of this year the entire Franciscan Order celebrated the 800th anniversary of our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata of the Passion of Jesus visibly present on his body. This painful gift, unexpected answer in this form, to a prayer St. Francis prayed for many years, marked him with the visible and painful wounds of the Passion of Jesus. The reception of the Stigmata is not only the third of the first three centenaries, but also, and more so, the “pivotal” experience of his journey into God. What follows in our celebrations for two more years are the Canticle of the Creatures (1225) and the Transitus (Death) of St. Francis (1226).
There seems to be a progression among these celebrations. From Confirmation of the Rule of the Gospel Life of the Franciscan (1223), to the visible representation of the Birth of Jesus at Greccio. The spiritual journey begins at the confirmation of a Life to be lived (Gospel Life), based on the Condescension of Compassion (term used by St. Leo the Great concerning the Incarnation of the Divine Word) of God. The Condescension presents visibly the Good News Incarnate (the Divine Word) born at Bethlehem, Whose presence in time St. Francis re-enacted in tangible form at Greccio. This journey others shared with St. Francis leads to his Spiritual and Physical Conformity to Jesus in the reception of the Stigmata. St. Francis reached the visible heights of conformity to Jesus at La Verna in 1224. As we are told by the Franciscan Sources: What was impressed on his heart at San Damiano was imprinted on his body at La Verna. At La Verna St. Francis received, as it were, the “Seal of Approval” of God for his response to the call at San Damiano and faithfulness to his response.
Physically exhausted and seriously ill, bearing the beauty and the burden of the Stigmata of Jesus, St. Francis “explodes” into a hymn of Joy and Praise in the Canticle of the Creatures (1225). Unable to “do”, St. Francis can truly “be” the Troubadour of the Great King. Filled with the joy of fulfillment, the Poverello sings the Praises of Creation in and of a God Who becomes one with us that we might share the fullness of God’s life for eternity. The Canticle Year (2025) celebrates the Franciscan awareness of the Goodness of God and our call to make the whole world aware of the ever–present Goodness of the God of Creation. All the earth and what is in and around and beyond it, called into existence by God, praise and glorify God each according to their own nature.
Inanimate creatures, living things, and human beings form a part of this Hymn of Praise. All have by nature of their being the ability to manifest a joy for being present by the Creator’s Will. Human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, are uniquely mentioned for their ability to be like God in offering the mercy of forgiveness in imitation of God’s merciful love, and the ability to live life fully in view of the fullness of life that we seek in God’s grace. The Canticle of the Creatures celebrates Francis’ immersion into the dignity of life and being. All share in praising the Creator in time until the promise of the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1) is fulfilled.
The Canticle of the Creatures celebrates:
-the wonder and beauty of every created being that gives glory to God by just being who/what it is,
-the interaction of all creation that complements the uniqueness of the other,
-the magnificent attributes each shares in its own way with the God Who created everything, directly or indirectly,
-Mary, Mother of Creation, Who allowed God to enter human history as a human being, thus allowing Mary to become Mother God’s children,
-children of God in harmony with creation disarming their hearts to one another, especially to those who seek or need pardon,
-the soul who recognizes the awesomeness of God and the responsibility to live in grace avoiding what leads away from God, our Creator,
-the soul’s immersion into the beauty and wonder of God through the human experience and who accepts the invitation of “Sister Death” to enter the fullness of life in the New Heaven and New Earth promised the faithful children of God.
Words of praise are rather simple. Living sincerely what our “Praises” convey and celebrate can often be a struggle. We desire but often struggle to be what God wills for our good. We trip or fall along the way. We should be at peace. The joy and even serenity is in the hope-filled struggle for the goal.
The Symphony of Life began with the Father’s Let there be (Genesis 1:3). The Symphony of Redemption at one point sounded a note that soured the great symphony, the Fall of Adam and Eve, Original Sin. They distorted the sound of God’s Masterpiece of Creation. Then, millennia later, through Mary’s “yes”, that sour note became the first note of a new symphony. The Letter to the Hebrews states: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5: 21). Jesus is the note of the Fall that becomes the first harmonious note of the Symphony of Redemption that sets the tone and direction for all that follows. Jesus is the beginning without end, the Alpha and Omega, of the glorious praise of re-creation in grace through His Death and Resurrection. Is there any wonder that St. Francis of Assisi, even as he prepared for Sister Death, could sing in anticipation of the glory that awaited him? Remember his saying: So great is the good I expect that all pain is to me a delight.
From the lens of God’s grace, our Seraphic Father sang the glories of a world in harmony with God. He was conformed now to the Christ he loved and sought to emulate. He went even further by imitating Jesus in a manner he would never have presumed to achieve. Intimacy with God brings the soul to express a holiness that goes beyond the mere external. He desired that his brothers and sisters and all who sought his counsel:
-seek peace in understanding rather than tranquility through aggression, war, destruction, death,
-justice in mercy rather than retribution in violent reprisal,
-availability to all rather than judgmental distancing from those who do not share the same ideas and values as we,
-serenity in life even through the turbulence of occurrences where God’s providence reigns through faith,
-joy of being and great anticipation for the moment of the eternal encounter.
Two years before his death, already very sick and suffering especially from his eyes, (St. Francis ) was living in a cell made of mats near San Damiano. … During his stay … blessed Francis could not bear the light of the sun during the day or the light of the fire at night. He constantly remained in darkness in his cell … One night, as he was thinking of all the tribulations he was enduring, he felt sorry for himself and prayed interiorly: ‘ Lord help me in my infirmities so that I may have the strength to bear them patiently”… (A voice spoke to him and said): …be glad and joyful in the midst of your infirmities and tribulations; as of now, live in peace as if you were already sharing my kingdom”… The next morning on rising, he said to his companions: … I should be full of joy in my infirmities and tribulations, seek my consolations in the Lord, and give thanks to God the Father, to His Only Son Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Spirit … Therefore, for His glory, for my consolation, and the edification of my neighbor, I wish to compose a new “Praises of the Lord,” for His creatures … He called these “Praises of the Lord” which opened with the words: “Most high all-powerful, and good Lord, the “Canticle of the Sun”… He often intoned this canticle and had his companions take it up; in that way he forgot the intensity of his sufferings and pains by considering the glory of the Lord. He did this until the day of his death. (Legend of Perugia, 42-43)
The Poverello of Assisi was one of the wealthiest persons to ever live. His wealth went far beyond the treasures that human beings consider desirable. The power he wielded over thousands of his day and millions over the centuries make him also one of the most influential and effective individuals to ever live.
-He was simple, surely not what the authoritative and commanding seek.
-He was poorly dressed, surely not what attracts the people of this world.
-He was not much to look at, surely not a figure that imposed himself by physical stature.
-He had a basic education for his times, surely not an ‘intellectual giant’ to dialogue with the ‘learned’ and prominent of his day.
-He had no bands of armed guards and militant forces, surely not what the dominant forces sought out.
What he had was a ‘treasure’ that far surpasses all others: He was a man in love with God, and God’s presence in all creation. He was passionately in love with life. His spirit was contagious. Many originally considered him out of his mind, most believed him to be eccentric, but all eventually recognized the uniqueness of a soul in love with God, life, and all people. Our Seraphic Father, St. Francis of Assisi, is a constant reminder and image of a life in love with Life.
In the beginning … God looked at everything He had made, and He found it very good. (Genesis 1: 1-30) The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) Life is the first gift of God’s Eternal Love. Goodness, of its very nature, cannot be contained. Goodness overflows its own limits and reaches out in all directions. Eternal Goodness offers the greatest gift of Himself: the gift of being. During a lifetime conditioned and limited by time, we who share the ‘breath of God’, His Holy Spirit, enter a journey that leads us from living in the mystery on earth to living its fulfillment in eternity. In Christ Jesus we recognize Him Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). What seemingly begins as a merely natural process is now transformed into a ‘Journey of Faith’ that places us in a relationship with our Creator and eternal Life-giving Father, Who continues to ‘breathe’ His Holy Spirit into our hearts, because of the Redemptive Life-Death-Resurrection of His Incarnate Son, Jesus, Who made the Father ‘real’ for us by showing us the merciful and loving Face of God.
Men and women are on a journey of discovery which is humanly unstoppable – a search for the truth and a search for a person to whom they might entrust themselves. Christian faith comes to meet them, offering the concrete possibility of reaching the goal which they seek. (Pope John Paul II – Relationship Between Faith and Reason, Encyclical of September 14, 1998). Life is that period of time we have been allotted to know, love, and serve our God both in Himself and in each other. We follow Jesus Who invites us to walk this journey of faith as ‘pilgrims and strangers’.
St. Francis of Assisi’s ‘Canticle of the Creatures’ is his prayer of praise to God Who can be seen in all creation, and at every moment of life’s journey. Many ‘cradle Catholics’ often take their Christianity too much for granted. There is a tendency to forget that external religious practices, to be authentic, must be an expression of the greater gift of Faith infused at Baptism and to which they are called to be convinced and committed.
Faith is not a list of dogmas to believe, but a Person to accept and follow. Faith, strengthened through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church, accompanies and encourages life in the midst of a world that hears the words of Jesus but often closes its heart to the message that must be personally accepted and lived to be effective and fruitful. Although we are all called to be saved, there is no such thing as ‘global salvation’. Jesus died for all humanity and His redemption is once-for-all; it is ‘global’ in that sense. However, it is the personal responsibility of each individual to cooperate with the graces he/she receives from the Redemptive Sacrificial Blood of Jesus poured out for us all, if that person hopes to be ‘saved’ and share in Eternal Life.
St. Francis’ desire to live the Gospel ‘without gloss’ is his way of reminding us that Jesus’ words must be taken to heart and lived. Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. (James 2: 17-18) Our journey of faith begins in the accounts of the Old Testament Scriptures with the call of Abraham, when he responded in faith to God’s urging to leave Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham may not have completely understood his unique relationship with God and the role he was called to fulfill, nonetheless he had all the necessary elements for faith. He promptly responded ‘yes’ to God’s call, a divine call that more often than not turned Abraham’s own plans upside down. Faith reaches its fulfillment in the New Testament in the Son of God Who manifested Himself and proclaimed the kingdom of God. This proclamation of God’s will and invitation to believe requires the same response as that of Abraham, our ‘Father in Faith’.
Faith becomes victory over the isolation we create in our lives when we close ourselves to the ‘Other’. Faith helps us to gratefully accept life as a marvelous experience. Filled with challenges that may try us to the limit of our strength, life is supported, nourished, and ennobled by a faith that trusts in an ever-loving and all-providing God. From the very beginning of our existence, God calls each one of us from the nothingness of ‘not being’ to an existence that bursts into time and is ultimately transformed into the immortal gift of unending Life for all. Isn’t the Canticle of Creatures an act of joy-filled faith in an unseen presence pervading everything, everyone, everywhere? Faith flourishing in the joy of the unseen seen in the depths of the heart energizes life’s journey and opens the spiritually blinded eyes to the brightness of an eternal goodness that envelopes all willing to see.
One of the greatest Gospel witnesses we can offer the family of St. Francis of Assisi flows from living in the Presence of God. Convinced of this, tranquility and peace overtake us because God is in control. Together we focus on the Lord Who calls us to share Life in our Eternal Homeland after having sought to Restore all things in Christ (Ephesians 1: 10). Life’s journey for all Christians, even more for Franciscans, should be a “Canticle of Praise” to the Lord for every facet of life. Each step we take is a step forward surrendering ourselves unconditionally to the ever-loving providence of God, Who never leaves His children unaided.
Faith and life walk hand-in-hand. It is our Faith that strengthens our spirit and nourishes our life. Jesus reminds us: It is the spirit that gives life … The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63) When we allow the Spirit of Faith to fill our minds and hearts, when we accept the words of Jesus in truth, when we live today where God and we encounter one another, we live in hope, free from fear, trusting in divine providence that clears all intimidating imaginings from our minds and hearts. Peace, joy, and serenity become a reality. And, they become ‘contagious’ for those whom we encounter.
Spiritual Children of St. Francis of Assisi live every moment of life fully! The spirit of prayer that enveloped our Seraphic Father who ‘became prayer’ encourages us to pass through whatever crucible of life we encounter. Thus we become one with the Suffering Servant Who became One with us. Let us be grateful to God for the life He has called us to live, and make our prayer You are my God…I trust in You…be my refuge…I fear nothing…(for I seek to be in You as You are within me).
May God bless you; my Our Lady and good St. Joseph guide, guard, and protect you; and may our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi and our holy Mother St. Clare, look upon each one of us, and our loved ones, with loving care.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Posted By Teresa Redder, on October 4th, 2024 Joyful Gospel Living
“All have one origin.”
 While driving home last week, I passed the historic John Woolman house on Branch Street in Mount Holly, NJ (Burlington County), where a large sign on their picket fence announced that the first Sunday of October was World Quaker Day. Knowing the history of the Quakers in our town and the annual celebration of this event, I checked the internet to see what the 2024 theme was. For their global celebration, the Society of Friends had chosen “Living the Spirit of Ubuntu.” The Zulu word “Ubuntu” declares “I am one because we are one.”
In their weaving document (tapestry) for the celebration, the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) wrote, “Ubuntu is about unity in our diversity. Our diversity is what makes us rich and vibrant: we are all equal and beloved in Christ Jesus.” This keen focus on community was a compelling call to work for justice, finding peace through listening to the stories of others and healing for past injustices.
In his letter to the Hebrews on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Paul describes the humility of Jesus in taking our human nature, with His willingness to suffer, so that we might learn the way of salvation: “He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, He is not ashamed to call them ‘brothers’ [and ‘sisters’].” On this first Sunday of October, we Catholics can also appreciate the meaning of “Ubuntu” with our Quaker friends, because we all share one origin in God, who made us in the Divine image and loves us unconditionally. This openness to others is the very work of the Holy Spirit in making us one.
Ordinarily, the Church would joyfully celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th. Sadly, though, this is the second year that this feast day is marred by the ongoing violence in the Holy Land where the Blessed Mother was born and gave birth to our Savior, Jesus Christ. The violence began with an unsuspecting terror attack on Jewish villages that led to death, destruction, and kidnapping of hostages. The war then continued to escalate, as well as in other parts of the world where people long to live “ubuntu.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a Franciscan friar who has ministered in the Holy Land for many years. In his September 26th letter to the faithful of his diocese, the Patriarch made this appeal for unified prayer, knowing that faithful Christians in Gaza and the West Bank have suffered greatly during the difficult months of war and deprivation:
“We too have a duty to commit ourselves to peace, first by preserving our hearts from all feelings of hatred, and instead cherishing the desire for good for everyone. By committing ourselves, each in our own community contexts and in the forms we can, we should support those in need, help those who are personally invested to alleviate the suffering caused by this war, and promote every action of peace, reconciliation, and encounter. Yet we also need to pray, to bring our pain and our desire for peace to God. We need to convert, to do penance, and to implore forgiveness. Therefore, I invite you to a day of prayer, fasting, and penance on October 7th, a date that has become symbolic of the drama that we are experiencing.”
In our daily prayers, we should strive to practice the “Little Way” of St. Théresè of Lisieux, who taught us to be childlike in our relationship with God. Through humility, we open ourselves to trust more fully in God and to allow His grace to penetrate our innermost being. As the Patriarch said so well, we do need to be converted from our self-centered focus and to imagine what God has planned for those who love Him. Just imagine the power of this prayer when people of good will throughout the world put their hearts, minds, and spirits behind the words…
Prayer for peace
Lord our God, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Father of all mankind,
Who in the cross of Your Son and through the gift of His own life,
at great cost You wished to destroy the wall of enmity and hostility
that separates peoples and makes us enemies:
Send into our hearts the gift of the Holy Spirit,
that He may purify us from every feeling of violence, hatred and revenge,
enlighten us to understand the irrepressible dignity of every human person,
and inflame us to the point of consumption for a peaceful and reconciled world
in truth and justice, in love and freedom.
Almighty and eternal God,
in Your hands are the hopes of all and the rights of every people:
Assist with Your wisdom those who govern us, so that, with Your help,
they will become sensitive to the sufferings of the poor
and of those who suffer the consequences of violence and war;
may they promote the common good
and lasting peace in our region and throughout the earth.
Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope,
obtain the gift of peace for the Holy Land
that gave birth to you and for the whole world. Amen.
During this October month of the Holy Rosary, let us take time to pray for all those throughout the world who are suffering because of unjust wars, indifference, fear-filled evacuations for their safety, gross human indignities, and senseless loss of loved ones:
“May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives!”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
October 6, 2024
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 9th, 2024 Blessings of peace and all good!
On June 9, 2024, Jennifer Drees, OFS (Regional Formation Director) presided at the Chapter of Elections for Blessed Sacrament Fraternity in Whiting, NJ. The ecclesial witness was Br. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv, the delegate for Fr. Francis Sariego, OFM Cap.
With great joy, we announce the next Executive Council for this fraternity for the next three years:
| Minister |
Rose Viragh, OFS |
Returning |
| Vice-Minister |
Tiffany Menendez, OFS |
Returning |
| Secretary |
Mira Welnowska, OFS |
Returning |
| Treasurer |
Margaret Garvin, OFS |
Returning |
| Formation Director |
Maureen Fantauzzo, OFS |
Returning |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Theresa Langan, OFS |
Newly Elected |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Frank Wagner, OFS |
Newly Elected |
 
Left to right: Br. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv (Ecclesial Witness); Tiffany Menendez, OFS (Vice-Minister); Margaret Garvin, OFS (Treasurer); Rose Viragh, OFS (Minister); Theresa Langan, OFS (Councilor-at-Large); Mira Welnowska, OFS (Secretary); Frank Wagner, OFS (Councilor-at-Large); Maureen Fantauzzo, OFS (Formation Director); and Jennifer Drees, OFS (SKD Regional Formation Director and Election Presider)
May God bless these willing and dedicated servant leaders with the Holy Spirit’s gifts to serve their fraternity and the Secular Franciscan Order with great courage and perseverance! We thank the five members of this fraternity who have returned to Council to serve their brothers and sisters, and we welcome the two new councilors-at-large into their new responsibilities of animating and guiding their fraternity with devotion to the holy Gospel!
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 7th, 2024 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
June 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
The Lord give you His peace!
While Francis was still staying in (the palace of the Bishop), the most holy father was already assured of his imminent death, both by the Holy Spirit and the prognosis of the doctors. He felt himself growing steadily worse and his physical strength was waning. He had himself carried on a litter to Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, so that there the life of his body would come to an end where he had begun to experience the light and life of his soul. When those who were carrying him arrived at the hospital halfway between Assisi and Saint Mary, he asked those carrying the litter to place it on the ground. Since he could hardly see because of the serious and prolonged eye disease, he had the litter turned so that he would face the city of Assisi. Raising himself up slightly on the litter, he blessed the city.
“Lord, just as, at an earlier time, this ancient city was, I believe, the place and abode of wicked and evil men, now I realize that, because of Your abundant mercy and in Your own time, You have singularly shown an abundance of Your mercies to it. Solely on account of your goodness, you have chosen it for Yourself so that it may become the place and abode of those who, in truth, acknowledge You, give glory to Your name, exude the fragrance of a holy life, of the truest doctrine, of a good reputation, and of evangelical perfection to the whole Christian people. I ask you, therefore, Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies, not to consider our ingratitude. Be mindful of Your most abundant piety which You have shown to it, that it always be an abode for those who truly acknowledge You, and glorify Your name blessed and most glorious forever and ever. Amen.” (Mirror of Perfection, #124)
Francis prays these heartfelt words as he faces his birthplace knowing that he will never see it again on earth. Francis’ humanity was always, and still is, a striking sign of his holiness. You are who you are before God and nothing more (words of St. Francis). We could add, “and nothing less than a child of God redeemed in the Blood of Jesus”. He acknowledges that the ancient city was the place of wicked and evil (M.P.#124) but that now You has shown an abundance of Your mercies to it (M.P.#124).
The beauty of our Franciscan charism (spirit) is very accessible and unattainable. It is so much a part of being human that it is called “incarnational”. We could say “earthy” or “human”. Unfortunately, both words would be understood incorrectly and would diminish the more profound and positive meaning. The word “incarnational” is rooted in the reality of the body God created at the beginning of time and that God saw as very good (Genesis 1) and saw fit to become in the fullness of time (cfr. Galatians 4:4). God creates all things to share in His eternal goodness and limitless being. Though infinitely less than God, we participate, body and soul, in His Spirit of Life that breathed all things into existence (cf. Genesis, 1:1). Thus, it follows that we are created inherently good, though prone to decisions that lead into what lacks goodness and thus leads into sin.
At that time, a certain priest of the city of Assisi, Sylvester by name, a man of honorable life, received of the Lord a vision not to be passed over in silence. In his finite judgment, he had looked askance at the manner of life of Francis and his Brethren, he was visited,—lest he should be imperiled by his rash verdict,—by the regard of the heavenly grace. For in a dream he beheld the whole city of Assisi beset by a great dragon, whose huge bulk seemed to threaten all the countryside with destruction. Then he saw a Cross of gold proceeding out of the mouth of Francis, the top whereof touched heaven, and its arms outstretched at the side seemed to reach unto the ends of the world, and at its glittering aspect that foul and loathly dragon was utterly put to flight. When this had been shown three times to him, he deemed it a divine portent, and related it in order unto the man of God and his Brethren; and no long time thereafter he left the world, and clave so constantly unto the footsteps of Christ as that his life in the Order rendered true the vision that he had received while yet in the world. (Legenda Major, chapter 3, par. 5, St .Bonaventure)
Evil is a reality that affects all creation. History and our lives are surrounded by the effects of evil every day, when more when less. Challenges can be good or bad. Why and how we respond or react usually determines the personal responsibility for the good or evil we choose. Though created in God’s goodness yet we are prone to sinful decisions as inheritors of Original Sin, Grace is compromised and often we distance ourselves spiritually from God by our sins. The struggle between good and evil is an ongoing reality. Original Sin brings about the disharmony of spirit and the sinful decisions we make that cry out for God’s forgiveness. The spiritual warfare being waged has been waged from the beginning of time. The reality of the battle is similar to the image brother Sylvester had during the life of our Seraphic Father. The image of the cross and the response made to its proclamation from the mouth of the Poverello, determine in the vision, what happens to the people of the city of Assisi.
Sylvester was misled by his own bias. He already made his own conclusions about Francis without knowing the person of St. Francis well. Sylvester was a good man but who allowed his biases to control his judgement. This time the bias aimed at Francis. A basic thought of Sylvester could have been: “Why would a well-to-do young man, who had the world at his fingertips, live so foolishly?” Or there was also the dramatic moment most Assisians remembered when Francis stripped off all his clothes and laid them at the feet of his father declaring: Before I called you ‘father,’ but now I only have one Father who is in heaven. These were other moments as well that left indelible memories on the hearts and minds of the people.
In saying he would no longer call Pietro Bernadone his “father” on earth, Francis entered into solidarity with all the children of the One who call God Our Father Who are in heaven (Matthew 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4). His example and words became an invitation to some. Many, like Sylvester, thought he was an arrogant adolescent “grandstanding”. Through the vision, Sylvester began to see more clearly the simplicity, poverty, deep relationship with Christ Crucified of Francis. The conformity of Francis to Christ was reaching the moment when it is consummated (John 19: 3). Sylvester too, like many others, was soon won-over to Francis.
In Sylvester’s vision the dragon is huge, terrifying, and encircles the city of Assisi. The dragon of the dream/vision is satan. Evil is always huge, even when one makes it seem small and insignificant “in order to rationalize it away”. Evil does not discriminate. Evil seeks anyone and everyone it can seduce and possess. This root of eternal darkness is intent on seducing others: For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light (Luke 16: 8). The people who struggle every day to be good often do not even recognize the “little things” that slowly creep in and overwhelm the unsuspecting. In the vision the dragon is surrounding Assisi, ready to devour it. Remember the words of St. Peter to the Churches: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5: 8).
Although the dragon encircles the city, ready to devour Assisi, it seems impeded from being able to do so. Evil cannot overwhelm and overcome us unless we surrender and forget that: you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4). The image of Assisi’s foremost citizen, Francis, stands his ground. From his mouth emanates a golden Cross. The vertical beam comes from his mouth and reaches to the heavens – greater the one within the depths rising to the heavens. The horizontal beam of the cross envelopes the city. The dragon is incapable of hurting the city or its inhabitants in any way. It eventually leaves Assisi and its people in peace. Nevertheless the threat is always there when we let our guard down.
The Word of God directs its strength and power from the heart of Francis in faith, through the mouth of the Poverello in an active proclamation of faith in the grace of the Crucified. Thus, the people strengthened and instructed by God’s Word in the simplicity of Francis’ and his brothers’ manner of evangelizing overcome the lurking evil. What emanates from Francis’ mouth is the Word that comes from the depths of his heart. Francis has received, believed and is convinced of the saving power of the Word Incarnate and the Word spoken. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. (Matthew 7: 7). The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14: 26). Don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. (Matthew 10: 19)
The golden virtue of prayer and intimacy with God reaches from earth to heaven. The golden beam of charity and fraternal love stretches its golden beams encircling all God’s children. The simplicity of the Word Francis preached with his humility and personal way of life, and the encouraging and empowering embrace the brothers lived as “universal brothers” to everyone, encouraged the people and lessened the insidiousness of satan and his power over them. The Cross of Christ and His words are the strength of our faith, conviction and relationship with God through Jesus in the Spirit. Openness to any and all people in whom we see Christ hidden and whom they see hidden in us, will always be a strength and sure sign of victory over “the dragon that encircles the city” of our heart. We can never loosen our guard. The opponent is always stronger than we when we stand alone. The Lord must always be our Center. We cannot afford to distance ourselves from the Lord ever.
When this vision was related to him, the man of God was not puffed up with the glorying of men, but recognizing the goodness of God in the favors shown him, he was more keenly incited to repel the craft of the ancient enemy, and to preach the glory of the Cross of Christ. And, while in a certain lonely place Francis was bitterly reflecting on the remembrance of past years. The joy of the Holy Spirit came upon him, and he was assured of the full remission of all his offences. Then, carried out of himself, and wholly wrapped into a marvelous light, the horizons of his mind were enlarged, and he clearly beheld the future story of himself and of his sons. Returning after this to the Brethren, he said Be consoled my dearest, and rejoice in the Lord, and be not sad for that ye be few in number, nor let my simplicity nor your own make you fear, for the Lord has verily shown me that God will cause us to wax into a great host, and will enlarge us in manifold wise with the grace of His blessing. (Legenda Major, chpt.3, St. Bonaventure)
Indeed, we are also part of this vision of Sylvester. Here we are, called to play our part in the Theater of Redemption. And there’s always the “disruptor” or “heckler” – that ominous figure of the evil one – somewhere trying to foul us up and ruin the story. We can’t simply stand by and let things happen. With God’s grace we can control the outcome. The incident Sylvester saw in vision of St. Francis reminds us of the power of the Word and the strength of a willingness to open ourselves to others. Bear in mind that the profound connection between prayer and our times does not consist in a sterile condemnation of evil or regretting nostalgically a past that no longer exists. Whether by vow or promise, recognizing our common origin as children of God strengthens our perspective of life. Today more than ever, our charism is to pray and become a living Gospel by “living Christ”. We find power in Jesus the Word and His words. The Eucharist is His Word sacramentally enfleshed in us. Thus it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2: 20) who confronts, confounds and conquers the enemy. The meeting point between hearing the Word and saving the world is our mission; it is the mission of the Church. We are the living stones who are the Church. We are the living Mystical Body of Christ. He continues to keep the evil one in His sites, and to face him empowering us with the strength of truth, mercy and love. We can say where is your sting? where is your victory? But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15: 55-57)
May this month dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus keep us rooted in His Tremendous Love. May the Cross truly be our boast in the Lord and a sign of our victory over the “dragon who waits”. Through His Word that directs us and His Eucharist Who strengthens us daily, may we be conformed ever more deeply to Christ.
May God bless us all; Our Lady and good St. Joseph guide, guard, and protect us; and our beloved Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi watch over us with loving care.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 7th, 2024 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
June 2024
O loving one
bear in mind your poor children for whom, without you, their one and only consolation,
there is little comfort… they still .. tearfully cry out to you:
O father,
place before Jesus Christ, son of the Most High Father, His sacred stigmata;
and show Him the signs of the cross on your hands, feet, and side,
that He may mercifully bare His own wounds to the Father,
and because of this the Father will ever show us in our anguish His tenderness.
Amen.
Prayer to St. Francis from the End of the Second Book of the Life of St. Francis by Bl.Thomas of Celano
Random quotes from various sources
OF THE FIFTH AND LAST CONSIDERATION OF THE MOST HOLY STIGMATA
(taken from the Little Flowers of St. Francis)
1 – The fifth and last consideration regards certain visions and revelations and miracles God made known after the death of St. Francis, in confirmation of his most holy Stigmata, and for a declaration of the day and the hour when Christ gave them unto him. Concerning this, in the year of our Lord 1282 on the . . . day of the month of October, Friar Philip, Minister of Tuscany, at the commandment of Friar John Buonagrazia, Minister-General, in the name of holy obedience, asked Friar Matthew of Castiglione Aretino, a man of great devotion and sanctity, to tell what he knew concerning the day and the hour when the most holy Stigmata were imprinted by Christ on the body of St. Francis; because he heard that he had had a revelation about this matter. – Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.
2 – Whereupon Friar Matthew, compelled by holy obedience, answered him saying: “While I was in the community of Alvernia, last year in the month of May, I went one day to prayer in my cell, which is on the spot where it is believed that that seraphic vision took place. In my prayer I asked God most devoutly that He would reveal to some person the day and the hour and the place that the most holy Stigmata were imprinted upon the body of St. Francis; and, when I had continued in prayer the first watch, St. Francis appeared to me with very great radiance, and said unto me: ‘Son, for what are you praying to God?’ – There is nothing small in the service of God.
3 – And I said unto him: ‘Father, I pray for such and such a thing’. And he said unto me: ‘I am your Father Francis. Do you know me well?’ ‘Father,’ I said, ‘yes.’ Then he showed me the most holy Stigmata in his hands and feet and side, and said: ‘The time has come when God wills that that, which for a time the friars have not been curious to know, shall be made known for His glory. – Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts.
4 – Know that He Who appeared unto me was not an angel, but was Jesus Christ, in the form of a Seraph, who, with his own hands, imprinted on my body these wounds, even as He received them in His body on the Cross. – Hope is the first thing to take some sort of action.
5 – And this is how it happened: On the day before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, an angel came to me, and, in God’s name, told me to be ready and patient and to receive what God might will to send me. And I answered that I was ready to receive and to endure everything that in God’s good pleasure He desired to send me. Thereafter, on the following morning, the morning of [the festival of the] Holy Cross, which that year fell on a Friday; at daybreak I came forth from my cell, in very great fervor of spirit, and went to pray in this place where thou now are and where I often prayed, and, as I prayed, through the air, there came down from heaven, with great swiftness, a young man crucified, in the form of a Seraph with six wings; at which marvelous sight I humbly kneeled down and began to contemplate devoutly the boundless love of Jesus Christ crucified, and the boundless pain of His passion. – Hope ever urges us on and tells us tomorrow will be better.
6 – The sight of Him engendered in me such pity that I verily seemed to feel His passion in my own body; and, at His presence, all this mountain shone as the sun; and, so descending, He approached me. And, standing before me, He said certain secret words to me, which I have not yet revealed to anyone; but the time approaches when they shall be revealed. Then, after a while, Christ departed, and returned to heaven, and I found myself thus marked with these wounds. – Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.
7 – Go then,’ said St. Francis, ‘and tell these things to your minister doubting nothing; for this is the operation not of man but of God.’ And, when he had said these words, St. Francis blessed me and went back to heaven with a great multitude of youths, exceeding bright.” All these things Friar Matthew said he had seen and heard, not sleeping but awake. And he swore that he had truthfully told these things to the said minister in his cell at Florence, when he inquired of him concerning the same for obedience’ sake. – To be a sinner is our distress but to know it is our hope.
HOW A HOLY FRIAR, READING THE LEGEND OF ST. FRANCIS IN THE CHAPTER OF THE MOST HOLY STIGMATA, PRAYED SO MUCH TO GOD CONCERNING THE SECRET WORDS, WHICH THE SERAPH SPOKE TO ST. FRANCIS. WHEN HE APPEARED TO HIM, THAT ST. FRANCIS REVEALED THEM UNTO THE SAID FRIAR
8 – At another time, a devout and holy friar, while reading the legend of St. Francis in the chapter of the most holy Stigmata, began with great trouble of spirit to consider what those so secret words could have been, which St. Francis said that he would not reveal to any one while he lived, which the Seraph had spoken to him when He appeared to him. And this friar said within himself: “St. Francis willed not to speak those words to any one during his lifetime; but now, after his bodily death, perchance he would tell them, if he were prayed devoutly so to do”.- Every child comes into the world with a message that God does not yet despair of man.
9 – And from then on, the devout friar began to pray God and St. Francis that they would vouchsafe to reveal those words. This friar continued eight years praying thus. In the eighth year he merited to be heard. One day, after eating, thanks having been given in the church, he was in prayer in a certain part of the church, and was praying to God and St. Francis concerning this matter, more devoutly than he usual wont, and with many tears; when he was called by another friar, who commanded him in the name of the Guardian to accompany him to the town for the good of the Place. Not doubting that obedience is more meritorious than prayer, as soon as he had heard the commandment of his superior, he humbly left off praying and went with the friar that called him. – Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, but nothing can be done without hope.
10 – And, as God willed it, he, by this act of ready obedience, merited what he had not merited by his long praying. No sooner than they had gone from the gate of the Place, they met two strange friars, who appeared to have come from a far country; and one of them seemed a young man and the other old and lean; and, by reason of the bad weather, they were all muddy and wet. Wherefore that obedient friar had great compassion for them, and said unto the companion, with whom he was going: “Mt dear brother, if the business we are going on may wait a little, since these strange friars have great need to be charitably received, I ask you to permit me first to go and wash their feet, and especially those of this aged friar, who has the greater need, and you will be able to wash those of this younger one, after we will go about the business of the convent”. – All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.
11 – Then this friar consenting to the charitable desire of his companion, went back and received those strange friars very charitably, and took them into the kitchen to the fire to warm and dry themselves. At the fire eight other friars of the Place were warming themselves. And, after they had been a little while at the fire, they took (the two friars) aside to wash their feet, as they had agreed to do. – Love means to love that which is unlovable.
12 – And while that obedient and devout friar was washing the feet of the older friar, and removing the mud the feet, for they were very muddy, he looked and saw that his feet were marked with the most holy Stigmata and for joy and wonder he embraced them closely, and began to cry aloud: “Either thou art Christ, or thou art St. Francis”. – Forgiving means to pardon the unpardonable.
13 – At that cry and at those words, the friars at the fire, arose and approached with great fear and reverence to see those glorious stigmata. And then, at their prayer, this ancient friar permitted them clearly to see and touch and kiss them. And, while they marveled yet more for joy, he said to them: “Doubt not and fear not, dearest friars and sons; I am your father Friar Francis, who, according to the will of God, founded three Orders. And seeing that, for eight years, I have been entreated by this friar, who is washing my feet, and to-day more fervently than ever before, that I would reveal unto him those secret words which the Seraph spoke to me when He gave me the stigmata, the words I resolved never to reveal in my lifetime, to-day, by the commandment of God, by reason of his perseverance and the ready obedience with which he left the sweetness of contemplation, I am sent by God to reveal to him, before you all, that which he asks.” – Faith means believing the unbelievable.
14 – And then, turning to that friar, St. Francis spaid: “Know, dearest friar, that, when I was upon the mountain of Alvernia, wholly absorbed in the remembrance of the passion of Christ in that seraphic apparition, I was by Christ thus marked on my body with the Stigmata, and then Christ said to me: ‘Do you know what I have done to you? I have given you the tokens of My passion, so that thou may be My standard-bearer. – If it were not for hope the heart would break.
15 – And even as I, on the day of My death, descended into Limbo, and, in virtue of these My Stigmata, drew out from there all the souls I found there, and took them to Paradise; so to you do I grant even from this hour, to the end that thou may be conformed to Me in death as thou hast been in life, that, after thou shall have passed from this life, every year on the day of your death, thou shall go to Purgatory, and, in virtue of your Stigmata which I have given youe, shall draw out from there all the souls of your three Orders, minors, sisters and continents, and, beyond this, those others whom thou shall find there, who were devoted to you, and shall lead them to Paradise.’ – Thought and feeling do not matter. We shall be judged only by our will.
16 – And these words I never spoke while I lived in the world.” And, when he had said these words, St. Francis and his companion suddenly vanished away. Many friars afterwards heard this from those eight friars who were present at this vision and at these words of St. Francis. – Don’t wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day.
HOW ST. FRANCIS, AFTER HIS DEATH, APPEARED TO FRIAR JOHN OF ALVERNIA, WHILE HE WAS PRAYING
17 – Once, on the mountain of Alvernia, St. Francis appeared to Friar John of Alvernia, a man of great sanctity, while he was praying, and stayed and spole with him for a very long time; and, at the last, desiring to depart, he said: “Ask of me what you wish”. Said Friar John: “Father, I pray you tell me what I have long desired to know: What were you doing, where were you, when the Seraph appeared to you”. – Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choice.
18 – St. Francis answered: “I was praying in that place where the chapel of Count Simon da Battifolle now is, and I was requesting two graces of my Lord Jesus Christ. The first was that He would grant me to feel, in this life, in my soul and in my body, as far as might be possible, all that pain which He Himself felt at the time of His most bitter passion. The second grace which I asked of Him was likewise that I might feel in my heart that intense love He was enkindled to bear so great passion for us sinners. – Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory.
19 – And then God put it in my heart that He would grant I feel both one and the other, as much as was possible for a mere creature, and this was abundantly fulfilled in me at the imprinting of the Stigmata.” – No one is truly alive in the art of living till they have been well tempted.
20 – Then Friar John asked him whether those secret words which the Seraph had spoken to him had been even such as were rehearsed by that holy friar aforesaid, who declared that he had heard them from St. Francis in the presence of eight friars. St. Francis replied that the truth was even as that friar had said. – You cannot run away from a weakness. You must sometime fight it or perish.
21 – Thereupon, Friar John, encouraged by the liberality of the granter, took heart to ask yet more, and said: “O father, I beseech thee most earnestly that thou grant me to behold and to kiss your most holy and glorious Stigmata; not because I doubt in any way, but only for my consolation; for this have I always yearned”.- God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength.
22 – And, St. Francis freely showing them and offering them to him, Friar John clearly saw and touched and kissed them. And, at the last, he asked him: “Father, how great consolation had your soul, beholding Christ the Blessed coming to you to give you the marks of His most holy Passion? Now would to God that I might feel a little of that sweetness!” – Happiness in this life consists in the mastery of our passions.
23 – Then St. Francis made answer: “See these nails?” Said Friar John: “Father, yes”. “Touch again,” said St. Francis, “this nail which is in my hand.” Then Friar John, with great reverence and fear, touched that nail, and immediately, as he touched it, so great a perfume issued from it, as though it were a thin spiral of smoke, like of incense, and, entering through the nose of Friar John, filled his soul and body with so much sweetness, that he was rapt in God in ecstasy, and became insensible; and he remained rapt from that hour, which was the hour of Terce, even until Vespers. – A possibility is a hint from God.
24 – And of this vision and familiar conversation with St. Francis Friar John never spoke to any man, save only to his confessor, until he was about to die; but, being near his death, he revealed it to many friars. – God’s will is not an itinerary but an attitude.
OF A HOLY FRIAR WHO SAW A WONDERFUL VISION
OF ONE OF HIS COMPANIONS WHO WAS DEAD
25 – In the Province of Rome, a very devout and holy friar saw this marvelous vision. A certain friar, a very dear companion of his, having died one night, was buried, in the morning, before the entrance of the chapter-house; and, on the same day, after dinner, that friar went to a corner of the chapter-house to pray God and St. Francis devoutly for the soul of that dead friar his companion. And, as he persevered in prayer with supplications and tears, at noon, when all the others were gone away to sleep, he heard a great noise as of one being dragged through the cloister; whereat immediately with great fear he turned his eyes toward the grave of his companion, and saw St. Francis standing there at the entrance of the chapter-house, and behind him a great multitude of friars round about the said grave. – Prayer is no other but the revelation of the will or mind of God.
26 – He looked beyond, and saw in the midst of the cloister a very great flaming fire, and in the flames was the soul of his companion who was dead. He looked round the cloister and he saw Jesus Christ walking round the cloister with a great company of angels and of saints. And, while he gazed upon these things and marveled much, he saw that, when Christ passed before the chapter-house, St. Francis kneeled down with all those friars and spoke thus: “I beseech You, my dearest Father and Lord, that, through the inestimable charity which You showed Yourself to the human race in Your Incarnation, – What is most often asked of God is not His Will or Way but His approval of our way.
27 – Thou wilt have mercy on the soul of this my friar, who is burning in that flame”; and Christ answered him never a word but passed on. And, when He returned, the second time, and passed before the chapter-house, St. Francis again kneeled down with his friars, as the first time, and begged Him: “I pray You, merciful Father and Lord, through the boundless charity which You showed the human race when You died upon the wood of the cross, that Thou will have mercy on the soul of this my friar”. – Do not live in the past nor be anxious about the future, but quietly live the present in the hands of God.
28 – And Christ passed on as before and did not answer him. And going round the cloister He returned the third time and passed before the chapter-house, and then St. Francis, kneeling down as before, showed Him his hands and his feet and his side and said: “I beseech You, merciful Father and Lord, by that great pain and great consolation which I endured when You set these Stigmata in my flesh, that You have pity on the soul of this my friar who is in that fire of purgatory”. – If you want to disobey God, look for a place where He cannot see you.
29 – O wonderful thing! No sooner was Christ prayed that third time by St. Francis in the name of his Stigmata, than He forthwith stayed His steps and, looking upon the stigmata, gave ear to his prayer and said: “To you, Francis, I grant the soul of your friar”. And in this, of a surety, He willed to honor and confirm the glorious Stigmata of St. Francis, and openly to signify that the souls of his friars, who go to Purgatory, can in no way be more easily delivered from their pains and brought to the glory of Paradise, than by virtue of his Stigmata, according to the words which Christ spoke to St. Francis when He imprinted them upon him. – I cannot receive now what God will offer me tomorrow.
30 – Wherefore, as soon as these words had been spoken, that fire in the cloister vanished, and the dead friar came to St. Francis: and, together with him and with Christ, all that blessed company went up into heaven with their glorious King. For the which cause, this friar his companion, who had prayed for him, was exceeding glad when he saw him delivered from his pains and taken to paradise; and thereafter he told all that vision in order to the other friars, and together with them gave praise and thanks to God. – Nothing is small or great in God’s sight, whatever He wills becomes great to us.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 7th, 2024 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
May 2024
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis of Assisi,
The Lord grant you the gifts of Easter Joy:
The Peace of the Father’s abiding Life
The Paraclete of the Holy Spirit’s Presence
The Pardon of the Incarnate Son’s Mercy
Divine Love within and around you
and
The warmth of Mary’s Motherly Love
Who accepted us as Her children at the foot of the Cross
The month of May continues the joy of the Easter Good News of the Resurrected Savior. This month also celebrates the “Woman” whose total surrender to the Will of the Father allowed what we celebrate in the Sacred Triduum to happen. Simple statement. Yes. But true!
Scripture confirms Mary’s response to the Angel’s offer: let it be done to me as you have said (Luke 1: 38). At Mary’s let it be done, God entered the human scene as a distinct human being, a man. The Life-Ministry-Passion-Death-Resurrection-Glorification of the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus, depended on Mary’s “yes”. God sought humanity’s collaboration through Mary. Mary’s response was the beginning of a new experience of God for humanity. She, Mother of the Redeemer, stood at the foot of the Cross of Jesus. The Presentation ritual performed in Jerusalem for the Infant Jesus years before was now the reality, in fact and not in ritual, fulfilled for all humanity and every age on the Altar of the Cross. The Mother confirmed and offered the bone of her bone, flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood (Genesis 2: 23) to the Father, Whose Spirit overshadowed (Luke 1: 35) Mary that the flesh became man and dwelt among us (John 1: 14).
The Cross was a reality that followed Mary every moment of her life with Jesus. The ultimate gift of herself saw the humanity of all God’s children on the Cross in and with Christ. The Cross now signaled the consummation (John 19: 28) of the Father’s Promise to redeem us by One like us Who is also One with the Father. Mary’s life journey with Jesus offered her the time to allow her to enter more deeply into the Father’s Will that she accepted unconditionally years before. The mystery of the Cross prophesied through the prophets was now revealed in fact to Mary at Golgotha and the Empty Tomb.
As in the life of our Blessed Mother, the Mystery of the Cross for St. Francis led him gradually into a knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the desire of his life:
My Lord Jesus Christ, I beg You to grant me two graces before my death: first, that for the rest of my life I may experience in my soul and in my body, as much as possible, the same pain that you suffered, O sweet Jesus, during the time of Your most cruel Passion; and second, that I may feel in my heart, as much as possible, the same love which inflamed You, the Son of God, and led You to suffer Your passion gladly for us sinners.
Eventually Francis became a living expression of the Cross that followed him his entire life. The joy of the journey of discovery was leading to the glory of total union in conformity to Christ. This ultimate gift would be conferred years later on Mount La Verna.
The Incarnation was not a static moment in history. It began a process that God envisioned from all eternity. Human in every way but sin, Jesus, the Son of God, known as son of Mary and Joseph, began a journey of fulfillment through total surrender to the Father’s Will, that was fulfilled 33 years later on the Cross when Jesus said: It is consummated (John 19: 28). The mystery began at Nazareth in Mary’s womb, was first seen at Bethlehem in a manger, continued preaching-teaching-healing throughout Israel and Judah, and consummated triumphant on Golgotha. The empty tomb confirms the truth of Jesus’ identity and verifies the faith of the disciples in Him.
We are witnesses to that truth. We are ambassadors of the message and messenger through the centuries. The Cross! Even in the joyful periods of our Christian lives, the bright shadow of the Cross is always, and must be, present. The problem is that some portray the Cross without Jesus, and that only promotes pain, suffering, and slavery. Some want only Jesus the Resurrected One without the Cross. That is a lie. We need both together in order to express what the joy of Resurrection morning is all about. Thus, we understand more the depth of the prayer of St. Francis, Lord I beg You to grant me two graces, and so on, that we read above. The stage is now set for Francis Bernardone to encounter Jesus in the Cross of San Damiano.
One day when Francis went out to meditate in the fields, he walked near the church of San Damiano which was threatening to collapse because of age. Impelled by the Spirit, he went inside to pray. Prostrate before an image of the Crucified, he was filled with no little consolation as he prayed. While his tear-filled eyes were gazing at the Lord’s cross, he heard with his bodily ears a voice coming from that cross, telling him three times: “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is all being destroyed.” Trembling, Francis was stunned at the sound of such an astonishing voice, since he was alone in the church; and as he absorbed the power of the divine words into his heart, he fell into an ecstasy of mind. At last, coming back to himself, he prepared himself to obey and pulled himself together to carry out the command of repairing the material church, although the principal intention of the words referred to that which Christ purchased with his own blood, as the Holy Spirit taught him and as he himself later disclosed to the brothers. (Legenda Major, chpt. 2, 1)
At San Damiano, the Crucified Christ challenged Saint Francis to Go rebuild My house. That task meant Francis had to transform himself first. The prayer Francis prayed before the Crucifix was from a heart ready and willing to listen and live the mystery of love the Cross conveyed to him:
O most high, glorious God,
Enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me
True faith, certain hope, and perfect charity,
Sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out
Your holy and true command.
At first Francis interpreted his experience in a literal manner, doing all he could to provide the means, with stones and mortar, to rebuild the physical structure of San Damiano, which actually was in ruins. Although this may have been part of the intent of the revelation, Francis quickly realized that the rebuilding process of a building had to include also the transformation of his heart. He would have to rebuild his inner self, and in doing so, discover his true identity. A simultaneous vocation unfolded: rebuilding the place and rebuilding his person. He had to be focused on Christ so that he could rebuild, renew, restore, with the help of God, the person he was created to be.
The story of every transformation is to rebuild and fix what is missing or broken. In so doing we add a freshness to what seemed old and useless. Thus we restore beauty, pleasure, purpose and give hope, encouragement and joy. This little phrase Francis heard three times, Go rebuild my house, affected the rest of his life and that of those who sought to live the Gospel Life as Francis envisioned.
How did Francis go about rebuilding his life? The process slowly unfolded from his gazing upon the Crucified Savior over time. What were the steps? Saint Clare of Assisi described it best in her Second Letter to Saint Agnes of Prague, when she wrote: Gaze upon Christ, consider Christ, contemplate Christ, imitate Christ. Those four steps – gaze, consider, contemplate, imitate – became the pathway into the discovery of a new heart, a new power and a new self.
Gaze to see, consider to know, contemplate to understand, and imitate as the result of a spiritual process of conviction that leads to a life to be lived. To live Jesus is to be totally conformed to Him that it is no longer I who live but He Who lives in me (Galatians 2: 20).
To imitate Christ is the key to understand what happened to Francis at San Damiano and the key to an effective rebuilding of one’s life. To imitate relates to the word image. In our context here, it means to become the image of the one upon whom I gaze. Francis learned that his self-image, that is, his identity, was to become that of Christ on the cross. Both Francis and Clare must have spent countless hours contemplating this mystery. The change that would take place within Francis’ heart was imaged by what he gazed upon, and this new self would become his tool for renewing the house of God. The key to all this is the Incarnation. The condescension of compassion (St. Leo Great sermon on Nativity of Jesus) presents the sublime humility and humble sublimity of Jesus in being human that we might share in the awesome graces of divinity.
In the Incarnation, God revealed to us Who He is. The Incarnation showed us the face of God. But what does this image portray? What do we see? What Francis and Clare saw in the person of the Incarnate Christ was humility, poverty and charity. The most visible, tangible expression of this was the cross.
In the Incarnation, Francis saw that becoming human was the basis for humility. In embracing our humanness, Jesus did not cling to being God. This choice was the epitome of humility. In so choosing, Jesus could accept everything to which human nature is prone, even death. This image of Christ as seen on the cross became an essential component of Francis’ new self.
Like Jesus, humility for Francis meant not to cling to anything or appropriate any goods, titles, honors or position. It meant to be a servant to all, even to inanimate creatures. Both the Canticle of the Creatures of St. Francis and the Laudato Si’ of Pope Francis remind us of this servanthood It means generosity of spirit and generosity of heart, the willingness to let all others be first. It means obedience to all, being subject to all, just like Jesus, the Word made flesh, who did not cling to honor, status or power. In recognizing himself in this image, Francis embraced the essence of his being and the realization that he needed nothing else to give him worth.
The poverty Francis saw in the Crucified was the poverty of being a human creature. In letting go of divinity, Jesus accepted to be dependent, powerless, helpless and empty, and to “be on his own”. This is the essence of poverty. This true picture of humanity, modeled in the Incarnation, enabled Saint Paul to write that Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus, as God, chose to become human and poor, in order to reveal God’s self, which is love, and teach us our true identity. This poverty of God was most visible by the fact of God’s Son dying on the cross. Here Jesus embraced powerlessness, emptiness and utter helplessness and opened himself to complete abandonment and trust in his Father. These were, and are, essential components of the human makeup.
The other element that the image of Christ on the cross portrayed was that of charity, compassionate love, all-embracing Love. Jesus’ outstretched arms drew in all humanity, welcoming every creature into the embrace of God’s tender love through mercy, forgiveness and acceptance of all. This meant recognizing and accepting the worth and dignity of each person.
The cross is a mirror. In seeing myself in that mirror, I see Christ Crucified, and in seeing Christ Crucified, I see my most authentic self. As I am transformed into that image, I become the person God has always intended me to be. The distinguishing marks that identify me are the same I see in Jesus: poverty, humility and charity, which are identifying marks of the face of God. Then I am my true and genuine self. This reflection is difficult to describe and I’m sure equally difficult to understand or accept. Yet it lies at the heart of Francis’ spirituality and mission.
It also ties in most intimately with his experience before the San Damiano Crucifix and the invitation to rebuild the Church. It was a transformed heart, a transformed self, into the image of Christ that became the tools by which society, the Church and all life could be rebuilt. As we embrace this process, we take a major step towards discovering who we are as a disciple of Christ. We are also well on the way to rebuilding our inner life and ultimately rebuilding the house of God.
How can we make “God’s Project” real and concrete? We must come to a moment in life where, like Francis, we say: This is what I want and desire with all my heart. (Words o St. Francis at the Portiuncula after hearing the gospel of the sending out of the disciples) Once that is clear, then the rhythm of daily prayer is essential. We need to beg God for the kind of transformation of heart needed to have a dwelling place for humility and poverty and charity. We cannot achieve this on our own power. It is God’s project, God’s work, and only grace can make it happen.
The other arena is that of relationships, whether in the family, among friends, community life or one’s workplace. It is here that humility, poverty and compassionate charity are brought to life and nowhere else.
Francis’ biographers point out that, when people met up with Francis or heard him preach, it was not simply a question of listening to words of peace and joy. Nor were people merely persuaded to reflect upon reasons for forgiving each other, doing penance or thanking and praising God. Rather, they were confronted with these realities in the person of Francis. They were in the living presence of forgiveness, peace, faith and love. Francis had integrated these values into his person by taking on the image of Christ on the cross.
Francis became conformed to the Crucified to such a degree that at the end of his life he appeared like the Crucified with the wounds of Christ engraved into his flesh. This would complete what began at San Damiano when the wounds of the sacred Passion were impressed deep in his heart, though not yet on his flesh (Second Life, #10, Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume 2: The Founder),
Francis sought repeatedly for ways to encourage the brothers to give birth to these essentials, to strive for purity of heart, and thus give birth to Christ in their own lives. This is the transformation that must go hand in hand with all other endeavors in proclaiming the Kingdom of God. This is the inner rebuilding that gives life and spirit to any outward effort.
This image of Christ in Francis was very real, as we read in Celano: The brothers who lived with him know that daily, constantly, talk of Jesus was always on his lips, sweet and pleasant conversations about Him, kind words full of love. Out of the fullness of his heart his mouth spoke. So the spring of radiant love that filled his heart within gushed forth. He was always with Jesus: Jesus in his heart, Jesus in his mouth, Jesus in his ears, Jesus in his eyes, Jesus in his hands, he bore Jesus always in his whole body…. With amazing love he bore in his heart and always held onto Christ Jesus and Him crucified. (Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume 1: The Saint, New City Press, p. 283)
May the Jesus we seek to imitate, truly be in our mouth, ears, lips, our whole being. The Cross that spoke to Francis is for us a reminder of the Jesus Who speaks to our hearts daily inviting us to rebuild, refresh, and restore the Christ that time, circumstance, or whatever may have distorted or covered over. The challenge of San Damiano is an offer and gift as fresh and vibrant today for us as it was for our Seraphic Father 800 years ago.
May the gift of the Holy Spirit, Whose descent into the heart of the Early Church at Pentecost, fill us with the gifts necessary to Live Jesus. We are Heralds of the Great King. In a world so desperately in need of the Good News, Who is a Person, Jesus the Christ, we preach Christ, and Christ Crucified and Risen (1 Corinthians 1: 23).
God bless you; our Lady and good St. Joseph guide, guard, and protect you; and Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi watch over all of us and our loved ones with loving care.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
(NB – Part of this month’s letter is taken from an article in St. Anthony’s Messenger in 2022. There are deletions, modifications, insertions not by the author, but the substance of the article from Roch Niemier, OFM. In gratitude and recognition for our brother’s article, I offer it for our consideration of the Third Cross of Saint Francis, the Cross of San Damiano, as presented by St. Bonaventure in his Legenda Major of St. Francis.)
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 7th, 2024 St. Katharine 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
May 2024
Though reflecting each month of the Jubilee Year celebrating the 800th anniversary of the reception of the Stigmata of the Christ by St. Francis of Assisi, the following prayer, composed by St. Francis, mat be recited is each day of this month to the Mother and Queen of our Seraphic Family.
Hail, O Lady,
Holy Queen,
Mary, holy Mother of God,
Who are the Virgin made Church,
Chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven
Whom he consecrated with His most holy beloved Son
And with the Holy Spirit and Paraclete,
In whom there was and is
All fullness of grace and every good.
Hail His Palace!
Hail His Tabernacle!
Hail His Dwelling!
Hail His Robe!
Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!
Daily excerpts from the Little Flowers of St. Francis, Fourth Consideration of the Stigmata.
Daily quotes from various spiritual writers.
Of the Fourth Consideration of the Sacred, Holy Stigmata
1 – As for the fourth consideration, it is worth knowing that, after the true love of Christ perfectly transformed Saint Francis into God and the true image of Christ crucified, the forty-day Lent in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel in the saint Mount Alverna, after the solemnity of Saint Michael, the angelic man Francis came down from the mountain with Brother Leo and a devout farmer, on whose donkey he was riding, since, because of the nails in his feet, he could not walk, but with great difficulty. – Do not have Jesus on your lips and the world in your heart.
2 – Having, therefore, descended from Mount Alverna, the fame of his holiness had already spread throughout the region and the shepherds had spread the fact of having seen Mount Alverna in flames, which was a sign that God had performed some miracle. To Saint Francis, all the people of the country, upon hearing that he was passing, came to see him. Men and women, small and large, all strove to touch him and kiss his hand with great devotion. – Carry the cross patiently and in the end it will carry.
3 – Not being able to escape the devotion of the people, although he had his palms bandaged, however, to better hide the sores, he still wrapped them and covered them with his sleeves, and only allowed the exposed fingers to be kissed. But, no matter how much he tried to hide and conceal the secret of the glorious wounds to flee from every occasion of worldly glory. – Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.
4 – It pleased God to manifest his glory with many miracles performed by the virtue of said wounds. Above all, on this journey from Mount Alverna to Santa María degli Ángeli, and later, with many others in different parts of the world, both during his life and after his death, so that his hidden and wonderful virtue and the measureless charity and mercy of Christ towards him through clear and evident wonders, of which we enumerate some here. – Which are you: a stumbling block or a stepping stone?
5 – It happened that, as Saint Francis approached a village on the edge of the Arezzo region, a woman stood before him, crying bitterly and carrying in her arms her eight-year-old son, who had been suffering from dropsy for four years; His belly was so disproportionately inflated that, standing upright, his feet could not be seen. The woman put the son in front of her, begging St. Francis to ask God for him. Saint Francis put himself first in prayer; Once this was finished, he placed his hands on the child’s belly. Immediately all the swelling disappeared and he was perfectly healthy, and he returned him to his mother, who received him with great joy and took him home, giving thanks to God and his saint. And she very gladly showed the cured son to the entire neighborhood who came to her house to see him. – Life can be understood backward but it must be lived forward.
6 – That same day Saint Francis passed through Borgo San Sepolcro. Before he reached the town, a crowd of people from the city and neighboring villages came out to meet him; Many of them went before him with olive branches in their hands and shouting loudly: — Here comes the saint, here comes the saint! – Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
7 – And people crowded and pressed on him in their desire to touch him out of devotion. But he went with his mind so elevated and absorbed in God through contemplation, that, no matter how much they touched him, pulled him, and squeezed him, as if he were insensitive, he did not feel anything that happened or was said around him, and He didn’t even realize that he was passing through the city or the region. – To repent is to take God’s point of view rather than my own.
8 – In fact, when they had passed Borgo and the crowd had returned to their homes, upon reaching a leprosarium a mile beyond Borgo, he came to himself from the celestial contemplation, and, as if coming from the other world, asked his companion: — When do we get to Borgo? – We see things not as they are but as we are.
9 – In truth, his spirit, fixed and absorbed in the contemplation of heavenly things, had not realized the things of earth, nor the diversity of places and times, nor the people he met. This also happened to him other times, as his companions could clearly verify. – How else but through a broken heart can the Lord Christ enter in?
10 – That night Saint Francis arrived at the hermitage that the brothers had in Monte Casale, where there was a brother so pitifully ill and horribly tormented by a disease, that his illness seemed more like tribulation or torment from the devil than a natural illness. He sometimes threw himself on the ground with great convulsions and foaming at the mouth; other times all the members of his body would contract, or they would distend or retract and twist until they touched the back of his neck with his heels; or else he would throw himself up and then fall on his back. – The effect of our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ is to change us into what we receive.
11 – While Saint Francis was at table with his people, he heard them talk about this brother, a hopeless victim of such a pitiful illness, and he had compassion for him; He took a slice of bread that he was eating, made the sign of the cross on it with his holy stigmatized hands and sent it to the sick brother. As soon as he had eaten it, the patient was perfectly cured and never felt that illness again. – Knowing the truth and not doing it is as foolish as writing a love letter and not sending it.
12 – The next morning, Saint Francis sent two of the brothers who were in that hermitage to live in Alverna, and with them he sent along the farmer who had come with him, so that he could return to his home. The brothers went along with the farmer, and when they reached the territory of Arezzo, some of the inhabitants saw them from afar and were filled with joy thinking that Saint Francis was coming, who had passed through there two days before. – Our lives belong not to us alone but to all who need us.
13 – Now, the wife of one of them had been in childbirth pain for three days and she was about to die. They hoped that she would recover her health if they managed to get Saint Francis to place his holy hands on her. But, as the brothers approached, they were saddened that Saint Francis was not among them. But although the Saint was not physically present, his power was not lacking, because the faith of those men was not lacking. Admirable thing! The woman was dying and she already had all the signs of death. They asked the brothers if they had anything that had been touched by the most holy hands of Saint Francis. – Prayer is an expression that we are living incompleteness.
14 – The brothers searched with interest, and found nothing else that Saint Francis had touched but what he was seated on while riding the donkey. They took it with great reverence and devotion and placed it on the body of the pregnant woman, devoutly invoking the name of Saint Francis and entrusting her to him with faith. As soon as the object touched the woman, she immediately felt out of danger and gave birth easily with joy and health. – When you betray somebody else, you betray yourself.
15 – After a stay of several days in the hermitage, he left there and headed to Città di Castello. Here the inhabitants presented him with a woman who had been possessed by the devil for some time, and humbly begged him to free her from the devil, because she had the entire region in an uproar with her screams, her ferocious screams, and her dog’s barking. Saint Francis, after praying, drew the sign of the cross on her and ordered the demon to come out of her. He left immediately, leaving her body and spirit healthy.- The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
16 – When this miracle spread throughout the town, another woman with great faith brought her little boy, seriously ill with a malignant sore, to him and devoutly begged him to make the sign of the cross over the boy. Saint Francis, agreeing to his devotion, took the little boy, removed the bandage from the wound, blessed him by making the sign of the cross over him three times, and then bandaged him again with his hands and gave him to his mother. Since it was late, she simply put him to sleep in bed. In the morning she went to get the child out of bed, and found him without the bandage. He was completely cured, as if he had never had any illness. At the site of the sore the flesh had formed like a red rose, as if to bear witness to the miracle rather than as a scar from the sore. That rose, in fact, having remained with him throughout his life, often incited him to devotion to Saint Francis, who had cured him. – Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There is no courage without being scared.
17 – Saint Francis stayed in that city for a month, acceding to the devout prayers of the inhabitants, and during that time he performed many other miracles. Afterwards he resumed the journey to Santa María degli Ángeli with Brother Leo and with a good man who lent him his little horse so that Saint Francis could ride on it. And it happened that, because of the bad roads and the extreme cold, having walked all day, they could not reach any place where they could stay. They were forced by night and bad weather to take shelter in a cave, to protect themselves from the snow and the night. – God often visits us, but most of the time we are not at home.
18 – Finding himself out in the open and poorly sheltered, the good man who owned the donkey, unable to sleep because of the cold and without the possibility of making a fire, began to lament and grumble within himself and cry, and almost murmured about Saint Francis, who had led him to that place. Then, Saint Francis, noticing him, had compassion for him, and with fervor of spirit he stretched out his hand over him and touched him. Admirable thing! As soon as he had touched him with his hand, scorched and pierced by the fire of the seraph, the cold completely disappeared, and he felt filled with so much heat inside and out, that it seemed to him that he was standing at the mouth of a burning furnace. – The age old struggle: the roar of the crowd on one side and the voice of conscience on the other.
19 – Thus, comforted in soul and body, the man surrendered to sleep, and, according to him, he slept that night among stones and snow until dawn more softly than he had ever slept in his own bed. The next day they continued their journey to Santa María degli Ángeli. When they were close, Brother Leo raised his eyes and looked towards the hermitage of Saint Mary. Then he saw a most beautiful cross, with the image of the Crucified, which was walking in front of Saint Francis, who was walking in front of him. – Knowing God is a question of opening one’s heart and loving God.
20 – That cross went in such a way before the face of Saint Francis that, when he stopped, it also stopped, and, when he walked, it walked; and its brilliance was such that it not only shone on the face of Saint Francis, but also illuminated the entire environment around it, and it remained until Saint Francis entered the hermitage of Saint Mary. – Religion is not a list of things to do but a person to be followed.
21 – Upon arriving at the hermitage, Saint Francis and Brother Leo were received by the brothers with great joy and charity. From then on, Saint Francis lived most of the time in the place of Saint Maris degli Angeli until his death. From day to day the fame of his holiness and his miracles spread more and more throughout the Order and the world, even though he, due to his profound humility, hid as much as he could the gifts and graces of God and proclaimed himself to be very great sinner. – What comes from the heart touches the heart.
22 – Brother Leo was surprised by this, and he began to think about his simplicity: This man calls himself a very great sinner in public. He entered the Order as an adult. God distinguishes him with so many favors. Nevertheless, in secret he never confesses to carnal sin. Could he be a virgin? And a vehement desire came to him to know the truth about it, but he did not dare to ask Saint Francis; So he turned to God, begging him to assure him of what he wanted to know, and he deserved to be heard for his insistent prayer, and he received certainty that Saint Francis was truly a virgin in the body through the following vision: he saw Saint Francis sitting on a elevated and exalted place, to which no one could go or approach, and it was revealed to him that that lofty and singular place meant the height of virginal chastity in Saint Francis, as was appropriate for a flesh destined to be adorned with the sacred wounds of Christ. – All that we send into the lives of others, comes back into our own.
23 – Saint Francis seeing that, because of his wounds, his physical strength was gradually failing and that he could no longer continue to take care of the government of the Order, hastened the convocation of the general chapter. When he had gathered in full, he humbly apologized to the brothers for the impossibility in which he found himself of continuing to care for the Order as general minister, although he did not renounce the office of generalship. This, in fact, he could not do, because he had been appointed general by the pope, for which reason he could neither leave the office nor establish a successor without express permission from the pope. But he appointed brother Peter Cattani as his vicar. – God is much more anxious to communicate with us than we are to listen.
24 – Once this was done, Saint Francis, comforted in spirit, raised his eyes and hands to heaven and said: To you, Lord and my God, I recommend this your family, which you have entrusted to me until now, and of which I can no longer continue taking care of myself due to my illnesses that you well know, my sweet Lord. I also recommend it to the provincial ministers. They will be obliged to report to you on the day of judgment if, due to their negligence, or their bad example, or their rigor in correcting, any brother is lost. – God dwells wherever we let Him in.
25 – God wanted all the brothers to realize that with those words he was referring to the wounds when excusing himself because of illness; and none could contain themselves without crying out of devotion. From then on he left all the care and government of the Order in the hands of his vicar and the provincial ministers; and he said: Now, having left the care of the Order because of my illnesses, I pray to God for our Order that I may give a good example to the brothers. And I know very well that, if weakness allowed me, the best service I could do to the Order would be to continually pray for it to God, so that He may govern, defend and preserve it. – The same fence that shuts others out, shuts us in.
26 – Even though, as has been said, Saint Francis tried, as far as he could, to hide the most sacred wounds and always walked, from the moment he received them, with his hands bandaged and his feet shod, he could not prevent many brothers from seeing them. They could see and touch them in different ways, especially the wound on his side, which he tried to hide with greater care. Thus, a brother who assisted him once induced him, with a pious trick, to take off his habit to shake off the dust; and, as he took it off in front of him, the brother clearly saw the wound on his side, and, quickly passing his hand over his chest, he touched it with three fingers, being able to measure its greatness and dimensions. – Hope is putting faith in work, when doubting would be easier.
27 – His vicar also looked at that time. But Brother Rufino verified it even more clearly, who was a man of great contemplation. Saint Francis even said about him that there was no one in the world holier than him. Because of his great holiness, he professed an intimate love for him and pleased him with everything he desired. – Where the human spirit fails, the Holy Spirit fills.
28 – This brother Rufino was able to verify and assure others in three ways about the truth of the wounds, and especially the one on the side. The first was that, having to wash his pants, which Saint Francis wore so big that he could stretch them at the top until covering the sore on the right side, Brother Rufino looked at them and observed them attentively, and always found them bloody on the right side, with which he realized with certainty that it was blood flowing from that wound. – If God loves us as much as we love God, where would we all be?
29 – Therefore, when Saint Francis saw that he spread his pants to observe that footprint, he reprimanded him. The second occasion was once when Brother Rufino was rubbing the back of Saint Francis. He intentionally took his hand and put his fingers on the sore on his side. Saint Francis then gave a cry of pain and said: God forgive you, brother Rufino. Why did you do that? – Without love and compassion for others , our own apparent love for Christ is fiction.
30 – The third occasion was the time when he asked Saint Francis, with great insistence and as a particular grace, to give him his habit and keep his out of love of charity. Condescending, although not willingly, to such a request, the charitable Father took off his habit, gave it to him, and put on his. With that taking off and putting on, brother Rufino clearly saw the wound. Likewise, brother Leo and many other brothers saw the wounds of Saint Francis while he lived. And although these brothers, due to their holiness, were men worthy of giving faith and credit to their word, yet, to remove all doubt in their hearts, they swore on the holy book that they had seen them clearly. – Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.
31 – Some cardinals who treated him with great familiarity also saw them, and, in veneration of the wounds of Saint Francis, they composed beautiful and devout hymns, antiphons and prose. The Supreme Pontiff, Pope Alexander, preaching to the people before all the cardinals, among whom was the holy brother Bonaventure, who was a cardinal, said and affirmed that he had seen with his own eyes the sacred wounds of Saint Francis when he still lived. – Nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see. On the contrary, everything is sacred.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on March 17th, 2024 Greetings to all from St. Francis Retreat House in Easton, PA, where St. Francis Fraternity held a Chapter of Elections on St. Patrick’s Day. The fraternity had 100% attendance, with 21 members present to cast their votes.
 
With great joy, we introduce the new servant leaders of this fraternity:
| Minister |
Mark Shedden,, OFS |
| Vice-Minister |
Andrea Olock, OFS |
| Secretary |
Joan Hilstolsky, OFS |
| Treasurer |
Stephen Puccino, OFS |
| Formation Director |
Rosemary Rossner, OFS |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Thomas Coleca, OFS |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Mandy Gero, OFS |
| Presider |
Teresa Redder, OFS
St. Katharine Drexel Regional Minister |
| Ecclesial Witness |
Fr. Loren Connell, OFM (Delegate)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Province |
| Secretary of Elections |
Rosemary Rossner, OFS |
| Tellers of Election |
Thomas Coleca, OFS
Malia Dillard, OFS |
Top row (l-r): Br. Loren Connell, OFM (Spiritual Asst), Rosemary Rossner, OFS (Formation Director), Tom Coleca, OFS (Councilor-at-Large), Mandy Gero, OFS (Councilor-at-Large), Steve Puccino, OFS (Treasurer)
Bottom row: Andrea Olock, OFS (Vice-Minister), Mark Shedden, OFS (Minister), & Teresa Redder, OFS (SKD Regional Minister)
Not available for the photos: Joan Hilstolsky, OFS (Secretary)
May God bless the outgoing council members for their long and dedicated service and may the Holy Spirit animate the new leadership council to serve the Lord with gladness for the next three years with fidelity and humility!
Posted By Teresa Redder, on March 3rd, 2024 Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Fraternity 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
Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Truly Risen! Alleluia!
March 2024
Wherever we are, in every place, at every hour,
at every time of the day, every day and continually,
let all of us truly and humbly believe, hold in our heart and love, honor, adore, serve,
praise and bless, glorify and exalt, magnify and give thanks
to the Most High and Supreme Eternal God, Trinity and Unity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Creator of all, Savior of all who believe and hope in Him, and love Him, Who,
without beginning and end, is unchangeable, invisible, indescribable, ineffable,
incomprehensible, unfathomable, blessed, praiseworthy, glorious, exalted,
sublime, most high, gentle, lovable, delightful,
and totally desirable above all else forever.
Amen.
(Prayer of Saint Francis taken from the Earlier Rule, chapter 23)
Daily excerpts from Franciscan Sources and brief daily sayings from various spiritual writers
From Little Flowers of St. Francis
OF THE SECOND CONSIDERATION OF THE MOST HOLY STIGMATA
1 – The second consideration is touching the conversation of St. Francis with his companions upon the said mountain of Alvernia. And as to this it is to be known; that, when Messer Orlando had heard that St. Francis with three companions had gone up into the mountain of Alvernia to dwell there, he had very great joy thereof; and, on the following day, he set out with many of his retainers and came to visit St. Francis, bearing bread and wine and other victuals for him and for his companions; and, coming to the place where they were, he found them in prayer; and drawing nigh unto them he saluted them.
– Carry the Cross patiently and in the end it will carry you.
2 – Then St. Francis rose up and with very great charity and joy welcomed Messer Orlando and his company; and, when he had thus done, he entered into conversation with him; and, after they had talked together and St. Francis had thanked him for the holy mountain which he had given him and for his coming there, he asked him that he would cause a poor little cell to be made at the foot of a very beautiful beech-tree, which was distant a stone’s throw from the Place of the friars, because that spot seemed to him most apt and to dedicate to prayer.
– Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.
3 – And straightway Messer Orlando caused it to be built; and, when it was finished, because the evening drew nigh and it was time for them to depart, St. Francis, before they went, preached unto them a little: and, after he had preached and given them his blessing, Messer Orlando, since he could no longer stay, called St. Francis and his companions aside.
– Life can be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.
4 – (Messer Orlando) said unto them: “My most dear friars, I do not want you, in this savage mountain, to suffer any bodily want, that might hinder you from spiritual things; and therefore I desire (and this I tell you once for all) that you do not hesitate to send to my house for all that you need; and, if you do not do so, I shall take it very ill of you”. And, having thus spoken, he departed with his company and returned to his castle.
– To repent is to alter one’s way of looking at life.
5 – Then St. Francis made his companions sit down and instructed them concerning the manner of life which they, and whoever desires to live religiously in hermitages, must lead. And, among other things, he especially laid upon them the observance of holy poverty, saying: “Do not consider over the charitable offer of Messer Orlando too much, that in may not offend our lady and mistress, holy Poverty.
– To repent is to take God’s point of view instead of my own.
6 – Be sure that the more we shun Poverty the more the world will shun us; but, if we shall closely embrace holy Poverty, the world will follow after us and will abundantly supply all our needs. God hath called us to this holy religion for the salvation of the world, and hath made this covenant between us and the world; that we should give to the world a good example and the world should provide for us in our necessities. Let us continue, therefore, in holy poverty, because that is the way of perfection and the pledge and earnest of eternal riches.
– Feed your Faith and your doubts will starve to death.
7 – And, after many beautiful and devout words and admonishments touching this matter, he concluded, saying: “This is the manner of life which I lay upon myself and upon you; for I perceive that I draw nigh unto my death, and I am minded to be solitary, and to turn all my thoughts to God and to bewail my sins before Him; and Friar Leo, when it shall seem good to him, shall bring me a little bread and a little water; and in no way are you to permit any layman to come to me; but you speak to them for me”.
– We become that which we think.
8 – And when he had said these words he gave them his blessing, and went to the cell beneath the beech-tree; and his companions abode in the Place, firmly resolved to observe the commandments of St. Francis. A few days later, as St. Francis was standing beside the said cell, considering the conformation of the mountain, and marveling at the huge chasms and clefts in those tremendous rocks, he betook himself to prayer; and then was it revealed to him of God that those wondrous fissures had been made miraculously in the hour of Christ’s Passion, when, even as the evangelist says, “the rocks were rent”.
– Character may be manifest in great moments but it is made in small ones.
9 – And this, as God willed it, was singularly manifested in that mountain of Alvernia because it was pre-ordained that, in that place, St. Francis must renew the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his soul through love and pity, and in his body through the imprinting of the most holy stigmata.
– The more we depend on God, the more dependable we find God is.
10 – Now, when he had received this revelation, St. Francis straightway shut himself up in his cell, and, closing his mind to all earthly things, disposed himself to await the mystery of this revelation. And from then on, because he continued always in prayer, St. Francis began, more often than befpre, to taste the sweetness of Divine contemplation; whereby he was often so rapt in God that he was seen by his companions uplifted from the ground and rapt from out himself.
– Strong beliefs win strong people and make them stronger.
11 – In these raptures of contemplation, not only were things present and future revealed to him by God, but also the secret thoughts and desires of the friars, even as Friar Leo, his companion, on that day, proved in his own person. For the said Friar Leo being bothered by the devil with a very grievous temptation, not carnal but spiritual, there came upon him a great desire to have some holy thing written by the hand of St. Francis; for he thought that, if he had it, that temptation would leave him, either altogether or in part; nevertheless, albeit he had this desire, for shame and reverence he lacked the courage to speak thereof to St. Francis; but what Friar Leo did not tell him, was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost.
– You can’t lead anyone further than you have gone yourself.
12 – Wherefore St. Francis called him unto him and made him bring inkhorn and pen and paper, and with his own hand wrote a laud of Christ, according to the desire of the friar, and at the end thereof made the sign of the Tau, and gave it to him saying: “Take this paper, dearest friar, and keep it diligently until your death. God bless you and preserve you from every temptation. Be not dismayed that you have temptations, for then do I hold you more my friend and a truer servant of God; and I love you the more the more you have fought against thy temptations. Truly I say to you that no man may call himself a perfect friend of God until he has passed through many temptations and tribulations.”
– Love is the only force that can make things one without destroying them.
13 – And when Friar Leo had received this writing with very great devotion and faith, every temptation left him; and, returning to the Place, he related to his companions, with great joy, what grace God had done him as he received that writing from St. Francis; and he put it in a safe place and preserved it diligently; and therewith, in after-time, the friars wrought many miracles.
– Not to decide is to decide.
14 – And from that hour the said Friar Leo commenced to scrutinize and to consider the life of St. Francis, with great purity and goodwill; and, by reason of his purity, he merited to behold how many times and often St. Francis was rapt in God and uplifted from the ground, sometimes for the space of three cubits, sometimes of four, and sometimes even to the height of the beech-tree; and sometimes he beheld him raised so high in the air, and surrounded by such radiance, that scarcely could he see him.
– When character is lost, all is lost.
15 – And what did this simple friar do when St. Francis was so little raised above the ground that he could reach him? He went softly and embraced his feet and kissed them with tears, saying: “My God, have mercy upon me a sinner; and, for the merits of this holy man, grant me to find Thy grace.”
– Let us be paths to be used and forgotten.
16 – And, one time among the rest, while he stood beneath the feet of St. Francis, when he was so far uplifted from the ground, that he could not touch him, he beheld a scroll inscribed with letters of gold descend from heaven and rest above the head of St. Francis, and upon this scroll these words were written: “QVI È LA GRAZIA DI DIO—Here is the grace of God“; and, after that he had read it, he saw it return again to heaven.
– It is never a question of faith or no faith, the question always is:
In what or whom do I put my faith?
17 – By reason of this grace of God which was in him, not only was St. Francis rapt in God through ecstatic contemplation, but also he was sometimes comforted by angelic visitations. Thus, one day, while St. Francis was thinking of his death and of the state of his Religion after his life should be ended, and was saying: “Lord God, what after my death shall become of Your mendicant family, which through Your goodness You have entrusted to me a sinner? Who shall console them? Who shall correct them? Who shall pray to You for them?”
– When you consider anyone or situation hopeless,
you are slamming the door in the face of God.
18 – While he spoke these and such-like words, there appeared unto him the angel sent by God, who comforted him, saying: “I tell you in God’s name that the profession of your Order shall not fail until the Day of Judgment; and there shall be no sinner so great that, if he shall love your Order from his heart, he shall not find mercy with God; and no one who persecutes your Order maliciously shall live long. Moreover no one, in your Order, who is very wicked and who does not amend his life will be able to remain long in the Order.
– An honest person is the noblest work of God.
19 – Therefore do not grieve if you see in your Religion certain friars who are not good, and who do not observe the Rule as they ought to do; neither think that for this reason your Religion will decline; for there will always be very many in the Order who will perfectly follow the life of the gospel of Christ and the purity of the Rule; and such as these, as soon as ever their earthly life is done, will go to the life eternal, without passing through purgatory at all; some will follow it, but not perfectly; and these, before they go to paradise, will be in purgatory: but the time of their purgation will be remitted to you by God.
– We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together like fools.
20 – But for those who do not observe the Rule at all, do not be concerned, says God, because He does care about them.” And when the angel had spoken these words he departed, leaving St. Francis consoled and comforted. Thereafter, when the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady drew nigh, St. Francis sought to find a fitting spot, more secret and remote, wherein in greater solitude he might keep the forty days’ fast of St. Michael the Archangel, which commences on the said feast of the Assumption. Wherefore he called Friar Leo and spoke to him saying: “Go and stand at the doorway of the oratory of the Place of the friars; and, when I shall call you, do return to me”.
- Walk one step toward God and God will run ten steps to you.
21 – Friar Leo went and stood in the said doorway; and St. Francis called loudly. Friar Leo, hearing him call, returned to him; and St. Francis said: “Son, let us search for another more secret spot where you shall not be able to hear me when I shall call you”; and, as they searched, they saw, on the southern side of the mountain, a lonely place exceedingly well suited for his purpose; but it was impossible to reach it, because there was in front of it a rocky chasm, horrible and fearful, and very great. Wherefore, with much labor they laid a tree across the same, after the fashion of a bridge, and passed over to the other side.
– A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
22 – Then St. Francis sent for the other friars and told them how he purposed to keep the forty days’ fast of St. Michael in that solitary place; and therefore he asked them to make him a little cell there, so that they would not hear him crying out; and, when the little cell of St. Francis was finished, he said to them: “Go to your own Place and leave me here alone; for, with the help of God, I mean to keep this fast in this place without any trouble or disturbance of mind; and therefore let none of you come here to me, nor allow any layman to come to me. But you, Friar Leo, alone shall come to me, once a day, with a little bread and water, and at night once again, at the hour of matins; and then shall you come to me in silence; and, when you are at the head of the bridge, you shall say to me: Domine, labia mea aperies; and, if I answer you, pass over and come to the cell and we will say matins but if I do not answer you, leave immediately.”
– Lord, help me never to do the right thing for the wrong reason.
23 – And this St. Francis said because he was sometimes so rapt in God that he heard not nor perceived anything with the bodily senses; and, when he had thus spoken, St. Francis gave them his blessing; and they returned to the Place. Now, the feast of the Assumption was approaching. St. Francis began the holy fast with very great abstinence and severity, mortifying his body and comforting his spirit with fervent prayers, vigils and flagellations; and in these prayers, ever growing from virtue to virtue, he prepared his mind to receive the Divine mysteries and the Divine splendors, and his body to endure the cruel assaults of the fiends, with whom often he fought bodily.
– Life is a voyage that’s homeward bound.
24 – And among the other times was one when, on a day, as St. Francis came forth from his cell in fervor of spirit, and went to a place difficult to reach, to pray in the cavity of a hollow rock, where from down to the ground there is a very great height, and a horrible and fearful precipice; suddenly the devil came in terrible shape, with tempest and with very great uproar, and smote him to cast him down from there.
– If your faith cannot move mountains, it ought to at least climb them.
25 – Wherefore, St. Francis, not having any place to flee to, and being unable to endure the passing cruel aspect of the demon, forthwith turned himself round, with his hands and face and with all his body against the rock, commending himself to God, and groping with his hands if, perhaps, he might find something to lay hold of. But, as it pleased God, who never allows His servants to be tempted beyond that which they can bear, suddenly the rock to which he clung miraculously hollowed itself to the form of his body and so received him into itself; and even as if he had put his hands and face into liquid wax, so was the shape of the face and hands of St. Francis imprinted upon the said rock; and, in this way, being helped of God, he escaped from the devil.
– What great thing would you attempt if you knew you would not fail?
26 – But that which the devil could not then do to St. Francis, namely to cast him down from there, he did a good while after, when St. Francis was dead, to a dear and devout friar of his, who, in that same place, was adjusting certain pieces of wood to the end that it might be possible to go there without peril, for devotion toward St. Francis and toward the miracle which was wrought there; and one day the devil pushed him, when he had a great log on his head which he wished to set there, and caused him to fall down from there with that log on his head; but God, who had saved and preserved St. Francis from falling, through his merits saved and preserved that devout friar of his from the peril of the fall; for, as the friar fell, he commended himself with very great devotion and with a loud voice to St. Francis, who straightway appeared to him and took him and set him on the rocks below, without permitting him to suffer any shock or hurt.
– We see things not as they are but as we are.
27 – Then, the friars, having heard his cry as he fell, and believing that he was dead and dashed to pieces, by reason of the great height from which he had fallen upon the sharp rocks, with great sorrow and weeping took the bier and went from the other side of the mountain to search for the fragments of his body and to bury them. Now, when they had already come down from the mountain, the friar who had fallen met them, with the log wherewith he had fallen upon his head; and he was singing the Te Deum laudamus, in a loud voice.
– An empty meaningless faith may be worse than none.
28 – And, because the friars marveled greatly, he related unto them in order all the manner of his falling, and how St. Francis had rescued him from every peril. Then all the friars accompanied him to the place, singing most devoutly the psalm, Te Deum laudamus, and praising and thanking God together with St. Francis for the miracle which he had wrought in his friar.
– They stand best who kneel most.
29 – St. Francis, then, continuing (as has been said) the fast, although he sustained many assaults of the devil, nevertheless he received many consolations from God, not only through angelic visitations but also through the birds of the air; for, during all the time of that fast, a hawk, which was building its nest hard by his cell, awakened him every night a little before matins, with its cry, and by beating itself against his cell, and departed not until he rose up to say matins; and, when St. Francis was more weary than usual, or weak or sick, this hawk, after the manner of a discreet and compassionate person, into uttered its cry later than it was wont to do. And so St. Francis took great joy of this clock, because the great diligence of the hawk drove away from him all sloth, and urged him to prayer: and besides this, sometimes, in the daytime, it would familiarly sit with him.
– Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips and the world in your heart.
30 – Finally, touching this second consideration, St. Francis, being much weakened in body, both by reason of his great abstinence, and of the assaults of the devil, and desiring to comfort his body with the spiritual food of the soul, began to meditate on the immeasurable glory and joy of the blessed in the life eternal, and therewith he began -to pray God that He would grant him to taste a little of that joy.
– There’s a hole in every heart that only God can fill.
31 – And, as he continued in this thought, an angel appeared to him there, with very great splendor, bearing a viol in his left hand and in his right a bow; and, while yet St. Francis was all amazed at the sight of him, the angel drew his bow once across the viol; and straightway St. Francis heard so sweet a melody that it filled all his soul with rapture and rendered it insensible to every bodily feeling; insomuch that, according to that which he afterward told his companions, he doubted whether, if the angel had drawn the bow back again across the viol, his soul must not have departed out of his body by reason of the intolerable sweetness. And this suffices for the second consideration.
– Christ changed the dark door of death into the shinning gate of life.
Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Truly Risen! Alleluia!
We are an ‘Alleluia’ People.
Live His Resurrection – it is ours – Live In-With-For – The Risen Lord Jesus
Through The Cross To The Light
|
|
