St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
November 2026
O God of spirits and of all flesh, You have trampled down death,
defeated the Devil, and given life to Your world.
You, O Lord, grant rest to the souls of Your departed servants in a place of light,
a place of refreshment, and a place of peace,
where all sickness, sighing, and sorrow have passed away.
Forgive every sin they have committed, whether in word, deed, or thought.
For You are a good God who loves all humanity.
There is no one who lives and does not sin, for You alone are without sin.
Your righteousness endures forever, and Your word is truth.
For You are the Resurrection, the Life,
and the Rest of Your servants who have fallen asleep,
O Christ our God.
To You we give glory, together with Your eternal Father
and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit,
now and forever, and for the ages of ages. Amen.
The following daily excerpts are taken from the Mirror of Perfection
Daily quotes are attributed to Blessed Giles of Assisi.
Here Begins the Mirror of Perfection concerning the Life of a Friar Minor, namely, the Blessed Francis
How the Blessed Francis Answered the Ministers Who Refused to Be Bound by the Rule He Had Written
1 – The Blessed Francis wrote three Rules. The first was confirmed by Pope Innocent without a papal bull. Later, he wrote another, shorter Rule, but it was lost. After that, he wrote the Rule that Pope Honorius confirmed with a papal bull. The ministers removed many things from this Rule against the wishes of the Blessed Francis.
– Joy is born when gratitude becomes your daily prayer
2 – After the second Rule had been lost, the Blessed Francis went up a mountain with Brother Leo of Assisi and Brother Bonizo of Bologna to write another Rule. Following Christ’s guidance, he had it written down. But most of the ministers gathered around Brother Elias, who was the Blessed Francis’s vicar…
– To forgive is to set both the prisoner and the jailer free.
3 – And (the vicars) said to him (Br.Elias): “We have heard that Brother Francis is writing a new Rule, but we are afraid he will make it too strict for us to observe. Therefore, we want you to go to him and tell him that we will not be bound by this Rule. Let him make it for himself, not for us.”
– Seek not to be admired but to be useful.
4 – Brother Elias replied that he would not go without them, so they all went together. When Brother Elias approached the place where the Blessed Francis was standing, he called out to him. Francis answered and, seeing the ministers, asked, “What do these brothers want?”
– The heart that bows in humility rises in peace.
5 – Brother Elias replied, “They are the ministers who have heard that you are writing a new Rule. They are afraid you will make it too strict, and they say openly that they will not be bound by it. Let it be for you, not for them.” The Blessed Francis then turned his face toward heaven and spoke to Christ:
– Silence is the language of the soul; listen, and you will hear God.
6 – “Lord, did I not tell You that they would not believe me?” Then everyone heard Christ’s voice answering from the air: “Francis, nothing in the Rule comes from you. Everything in it comes from Me. It is My will that the Rule be observed to the letter, to the letter, to the letter – without interpretation, without interpretation, without interpretation!”
– A small act done with great love is greater than a grand act done with pride.
7 – He added: “I know how much human weakness can bear, and I sincerely wish to help them. Therefore, let those who are unwilling to observe the Rule leave the Order!” The Blessed Francis turned to the brothers and said: “You have heard! You have heard! Do you want Me to have it said to you again?” The ministers, rebuked by what they had heard, went away ashamed and afraid.
– The poorest hand can give the richest gift — kindness.
Part Two: The Perfection of Poverty
First, How the Blessed Francis Explained His Intention, from Beginning to End, Concerning the Observance of Poverty
8 – Brother Richer of the March, a man of noble birth and equally noble holiness, was greatly loved by the Blessed Francis. One day, he visited Francis at the bishop’s palace in Assisi. Among other things, they discussed the state of the Order and the observance of the Rule.
– A gentle word can heal wounds unseen.
9 – Richer asked him particularly about one matter: “Tell me, Father, what was your intention when you first began gathering brothers, and what is your intention now, which you hope to maintain until the day of your death? I want to be able to bear witness to your original intention and your final wishes. Specifically, can we clerical brothers, who possess so many books, truly own them, even if we say they belong to the Order?”
– Patience is the seed from which peace blooms.
10 – The Blessed Francis answered: “Brother, I tell you that this was my original intention and remains my final wish: if only the brothers had believed me, no brother should possess anything except the habit permitted by our Rule, together with a cord and undergarments.”
– The humble path is the shortest road to heaven.
11 – Someone might ask, however: Why did the Blessed Francis not ensure, during his own lifetime, that the brothers observed the Rule and its requirements concerning poverty as strictly as he told Brother Richer? Why did he not command them to live in this way?
– Love is the only wealth that multiplies when given away.
12 – We who were with him answer this question according to what we heard from his own mouth. Francis himself spoke to the brothers about these and many other matters. He even had many provisions written into the Rule, which he had sought from the Lord through earnest prayer and reflection. He believed these provisions would benefit the Order and were entirely in accordance with God’s will.
– The soul that trusts fears no storm.
13 – Yet when he presented them to the brothers, they considered them too difficult and unbearable. They did not understand what would happen to the Order after his death. Because Francis was deeply afraid of causing scandal, both for himself and for the brothers, he did not wish to argue with them. Reluctantly, he gave in to their wishes and excused himself before the Lord for doing so.
– True wisdom is knowing you are always a student.
14 – Nevertheless, he did not want the word that the Lord had placed in his mouth for the brothers’ benefit to return to Him without bearing fruit. Therefore, Francis resolved to fulfill that word in his own life, so that he might receive his reward from the Lord. In the end, his spirit found peace and consolation in doing so.
– A pure heart sees God in all things.
How Francis Answered a Minister Who Wanted Permission to Own Books, and How the Ministers Secretly Removed the Gospel’s Prohibition from the Rule
15 – Once, after the Blessed Francis had returned from overseas, a certain minister spoke with him about the section of the Rule concerning poverty. He wanted to understand Francis’s intentions more clearly, especially because the Rule then contained a passage about the Gospel’s instructions regarding what the disciples should take on their journeys:
– The greatest sermon is a life lived in kindness.
16 – “Take nothing for your journey, neither staff nor bag, neither bread nor money, and do not take two tunics each.” The Blessed Francis answered: “I understand this to mean that the brothers should possess nothing except their clothing, a cord, and undergarments, as the Rule says. If necessity forces them to do so, they may also wear shoes.”
– When you serve others you serve God Himself.
17 – The minister then asked: “What should I do? I have so many books that they are worth more than forty pounds.” He asked this because he wanted to keep his books with a clear conscience. He felt uneasy about owning so many books, knowing how strictly the Blessed Francis understood the requirement of poverty.
– The quiet soul hears the loudest truth.
18 – Francis answered: “I will not, I ought not, and I cannot act against my conscience or against the fulfillment of the Holy Scriptures, which we have professed to follow.” When the minister heard this, he became distressed. Seeing his distress, Francis spoke with great spiritual fervor on behalf of all the brothers: “You want to appear before people as Friars Minor and to be called observers of the Holy Gospel, yet in your actions you want to have treasure chests!”
– Every sunrise is a reminder that mercy is new each day.
19 – Although the ministers knew that the Rule required the brothers to observe the Holy Gospel, they nevertheless had the passage removed from the Rule that said, “Take nothing for your journey,” along with the rest of the instructions. They believed that by doing so, the brothers would no longer be obliged to follow these Gospel commands. When the Blessed Francis learned of this through the Holy Spirit, he spoke in the presence of several brothers:
– The measure of faith is not in words but in deeds.
20 – “The minister-brothers think they can deceive the Lord and me, even though they know that all the brothers are bound to observe the Holy Gospel. “It is my will that the following be written both at the beginning and at the end of the Rule: that the brothers are firmly bound to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
– A smile is a prayer without words.
21 – “And so that the brothers may never have an excuse, now that I have declared – and continue to declare – things the Lord has placed in my mouth for the salvation of both them and me, I want them to demonstrate these teachings through their actions before God and, with His help, to observe them forever.” For this reason, Francis himself observed the entire Holy Gospel to the letter from the very beginning of his life among the brothers until the day of his death.
– The soul’s richest feast is contentment.
Concerning the Novice Who Wanted Permission to Have a Psalter
22 – On another occasion, a certain novice who knew how to read a psalter, though not very well, obtained permission from the Minister General to possess one. However, he had heard that the Blessed Francis did not want his brothers to become preoccupied with learning and books. Therefore, he was not satisfied with having the psalter unless Francis himself knew of it and approved.
– To walk gently is to walk with God.
23 – When the Blessed Francis came to the place where the novice was staying, the novice said: “Father, having a psalter would bring me great comfort. Although the Minister General has given me permission to have one, I would like to have it with your knowledge and approval.” The Blessed Francis answered: “Emperor Charlemagne, Roland and Oliver, and all the paladins and mighty warriors pursued the pagans with great effort and suffering, even to the point of death. They won a victory over them worthy of everlasting remembrance, and in the end they themselves died in battle as holy martyrs for the faith of Christ.
– The smallest light can guide through the darkest night.
24 – “Yet today there are many who want to receive honor and praise from others merely by telling the stories of what those men accomplished. “In the same way, even among us, many want to receive praise and honor simply by recounting and preaching the works that the saints themselves carried out.”
– Love without conditions is heaven on earth.
25 – In other words, Francis was saying: Do not focus on books and learning, but on holy deeds, because knowledge makes a person proud, while love builds others up. Several days later, the same novice spoke to Francis about the psalter again while Francis was sitting beside a fire.
– The heart that gives never runs empty.
26 – Francis said to him: “Once you have a psalter, you will become greedy for more and want a breviary as well. And once you have obtained a breviary, you will sit in a chair like some great prelate and say to your brother, ‘Bring me the breviary!’”As he spoke, the Blessed Francis, filled with spiritual fervor, took some ashes and sprinkled them on his own head. Then he moved his hand around his head as though washing it …
– Peace begins where self ends.
27 – (Francis seemed to be) saying: “A breviary for me! A breviary for me!” He repeated these words several times, continuing to move his hand around his head. The brother was astonished and ashamed. Francis then said to him: “Brother, I too have been tempted to possess books. But while I was still uncertain of God’s will in this matter, I took a book containing the Gospels of our Lord and prayed that, the first time I opened it, He would show me what I should do. “When I had finished praying, I opened the book and immediately came upon these words from the Holy Gospel: ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to others they are revealed in parables.’”
– The soul’s strength is found in surrender.
28 – Francis added: “So many people eagerly seek to raise themselves up through learning that blessed will be the person who makes himself empty for the love of our Lord God.” Many months later, the Blessed Francis was staying at Saint Mary of the Little Portion, near the small cell beyond the house on the street. The same brother approached him once again about the psalter.
– Every act of compassion is a step toward eternity.
29 – This time Francis said: “Go and do whatever your minister tells you to do about it.”When the brother heard this, he began to walk away along the path he had taken to reach Francis. But Francis remained where he was, reflecting on what he had just told the brother. Immediately, he called after him: “Wait for me, brother! Wait!” He caught up with him and said: “Come back with me, brother, and show me the place where I told you to do whatever your minister instructed you to do about the psalter.”
– The humble man is rich in treasures unseen.
30 – When they reached the place, the Blessed Francis knelt before the brother and said: “The fault is mine, brother, the fault is mine! For whoever wishes to be a Friar Minor should possess nothing except the habit permitted by the Rule, a cord, and undergarments. Shoes are allowed for those who have a clear and genuine necessity for them.”
-The world is full of people who talk much and do little; let us be the opposite.
The conclusion seems obvious as spiritual children of St. Francis.
For this reason, whenever various brothers came to Francis seeking advice on matters of this kind, he answered them in this same way. He often said: “A person knows as much as he puts into practice. A religious person preaches well only to the extent that he lives well, for a person is known by his fruits.”
Blessings of Peace and All Good
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Leave a Reply