In today's Gospel Jesus arouses amazement in people by his authoritative word, healing in the synagogue a possessed man who was trying to "exorcise" the presence of the Lord.

In the Franciscan Sources we find that assiduous contemplation and purity of life had made Francis powerful over evil by grace, making him a credible witness to the Lord through numerous healings.

The Sources eloquently illuminate in this regard:

"People of all ages [...] ran to see and hear that new man.

He pilgrimaged through the various regions, fervently proclaiming the Gospel; and the Lord cooperated, confirming the Word with the miracles that accompanied it.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord, Francis, preacher of the truth, cast out demons, healed the sick" (FF 1212).

Once "I do not know how to qualify the horrible illness from which a brother suffered, some attributed it to the presence of an evil devil. The poor man would often throw himself to the ground and, squinting his eyes in a horrible way, he would foam all over his mouth; his limbs now contracted, now stretched out, now rigid, now bent and twisted [...] Saint Francis had immense compassion for him, went to him, blessed him, humbly praying to God, and the sick man obtained prompt and complete health and never suffered such an evil again" (FF 440).

"In Città di Castello, a woman was possessed by an evil and furious spirit: as soon as the Saint [...] had obediently ordered [him to come out of her], the demon fled full of indignation, leaving the poor obsessed woman free in body and soul" (FF 1219)

Francis had married the Light that gave no more room to evil.

«They were amazed at his teaching because his Word was with authority» (Lk 4:32)

Tuesday of the 22nd wk. in O.T.  (Lk 4:31-37)

Jesus is in the synagogue in Nazareth. He proclaims from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah:

«The Spirit of the Lord upon me; therefore he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor [...]» (Lk 4:18).

After rewinding it, he affirms that, in that Today, the Scripture heard by the bystanders was fulfilled.

Francis, in the footsteps of Christ, invested by the power of the Spirit of God, followed the call that had been addressed to him by the Lord with courage, despite adversity.

In the Sources it is attested that "Francis, who never trusting in himself, in every decision sought inspiration from God in prayer, chose to live not for himself alone, but for Him who died for all, well aware that he had been sent by God to conquer souls" (FF 381).

Aware of his mandate to the poor, of having been called to proclaim the Good News, "he became a herald of the Gospel. He began, in fact, to travel through towns and villages and to proclaim the Kingdom of God there, relying not on persuasive speeches of human wisdom, but on the demonstration of spirit and power' (FF 1072).

He took care not to be disturbed, in his proclamation of the Gospel, by those who despised him:

"I will not be able to consider myself a true friar minor if I do not remain equally serene when they vilify me and ignominiously drive me away" (FF 1639).

The prophetic gaze bestowed on him from on high led him to look beyond appearances for the liberation of the oppressed.

Monday 22nd wk. in O.T.  (Lk 4,16-30)

In this Sunday's Gospel according to Luke, Jesus emphasises the wisdom of those who choose the last place and the relative dishonour, in perfect gratuitousness.

The sources clearly show the Poverello's aversion to appearing and choosing conditions of prominence.

Francis loved God's poverty and humility and sought to follow them in every way in his life.

He hated the pomp of the front seats and wanted to feed on humiliation, following in the footsteps of the Son of God, who taught this in his Gospel.

Just read what Francis says to his brothers in his Letter to the Entire Order to be amazed at how much he loved humility.

"Look, brothers, at the humility of God, and open your hearts to him; humble yourselves also, so that you may be exalted by him.

Hold nothing back, therefore, so that he who offers himself totally to you may receive you totally" (FF 221).

And again, in the Leggenda maggiore by St. Bonaventure:

"Francis, both in himself and in others, preferred humility to all honours, and therefore God, who loves the humble, judged him worthy of the highest glory, as was shown by the vision of a very virtuous and devout friar.

This friar, a travelling companion of the man of God, was praying with him one day in an abandoned church when he was raptured into ecstasy.

He saw many seats in heaven, and among them one more splendid and glorious than all the others, studded with precious stones.

Admiring the splendour of that eminent throne, he began to wonder anxiously who was destined to occupy it [...]

He heard a voice saying to him:

"This seat belonged to one of the rebellious angels and is now reserved for the humble Francis."

Returning to himself [...] the friar followed the Saint as he was leaving the church.

They resumed their walk, talking to each other about God [...] and then that friar [...] skilfully seized the opportunity to ask Francis what he thought of himself.

And the humble servant of Christ said to him:

'I feel I am the greatest sinner'.

'If Christ had treated the most wicked of men with the same mercy and goodness with which he treated me, I am sure that he would be much more grateful to God than I am'.

The friar had confirmation that his vision was true, knowing well that, according to the testimony of the Holy Gospel, the truly humble will be raised to that exalted glory from which the proud are rejected" (FF 1111).

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C  (Lk 14:1,7-14)

The parable of the talents is an explicit invitation by Christ to traffic His gifts for the sake of the Kingdom, that they may bear abundant fruit, and not to "hide" them out of fear.

In the Sources we find confirmation of how Francis and Clare were keen to recognise and make fruitful the gifts (talents) received from the Most High with courage and self-denial.

In fact, finding themselves one day, together with St. Dominic, in the house of the Cardinal of Ostia, Francis spoke thus about his brothers:

"Lord, my brothers for this very reason are called Minors, so that they do not presume to become majors.

The very name teaches them to remain lowly and to follow in the footsteps of Christ's humility [...].

If you want them to bear fruit in the Church of God, keep them and preserve them in the state of their vocation" (FF 732).

And Clare, in one of her letters to her spiritual daughter Agnes of Bohemia expresses herself thus:

"I give thanks to the Author of Grace, from whom, as we believe, comes every supreme good and every perfect gift".

Furthermore, in his beautiful Testament:

"Indeed, the Lord himself has placed us as a model, an example and a mirror not only for other men, but also for our sisters, those whom the Lord himself has called to follow our vocation, so that they too may shine as a mirror and example for all those who live in the world" (FF 2829).

Both have committed themselves to make the special talents bestowed by the Father of mercies bear fruit in their lives and in the lives of their sons and daughters, so that the benefits derived may be for the benefit of each and all.

«For unto every one that hath, it shall be given, and it shall abound; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away» (Mt 25:29)

Saturday of the 21st wk. in O.T.  (Mt 25:14-30)

The passage proposed on this day is the passage from Mark that narrates the martyrdom of the Baptist.

Herod wanted to have John killed because he reproached him for his offences, but at the same time he feared the crowd who considered him a prophet.

The theme of persecution combined with the people's favour for the man of God is also present in Francis of Assisi.

In the Sources:

"Since the herald of Christ was famous for these and many other prodigies, the people paid attention to his words as if he spoke as an Angel of the Lord.

Indeed, the prerogative of the lofty virtues, the spirit of prophecy, the thaumaturgic power, the mission to preach coming from heaven, the obedience of creatures deprived of reason, the sudden conversions of hearts brought about by hearing his word, the knowledge infused by the Holy Spirit and superior to human doctrine, the authorisation to preach granted by the Supreme Pontiff by divine revelation, as well as the Rule, which defines the form of preaching, confirmed by the Vicar of Christ himself and, finally, the signs of the Supreme King impressed like a seal on his body, are like ten testimonies for the whole world and confirm without a shadow of a doubt that Francis, the herald of Christ, is worthy of veneration for the mission received, authentic in the doctrine taught, admirable for his holiness and that, therefore, he preached the Gospel of Christ as a true envoy of God" (FF 1221).

For this he too encountered persecution.

But to his brothers, in the Regola non bollata, he reminds them:

"And let all the brethren, wherever they are, remember that they have given themselves and abandoned their bodies to our Lord Jesus Christ. And for his love they must expose themselves to enemies both visible and invisible, for the Lord says:

'He who loses his soul for my sake will save it for eternal life' " (FF 45).

Francis sacrificed his whole self on the altar of charity and poverty for the sake of the Kingdom, leaving a shining example to all.

«And immediately the king sent a guard and ordered his head to be brought» (Mk 6:27)

Martyrdom of St John the Baptist  (Mk 6:17-29)

Today's passage from Matthew calls us to vigilantly await the Lord's return, behaving as committed and available servants. Those who let themselves go will find bitter surprises in the end.

Since we do not know when he will come, it is necessary to watch.

The Poor Man of Assisi made diligent waiting and vigilance the leitmotif of his journey of faith.

Not only did he keep vigil in prayer, always waiting for the coming of his Lord, but he also strove to embody the Word by serving and loving his brothers and every creature.

In this sense, the Sources inform us and bear credible witness to his simple evangelical life.

We read:

"He always raised his hands to heaven in favour of the true Israelites, and sometimes, forgetting himself, he provided first for the salvation of his brothers.

He prostrated himself at the feet of the divine Majesty, offered a spiritual sacrifice for his children, and implored God to benefit them.

He watched over the little flock that had followed him with anxious love, lest they should lose heaven after leaving this world.

He was convinced that one day he would be left without glory if he did not make those entrusted to him worthy and participants in that glory, whom his spirit brought to birth with greater pain than that felt by a mother's womb" (FF 760).

He watched over the spiritual children God had given him with the love of a father and mother, with great solicitude and foresight.

He watched with ardour so that he could live every day what Jesus had revealed to him on his journey.

He watched paternally over the Poor Ladies of St. Damian, over those little plants born of the same call: the vocation to incarnate the Holy Gospel, proclaiming it to every creature under heaven.

«You too, keep yourselves ready, for in the hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come» (Mt 24:44)

Thursday of the 21st wk. in Ordinary Time  (Mt 24:42-51)

Jesus points the finger at the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. They concern themselves with trifles, instead of practising justice and mercy.

They are whitewashed sepulchres, displaying an appearance that only serves as a smokescreen to inner rot.

Francis detested the hypocrisy reproached by Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees, and he was careful not to cultivate it in any form.

Even when illness forced him to slacken his fasts to regain his strength, he would then denounce everything before the people, openly, to earn contempt.

In fact, in the Major Legend it is written:

"It was a demonstration of perfect humility, which teaches the follower of Christ the need to despise praise and passing praise, to repress the pomp and arrogance of ostentation and to expose the fraudulent lies of hypocrisy" (FF 1104).

One day to a friar who was showing his sad face he said:

"The servant of God must not show himself to others sad and gloomy, but always serene.

To your sins, reflect in your room and in the presence of God weep and wail.

But when you return among the brothers, leave sadness behind and conform to others" (FF 712).

«Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you resemble whitewashed tombs that look splendid on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every impurity» (Mt 23:27)

Wednesday 21st wk. in O.T.  (Mt 23:27-32)

The «Woe» pronounced by Jesus in Matthew's Gospel continues.

He lashes out at rampant hypocrisy, rebuking the care of the exterior that clashes with the sooty interior.

Let us look at the life of the Poor Man through the Sources and on the merits.

Francis detested the hypocrisy reproached by Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees, and he was careful not to cultivate it in any form.

Even when illness forced him to slacken his fasts to regain his strength, he would then denounce everything before the people, openly, to earn contempt.

In fact, in the Major Legend it is written:

"It was a demonstration of perfect humility, which teaches the follower of Christ the need to despise praise and passing praise, to repress the pomp and arrogance of ostentation and to expose the fraudulent lies of hypocrisy" (FF 1104).

One day to a friar who showed a sad face he said:

"The servant of God must not show himself to others sad and gloomy, but always serene. To your sins, reflect in your room and in the presence of God weep and wail. But when you return among the brothers, leave sadness behind and conform to others'" (FF 712).

Francis was a lover of truth, abhorring all greed and intemperance.

He looked to the Father who is in heaven and expects justice, fidelity and mercy from everyone.

«Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you pay the tithe of mint and dill […] and betwixt the weightier [points] of the Law: judgement and mercy and faithfulness» (Mt 23:23).

Tuesday of the 21st wk. in O.T. (Mt 23,23-26)