Sep 20, 2024 Written by 

Hymn of praise to the Father for littleness

The Gospel considered today is a hymn of praise to God the Father by Jesus, in the dimension of the weakness and vulnerability of the little ones.

He had experienced the disappointment of the "great ones", suspicious of his wonders.

Instead of asking the Father for help, as Son he praises him in his dark moments.

Looking at our Poor Man, all this is evident.

Short in stature, humble in spirit and a minor by profession, Francis of Assisi made littleness his existential and spiritual mark - and he taught his brothers the same.

To be humble and minimal in the following of the Lord was the essential trait of the friar - precisely minor - who wanted to live in communion at the Portiuncula.

Addressing the great and wise of this world, the Saint found resistance in making his proposal of poverty and essentiality of life understood.

They often replied to him:

"The poverty you seek, remain for ever with you, and your children, and your descendants after you" (cf. FF 1964).

In the Sources we find again that "Blessed Francis, hearing these words, marvelled in his heart and gave thanks to God, saying:

"Be blessed, O Lord God, who has kept these things hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed them to the little ones!

Yea, O Father, for thus it pleased thee!

O Lord, Father and master of my life, do not abandon me in their gathering, nor let me fall into that shame, but by your grace grant me to find what I seek, for I am your servant and the Son of your handmaid'" (FF 1965).

Furthermore, it must be remembered that "The servant of God, Francis, small in stature, humble of spirit and a minor by profession, while he lived here on earth, chose for himself and his brothers a small portion of the world [...] and they were certainly inspired by God who, in ancient times, called the place Porziuncola, the place that fell to those who did not want to possess anything on this earth [...].

There stood in this place a church dedicated to the Virgin Mother who, by her particular humility, deserved, after her Son, to be Sovereign of all Saints.

It was here that the Order of the Minors began, and their noble edifice rose wide and harmonious, as if resting on a solid foundation.

The Saint loved this place more than any other, and commanded the friars to venerate it with special devotion.

He wanted it always to be kept as a mirror of the Order in humility and highest poverty, reserving its ownership to others and keeping its use for himself and his own only" (FF 604).

So littleness was an eloquent sign of his being a child of God.

Precisely from such a position of hiddenness, in the difficult and obscure periods of his journey of faith, Francis raised to God the Father the praise for what he was doing:

"Most High, Almighty, good Lord,

To Thee be praise, glory and honour, and every blessing [...]

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures [...]" (FF 263).

Francis composed such a masterpiece in the cruellest and most suffering moment of his life, ill and in darkness.

Yet, he raised to God an authentic hymn of praise.

Like Jesus, who at the moment of loneliness and apparent defeat, of failure, raised his voice to the Father - to bless and praise him.

The blind alley and the darkness became a source of inspiration, and of a deeper relationship with the Lord; combined with that vulnerable littleness, entrusted to the Father for his Kingdom.

 

 

Saturday 26th wk. in O.T. (Lk 10:17-24)

61 Last modified on Friday, 20 September 2024 22:52
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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The family in the modern world, as much as and perhaps more than any other institution, has been beset by the many profound and rapid changes that have affected society and culture. Many families are living this situation in fidelity to those values that constitute the foundation of the institution of the family. Others have become uncertain and bewildered over their role or even doubtful and almost unaware of the ultimate meaning and truth of conjugal and family life. Finally, there are others who are hindered by various situations of injustice in the realization of their fundamental rights [Familiaris Consortio n.1]
La famiglia nei tempi odierni è stata, come e forse più di altre istituzioni, investita dalle ampie, profonde e rapide trasformazioni della società e della cultura. Molte famiglie vivono questa situazione nella fedeltà a quei valori che costituiscono il fondamento dell'istituto familiare. Altre sono divenute incerte e smarrite di fronte ai loro compiti o, addirittura, dubbiose e quasi ignare del significato ultimo e della verità della vita coniugale e familiare. Altre, infine, sono impedite da svariate situazioni di ingiustizia nella realizzazione dei loro fondamentali diritti [Familiaris Consortio n.1]
"His" in a very literal sense: the One whom only the Son knows as Father, and by whom alone He is mutually known. We are now on the same ground, from which the prologue of the Gospel of John will later arise (Pope John Paul II)
“Suo” in senso quanto mai letterale: Colui che solo il Figlio conosce come Padre, e dal quale soltanto è reciprocamente conosciuto. Ci troviamo ormai sullo stesso terreno, dal quale più tardi sorgerà il prologo del Vangelo di Giovanni (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
We come to bless him because of what he revealed, eight centuries ago, to a "Little", to the Poor Man of Assisi; - things in heaven and on earth, that philosophers "had not even dreamed"; - things hidden to those who are "wise" only humanly, and only humanly "intelligent"; - these "things" the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, revealed to Francis and through Francis (Pope John Paul II)
Veniamo per benedirlo a motivo di ciò che egli ha rivelato, otto secoli fa, a un “Piccolo”, al Poverello d’Assisi; – le cose in cielo e sulla terra, che i filosofi “non avevano nemmeno sognato”; – le cose nascoste a coloro che sono “sapienti” soltanto umanamente, e soltanto umanamente “intelligenti”; – queste “cose” il Padre, il Signore del cielo e della terra, ha rivelato a Francesco e mediante Francesco (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
But what moves me even more strongly to proclaim the urgency of missionary evangelization is the fact that it is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity [Redemptoris Missio n.2]
Ma ciò che ancor più mi spinge a proclamare l'urgenza dell'evangelizzazione missionaria è che essa costituisce il primo servizio che la chiesa può rendere a ciascun uomo e all'intera umanità [Redemptoris Missio n.2]
That 'always seeing the face of the Father' is the highest manifestation of the worship of God. It can be said to constitute that 'heavenly liturgy', performed on behalf of the whole universe [John Paul II]
Quel “vedere sempre la faccia del Padre” è la manifestazione più alta dell’adorazione di Dio. Si può dire che essa costituisce quella “liturgia celeste”, compiuta a nome di tutto l’universo [Giovanni Paolo II]

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