Jesus speaks to His own saying: «Your Joy no one can take away from you» (Jn 16:22).
The happiness that comes from Him is lasting, it is authentic because it is founded on non-worldly pillars.
Francis found joy in poverty and fraternity. Even more so in prayer, in the inner relationship with Christ.
It was his joy that came from being the Herald of the Great King, who rested his feet in the footsteps of the Son of God.
In the Sources, the source of the original Franciscan experience, there are passages that corroborate this.
Celano, the diligent biographer, in the Vita prima, informs about the fraternal and joyful life of the brothers:
"As faithful devotees of the most holy poverty, since they possessed nothing, they attached themselves to nothing, and feared nothing to lose.
They were content with a single tunic, sometimes mended inside and out, so poor and unrefined that in that garment they appeared as true crucifiers to the world, and they tightened it at the hips with a rope, and wore rough breeches.
Their holy purpose was to remain in that state, having nothing else. They were therefore always serene, free from all anxieties and thoughts, without anxieties about the future; they did not even worry about securing a hospice for the night, even if they suffered great discomfort on the journey. Often, during the coldest cold, finding no hospitality, they would huddle in an oven, or spend the night in some cave" (FF 388).
In the Legend of the Three Companions, Francis and Brother Aegidius vibrate with joy in the Lord:
"Francis together with Egidio went to the March of Ancona, the other two set out for another region. On their way to the March, they exulted joyfully in the Lord.
Francis, in a loud and clear voice, sang the praises of the Lord in French, blessing and glorifying the goodness of the Most High. So great was their joy, that they seemed to have discovered a magnificent treasure in the evangelical estate of Lady Poverty, for the love of which they had generously and spontaneously got rid of every material possession, considering it as rubbish [...]" (FF 1436).
And Clare rejoices in knowing how Agnes of Prague, her beloved daughter in the Spirit, progresses in the interior life, so much so as to say:
"On hearing the wonderful fame of your holy religious life, which has not only reached me, but has spread magnificently over almost the entire face of the earth, I am filled with joy in the Lord and I rejoice; and not only I can rejoice in this, but all those who serve or wish to serve Jesus Christ" (FF 2860).
The two Poor of Assisi lived their unadorned existence, projected into the Gospel of Jesus; they rested on the Word, which prepared them for endless bliss.
Awaiting the return of Christ, they had prepared their lives by offering them to union with God and their brothers.
With joy they welcomed favourable and (at least in appearance) contrary experiences, knowing that God is faithful to his promises and to the simple ones who follow him.
Friday of the 6th wk. in Easter (Jn 16:20-23a)
