In chapter twelve of Luke's Gospel, Jesus warns against hypocrisy, whose father is the one whom St Teresa of Avila called 'a liar, a hypocrite, a dark one'.
We must fear him, says the Lord, who is capable of casting us into Gehenna.
When Francis of Assisi, by grace, manages to convert and tame the wolf of Gubbio, he then reminds the inhabitants of that place of something crucial:
'The flame of hell, which will last eternally for the damned, is more dangerous than the rage of the wolf, which can only kill the body. How much more should we fear the mouth of hell, when such a multitude is kept in fear and trembling by the mouth of a small animal. Return, therefore, dearest ones, to God and do worthy penance for your sins, and God will deliver you from the wolf in the present and from the fires of hell in the future" (Fioretti. FF 1852).
Likewise, the humble Francis kept all forms of hypocrisy away from his life.
The Sources tell us a significant episode.
"One winter, the Saint had his poor body covered with only one tunic, reinforced with very coarse patches.
The guardian*, who was also his companion, bought a fox skin and brought it to him, saying: Father, you suffer from spleen and stomach problems: I beg your charity in the Lord to allow this skin to be sewn inside your tunic. If you do not want the whole thing, at least accept a part of it to cover your stomach.
Francis replied:
"If you want me to wear this fur under my tunic, let me wear another one of the same size on the outside. Sewn on the outside, it will be a sign of the skin hidden underneath."
The friar listened, but he was not of the same opinion [...] In the end, the guardian gave in and had one piece of fur sewn onto the other, so that Francis would not appear different on the outside than he was on the inside.
What an example of consistency, identical in life and words! The same inside and out, as a subject and as a superior!
You desired no glory, either external or private, because you glorified only the Lord" (FF 714).
* The guardian was brother Angelo da Rieti.
Friday, 28th wk. in Ordinary Time (Lk 12:1-7)
