Francis had his gaze fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the law. His true joy was to live as Christ lived.

Therefore, he had no problem helping and healing those who were sick, regardless of what the world of right-thinking people considered right or wrong.

For the Little One of Assisi, night or day, at any time, the charity of healing had absolute priority. Imagine if he was intimidated by human rules!

Healing is always permissible, even on feast days.

Francis was truly free from oppressive laws that nailed the poor down.

As evidence of this, the Sources reveal the many healings that took place through God, through the charisms of his humble and simple servant.

"A young man from the same city (Narni), who had been ill for ten years, had become so swollen that any medicine was now useless. His mother made a vow to Blessed Francis, and he immediately regained full health.

Similarly, a dropsical man from Fano, whose body was terribly swollen, was completely healed through the merits of the glorious servant of God" (FF 558).

For Francis, the verbs 'to save' and 'to heal' were the essence of his actions, always.

Chiara, too, unbound by useless customs, performed healings through the sign of the cross by the grace of the Father of Mercy, as she often called him.

The Legend tells us:

"There were a large number of sisters in the monastery who were ill with various ailments. Chiara went to them, as she usually did, with her usual medicine and, having made the sign of the cross five times, instantly healed five sisters of their ailments.

From these facts, it is clear that the tree of the cross was planted in the Virgin's chest, which, while its fruit renews the soul internally, its leaves offer external medicine" (FF 3226).

«Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?»  (Lk 14:3)

Friday 30th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Lk 14:1-6)