Jesus, invited to the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees, used a parable to try to make the guests understand the value of the lowest seat, chosen with humility.

Francis loved God’s poverty and humility and sought to follow them in every way.

He detested the pomp of the places of honour and wished to feed on humiliation, following in the footsteps of the Son of God, as taught in his Gospel.

One need only read what Francis says to his friars in the Letter to the Whole Order to be amazed at how much he loved humility.

«Behold, brothers, the humility of God, and open your hearts before him; humble yourselves too, so that you may be exalted by him.

Therefore, keep nothing of yourselves for yourselves, so that He who offers himself wholly to you may receive you wholly» (FF 221).

And again, in St Bonaventure’s *Major Legend*:

“Francis, both in himself and in others, preferred humility to all honours; and therefore God, who loves the humble, deemed him worthy of the most exalted glory, as was shown by the vision experienced by a most virtuous and devout friar.

This friar, a travelling companion of the man of God, whilst praying with him one day in an abandoned church, was caught up in ecstasy.

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

Marvelling at the splendour of that most eminent throne, he began to wonder anxiously who on earth was destined to occupy it […]

He heard a voice saying to him:

«This throne belonged to one of the rebellious angels and is now reserved for the humble Francis».

Having come to his senses […] the friar followed the Saint, who was leaving the church.

They resumed their journey, speaking to one another 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 kindness with which he has treated me, I am sure that man would be far more grateful to God than I am».

The friar received confirmation that his vision was true, knowing full 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 cast out” (FF 1111).

«For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted» (Lk 14:11)

Saturday, 30th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Lk 14:1, 7–11)

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)

In this Gospel passage from Luke, in which the end of Jesus and the fulfilment of His work is foretold, we witness Him weeping over Jerusalem, the proverbial city that stoned and killed the prophets.

Looking in the Sources we report a particular episode of the Poor Man.

One night Francis had a dream that almost recalled Jesus' lament over Jerusalem.

Christ had wept over the holy city, which was responsible for the killing of prophets (and for stoning those sent to it) whose price would be a house left deserted.

Unity betrayed and vilified would have generated squalor and abandonment.

The saint therefore "saw a small and black hen, similar to a domestic dove, with legs and feet covered in feathers.

She had many chicks, which, no matter how much they circled around her, could not all gather under her wings.

When she awoke, the man of God resumed his thoughts and personally explained the vision.

«The hen - he commented - is me, small in stature and dark in complexion, and I must unite to the innocence of life a simplicity of a dove: a virtue, which the rarer it is in the world, the more swiftly it rises to heaven.

The chicks are the friars, grown in numbers and grace, whom the strength of Francis is unable to protect from the disturbance of men and the attacks of malignant tongues»" (FF 610).

This is why the Minim placed the Order under the protection of the Church, since for him following Christ meant walking in the footsteps of the Bride of the Lord.

The Poverello had special solicitude for his brothers, striving to keep them in the bond of unity, for which Christ became the sacrificial Lamb, sacrificed for the salvation of all the people.

Indeed, in the Letter to the Faithful, he expresses himself thus:

«The will of his Father was this, that his blessed and glorious Son, whom he gave us and was born for us, should offer himself, through his own blood, as a sacrifice and victim on the altar of the cross, not for himself, since through him all things were created, but in atonement for our sins, leaving us the example so that we might follow in his footsteps» (FF 184).

In love with Christ in everything, even in the infirmities that afflicted him Francis wanted to follow the Lord's poverty and example.

"So vivid was his love for the salvation of souls, and his thirst to win them to God, that, no longer having the strength to walk, he went about the country riding a donkey.

Often the brethren, with gentle insistence, invited him to restore his infirm and too weak body a little, with medical care, but he, who had his spirit continually turned to heaven, declined the invitation each time, since he only wished to be untied from his body to be with Christ" (FF 490).

Thus he used his «brother donkey», borrowed for the journey to La Verna and his return through Borgo San Sepolcro, united in the meekness they shared.

Thursday 30th wk. in O.T.  (Lk 13,31-35)

Today's Gospel presents us with Jesus praying all night long before calling his disciples to himself.

The relationship with the Father anticipates every important choice in the life of Christ.

Francis, following Jesus' example, spent entire nights praying in solitary places and before making important decisions.

In the Second Life of his biographer Celano we read:

"The Saint once came with his companion to a church*, far from the town.

Wishing to pray all alone, he warned his companion:

«Brother, I would like to stay here alone tonight. You go to the hospital* and return to me in good time in the morning».

Left all alone, he addressed long and devout prayers to God [...]" (FF 707).

This intense relationship with God meant that in a short time, stimulated by his testimony, many disciples came to him ready to live the Gospel in the same way.

"During this time four other worthy and virtuous men joined them and became disciples of Francis.

Thus the interest in the movement and the fame of the man of God grew more and more among the people.

And truly at that time Francis and his companions felt an immense joy and inexplicable joy when any of the faithful, whoever they were and whatever their condition, rich, poor, noble, common, despicable, honoured [...] guided by the Spirit of God came to take the habit of their holy religion [...]" (FF 371).

His holiness was so evident that everyone was happy to be able to touch his poor cassock and receive benefits from it.

In fact, all those who were sick or possessed were healed when approached by the Poor Man.

For example, "in Città di Castello a woman was possessed by an evil and furious spirit: as soon as the Saint had commanded her to do so out of obedience, the demon fled, full of indignation, leaving the poor obsessed woman free in soul and body" (FF 1219).

The humble disciple of Jesus had become, by Grace, «Alter Christus».

«He went out to the mountain to pray and spent the night in prayer to God» (Lk 6:12).

- FF 707= the friar who accompanied him was Brother Pacifico.

- The Church at which they stopped to pray was San Pietro in Bovara, near the Fonti del Clitunno.

- The hospital to which Francis directed his companion was a leper colony a few kilometres from the church.

Ss. Simon and Judas  (Lk 6:12-19)

The two parables described in the passage from Luke highlight the characteristics of the Kingdom of God: hiddenness and smallness, which have the power to make the Good News rise.

Francis had understood that, in the Gospel, Jesus calls us to become men and women capable of allowing the Word to reign, in our own lives and in those of others.

Hiddenness is a central theme of today’s Gospel, and the two Poor of Assisi had intuited that God’s greatness lies in containing within the small and the insignificant that which is uncontainable—namely, God himself.

The Sources contain descriptions that highlight all this.

For example, in the papal bull of canonisation of St Clare, we read:

«Indeed, this light was kept hidden within the seclusion of cloistered life, whilst outside it radiated brilliant flashes of light […]

It was kept within: and it spread outwards.

Clare, in fact, hid herself away: yet her life was known to all.

Clare was silent: yet her fame resounded far and wide.

She kept herself hidden in her cell: yet in the towns people preached about her» (FF 3284).

«This was the tall tree, reaching towards the sky, with outstretched branches […] and in whose pleasant and refreshing shade many followers flocked from all quarters, and still flock to taste its fruits» (FF 3294).

Francis himself shunned the company of men whenever he could, taking up residence in hermitages, knowing full well that in solitude and seclusion the seed sown produces abundant shoots.

The Sources tell us:

“Whilst Francis, shunning as was his custom the sight and company of men, was in a hermitage, a falcon that had its nest there made a solemn pact of friendship with him” (FF 754).

In truth, the Kingdom of Heaven takes root where apparent smallness shines forth, giving flavour to all things.

«To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened» (Lk 13:20–21)

Tuesday, 30th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Lk 13:18–21)

Jesus poses a question to those present, following the healing of a bent woman:

«Now this woman, being a daughter of Abraham [...] should she not have been loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?» (Luke 13:16).

When speaking of Francis of Assisi, one must always bear in mind that he was a true, unconventional creature.

Consumed by love for God and neighbour, the Poverello was willing to make any sacrifice, capable of going beyond conventions in order to save and lead souls to Christ.

Following in the footsteps of Jesus, who also healed on the Sabbath, ridiculing the leaders who were loyal to their tradition, Francis expressed a new way of being and living according to the Gospel.

The Sources, a rich source of episodes, inform us about this.

"In the city of Narni there lived a woman who for eight years had had a withered hand, completely unusable.

One day the blessed Father appeared to her and, touching her sick hand, made it fit for work like the other" (FF 558).

Francis was not concerned with the hour or the day when he could help or heal; no, he was interested in the person knowing the salvation of soul and body, restoring God's children to God.

Free from all hypocrisy, he acted thus:

"Once, while Francis was staying in that same place*, a friar, a man of profound spirituality who had been living in the Order for several years, found himself very emaciated and infirm.

Francis, seeing him, took pity on him.

But the friars in those days did not resort to medicine; on the contrary, they willingly chose what was contrary to the body.

Francis said to himself:

«If this brother ate ripe grapes early in the morning, I believe he would benefit from it».

One day he rose at dawn and secretly called that brother, led him to the vineyard near the church, and, choosing a vine rich in beautiful, inviting bunches, sat down under it with his brother and began to eat the grapes, so that the sick man would not be ashamed to pick them himself.

While he was eating, the friar praised the Lord God.

And as long as he lived, he often reminded his brothers, with devotion and tears of tenderness, of the holy father's affectionate gesture towards him" (FF 1549).

Rightly, Francis, remembering the Word of God, put into practice mercy that is superior to any rule and worth more than being humanly sterilised.

Monday 30th week of Ordinary Time  (Lk 13:10-17)

Matthew highlights Jesus’ reply to the leaders who were trying to test him regarding the greatest commandment.

And the Lord takes them by surprise: to love God with all one’s being, and one’s neighbour as oneself, is the very best one can do.

Francis of Assisi was filled with a profound love for God and for his neighbour, for, by grace, he had come to understand that the whole Gospel was contained within these two commandments.

The Sources bear clear witness to this.

“Among the other words that frequently recurred in his speech, he could not hear the expression «love of God» without feeling a certain emotion. Indeed, as soon as he heard the words «love of God», he would be stirred, moved and set ablaze, as if the inner string of his heart were being plucked by the plectrum of the voice.

«It is a noble act of generosity - he would repeat - to offer this wealth in exchange for alms, and those who value it less than money are the most foolish of all».

For his part, he unfailingly observed until his death the resolution he had made whilst still in the world: never to turn away any poor person who asked of him for the love of God.

Once, a poor man asked him for alms for the love of God. As he had nothing, the Saint secretly took a pair of scissors and prepared to cut up his meagre habit.

And he would certainly have done so had he not been discovered by the friars, to whom, however, he ordered that the poor man be provided for in some other way” (FF 784).

“The power of love had made Francis a brother to all other creatures; it is therefore no wonder that the charity of Christ made him even more a brother to those who are endowed with the image of the Creator.

He used to say, in fact, that nothing is more important than the salvation of souls, and he often illustrated this by pointing out that the Only-Begotten Son of God deigned to be hung on the cross for the sake of souls.

Hence stemmed his dedication to prayer, his travelling from place to place to preach, and his great concern to set a good example.

He did not consider himself a friend of Christ unless he loved the souls whom Christ had loved […]

But above all else, he loved the friars with a particularly intimate love, with all the affection of his heart, as members of a special family united by their share in the eternal inheritance” (FF 758).

Francis knew that fraternal love was proof of the love shown to God in all its concreteness.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A  (Mt 22:34–40)

Jesus calls for conversion: «unless you are converted, you will all perish in the same way» (Lk 13:5) is a recurring expression.

Francis, humble of heart and simple, in this regard offers an episode that calls for reflection.

"He said that preachers, who often sell their ministry for a penny of vainglory, are to be pitied. And he would sometimes try to heal their swelling with this remedy:

«Why do you glory in the conversion of men, when my simple brothers have converted them by their prayers?»

And indeed he commented thus on the passage that says, «Even the barren one has borne numerous children».

«The barren one is my poor friar, who is not responsible for begetting sons in the Church. But in the judgment he will have given birth to many, for on that day the judge will ascribe to his glory those, whom he now converts by his personal prayers»" (FF 749).

And again:

«There are many friars who [...] in proclaiming the Gospel to some people and to the people, on seeing or hearing that some have been edified by it or converted to penance, become boastful and mount in pride because of results obtained by others' labor.

Indeed, those whom they delude themselves that they have edified or converted to penance by their speeches, it is the Lord who edifies and converts them through the prayers of the holy brothers, even if the latter ignore it: it is God's will, this, that they should not notice it lest they should become insuperbid.

These friars are my knights of the round table, who hide themselves in secluded and uninhabited places to engage more fervently in prayer and meditation, weeping over their own and others' sins» (FF 1624).

The humble and daily conversion of the Minim and his friars has, over time, revolutionized every bilious way of thinking, thanks to the Word of Christ.

Saturday of the 29th wk. in O.T. (Lk 13:1-9)