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".
Attracting meekness and humility
Jesus, in chapter eleven of Matthew, calls His own to meekness and humility of heart as a place of refreshment from all toil, learning from Him.
Regarding the meekness of God, in the writings of the Poor Man of Assisi (Praises of God Most High) we find this wonderful expression:
"You are humility [...] You are beauty. You are meekness' (FF 261).
Francis, Alter Christus, was indeed a meek man and everything that reminded him of the meekness of Jesus he looked upon and revered with great respect and scruple.
Thomas of Celano himself, one of his main biographers, describes Francis thus:
"How beautiful, stupendous and glorious he was in his innocence, in the simplicity of his words [...] Of mild character, of a calm disposition, affable in speech, cautious in admonition" (FF 464).
For his eye ailment, in front of the surgeon who red-hot iron to cauterize the diseased part, Francis thus addressed "friar focu":
"The Father, to comfort the body already shaken by terror, thus speaks to the fire:
"Brother Fire, of enviable beauty among all creatures, the Most High has created you vigorous, beautiful and useful. Be propitious to me in this hour, be gracious! For long have I loved thee in the Lord. I pray to the Great Lord, who created you, to temper your heat now so that I can bear it, if you burn me with gentleness'.
Having finished his prayer, he draws a sign of the cross on the fire and then waits intrepidly. The saint offers himself ready and smiling to the iron.
The friars present, horrified and trembling, departed. Back they were, after the operation, Francis addressed them:
"Pusillanimous and of little courage, why have you fled? Verily I say unto you, I felt neither the ardour of fire nor any pain of the flesh".
And addressing the physician:
"If the flesh is not well cauterized, it will burn again".
To the amazement of the latter who, turning to the brothers, said: "I tell you, brothers, that today I have seen wondrous things" (FF 752).
And Clare, in her Testament, recommends to the sisters, first of all to those who preside over the community, the attitude and style of the Gospel:
"Let her still be so affable and within the reach of all, that the sisters may confidently manifest their needs to her and have recourse to her at every hour with confidence, as they think best, for themselves or for the benefit of the sisters" (FF 2848).
These two Giants of the Gospel were nourished by humility and meekness, finding in them their defence.
«Learn from me, who am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your lives» (Mt 11:29)
Thursday of the 15th wk. in O.T. (Mt 11:28-30)
Where does Love start from?
Franciscan Mission: lambs among wolves
Franciscan Corpus Christi
Franciscan Pentecost
New «Glory» as Commandment: Franciscan Love
Franciscan Conversion: Revolution, of the most sinner
Franciscan Transfiguration: without applause
«The Russian mystics of the first centuries of the Church gave advice to their disciples, the young monks: in the moment of spiritual turmoil take refuge under the mantle of the holy Mother of God». Then «the West took this advice and made the first Marian antiphon “Sub tuum Praesidium”: under your cloak, in your custody, O Mother, we are sure there» (Pope Francis)
«I mistici russi dei primi secoli della Chiesa davano un consiglio ai loro discepoli, i giovani monaci: nel momento delle turbolenze spirituali rifugiatevi sotto il manto della santa Madre di Dio». Poi «l’occidente ha preso questo consiglio e ha fatto la prima antifona mariana “Sub tuum praesidium”: sotto il tuo mantello, sotto la tua custodia, o Madre, lì siamo sicuri» (Papa Francesco)
The Cross of Jesus is our one true hope! That is why the Church “exalts” the Holy Cross, and why we Christians bless ourselves with the sign of the cross. That is, we don’t exalt crosses, but the glorious Cross of Christ, the sign of God’s immense love, the sign of our salvation and path toward the Resurrection. This is our hope (Pope Francis)
La Croce di Gesù è la nostra unica vera speranza! Ecco perché la Chiesa “esalta” la santa Croce, ed ecco perché noi cristiani benediciamo con il segno della croce. Cioè, noi non esaltiamo le croci, ma la Croce gloriosa di Gesù, segno dell’amore immenso di Dio, segno della nostra salvezza e cammino verso la Risurrezione. E questa è la nostra speranza (Papa Francesco)
The basis of Christian construction is listening to and the fulfilment of the word of Christ (Pope John Paul II)
Alla base della costruzione cristiana c’è l’ascolto e il compimento della parola di Cristo (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
«Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still; teach the upright, he will gain yet more» (Prov 9:8ff)
«Rimprovera il saggio ed egli ti sarà grato. Dà consigli al saggio e diventerà ancora più saggio; istruisci il giusto ed egli aumenterà il sapere» (Pr 9,8s)
These divisions are seen in the relationships between individuals and groups, and also at the level of larger groups: nations against nations and blocs of opposing countries in a headlong quest for domination [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
Queste divisioni si manifestano nei rapporti fra le persone e fra i gruppi, ma anche a livello delle più vaste collettività: nazioni contro nazioni, e blocchi di paesi contrapposti, in un'affannosa ricerca di egemonia [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
But the words of Jesus may seem strange. It is strange that Jesus exalts those whom the world generally regards as weak. He says to them, “Blessed are you who seem to be losers, because you are the true winners: the kingdom of heaven is yours!” Spoken by him who is “gentle and humble in heart”, these words present a challenge (Pope John Paul II)
È strano che Gesù esalti coloro che il mondo considera in generale dei deboli. Dice loro: “Beati voi che sembrate perdenti, perché siete i veri vincitori: vostro è il Regno dei Cieli!”. Dette da lui che è “mite e umile di cuore”, queste parole lanciano una sfida (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
The first constitutive element of the group of Twelve is therefore an absolute attachment to Christ: they are people called to "be with him", that is, to follow him leaving everything. The second element is the missionary one, expressed on the model of the very mission of Jesus (Pope John Paul II)
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