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".
Familiar in Praise of the Father
«[...] He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to babes'» (Lk 10:21).
Jesus is the only one who can truly call the Lord of heaven and earth Father, but into this familiarity he introduces everyone.
Clare, seedling of the blessed Father Francis, with her special character of simplicity and littleness had achieved, by Grace, such a great familiarity with the Lord that she moved in total harmony with Him.
Consulting the Sources, in the Legend we read of the degree of intimate union of the Saint with the divine Bridegroom.
"How much strength and support she received in the furnace of ardent prayer, how sweet the divine goodness was to her in that fruition, is testified to by proven evidence.
For when she returned in the joy of holy prayer, she brought back from the fire of the Lord's altar burning words, such as inflamed the hearts of the sisters.
They noted with admiration that a certain sweetness radiated from her face and that her face seemed brighter than usual" (FF 3199).
In a letter to Ermentrude of Bruges* he recommends:
"Always be attentive and vigilant in prayer. Bring to its consummation the good you have begun, and fulfil the mystery you have embraced in holy poverty and sincere humility' (FF 2916).
Such was Clare, a simple and small creature, capable of rejoicing in every gift received, in every tiny reality that spoke to her of the Eternal.
"She welcomed with great joy the fragments of alms, the pieces of bread that the beggars brought back and, almost sad for the whole loaves, she was happy instead for those little pieces" (FF 3188).
A woman conformed to Christ in everything, she considered herself a nothing before God.
In her Testament she exhorted meekness and humility of heart, as a loving Mother:
"I still pray to her who will be in the government of the sisters, that she may endeavour to preside over the others more by virtue and holiness of life than by dignity, so that, animated by her example, the sisters may lend obedience to her, not so much because of the office she occupies, but out of love.
Let her also be provident and discreet towards her sisters, like a good mother towards her daughters [...].
Let her still be so affable and accessible to all that the sisters can confidently manifest their needs to her and have recourse to her at all times with confidence [...]" (FF 2848).
Meekness and humility: the stature of little ones, to whom the Mysteries of the Kingdom are revealed, finding consolation in loving with the sentiments of Christ.
*Ermentrude of Bruges: to her we owe the spread of the Order of the Poor Clares in Flanders.
Tuesday 1st wk. in Advent (Lk 10,21-24)
Power of the Word, even in distant lands - in Faith
Jesus draws attention to the operative power of the Word of God, even at a distance, where authentic Faith palpitates.
In this sense, an episode narrated by the Sources is symptomatic.
In conversation with Cardinal Ugolino (the future pope), faced with the latter's reproach as to why he had sent his friars to foreign lands and so far away, Francis, a man of profound faith in the Word of God, responds with a great outburst of spirit:
"Do not think, sir, that the Lord has sent the brothers only for the good of these regions.
I tell you in truth that God has chosen and sent the brothers for the spiritual benefit and salvation of the souls of men throughout the world; they will be received not only in the lands of Christians, but also in those of the infidels.
Provided they observe what they have promised the Lord. God will give them what they need in the lands of the infidels as in Christian lands" (FF 1638).
Here Francis manifested a solid and universal faith in the Word that works always and everywhere where it finds open doors and sincere reliance.
Clare of Assisi too, who grew up in the shadow of Saint Francis, a woman of clear and strong ideas, revealed a granitic faith in the Word of God whose saving and transforming power she sensed, so much so that she refused material support from the begging friars if Pope Gregory then decided to prohibit the friars from going to the Monasteries without prior authorisation.
Regretting the scarcity of the bread of the Word, she groaned and said:
"Take them all away from us now, the friars, after you have taken away those who gave us the nourishment of life!
As the Bride of the Canticle, Clare knew by direct knowledge what benefits her soul and those of her sisters had received for the healing of soul and body.
She, a woman enclosed in the secret of the Word, certain of its boundless efficacy, knew the transformation that had taken place at St Damian's through the power of the Word - which does not return to God before it has effectively worked what it desires.
«Truly I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith!» (Mt 8:10).
Monday 1st wk. in Advent (Mt 8:5-11)
«You too will experience what is reserved». Franciscan Advent
Christ the King: Throne of the Cross and Jesus mocked, Herald
When the ephemeral will be no more. Glittering detractors. Insults and stones
Living Stones, burning coals. No to commerce and usury
All Saints, like burning coals. And the ultimate Day
Pharisee, Publican: presumption and contempt, humility and Justification
A bold, stinging Prayer. One that changes situations
Healing on the Way: the new Light that shines in the outsider
The Kingdom of God grows here on earth, in the history of humanity, by virtue of an initial sowing, that is, of a foundation, which comes from God, and of a mysterious work of God himself, which continues to cultivate the Church down the centuries. The scythe of sacrifice is also present in God's action with regard to the Kingdom: the development of the Kingdom cannot be achieved without suffering (John Paul II)
Il Regno di Dio cresce qui sulla terra, nella storia dell’umanità, in virtù di una semina iniziale, cioè di una fondazione, che viene da Dio, e di un misterioso operare di Dio stesso, che continua a coltivare la Chiesa lungo i secoli. Nell’azione di Dio in ordine al Regno è presente anche la falce del sacrificio: lo sviluppo del Regno non si realizza senza sofferenza (Giovanni Paolo II)
For those who first heard Jesus, as for us, the symbol of light evokes the desire for truth and the thirst for the fullness of knowledge which are imprinted deep within every human being. When the light fades or vanishes altogether, we no longer see things as they really are. In the heart of the night we can feel frightened and insecure, and we impatiently await the coming of the light of dawn. Dear young people, it is up to you to be the watchmen of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12) who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ! (John Paul II)
Per quanti da principio ascoltarono Gesù, come anche per noi, il simbolo della luce evoca il desiderio di verità e la sete di giungere alla pienezza della conoscenza, impressi nell'intimo di ogni essere umano. Quando la luce va scemando o scompare del tutto, non si riesce più a distinguere la realtà circostante. Nel cuore della notte ci si può sentire intimoriti ed insicuri, e si attende allora con impazienza l'arrivo della luce dell'aurora. Cari giovani, tocca a voi essere le sentinelle del mattino (cfr Is 21, 11-12) che annunciano l'avvento del sole che è Cristo risorto! (Giovanni Paolo II)
Christ compares himself to the sower and explains that the seed is the word (cf. Mk 4: 14); those who hear it, accept it and bear fruit (cf. Mk 4: 20) take part in the Kingdom of God, that is, they live under his lordship. They remain in the world, but are no longer of the world. They bear within them a seed of eternity a principle of transformation [Pope Benedict]
Cristo si paragona al seminatore e spiega che il seme è la Parola (cfr Mc 4,14): coloro che l’ascoltano, l’accolgono e portano frutto (cfr Mc 4,20) fanno parte del Regno di Dio, cioè vivono sotto la sua signoria; rimangono nel mondo, ma non sono più del mondo; portano in sé un germe di eternità, un principio di trasformazione [Papa Benedetto]
In one of his most celebrated sermons, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux “recreates”, as it were, the scene where God and humanity wait for Mary to say “yes”. Turning to her he begs: “[…] Arise, run, open up! Arise with faith, run with your devotion, open up with your consent!” [Pope Benedict]
San Bernardo di Chiaravalle, in uno dei suoi Sermoni più celebri, quasi «rappresenta» l’attesa da parte di Dio e dell’umanità del «sì» di Maria, rivolgendosi a lei con una supplica: «[…] Alzati, corri, apri! Alzati con la fede, affrettati con la tua offerta, apri con la tua adesione!» [Papa Benedetto]
«The "blasphemy" [in question] does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in the refusal to accept the salvation that God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross [It] does not allow man to get out of his self-imprisonment and to open himself to the divine sources of purification» (John Paul II, General Audience July 25, 1990)
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