Enunciating the various woes addressed to the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, Jesus emphasises how they left aside justice and the love of God.
Francis was particularly sensitive to these human-divine realities.
Indeed, there are extraordinary passages in the Sources to support this.
In the Regola non bollata (1221) the Poor Man expresses himself thus:
"The spirit of the flesh [...] is much concerned with possessing words, but little with putting them into practice, and seeks not the interior religiosity and holiness of the Spirit, but wants and desires to have a religiosity and holiness that appears outside to men.
It is of these that the Lord says: "Verily I say unto you, they have received their reward".
The Spirit of the Lord, on the other hand, desires the flesh to be mortified [...] and seeks humility and patience and the pure and simple peace of the Spirit; and always desires above all the divine fear and divine Wisdom and divine love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This holy love shines out in the daily life of Francis in countless episodes.
Let us recount what happened at Celle di Cortona.
"Francis was wearing a new cloak, which the friars had procured just for him, when a poor man arrived, mourning the death of his wife and his family left in misery.
"I give you this cloak for the love of God," the Saint told him, "on the condition that you do not sell it to anyone unless they pay you handsomely for it.
The friars immediately ran to take the cloak and prevent it from being given away.
But the poor man, made bold by the Saint's gaze, set about defending it with hands and nails as his own.
In the end, the friars redeemed the cloak and the poor man left with the price he had received" (FF 675).
On the subject of justice Francis expressed himself thus:
"The Saint [...] loved holy simplicity in others, daughter of Grace, true sister of wisdom, mother of justice [...] It is the simplicity that in all divine laws leaves the tortuousness of words, ornaments and tinsel, as well as ostentations and curiosities to those who want to lose themselves, and seek not the bark but the marrow, not the shell but the kernel, not many things but the much, the supreme and stable Good" (FF 775).
And again, on his way to the Spoletana valley, he would discuss with his companions on how to observe the Rule: "on how to progress in all holiness and justice before God, on how to sanctify oneself and be an example to others" (FF 1065).
He was so inflamed by the love of God that his innermost being vibrated like a plectrum:
"To offer, in exchange for alms, the precious patrimony of the love of God - so he affirmed - is noble prodigality [...] since only the inappreciable price of divine love is capable of buying the kingdom of heaven. And much one must love the love of Him who loved us much' (FF 1161).
"But woe to you, Pharisees, because you pay the tithe of mint and rue and every herbage, and neglect the judgment and love of God" (Lk 11:42).
Wednesday, 28th wk. in O.T. (Lk 11:42-46)
