In today's Gospel, Jesus preaches conversion and announces the nearness of the Kingdom, as he travels throughout Galilee healing all kinds of illnesses and infirmities, bringing his Light.
For Francis, St Mary of the Angels was his dearest place, for it was here that he came to know the humility of his origins.
About it a friar, very devoted to God, before his conversion had this vision.
"It seemed to him that he saw innumerable men, stricken with blindness, standing around this church, on their knees and with their faces turned towards heaven.
They all stretched out their hands upwards and, weeping, they cried out to God for mercy and light.
And behold, there came from heaven an immense splendour, which, penetrating into them all, brought to each one the desired light and salvation" (FF 1049).
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt 4:17).
Francis attained Grace and changed his life "began to reproach himself for his own pusillanimity and cowardice and, having left his hiding place and cast off fear, set out on the journey to Assisi.
His fellow citizens, seeing him squalid in face and changed in mind, believing him to be out of his mind, threw mud and stones from the streets at him, and, shouting and clamouring, insulted him as a madman, a demented person" (FF 1041).
But those who encountered Christ in earnest always considered all this 'rubbish'.
Clare too had made room for the kingdom of heaven close by, living it from her youth.
In fact we read from the Acts of the canonisation process:
"About the conversion of St Clare in her father's house.
1. Sister Pacifica de Guelfuccio de Assisi, a nun of the monastery of Saint Damiano, swore: that she knew Saint Clare while she was in her father's house; and that by all those who knew her, she was held to be of great honesty and a very good life; and that she was intent and occupied about the works of piety.
Of her conversion.
2. And he said that St Clare by the admonition of St Francis began the Order which is now in St Damiano [...].
3. And said that the Lady Clare loved the poor very much; and because of her good conversion all the citizens held her in great veneration [...].
Proper feria of 7 January (Mt 4:12-17.23-25)