Mar 26, 2025 Written by 

Do not seek "glory"

The passage from Jn shows how Jesus receives testimony not from men, but from works done.

People do not believe in Him because the Son hears the voice of the Father who sent Him, and His Word does not dwell in their hearts.

 

Francis, in love with the Word, drew from it the strength of his witness. Like Jesus, the works he performed testified to the Father's mandate.

The Word of the Almighty remained in him and the love of the Lord dwelt in him.

The Poor Man did not seek glory that comes from men; on the contrary, he fled it to seek only that which comes from God - of a different flavour.

Humility was the measure of his living.

We find important references to this in the Sources.

For example, in the Letter to the whole Order we read:

"Incline the ear of your heart and obey the voice of the Son of God.

Keep his precepts in the depths of your heart and fulfil his counsels perfectly.

Praise him for he is good, and exalt him in your works, for this he sent you throughout the whole world, that you may bear witness to his voice in word and deed and make known to all that there is none Almighty but he!

The Greater Legend informs us:

"Like a burning coal, he seemed all consumed by the flame of divine love.

On hearing the name of the Lord's love, he immediately felt stimulated, struck, inflamed: that name was for him like a plectrum, which made the depths of his heart vibrate.

"To offer, in return for alms, the precious patrimony of the love of God," he said, "is noble prodigality, and most foolish are those who esteem it less than money, for only the inappreciable price of divine love is capable of buying the kingdom of heaven.

And much must we love the love of Him who loved us much" (FF 1161).

The testimony of the Creator's works appealed to him:

"In order to draw from everything incitement to love God, he rejoiced at all the works of the Lord's hands and, from this spectacle of joy, he went back to the Cause and Reason that makes everything live.

He contemplated, in beautiful things, the Beautiful One and, following the footsteps impressed in creatures, he pursued the Beloved everywhere.

Of all things he made himself a ladder to climb to grasp Him who is all desirable" (FF 1162).

And to his brothers he often repeated:

"No one should flatter himself with unjust boasting about those deeds, which even the sinner could do.

The sinner,' he explained, 'can fast, pray, weep, macerate his body.

But only one thing is not possible for him: to remain faithful to his Lord.

It is precisely this that we must glory in, if we give God the glory that is His due, if as faithful servants we attribute to Him all the good that He gives us' (FF 718).

 

«I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you do not have the love of God in yourselves» (Jn 5:41-42)

 

 

Thursday, 4th wk. in Lent  (Jn 5:31-47)

179 Last modified on Wednesday, 26 March 2025 04:40
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".

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We may ask ourselves: who is a witness? A witness is a person who has seen, who recalls and tells. See, recall and tell: these are three verbs which describe the identity and mission (Pope Francis, Regina Coeli April 19, 2015)
Possiamo domandarci: ma chi è il testimone? Il testimone è uno che ha visto, che ricorda e racconta. Vedere, ricordare e raccontare sono i tre verbi che ne descrivono l’identità e la missione (Papa Francesco, Regina Coeli 19 aprile 2015)
There is the path of those who, like those two on the outbound journey, allow themselves to be paralysed by life’s disappointments and proceed sadly; and there is the path of those who do not put themselves and their problems first, but rather Jesus who visits us, and the brothers who await his visit (Pope Francis)
C’è la via di chi, come quei due all’andata, si lascia paralizzare dalle delusioni della vita e va avanti triste; e c’è la via di chi non mette al primo posto se stesso e i suoi problemi, ma Gesù che ci visita, e i fratelli che attendono la sua visita (Papa Francesco)
So that Christians may properly carry out this mandate entrusted to them, it is indispensable that they have a personal encounter with Christ, crucified and risen, and let the power of his love transform them. When this happens, sadness changes to joy and fear gives way to missionary enthusiasm (John Paul II)
Perché i cristiani possano compiere appieno questo mandato loro affidato, è indispensabile che incontrino personalmente il Crocifisso risorto, e si lascino trasformare dalla potenza del suo amore. Quando questo avviene, la tristezza si muta in gioia, il timore cede il passo all’ardore missionario (Giovanni Paolo II)
This is the message that Christians are called to spread to the very ends of the earth. The Christian faith, as we know, is not born from the acceptance of a doctrine but from an encounter with a Person (Pope Benedict))
È questo il messaggio che i cristiani sono chiamati a diffondere sino agli estremi confini del mondo. La fede cristiana come sappiamo nasce non dall'accoglienza di una dottrina, ma dall'incontro con una Persona (Papa Benedetto)
From ancient times the liturgy of Easter day has begun with the words: Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum – I arose, and am still with you; you have set your hand upon me. The liturgy sees these as the first words spoken by the Son to the Father after his resurrection, after his return from the night of death into the world of the living. The hand of the Father upheld him even on that night, and thus he could rise again (Pope Benedict)
Dai tempi più antichi la liturgia del giorno di Pasqua comincia con le parole: Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum – sono risorto e sono sempre con te; tu hai posto su di me la tua mano. La liturgia vi vede la prima parola del Figlio rivolta al Padre dopo la risurrezione, dopo il ritorno dalla notte della morte nel mondo dei viventi. La mano del Padre lo ha sorretto anche in questa notte, e così Egli ha potuto rialzarsi, risorgere (Papa Benedetto)
The Church keeps watch. And the world keeps watch. The hour of Christ's victory over death is the greatest hour in history (John Paul II)
Veglia la Chiesa. E veglia il mondo. L’ora della vittoria di Cristo sulla morte è l’ora più grande della storia (Giovanni Paolo II)
Before the Cross of Jesus, we apprehend in a way that we can almost touch with our hands how much we are eternally loved; before the Cross we feel that we are “children” and not “things” or “objects” [Pope Francis, via Crucis at the Colosseum 2014]

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