«He who receives him whom I send, receives me; but he who receives me, receives him who sent me» (Jn 13:20).
Jesus, at the Last Supper, after having washed the feet of his disciples invites them to do the same, reminding them that a sent one is not greater than the one who sent him.
At the same time he reminds them that to receive the one God sends is to receive the Lord himself.
Francis knew, by grace, that to receive is the infinitive of the verb unveil.
The Lord manifests himself to the one who hosts with love the one sent by the Father of mercies.
The Poor Man and his sons knew the special welcome of the Assisian bishop, as is narrated in the Legend of the Three Companions:
"When they arrived in Rome, they found the Bishop of Assisi there, who received them with great joy.
He nourished an affectionate esteem for Francis and all the friars; but, ignorant of the reason for their coming, he was seized with anxiety: he feared that they might want to leave Assisi, where the Lord had begun through them to do wonders of good.
He was proud and happy to have such zealous men in his diocese, on whose exemplary life he relied greatly.
However, when he heard the purpose of the journey and understood their plans, he was reassured and promised to advise and help them' (FF 1456).
But there were also those who reacted differently with the brothers sent:
"Many took them for charlatans or simpletons, and did not want to receive them at home, for fear that they would commit theft.
In several places, after receiving a heap of insults, they found nowhere to take refuge except under the porches of churches or houses.
One day, two friars arrived in Florence. They went around the whole city begging, but could not find anyone to take them in.
When they arrived at a house that had a porch in front of it, under which there was an oven, they said to each other:
"We can rest here".
They begged the landlady to receive them into the house, but she refused.
Then they humbly proposed that she at least allow them to take refuge that night near the oven. The woman agreed [...].
That night they slept uneasily until dawn by the oven, warmed by divine love alone and protected by Our Lady Poverty's blanket.
They rose to go to the nearest church, to participate in the morning liturgy' (FF 1442).
In recognising the one Christ sends is inherent the revelation of the authentic and personal encounter with Jesus.
Moreover, Francis and his followers were clearly aware that if they had rejected the Master, the path of the disciple could not have been different.
Hence the acceptance of everything, dwelling in Love.
The Sources recall that in this lies Perfect Lettership, as Francis taught Brother Leo:
"'Behold, I return from Perugia and, deep in the night, I come here, and it is a muddy winter and so harsh that, at the end of my cassock, icicles of frozen water form [...] I come to the door and, after long beating and calling, a friar comes and asks:
"Who is it?"
I answer:
"Brother Francis" [...]
the other replies:
"Go away, you are simple and an idiot, you cannot come here anymore [...]".
And I always remain in front of the door and say:
"For God's sake, accept me for this night" [...].
"Well, if I have been patient and not disturbed, I say to you that here is true happiness and here is true virtue and salvation of the soul' " (FF 278).
Thursday of the 4th wk. in Easter (Jn 13:16-20)
