Aug 7, 2025 Written by 

With Mary, Francis and Clare

The Lucan Gospel highlights Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth and the dance of the two Little Ones carried by special women, embraced in different ways by Grace.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, expresses herself in the song of praise of the Magnificat, which refers back to God the extraordinary benefits received.

 

From the very beginning of his calling, Francis had a special and profound veneration for the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord.

Of her he always contemplated the mysteries in the various seasons of his life.

The Sources provide wonderful pictures in this regard.

"He surrounded the Mother of Jesus with an unspeakable love, because she had made our brother the Lord of majesty.

To his honour he sang special praises, raised prayers, offered affections so many and such that human tongue could not express them.

But what fills one most with joy, he made her the Advocate of the Order and placed her children under her wings [...] so that they might find warmth and protection there to the end" (FF 786).

"In her, above all, after Christ, he placed his trust [...] In her honour he fasted with great devotion, from the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul until the feast of the Assumption [...]" (FF 1165).

And to his daughters, dwelling at St Damian, Francis in a composition dedicated to them, concludes by saying:

"Those who are aggravated by infirmity/ and the others who for their part are fatigued/ all of them be sustained in peace,/ for you will sell this toil dearly,/ and each one will be queen/ in heaven crowned with the Virgin Mary" (FF 263).

And Clare, when she began her journey of faith following Francis, was received by him and his friars at the altar of the Blessed Virgin at the Portiuncula. Moreover, that same Mother, at the moment of her passing, came to take her, appearing to her by her bed.

Mary was for Clare a model to follow throughout her life, so much so that in the Letter of Introduction to the Legend, in the Sources, we read:

"Let men therefore follow the new followers of the Incarnate Word: let the women imitate Clare, the imprint of the Mother of God, the new guide of women" (FF 3153).

Francis and Clare assumed Mary, the Mother of God, into their daily lives to be assumed by Christ into heavenly glory.

 

«My soul magnifies the Lord [...] for he has looked upon the lowliness of his servant. For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed» (Lk 1:46, 48a)

 

 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary  (Lk 1:39-56)

105 Last modified on Thursday, 07 August 2025 15:41
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".

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Isn’t the family just what the world needs? Doesn’t it need the love of father and mother, the love between parents and children, between husband and wife? Don’t we need love for life, the joy of life? (Pope Benedict)
Non ha forse il mondo bisogno proprio della famiglia? Non ha forse bisogno dell’amore paterno e materno, dell’amore tra genitori e figli, tra uomo e donna? Non abbiamo noi bisogno dell’amore della vita, bisogno della gioia di vivere? (Papa Benedetto)
Thus in communion with Christ, in a faith that creates charity, the entire Law is fulfilled. We become just by entering into communion with Christ who is Love (Pope Benedict)
Così nella comunione con Cristo, nella fede che crea la carità, tutta la Legge è realizzata. Diventiamo giusti entrando in comunione con Cristo che è l'amore (Papa Benedetto)
From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be distance between the sinner and the Holy One. In truth, his very condition as a sinner requires that the Lord not distance Himself from him, in the same way that a doctor cannot distance himself from those who are sick (Pope Francis))
Da un punto di vista umano, pensa che ci debba essere distanza tra il peccatore e il Santo. In verità, proprio la sua condizione di peccatore richiede che il Signore non si allontani da lui, allo stesso modo in cui un medico non può allontanarsi da chi è malato (Papa Francesco)
The life of the Church in the Third Millennium will certainly not be lacking in new and surprising manifestations of "the feminine genius" (Pope John Paul II)
Il futuro della Chiesa nel terzo millennio non mancherà certo di registrare nuove e mirabili manifestazioni del « genio femminile » (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
And it is not enough that you belong to the Son of God, but you must be in him, as the members are in their head. All that is in you must be incorporated into him and from him receive life and guidance (Jean Eudes)
E non basta che tu appartenga al Figlio di Dio, ma devi essere in lui, come le membra sono nel loro capo. Tutto ciò che è in te deve essere incorporato in lui e da lui ricevere vita e guida (Giovanni Eudes)
This transition from the 'old' to the 'new' characterises the entire teaching of the 'Prophet' of Nazareth [John Paul II]
Questo passaggio dal “vecchio” al “nuovo” caratterizza l’intero insegnamento del “Profeta” di Nazaret [Giovanni Paolo II]
The Lord does not intend to give a lesson on etiquette or on the hierarchy of the different authorities […] A deeper meaning of this parable also makes us think of the position of the human being in relation to God. The "lowest place" can in fact represent the condition of humanity (Pope Benedict)
Il Signore non intende dare una lezione sul galateo, né sulla gerarchia tra le diverse autorità […] Questa parabola, in un significato più profondo, fa anche pensare alla posizione dell’uomo in rapporto a Dio. L’"ultimo posto" può infatti rappresentare la condizione dell’umanità (Papa Benedetto)
We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God (Pope Benedict)

Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 1 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 2 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 3 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 4 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 5 Dialogo e Solstizio I fiammiferi di Maria

duevie.art

don Giuseppe Nespeca

Tel. 333-1329741


Disclaimer

Questo blog non rappresenta una testata giornalistica in quanto viene aggiornato senza alcuna periodicità. Non può pertanto considerarsi un prodotto editoriale ai sensi della legge N°62 del 07/03/2001.
Le immagini sono tratte da internet, ma se il loro uso violasse diritti d'autore, lo si comunichi all'autore del blog che provvederà alla loro pronta rimozione.
L'autore dichiara di non essere responsabile dei commenti lasciati nei post. Eventuali commenti dei lettori, lesivi dell'immagine o dell'onorabilità di persone terze, il cui contenuto fosse ritenuto non idoneo alla pubblicazione verranno insindacabilmente rimossi.