At the mere thought of the Lord's Supper, beyond rhetoric.
Like Chiara, the Poor Man of Assisi always had a special concern and veneration for the Eucharist.
The mere thought of the Lord's Supper, of how and how much Jesus had done for every soul, made him tremble in body and spirit. He considered it essential, in order to live the Gospel fully, that he and his friars give themselves to their neighbours in every way and in every circumstance.
Francis understood perfectly that everything is rhetoric if there is no effective gift of self to one's brothers and sisters, who need concrete witness in order to recognise Christ.
The Sources, the Franciscan treasure chest, attest to this truth that he lived:
"Therefore, I implore all of you, brethren, kissing your feet and with all the love I am capable of, that you give, as much as you can [...] all reverence and honour to the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all things in heaven and on earth have been pacified and reconciled to Almighty God" (FF 217).
And again: "We know that there can be no body unless it is first sanctified by the Word. For we possess and see nothing bodily in this world of the Most High except the body and blood, the names and words by which we have been created and redeemed 'from death to life'" (Letter of Francis to all clerics; FF 207).
"He burned with love in every fibre of his being for the sacrament of the Lord's Body, overcome with wonder beyond measure at such benevolent condescension and most generous charity [...] He offered the sacrifice of all his limbs, and when he received the immolated Lamb, he immolated his spirit in that fire, which always burned on the altar of his heart" (FF 789).
Having thus penetrated the Mystery by grace, Francis became the living Eucharist, the effective gift of the One who dwelt within him.
Proper Feria, January 8
