Matthew tells us of the extraordinary faith of the centurion who, upon hearing of Jesus’ healing of his servant, believed without seeing.

The Lord then entered Peter’s house and healed his ailing mother-in-law and all the sick people brought to Him.

The Poor Man of Assisi, amongst the many gifts he received from on High, had a special love for the Proclamation of the Gospel, so that all might experience an encounter with Christ the Saviour, accompanied by many healings.

Indeed, we read in the Sources, in Celano’s First Life:

‘Amidst the decline into which the teaching of the Gospel had fallen—not in its details but in general—God’s Providence sent this man into the world so that, like the apostles, he might bear witness to the truth before all people.

And indeed he clearly demonstrated, through the Word and by his example, how foolish earthly wisdom was; and in short, under Christ’s guidance, he led people, through the ‘foolishness’ of his preaching, to authentic divine Wisdom” (FF 474).

Thanks to this close union with Christ, he performed many healings for those who turned to him.

Indeed: “A woman, who had been ill for many years and was completely bedridden, as soon as she had made a vow to God and to Blessed Francis, rose up healed and able to attend to all her duties.

In the town of Narni there lived a woman who, for eight years, had had a withered hand, which was completely useless. One day the Blessed Father appeared to her and, touching her ailing hand, restored it to working order, just like the other” (FF 558).

Thus the Lord worked wonders of every kind through his servant Francis.

«When Jesus came to Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and served him»  (Mt 8:14–15)

Saturday, 12th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 8:5–17)