Jesus reminds us that He is the true vine and His Father the farmer. Only those who remain united to Jesus will bear much fruit.

Francis, ever since he had met the Lord, had been convinced that only by abiding in his love would he go far, together with his own.

In the Sources there is a passage that illustrates this.

"Francis, shepherd of the little flock, inspired by divine Grace, led his twelve friars to St Mary of the Portiuncula, because he wanted the Order of Minors to grow and develop, under the protection of the Mother of God, there where, by her merits, it had begun.

There, moreover, he became a herald of the Gospel. He began to travel through towns and villages and to proclaim the kingdom of God there, not relying on persuasive speeches of human wisdom, but on the demonstration of spirit and power.

To those who saw him, he looked like a man from another world: one who, his mind and face always turned to heaven, strove to draw all upwards.

From then on, the vineyard of Christ began to produce fragrant shoots of the good odour of the Lord, and abundant fruit with sweet flowers of grace and holiness" (FF 1072).

Francis strove to ensure that his fraternity would remain well united with Jesus, the true Vine, so that in Saint Mary of the Portiuncula the sap of the Spirit would permanently echo and the Trinity would dwell in them and among them.

She knew well that without God's help it would not be possible to do anything, not even to persevere in the call-mission she had received.

Throughout her life, she strove to ensure that the extended vineyard of the Friars Minor would bear fruitful fruit for God and never stray from the Gospel, Divine Custody.

Clare also was a prudent Mother, consummate so that her daughters and sisters would commit themselves to remain in the Word of God and in communion.

The austerity of life embraced was tempered by the deep love with which they were both tenaciously attached to the Vine of Christ.

«I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing» (Jn 15:5)

Wednesday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 15:1-8)

Jesus distinguishes between the peace that the world gives and the peace that comes from Him.

He is the Prince of Peace, all good things that come from Heaven.

Francis of Assisi was precisely the man of peace, the one who wherever he went wished it on everyone.

The Major Legend reads in this regard:

"In each of his sermons, at the beginning of the discourse, he greeted the people with the wish for Peace, saying:

«May the Lord give you Peace!»

He had learnt this form of greeting by revelation from the Lord, as he himself later affirmed.

It was thus that, moved also by the spirit of the prophets, like the prophets he proclaimed peace, preached salvation and, with his salutary admonitions, reconciled in a firm covenant of true friendship many who before, in discord with Christ, were far from salvation" (FF 1052).

And again, in the Legend of the Three Companions we find Francis exhorting his brothers to be people who live and transmit Peace.

"The peace you proclaim with your mouth, have it even more abundantly in your hearts.

Do not provoke anyone to anger or scandal, but may all be drawn to peace, goodness and concord by your gentleness [...]" (FF 1469).

Francis nourished himself on this good in prayer, and exhorted his brothers to be sons of Peace, as the beautiful blessing addressed to Brother Leone and written by the little Poor in his own hand [as Brother Leo himself confirmed] attests.

"May the Lord bless you* and keep you, show his face to you and have mercy on you.

May he turn his gaze towards you and give you Peace.

May the Lord bless you, Brother Leone" (FF 262).

Clare too, within the walls of San Damiano, lived and taught her sisters the search for Peace, the fullness of goods.

"And how his marvellous virtue was perfected in sickness, from this is proved: that in twenty-eight years of continuous exhaustion, not a murmur is heard, not a lament, but always from his mouth comes a holy conversation, always thanksgiving [...]" (FF 3236).

In the letters she wrote to her spiritual daughters, she wished Peace and, at the moment of her passing, addressed to her soul, she expressed herself thus:

"Go in safety," he tells you, "for you have a good escort on your journey.

Go, for He who created you, sanctified you, and always looking upon you as a mother his son, loved you with tender love" (FF 3252).

Francis and Clare remain important figures on the theme of Peace, sought in the depths of their hearts and in their relationship with God; witnessed by their works in the fraternity and with all creatures.

It is not for nothing that the Canticle of Brother Sun is a hymn to harmony and peace with all creation, where the new, pacified man lives every situation in harmony with the Gospel.

"Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister our Mother Earth, /who nourishes and governs us, /and produces various fruits with colourful flowers and grass [...] Praised be you, my Lord, for those who forgive / for your love [...]" (FF 263).

* This is the formula of blessing that, by the Lord's command, Moses and Aaron pronounced upon the sons of Israel. The final invocation is Francis' own.

Tuesday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 14:27-31a)

Jesus in today's Gospel emphasises that the Trinity dwells in those who keep his Word.

He then mentions the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will teach them all things and will be the "Memory" of the disciples.

Looking at Francis and Clare we realise how the Spirit of the Lord guided their lives and was their counsellor.

The Major Legend of St. Bonaventure attests how Francis allowed himself to be led and instructed by the Spirit in compiling the Regola non bollata (1221).

"Therefore, guided by the Holy Spirit, he climbed a mountain with two companions and there, fasting on bread and water, dictated the Rule, according to what the divine Spirit suggested to him during prayer.

Having descended the mountain, he entrusted it to his vicar for safekeeping. But since the latter, a few days later, told him that he had lost it through neglect, the Saint returned again to the solitude and immediately re-did it in all respects as if he had received the words from the mouth of God.

He then obtained confirmation, as he had desired, from the aforementioned Pope Honorius, in the eighth year of his pontificate.

To encourage the brothers to observe it fervently, he said that he had put nothing of his own into it, but had everything written down as it had been revealed to him by God" (FF 1084).

He considered the Holy Spirit to be the Minister General of the Order and was convinced that he spoke to everyone, especially the simple.

In the Second Life of Celano we read:

"When Francis took the tonsure, he often repeated to those who cut his hair:

"Take care not to make my crown too wide! For I want my simple brothers to have a part in my head'.

He wanted the Order to be open equally to the poor and unlettered, and not only to the rich and learned.

'With God,' he said, 'there is no preference of persons, and the Holy Spirit, the Minister General of the Order, rests equally on the poor and the simple' " (FF 779).

His singular unity with the Spirit he bore witness to in life and in death.

"In the twentieth year of his conversion, he asked to be taken to St Mary of the Portiuncula, to render to God the spirit of life there where he had received the spirit of grace.

When he was brought there, in order to prove that, after the model of Christ-Truth, he had nothing in common with the world, during that illness so severe that it ended his suffering, he prostrated himself in fervour of spirit, all naked on the bare earth: thus, in that extreme hour in which the enemy could still unleash his wrath, he would be able to wrestle naked with him.

So lying on the earth, after having laid down his sackcloth, he lifted his face to heaven, according to his custom, totally intent on that heavenly glory, while with his left hand he covered the wound on his right side, that it might not be seen.

And he said to the brothers:

"I have done my part; let Christ teach you yours" (FF 1239).

And Clare, gripped by the Spirit of the Lord, expressed herself thus in the second letter addressed to Agnes of Bohemia:

"And do not believe, and do not let yourself be seduced by anyone who would try to lead you astray from this purpose or put obstacles in your way, to prevent you from bringing back to the Most High your promises with that perfection to which the Spirit of the Lord invited you" (FF 2876).

«But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you» (Jn 14:26)

5th wk. in Easter Monday  (Jn 14:21-26)

Francis held dear that expression from the Gospel:

«By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another» (Jn 13:35).

He cherished the transparent, simple and convincing witness of his fraternity, which would thus preach the Gospel with its life.

In the Sources, in the Legend of the Three Companions, we read:

"Deeply humble and mature in charity, each nurtured for his brother the sentiments one has towards a father and lord.

Those who, because of the office they held or because of personal qualities, had a pre-eminent role in the fraternity, made themselves humbler and smaller than all. And everyone was disposed to the most generous obedience, always available to the will of the superior, without seeking whether the order received was right or not, because he was convinced that any command was in conformity with the Lord's dispositions. In this way, it was easy and sweet to carry out any precept.

They were careful not to fall victim to unbridled desires. They were implacable judges of themselves, concerned not to harm one another in any way" (FF 1448).

And again:

"The brothers strove to banish all rancour and incompatibility, and to keep exchangeable love intact.

They did their utmost to replace every vice with the corresponding virtue, inspired and assisted in this by the Grace of Jesus Christ" (FF 1449).

Here is another passage that wonderfully describes their love for one another in the Lord:

"Nothing they held as private property, but books and other things were made available to all, according to the directive transmitted and observed by the Apostles.

Although they were in a state of true destitution, they were spontaneously generous with whatever was offered to them in the name of God.

They joyfully donated, out of love for Him, the alms they collected, to those who asked for them, especially the poor" (FF 1450).

It was true love, because it was concrete.

Francis had taught his brothers that money was worth no more than donkey dung, thus protecting them from dangers.

And the Sources inform:

"They were happy in the Lord, always, having nothing within themselves or among them that could in any way upset them.

The more they were separated from the world, the more they held fast to God.

They advanced on the way of the cross and the paths of justice; they removed every obstacle from the narrow path of penance and evangelical observance, so as to leave those who would follow them a smooth and safe road" (FF 1454).

And Clare of Assisi, in her stupendous Testament, addressed to her sisters, says:

"Having chosen us, therefore, for such a lofty task as this, that in us may be mirrored all those whom he calls to be examples and mirrors of others, we are exceedingly bound to bless and praise the Lord, and to grow more and more every day in goodness.

Therefore, if we live according to the aforementioned form of life, we will leave others a noble example and, through a very short effort, we will earn the pallium of eternal beatitude" (FF 2830).

Mutual love went beyond the walls, purifying and perfuming every polluted air with charity, offering bright mirrors of fraternal life.

Seeing it as a reflection of the glory of God, Francis' concern was the pursuit of heavenly things by the entire fraternity. 

He said, addressing the brothers of the whole Order:

"The great assembly is our Order, almost like a general synod that gathers from all parts of the world under one rule of life. In this the wise draw to their advantage the qualities proper to the simple, for they see people without culture ardently seeking heavenly things and, though without human instruction, attaining through the Spirit the knowledge of spiritual realities.

In this Order the simple also profit by that which is proper to the wise, when they see illustrious men humbling themselves with them in the same way, who could live full of honours in this world.

Hence the beauty of this blessed family, which by its manifold qualities forms the joy of the Father of the family" (FF 778).

This special awareness and insight into the divine secrets made the Saint and the Fraternity a singular image of the Glory of God, having received His freedom.

5th Sunday in Easter C  (Jn 13:31-33a.34-35)

Today's liturgy takes up chapter fourteen of John's Gospel, which is full of challenging themes.

To Philip's question: «Show us the Father» (Jn 14:8-9) Jesus responds by asking for faith in the profound unity of the Son with the Father, and vice versa; at least by the very works that amply attest to it.

In the Franciscan Sources, the Poverello translates this cry into real life, for he was not afraid as a son to make himself impure by frequenting the cultural and existential peripheries.

For the Poor Man of Assisi, the disciple's question to Jesus finds its most exhaustive answer by contemplating his Presence in the disinherited and discarded by society.

In the forgotten and marginalised, there the Father was shown, and the Son with Him.

In fact, the Sources highlight all this in Francis' meagre experience.

"Then, loving every form of humility, he went out to the lepers, staying with them and serving them all with great care. 

He washed their feet, bandaged sores, removed the rot from sores and cleansed them of purulence.

He also kissed, driven by admirable devotion, their festering wounds, he who would soon become the Good Samaritan of the Gospel" (FF 1045).

The Minim saw and embraced the Face of God in the Epiphany of the lepers!

Give us Lord your Holy Spirit to recover each one's journey in the fullness of being without boundaries. Amen!

«Believe me: I in the Father and the Father in me. If not, believe by works themselves» (Jn 14:11)

Saturday 4th wk. in Easter A.C  (Jn 14:7-14)

In today's passage Jesus addresses His disciples and exhorts them to have faith, not to be troubled, for He goes to prepare "a place" for them.

To Thomas, who asks the way, the Lord responds by saying that He is the way, the truth and the life of the Father.

Always on his way, Francis exhorted his disciples to have faith, not to let themselves be troubled in difficult times.

He admired and extolled the faith of believers and the solid witness from wherever it came.

In the Sources there are various passages on this subject.

In the Unbiblical Rule:

"Let us therefore hold fast to the words, life, doctrine and holy Gospel of Him who deigned to pray for us to His Father and manifest to us the name of Him, saying:

"Father glorify your name [...] Make them glorious in the truth. Your word is truth [...]" (FF 62).

And Francis admired the faith of the woman Jacopa of the Septuagint*, a noble woman attached to him and to the whole fraternity.

The Sources relate:

"One day Francis summoned his companions and said:

"You know how Lady Jacopa of the Septuagint was and is very faithful and affectionate to me and to our fraternity. I believe that if you inform her of my state of health, she will consider this as a great grace and consolation.

Let her know [...] that she will send you some unbleached cloth to make a cassock [...] And send her some of that cake she used to prepare for me when I was in Rome.

This is the sweet that the Romans call mostacciolo, and it is made with almonds, sugar or honey and other ingredients.

Jacopa was a spiritual woman, a widow, devoted to God, one of the noblest and richest ladies in Rome.

Through the merits and preaching of Francis she had received so much grace from God that she seemed almost a second Magdalene, tenderly devoted to the point of tears" (FF 1657).

The brothers had written a letter to send to Donna Jacopa, but they heard a knock at the door and it was indeed her, who had come in haste to visit Francis.

Since it had been established from the earliest times that no women should enter the cloister to safeguard the honour and recollection of the religious house, a friar said to Francis:

"Father what shall we do? Should we let her come in and approach you?".

Francis replied:

"The prohibition does not apply to this lady, whom such faith and devotion has brought from so far away".

Jacopa therefore entered Francis and on seeing him began to weep....

Donna Jacopa turned to them and explained:

"Brothers, while I was praying, I was told in spirit:

Go and visit your father Francis. Hurry, do not delay, for if you delay you will not find him alive [...]" (FF 1657- Perugina Legend).

So Francis, now close to passing away, had the joy of the testimony of a great faith from this noble woman.

And near her Easter she seemed almost to say to her own:

«Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me» (Jn 14:1).

He too, in the footsteps of Christ, went to prepare 'a place' for them.

* Jacopa not of the Settesoli, but of the seven "sogli", that is, thrones or seats.

* "Iacopa de Septem soliis".

Friday of the 4th Easter wk.  (Jn 14:1-6)

«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)

The passage proposed by the Liturgy today highlights Jesus' wonderful discourse to his own on Love.

He begins by saying to abide in his love; and the concluding verse reiterates what was said earlier: to love one another.

Both Francis and Clare were consumed by the love of God, so much so that in the Sources we find remarkable passages on the subject.

The Major Legend narrates:

"Who could worthily describe the fervour of charity, which inflamed Francis, the Bridegroom's friend? For he, like a burning coal, 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 recompense for alms, the precious patrimony of the love of God," he affirmed, "is noble prodigality; and most foolish are those who esteem it less than money, since 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).

Likewise Clare, in her third letter to Agnes of Prague, expressed herself thus:

"...it is now clear that the soul of the faithful man, who is the most worthy of all creatures, is made by the Grace of God greater than the heavens. While, in fact, the heavens with all other created things cannot contain the Creator, the faithful soul, on the other hand, and it alone, is his dwelling and abode, and this only by reason of charity, of which the ungodly are devoid. It is the Truth itself that affirms this:

"He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I also will love him; we will come to him and make our abode in him" " (FF 2892).

And again, regarding exchangeable love, in the Legend of the Three Companions:

"They occupied the day in prayer and working with their hands, so as to resolutely avoid idleness, the enemy of the soul. At midnight they rose for prayer, animated by groans and tears.

They loved one another with a deep affection, and served and provided for one another, as a mother would do with her only tenderly loved child. Such was the affection that burned in their hearts, that they were ready to give themselves up to death without hesitation, not only for love of Christ, but also to save the souls or bodies of their brothers" (FF 1446).

The fraternity of the origins of Francis is the highest and most concrete testimony of what it means to remain in the Love of Gift and pour it into relationships with the brothers.

Eloquent facts call for authenticity in relationships, without using the truth to one's own advantage.

For it is clear that "he who does the truth comes towards the light, that his works may be made manifest, for they are done in God" (John 3:21).

«These things I command you, that you love one another» (Jn 15:17).

St Matthias, 14 May  (Jn 15:9-17)

Under Solomon's Portico in Jerusalem, Jesus makes his denunciation to the Jews: you are not my sheep, because you do not listen to my voice.

Francis had a great concern for the sheep of his flock, wanting to walk in the footsteps of the Lord and desiring the same for them.

He had a special fondness for sheep and lambs: they reminded him of the Lamb that was immolated for our salvation.

It is touching how these meek animals listened to him, recognising his voice as a true shepherd.

In the Sources we find significant passages on this subject. The Major Legend narrates:

"At St Mary of the Portiuncula they brought the man of God a sheep as a gift, which he accepted with gratitude, because he loved the innocence and simplicity that, by its nature, the sheep shows.

The man of God admonished the sheep to praise God and not to annoy the brothers at all. The sheep, in turn, as if feeling the pity of the man of God, put his teachings into practice with great care.

When she heard the monks singing in the choir, she would also enter the church and, without the need for a teacher, would bend her knees, uttering tender bleats before the altar of the Virgin, Mother of the Lamb, as if eager to greet her.

'During the celebration of Mass, at the moment of the elevation, he would bend his bent knees, as if he wanted, that devout animal, to reproach the ungodly for their irreverence and wanted to incite the devout to reverence towards the Sacrament' (FF 1148).

Francis, a meek shepherd, was listened to and followed by all creatures, who perceived in him his unity with Christ, the Good Shepherd sent by the Father.

His intimates listened to him with great admiration, for his eloquent life spoke for him.

«My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me» (Jn 10:27)

Tuesday of the 4th wk. in Easter  (Jn 10:22-30)