Today's liturgy highlights a passage from Matthew in which Jesus emphasises listening to the Word and opening one's heart.

The parables He illustrates are not understood because these two existential dimensions are lacking.

The poor people of Assisi distinguished themselves for their great capacity for introspection and for welcoming the message of the Kingdom.

Specifically, the papal bull of canonisation «Clara Claris praeclara» says this about Clare:

«This was the tall tree, stretching towards the sky, with outstretched branches, which produced sweet fruit in the field of the Church [...] and in whose pleasant and pleasant shade many followers flocked from all over, and still flock to taste its fruits» (FF 3294).

The Kingdom of God finds its development in these unique metaphors, of which the Little Brother of Assisi and Clare, the recluse, are vivid and concrete testimonies.

But Francis, like Jesus, also spoke to his brothers in parables. The Sources attest to this in various passages.

When he wanted to make them understand the path that awaited them in order to welcome the Kingdom of God, he recalled various parables from the Gospel.

We recall one among many, with which he announced the Word that the Lord had entrusted to him.

When Jesus presented himself to the Pope, he made him understand how he should express himself.

"He told the Pope how God had suggested it to him, the parable of a rich king who had married a beautiful poor woman with great joy and had children who looked like their father, the king, and who were therefore raised at the king's table.

He then gave the interpretation of the parable, coming to this conclusion:

'There is no need to fear that the children and heirs of the eternal King will die of hunger, for they, like Christ, were born of a poor mother by the power of the Holy Spirit and were begotten by the spirit of poverty in a poor religion.

For if the King of heaven promises the eternal kingdom to his followers, how much more will he provide for them the things he gives without distinction to the good and the bad."

The Vicar of Christ listened attentively to this parable and its interpretation and, filled with wonder, recognised without a shadow of a doubt that Christ had spoken through that man.

But he was also reassured by a vision he had at that moment, in which the Spirit of God showed him the mission to which Francis was destined.

In fact, as he recounted, he saw in a dream that the Basilica of St. John Lateran was about to collapse and that a poor man, small and of despicable appearance, was supporting it, placing his shoulders under it so that it would not fall.

"Truly," concluded the Pope, "this is the one who, by his work and his teaching, will support the Church of Christ" (FF 1064).

"Relying on divine grace and papal authority, Francis, full of confidence, set out for the Spoleto valley, ready to practise and teach the Gospel" (FF 1065).

These parables are also the story of the coming of the Kingdom of God, its expansion on fertile ground such as that of Francis and Clare, and its incredible developments.

They understood the parables told by Jesus because they had not closed their eyes and ears, but offered God a listening heart.

Thursday of the 16th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Mt 13:10-17)

On the feast of St Bridget, patron saint of Europe, the liturgy offers us a passage from the Johannine Gospel.

In it 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. Whoever remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing» (Jn 15:5)

St Bridget of Sweden  (Jn 15:1-8)

On the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the Liturgy proposes to us the passage from John that concerns her most closely, as it challenges every soul in its search for the Master.

«Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?» (Jn 20:15).

Mary of Magdala wept for her Lord, near the tomb. Lost and grieving, she grieved not knowing where he was, until Jesus made himself present.

Clare too, in the enclosure of San Damiano, wept while praying for her Christ, uniting herself to his Passion, while awaiting the Resurrection.

In the Legend we read:

"She had now fixed her burning gaze of interior desire in the Light and, having transcended the sphere of human vicissitudes, she opened the field of her spirit wide to the rain of Grace.

[...]

Very often, prostrate in prayer with her face to the ground, she bathed the ground with tears and brushed it with kisses: so that she seems always to have her Jesus in her arms, whose feet she bathes with tears, on whom she imprints kisses" (FF 3197).

Clare sought the Lord interiorly, even for those who did not desire Him.

She was careful not to hold back Christ who ascended to the Father, living the proclamation of the Resurrection with a face of light, testifying to the present vision of Him to the brothers and sisters who approached her.

He lived the perennial earthly Exodus in view of the Promised Land, which he already savoured in small doses.

Francis, for his part, jester of the Resurrection, mourned the Passion of Love, corroborated by existential rebirth.

Again, in St Bonaventure's Major Legend:

"To those who saw him, he seemed a man from another world: one who, his mind and face always turned to heaven, strove to draw all upwards" (FF 1072).

Just as Mary of Magdala made the transition from the outside [near the tomb] to the inside of her own soul and vicissitude - to recognise the Risen Jesus.

So Francis, after living on the outside, among cheerful Assisian brigands, had encountered the 'Rabbuni' within his heart. Recognising and deciphering the Master of his life, in prayer before the Crucifix at saint Damian.

There he found God, he found himself again; in the midst of weeping and perfect joy.

Jesus also asked him the question: "Why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" (Jn 20:15).

The Damianite Crucified became the place of his resurrection, where the weeping of a missed life, spent in solace, gave way to the Calling by name, in view of personal and community regeneration.

At saint Damian, when a divine Voice came to him from the Crucifix inviting him to change his life, the Poor Man uttered this prayer

«May conquer, I pray thee, O Lord,

the burning and sweet power of your love

my mind from all things that are under heaven,

that I may die for love of thy love,

as thou hast deigned to die

for love of my love» (FF 277).

St Mary Magdalene  (Jn 20:1-2.11-18)

In today's Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus, even though Christ had already given them many.

But the only saving sign given to the people of believers by the Father is Christ who died and rose again.

After his conversion, Francis understood this well and became himself a sign for all those who met him.

The Sources, in fact, speak of the servant of God in this way:

"He received from Heaven the mission to call men to weep, to lament, to shave their heads and to gird themselves with sackcloth, and to imprint, with the sign of the penitential cross and with a garment made in the form of a cross, the Tau, on the foreheads of those who mourn and weep. But he confirms this to us with his indisputable truth, the testimony of that seal which made him like the living God, that is, Christ Crucified. This seal was imprinted on his body not by the work of nature or the skill of a craftsman, but rather by the marvellous power of the Spirit of the living God" (FF 1022).

Indeed, Francis, transformed into "Alter Christus," becomes the sign of Jonah for all those he meets. Even for the brigands of Monte Casale who convert to God through his testimony.

In fact, in the Sources we read:

"In a hermitage located above Borgo San Sepolcro, certain thieves came from time to time to ask for bread [...] And behold, Francis arrived at that hermitage. The friars explained their dilemma to him: should they or should they not give bread to those criminals?

The Saint replied: 'If you do as I suggest, I trust in the Lord that you will succeed in winning those souls'" (FF 1646).

So Francis advised his friars to buy good bread and wine, go into the woods and set the table for them.

"They will come happily to eat. Treat them with respect and at the end speak to them about the Word of God, and ask them to promise not to treat people badly anymore."

The friars did as Francis had told them, and "the thieves, through the mercy and grace that God poured out upon them, listened and carried out point by point the requests made to them by the friars [...] Finally, through God's goodness and the kindness and friendship of the friars, some of those brigands entered the Order, while others converted to penance, promising [...] that from then on they would no longer commit such evil deeds and would live by the work of their hands" (FF 1646).

True witnesses of the Gospel are always an eloquent sign for everyone.

«A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet» (Mt 12:39)

Monday of the 16th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Mt 12:38-42)

Francis of Assisi, the Wise and the Little One of God, always had a clear conscience about the importance and necessity of the contemplative life, tempered by work that keeps away idleness and conforms to Christ. He demanded this for himself and for his friars. He went so far as to say that serving his brothers was worth more than any stay in the hermitages, where he himself loved to go when he could.

We read in his writings: "And I worked with my hands, and I want to work; and I firmly want all the other friars to work in a way that is fitting for honesty. Those who do not know how to work should learn, not out of greed for the reward of work, but to set an example and keep away from idleness" (FF 119).

Furthermore: "We are convinced that [...] those who live differently in hermitages have been severely rebuked. For many transform the place of contemplation into idleness and reduce the hermitic way of life, instituted to enable souls to attain perfection, to a place of pleasure [...] Certainly, this rebuke is not for everyone. We know that there are saints [...] who follow excellent rules in the hermitage" (FF 765).

Even among the friars there was discussion about whether to live a life of contemplation or action. In fact, in the Leggenda Maggiore it is written:

"While they were steadfast in their holy purpose and approaching the valley of Spoleto, they began to discuss whether they should spend their lives among people or dwell in solitary places. 

But Francis, the servant of Christ, not trusting in his own experience or that of his companions, entrusted himself to prayer, to seek insistently what the divine will was on this point.

He was thus enlightened with an answer from Heaven and understood that he had been sent by the Lord for this purpose: to win souls for Christ [...] And so he chose to live for everyone, rather than for himself alone, inspired by the example of the One who deigned to die, He alone, for all men" (FF1066).

But love for prayer and listening to the Word always accompanied his actions and those of his friars.

"His tireless devotion to prayer [...] had brought the man of God to such clarity of mind that [...] he scrutinised the depths of Scripture with a clear and sharp intellect. He read the sacred books and kept firmly in his memory what he had once assimilated, for he continually pondered with affectionate devotion what he had heard with an attentive mind" (FF1187).

Transformed into prayer, without neglecting his duties:

Francis had a special predilection for the Word of God and, without neglecting his duties towards his neighbour, he always gave priority to listening to what the Lord asked or taught, fixing it firmly in his mind.

He had chosen the better part, the one that no one could take away from him. 

In fact, the Sources teach us in this regard:

"He spent all his time in holy recollection to imprint wisdom in his heart; he feared going backwards if he did not always progress.

And if at times visits from secular people or other matters pressed upon him, he would cut them short rather than finish them, in order to take refuge again in contemplation [...]

He always sought a secluded place where he could unite himself not only with his spirit but with every member of his body to his God" (FF 681).

"Often without moving his lips, he meditated at length within himself and, concentrating his external powers inward, he rose with his spirit to heaven. In this way he directed his whole mind and affection to the one thing he asked of God: he was not so much a man praying as he was himself transformed into a living prayer" (FF 682).

He had understood the essence of the Gospel.

When he was sick and in pain, a friar who had learned from Francis to take refuge in the Scriptures and who now invited him to read them for relief, the Saint replied:

"It is good to read the testimonies of Scripture, and it is good to seek the Lord our God in them. But as for me, I have already taken so much from the Scriptures that it is more than enough for my meditation and reflection. I need no more, my son: I know Christ poor and crucified" (FF 692).

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C  (Lk 10:38-42)

Mt sets before us the malice of the leaders who want to eliminate Jesus, set against the holiness of the Servant of God, who heals every sickness.

The Spirit of God is present in the Son, Power through which even his intimates will proclaim righteousness to the nations.

Francis of Assisi was truly the son upon whom the Spirit of the Lord had descended, the Father's favourite, who by his humility and hiddenness shone in the eyes of the brothers and the world.

The brothers, who had seen him pray, had no doubt that on Francis rested "the Spirit of the Lord [...] in all its fullness [...] therefore the surest thing for them was to follow his doctrine and his life" (FF 1071).

"The Spirit of the Lord, who had anointed and sent him assisted his servant Francis, wherever he went, Christ himself assisted him [...].

It was his word, like a burning fire, that penetrated the depths of the heart [...] It had the perfume and the breath of divine revelation".

(FF 1210).

And the Sources relate an episode that exudes Spirit and service from all sides; a Poor Man willing to be truly the Servant of God, as Jesus had taught him.

"While he was staying in a cell in Siena, one night he called his sleeping companions to him:

"I invoked the Lord," he explained to them, "that he might deign to show me when I am his servant and when I am not. For I would like to be no other than his servant. And the Lord, in his immense kindness and deigning, answered me now:

"Acknowledge yourself my servant truly, when you think, say, act holy."

"For this reason I have called you, brothers, because I want to blush before you if at times I have failed in these three things" " (FF 743).

For this reason Francis, in the footsteps of Christ in whom the Father was pleased, was also the servant and witness sent to heal and proclaim the Kingdom.

The Minim too, informed by love and not by Pharisaic legalism, was able to work wonders in the service of salvation.

«Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved» (Mt 12:18)

Saturday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 12,14-21)

The Pharisees ask Jesus why his disciples do what is not permitted by the Law on the Sabbath [eating, out of hunger, the ears of corn in the fields].

Jesus, who came to give full fulfilment to the Law, emphasises its foundation: do not demolish or transgress the Word, but observe it by loving.

Love is the true fulfilment of the Law of the Lord, which is perfect and refreshes the soul.

Francis understood this well by living and teaching his fraternity to do the same.

The Sources provide, through various pieces, precious examples of life. In the Letter to the Rulers of Peoples:

"I beseech you [...] with all the reverence of which I am capable, not to forget the Lord, absorbed as you are by the cares and cares of this world, and not to deviate from his commandments, for all who forget the Lord and deviate from his commandments are cursed and will be forgotten by him" (FF 211).

At the same time, the Poverello, with that balance and elasticity that distinguished him, emphasised:

"And whenever necessity arises, let all the brothers, wherever they may be, be allowed to take all the food that men can eat, just as the Lord says of David, who ate the loaves of the offering that were not allowed to be eaten except by priests [...] Similarly, in times of manifest necessity, let all the brothers provide for their necessities as the Lord will give them grace, since necessity has no law" (FF 33).

In support of what has been said, we quote a passage taken from the Perugina Legend.

Francis, faced with a friar of profound spirituality, perished and infirm, does something unusual for the mentality of the time.

"Francis said to himself:

"If this brother would eat some ripe grapes early in the morning, I think he would benefit from it".

One day he got up at dawn and secretly called that friar, led him to the vineyard near that church and, having chosen a vine full of beautiful, inviting grapes, sat down under it with his brother and began to eat the grapes, so that the sick man would not be ashamed to pick them himself.

While he was snacking, the friar praised the Lord God.

And as long as he lived, he often reminded his brothers, with devotion and weeping with tenderness, of the Holy Father's affectionate gesture towards him" (FF 1549)

Clare herself, in the Rule, addressed to the sisters, warns them:

"Let them always be solicitous to preserve reciprocally the unity of mutual charity, which is the bond of perfection" (FF 2810).

Love was the Rule of the brothers and the Poor Ladies of San Damiano: "[...] and so, carrying the yoke of mutual charity, with ease we shall fulfil the law of Christ. Amen." (FF 2918 - Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges).

«But if you had known what it means: 'Mercy I want, and not sacrifice' [Hos 6:6], you would not have condemned [people] without fault» (Mt 12:7)

Friday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 12,1-8)

Jesus, in chapter eleven of Matthew, calls His own to meekness and humility of heart as a place of refreshment from all toil, learning from Him.

Regarding the meekness of God, in the writings of the Poor Man of Assisi (Praises of God Most High) we find this wonderful expression:

"You are humility [...] You are beauty. You are meekness' (FF 261).

Francis, Alter Christus, was indeed a meek man and everything that reminded him of the meekness of Jesus he looked upon and revered with great respect and scruple.

Thomas of Celano himself, one of his main biographers, describes Francis thus:

"How beautiful, stupendous and glorious he was in his innocence, in the simplicity of his words [...] Of mild character, of a calm disposition, affable in speech, cautious in admonition" (FF 464).

For his eye ailment, in front of the surgeon who red-hot iron to cauterize the diseased part, Francis thus addressed "friar focu":

"The Father, to comfort the body already shaken by terror, thus speaks to the fire:

"Brother Fire, of enviable beauty among all creatures, the Most High has created you vigorous, beautiful and useful. Be propitious to me in this hour, be gracious! For long have I loved thee in the Lord. I pray to the Great Lord, who created you, to temper your heat now so that I can bear it, if you burn me with gentleness'.

Having finished his prayer, he draws a sign of the cross on the fire and then waits intrepidly. The saint offers himself ready and smiling to the iron.

The friars present, horrified and trembling, departed. Back they were, after the operation, Francis addressed them:

"Pusillanimous and of little courage, why have you fled? Verily I say unto you, I felt neither the ardour of fire nor any pain of the flesh".

And addressing the physician:

"If the flesh is not well cauterized, it will burn again".

To the amazement of the latter who, turning to the brothers, said: "I tell you, brothers, that today I have seen wondrous things" (FF 752).

And Clare, in her Testament, recommends to the sisters, first of all to those who preside over the community, the attitude and style of the Gospel:

"Let her still be so affable and within the reach of all, that the sisters may confidently manifest their needs to her and have recourse to her at every hour with confidence, as they think best, for themselves or for the benefit of the sisters" (FF 2848).

These two Giants of the Gospel were nourished by humility and meekness, finding in them their defence.

«Learn from me, who am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your lives» (Mt 11:29)

Thursday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 11:28-30)