Jesus speaks in the Gospel of renouncing all possessions in order to become a true disciple of Him.

Francis, in order to follow in Christ's footsteps, renounced his wealthy position, all possessions, because he had found so much more: Christ, for Whom he espoused Lady Poverty, embraced by the very Son of God.

We find special references in the Sources.

"On the advice of the bishop of the city, a very pious man, who did not think it right to use ill-gotten money for sacred purposes, the man of God returned to his father the sum, which he wanted to spend on the restoration of the church.

And in front of many who had gathered there and were listening:

"From now on," he exclaimed, "I will be able to say freely: Our Father, who art in heaven, not Father Peter Bernardone. Behold, I will not only give him back his money, but I will also give him back all his clothes. Thus, I will go naked to meet the Lord'.

O noble soul of a man, to whom Christ alone suffices!

They then realised that the man of God, under his robes, wore the cilizium, joyful not so much to appear as to be virtuous" (FF 597).

Moreover, "he taught, having learned it by revelation, that the first step in holy religion is to realise that word of the Gospel: 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor'.

Therefore he only admitted to the Order those who had renounced property and kept absolutely nothing for themselves.

This is what she did, in homage to the Word of the Gospel; but also to avoid the scandal of private purses" (FF 1121).

Clare herself, of noble origins, had renounced all possessions and relatives in order to follow Christ in the footsteps of Francis.

Indeed, in her Testament she says:

"After the Most High Heavenly Father had deigned, by his mercy and grace, to enlighten my heart so that I might begin to do penance, following the example and teaching of our most blessed Father Francis, a short time after his conversion, I, together with the few sisters whom the Lord had given me a short time after my conversion, freely promised him obedience, in conformity with the inspiration that the Lord had communicated to us through his praiseworthy life and teaching" (FF 2831).

They considered everything rubbish before the sublime knowledge of Christ.

Wednesday 31st wk. in O.T. (Lk 14:25-33)

Luke tells the parable of the great banquet, of those who, having been invited to a wedding, do not prove worthy of the opportunity they have received.

Hence the host's choice to welcome to dinner the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame found at the crossroads.

Significantly, we find in the Sources that Francis, in love with Our Lady Poverty, insistently invited her to take food with the brothers [cf. Sacrum Commercium Beati Francisci cum Domina Paupertate].

The Saint had well understood that the Queen of the table was the one who shone in a special way in the derelict, in those who were forced to the margins of society, but sensitive to the invitation.

We read in fact:

"Then they led her to the place where the table was prepared. As she arrived, she looked around and, seeing nothing but three or four loaves of barley bread and bran placed on the grass, she was seized with great admiration" (FF 2020).

Then "he commanded them all to be together and spoke words of life to them, saying:

"Be blessed, my children, by the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth, for you have welcomed me into your home with such fullness of charity, that today, being with you, it seemed to me that I was in the paradise of the Lord [...].

Here is what I have sought so much, now I contemplate it [...] because on earth I have united myself with men who are for me the faithful image of Him who is my spouse in heaven.

May the Lord bless your courage and praise the work of your hands" (FF 2024).

Called and elected [in the company of Our Lady Poverty] to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God.

Clare herself, in her Spiritual Testament, a true Franciscan pearl, addresses her present and future daughters, inviting them to guard the priceless treasure of election.

We read:

"Among the other benefits we have received and daily receive from our Donor, the Father of Mercies, for which we are greatly obliged to render to Him glorious living acts of grace, great is that of our vocation. And the greater and more perfect it is, the more we are obliged to him.

Therefore the Apostle admonishes: 'Know your vocation well'" (FF 2823).

Again:

"The Son of God became our Way; and this by word and example our blessed father Francis, a true lover and imitator of Him, showed and taught us" (FF 2824).

At this point Clare recalls when the Saint, under divine inspiration, prophesied about them. 

"Having climbed over the wall of the said church [...] he addressed some poor people who were standing nearby:

"Come and help me in this work of the monastery of St Damian, for soon women will come to inhabit it, and by the fame of the holiness of their lives glory will be rendered to our heavenly Father throughout his holy Church".

We can, therefore, admire in this fact the great goodness of God towards us: he has deigned, in his superabundant mercy and charity, to inspire such words to his Saint concerning our vocation and election" (FF 2827-2828).

"Go out early into the squares and alleys of the city and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame" (Lk 14:21b).

Tuesday 31st wk. in O.T. (Lk 14:15-24)

Jesus exhorts the onlookers not to invite relatives and friends to lunch or dinner, but those who cannot reciprocate: the poor!

This is true beatitude!

The Poverello of Assisi insistently invited Our Lady Poverty to take food with the brothers [cf. Sacrum Commercium Beati Francisci cum Domina Paupertate]:

"Then they led her to the place where the table was prepared. As she arrived she looked around and, seeing nothing but three or four loaves of barley bread and bran placed on the grass, was seized with great admiration" (FF 2020).

Then "he commanded them all to be together and spoke words of life to them, saying:

"Be blessed, my children, by the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth, because you have welcomed me into your home with such fullness of charity, that today, being with you, it seemed to me as if I were in the paradise of the Lord [...] This is what I have sought so much, now I contemplate it [...] because on earth I am united with men who are for me the faithful image of Him who is my spouse in heaven. May the Lord bless your courage and praise the work of your hands" (FF 2024).

Called and elected in the company of Our Lady Poverty to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God.

Clare herself, in her Spiritual Testament, a true Franciscan pearl, addresses her present and future daughters, inviting them to guard the priceless treasure of election. We read in it:

"Among the other benefits that we have received and every day receive from our Donor, the Father of Mercies, for which we are greatly obliged to render to Him glorious living deeds of grace, great is that of our vocation. And the greater and more perfect it is, the more we are obliged to him. Therefore the Apostle admonishes: 'Know your vocation well'" (FF 2823).

And again:

"The Son of God became our Way; and this by word and example our blessed father Francis, a true lover and imitator of Him, showed and taught us" (FF 2824).

At this point Clare recalls when the Saint, under divine inspiration, prophesied about them.

"Having climbed over the wall of the said church [...] and addressed some poor people who were standing near it: "Come and help me in this work of the monastery of San Damiano, because soon some women will come to live there, and by the fame of the holiness of their lives, glory will be rendered to our heavenly Father in all his holy Church".

We can, therefore, admire in this fact the great goodness of God towards us: he has deigned, in his superabundant mercy and charity, to inspire such words to his Saint concerning our vocation and election" (FF 2827-2828).

"But when you make a banquet, invite poor cripples who are lame and blind, and you will be blessed because they have nothing to spare" (Lk 14:13-14).

Monday 31st wk. in O.T. (Lk 14,12-14)

For the Poor Man of Assisi, loving God with all his heart and mind and strength, as well as his neighbour, was something that made him wince all over.

The Sources, a sublime concatenation of astonishing events, give us evidence of this.

We read, in fact:

"Once when he was travelling through a region preaching, it happened that two French friars approached him, drawing deep consolation from him.

At the moment of parting, they asked him, driven by devotion, for his cassock for the love of God. And Francis, as soon as he had heard God's love invoked, took off his habit, and remained naked for a few hours.

For it was his custom, when it was said to him: 'For the love of God, give me the cassock or the rope' or whatever he wore, to give it immediately out of reverence for that Lord who is called Charity.

But it displeased him so much, and he used to reproach the brothers when he heard them mention the love of God for every trifle.

He said: "So sublime is the love of God, that only rarely and in cases of great necessity must it be named, and always with great veneration" (FF 1603).

"The indomitable fire of love for the good Jesus erupted in him with flames and flames of charity so strong that the many waters could not extinguish them" (FF 1224).

But her first seedling, Clare, was also entirely dedicated to the love of Christ, as we can see from her writings.

In her Blessing we read:

"Always be lovers of God and of the souls of yourselves and of all your sisters, and always be solicitous to observe what you have promised the Lord" (FF 2857).

In a Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges, a spiritual sister, she says:

"Remain, therefore, O dearest one, faithful until death to Him to whom you are bound for ever. And surely you will be crowned by Him with the crown of life' (FF 2914).

And to Agnes of Prague: "Contemplate again His unspeakable delights, riches and eternal honours, and cry out with all the ardour of your desire and love: Draw me to you, O heavenly Bridegroom! We will run after you, attracted by the sweetness of your perfume" (FF 2906).

Yes, loving God and our brothers is worth more than many holocausts!

Francis always had at heart the salvation of souls and what Jesus had done to give eternal life to all.

In the Sources we find what he says to his brothers:

"The Only-Begotten of God, Infinite Wisdom, for the salvation of souls came down from the bosom of the Father, renewed the world by his example, speaking to men the Word of salvation, and gave his blood as a price to redeem them, a washing to purify them, a drink to fortify them, absolutely nothing reserving for himself, but everything generously dispensing for our salvation" (FF 1204).

And Francis was used by the Lord to bring the dead back to life several times:

"In the village of Monte Marano, near Benevento, a woman particularly devoted to St Francis had died.

In the evening the clerics came for the funeral [...] when suddenly, in the sight of everyone, the woman got up on her bed and called one of the priests present [...] and said to him:

'Father, I want to confess: listen to my sin. When I died, I was to be thrown into a horrible prison because I had not confessed the sin I am about to tell you. But St Francis prayed for me, whom during my life I always served with devotion, and so I was granted to return now to the body, to confess that sin and merit eternal life. After I have confessed it I will hasten to the promised peace'.

Trembling, he confessed to the priest [...] and, having received absolution, he lay down in peace on his bed and fell asleep happily in the Lord' (FF 1263).

In the Fioretti, then, it is told of a friar, Giovanni della Verna, who celebrating Mass on the Day of the Dead saw many liberated souls ascend to heaven:

"In that Mass, divinely raising the body of Christ and offering it to God the Father and begging him that for love of his blessed Son Jesus Christ, who was hanging on the cross to buy back souls, it would please him to free [...] the souls of the dead created and bought back by him; immediately he saw almost infinite souls [...] ascending into heaven through the merits of Christ's passion, which is offered every day for the living and the dead in that most sacred host" (FF 1892).

"Now this is the will of Him who sent me: that whatever He has given me, I should not lose of it, but raise it up at the last day" (Jn 6:39).

Comm. of all the Faithful Departed (Jn 6:37-40)

In the Beatitudes Jesus proclaims God's love for every man, especially for the poor, the object of his predilection.

Francis looked upon the Beatitudes as the portrait of Christ who lived them to the full and followed them as a lover of Him.

He had great veneration not only for the Virgin Mary, but also for all the saints.

In fact, among his writings there is an antiphon recited every hour:

"Holy Virgin Mary, there is none like thee, born in the world, among women, daughter and handmaid of the Most High and Supreme King the heavenly Father, mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, spouse of the Holy Spirit; pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel and with all the powers of heaven and with all the saints, to thy most holy beloved Son, Lord and Master. Glory be to the Father. As it was." (FF 281).

The Sources underline that "the saints and their memory were for him like burning coals of fire, which revived in him the deifying fire" (FF 1167).

In the Admonitions of Francis:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

There are many who persistently apply themselves to prayers and occupations, do many abstinences and corporal mortifications, but for a single word that seems an insult to their person, or for something that is taken away from them, scandalised, they quickly become irritated.

These are not poor in spirit, for he who is truly poor in spirit hates himself and loves those who strike them in the cheek" (FF 163).

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

"True peacemakers are those who in all the hardships they endure in this world, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, keep peace in soul and body" (FF 164).

And in the same Canticle of Brother Sun, when he was now very ill, he added the famous verse of forgiveness

"Be praised, my Lord/ for those who forgive for love of you/ and endure infirmity and tribulation./

Blessed are those who are in peace,/ for by you, Most High, they shall be crowned" (FF 1593).

Nevertheless, Clare of Assisi, in her wonderful Blessing to the sisters, turns her gaze to the whole assembly of saints in heaven and on earth:

"I pray to our Lord Jesus Christ through his mercy and through the Intercession of his most holy Mother Mary, of the blessed Archangel Michael and all the holy Angels of God, [of our blessed Father Francis] and of all the saints and holy women of God, that the same heavenly Father may bestow upon you and confirm this most holy blessing in heaven and on earth: on earth, multiplying you, by his Grace and virtues, among his servants in his Church militant; in heaven, exalting and glorifying you in his Church triumphant among his saints and holy ones" (FF 2855).

Clear beauty of a communion lived in the round with the saints who still walk on earth and with those who wave their palms before the throne of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.

"Blessed are the poor [because of Love], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:3).

All Saints (Mt 5:1-12a)

In this Gospel passage from Luke, in which the end of Jesus and the fulfilment of His work is foretold, we witness Him weeping over Jerusalem, the proverbial city that stoned and killed the prophets.

Looking in the Sources we report a particular episode of the Poor Man.

One night Francis had a dream that almost recalled Jesus' lament over Jerusalem.

Christ had wept over the holy city, which was responsible for the killing of prophets (and for stoning those sent to it) whose price would be a house left deserted.

Unity betrayed and vilified would have generated squalor and abandonment.

The saint therefore "saw a small and black hen, similar to a domestic dove, with legs and feet covered in feathers.

She had many chicks, which, no matter how much they circled around her, could not all gather under her wings.

When she awoke, the man of God resumed his thoughts and personally explained the vision.

"The hen," he commented, "is me, small in stature and dark in complexion, and I must unite to the innocence of life a simplicity of a dove: a virtue, which the rarer it is in the world, the more swiftly it rises to heaven.

The chicks are the friars, grown in numbers and grace, whom the strength of Francis is unable to protect from the disturbance of men and the attacks of malignant tongues'" (FF 610).

This is why the Minim placed the Order under the protection of the Church, since for him following Christ meant walking in the footsteps of the Bride of the Lord.

The Poverello had special solicitude for his brothers, striving to keep them in the bond of unity, for which Christ became the sacrificial Lamb, sacrificed for the salvation of all the people.

Indeed, in the Letter to the Faithful, he expresses himself thus:

"The will of his Father was this, that his blessed and glorious Son, whom he gave us and was born for us, should offer himself, through his own blood, as a sacrifice and victim on the altar of the cross, not for himself, since through him all things were created, but in atonement for our sins, leaving us the example so that we might follow in his footsteps" (FF 184).

In love with Christ in everything, even in the infirmities that afflicted him Francis wanted to follow the Lord's poverty and example.

"So vivid was his love for the salvation of souls, and his thirst to win them to God, that, no longer having the strength to walk, he went about the country riding a donkey.

Often the brethren, with gentle insistence, invited him to restore his infirm and too weak body a little, with medical care, but he, who had his spirit continually turned to heaven, declined the invitation each time, since he only wished to be untied from his body to be with Christ" (FF 490).

Thus he used his "brother donkey", borrowed for the journey to La Verna and his return through Borgo San Sepolcro, united in the meekness they shared.

Thursday 30th wk. in O.T. (Lk 13,31-35)

Jesus invites us to strive to enter through the narrow door, knowing that works speak for themselves and that the last will be first.

These themes are assiduously present in the Franciscan Sources.

After his conversion, the Son of Peter Bernardone places great emphasis on the "strive to enter through the narrow gate" recommended by Jesus.

Indeed, in what we call the "Writings of Francis" [mostly dictated to some friar who became his secretary] his firm adherence to the Gospel emerges clearly.

In the Regola non bollata (1221) we read among the exhortations addressed to his brothers:

"And let them strive to enter through the narrow gate, for the Lord says: Narrow is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life; and there are few who find it" (FF 37).

And well aware of the evangelical requirement of humility and minority, this is how he responded to his own regarding who should be considered a true friar minor:

"Take a dead body," he said, "and put it wherever you like. And you will see that if you move it, it will not object: if you drop it, it will not protest.

If you put it on a chair, it will not look up, but down.

If you put a purple robe on him, he will look doubly pale.

This is the true obedient one: he who does not judge why they move him; he does not care where he is assigned; he does not insist on being transferred; elected to an office, he maintains his usual humility; the more he is honoured, the more he considers himself unworthy' (FF 1107).

And Clare was no less!

In the Testament left to the sisters:

"But because narrow is the way and the path, and narrow is the gate by which one sets out and enters into life, few are those who tread it and enter it; and if there are those who walk in it for a little while, very few persevere in it.

Blessed, however, are those to whom it is granted to walk this way and persevere in it to the end" (FF 2850).

And in the Legend:

"From then on, she no longer refused any servile duties, to the point that, for the most part, it was she who poured water on her sisters' hands, stood to assist them while they sat and served them at table while they ate" (FF 3180).

Already, those who in life have been considered last or made least for the sake of the Gospel will be first in the Kingdom of God!

"And behold, there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last" (Lk 13:30).

Wednesday, 30th wk. in O.T. (Lk 13:22-30)

The two parables illustrated in the passage from Luke highlight the characteristics of the Kingdom of God: hiddenness and littleness, capable of making the Good News leaven.

Francis understood that Jesus in the Gospel calls us to become men and women capable of making the Word reign in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Concealment is the main theme of today's Gospel, and the two Poor Men of Assisi had understood that the greatness of God is to contain in the small and insignificant the irrepressible that is God himself.

In the Sources there are descriptions that highlight all this.

For example, in the Papal Bull of canonisation of St Clare we read:

'Indeed, this light kept itself enclosed in the hiddenness of cloistered life, and outside it radiated luminous gleams [...].

It kept itself within: and spread out.

Clare, indeed, hid herself: but her life was known to all.

Clare kept silent: but her fame cried out.

She kept herself hidden in her cell: yet in the cities they preached about her" (FF 3284).

"This was the tall tree, reaching towards the heavens, with its branches spread out [...] and in whose pleasant and pleasant shade many followers flocked from all sides, and still flock to enjoy its fruit" (FF 3294).

Francis himself shunned the company of men when he could, finding refuge in hermitages, knowing full well that in solitude and burial the seed sown produces copious shoots.

The Sources inform us:

"While Francis, shunning as was his habit from the sight and company of men was in a hermitage, a falcon who had his nest there made a solemn pact of friendship with him" (FF 754).

In reality, the Kingdom of Heaven lurks where the apparent smallness shines, giving flavour to everything.

"To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman having taken hid in three bushels of flour, until all was leavened" (Lk 13:20-21).

Tuesday, 30th wk. in O.T. (Lk 13:18-21)