Jesus places his missionaries before the stark reality:

"Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves" (Mt 10:16).

At the same time, he invites them to trust the Spirit who will speak in them when they are accused and persecuted.

Francis, who had a good memory, carried with him these recommendations made by Christ to his disciples.

In Assisi he was esteemed insane.

Having known Christ, the Poverello well knew that following in his footsteps would provoke insults and lead to persecution, starting with his family.

In fact, the people of Assisi, and his shrewd merchant father, could not bear his radical change, and esteemed him a madman.

But Francis, the Herald of Christ, did not let himself be intimidated - guided by divine Wisdom, which suggests to those who welcome it every response appropriate to the moment.

The Franciscan Sources, a place of special evangelical commitment, narrate:

"One day, inflamed with enthusiasm, the saint left the cave and set out for Assisi, lively, swift and joyful.

Armed with confidence in Christ and inflamed with heavenly love, he reproached himself for cowardice and vain trepidation, and boldly decided to expose himself to the hands and blows of his persecutors.

At the first sight of him, those who knew him as he was before, began to insult him, shouting that he was a madman and a fool, throwing mud and stones at him.

Seeing him so changed, exhausted by penances, they attributed his change to exhaustion and dementia.

But the Knight of Christ passed through that storm without paying any attention to it, not allowing himself to be struck and agitated by the insults, giving thanks to God instead.

News of what was happening spread through the squares and streets of the city, until it came to the ears of his father.

Hearing how they were mistreating him, he immediately went out to get him, intending not to free him but to end it.

Out of his mind, he pounced on him like a wolf on a sheep, and staring at him with grim eyes and a face contracted in fury, he seized him and dragged him home.

There he locked him up in a dark cubbyhole for several days, doing everything, with words and blows, to bring him back to worldly vanity" (FF 1417).

But "Francis did not let himself be moved neither by words, nor by chains, nor by beatings. He endured everything with patience, indeed becoming more agile and stronger in following his ideal" (FF 1418).

Says Celano, in the Vita prima:

"The Christian, in fact, who has received the command to rejoice in tribulations, not even under scourges and chains can abandon his line of conduct and spirit and let himself be led astray from the flock of Christ.

He is not intimidated by the flood of many waters, he, who in every distress has the Son of God for refuge, who, lest we think the yoke of our sufferings too heavy, shows us how much greater are those which he has borne for us" (FF 340).

"You will be hated by all because of my name" (Mt 10:22).

Friday of the 14th wk. in O.T. (Mt 10,16-23)

The Liturgy of the feast of St Benedict, co-patron of Europe, emphasises the theme of leaving everything for Christ, for the Gospel, reciprocated by the hundredfold and the Life of the Eternal.

Benedict, like Francis, left all possessions to follow Jesus, summing up his path in the famous axiom: 'Ora et labora', 'pray and work'.

Sometimes the severity of Benedictine monastic asceticism is contrasted with Franciscan cheerfulness, as if St Benedict and St Francis were two separate universes; but this is not the case.

There are elements in which they differ and others in common, perhaps elaborated differently.

Both consider prayer and work important. As well as prayer as the path leading to detachment from everything and interiorisation, the place of encounter with Christ - to be put before everything.

Francis, too, considers work an important aspect of his life and of the Minorite Rule, recalling in this the Benedictine one.

The Poor Man, although not Benedictine (as depicted in the Sacro Speco of Subiaco, in an ancient image) also lived within a history that preceded him, drawing from it some things, others rejecting them.

Those familiar with the Franciscan Sources, wishing to affirm the novelty of Brother Francis compared to St Benedict of Norcia, refer to a passage in the Compilatio Assisiensis.

In it it is narrated how during a Chapter at the Portiuncula, where the Minorite Rule was being discussed, some brothers proposed the adoption of earlier forms of life.

But Francis replied:

"My brothers, my brothers, God has called me to the way of humility and shown me the way of simplicity. Therefore, I do not want you to name me any other Rule, neither that of St Augustine, nor that of St Bernard or St Benedict.

The Lord told me that this is what he wanted:

that I should be in the world a 'new fool'; and the Lord does not want to lead us by any other path than that of this science!" (FF 1564).

The greatness of the Benedictine Rule does not lie so much in its contribution of novelty, but in its ability to synthesise the various previous monastic experiences in a sort of sapiential reading.

But these saints both place great importance on work that overcomes idleness and makes one live in the constant Presence of Christ in history, to which they put everything before him.

Continuous prayer and constant work are therefore two common elements differently elaborated, but fundamental for the following of Jesus and detachment from everything.

Francis taught the brothers:

"In prayer we purify our feelings and unite ourselves with the one, true and supreme Good and reinvigorate virtue [...].

In prayer we speak to God, we listen to him and we linger in the midst of the angels; in preaching, on the other hand, we must often descend to men and, living as men among men, think, see, say and listen in the human way" (FF1204).

In his Testament, the Minim writes:

"And I worked with my hands, and I want to work; and I firmly want all the other brothers to work in a manner befitting honesty.

Those who do not know, let them learn, not out of greed to receive the reward of work, but to set an example and keep idleness at bay" (FF 119).

And it is precisely this approach of thought and life that made the Benedictines capable of building Europe "by making the everyday heroic and the everyday heroic" and that drove the Franciscan friars, among other things, to constant and faithful work especially in the evangelising mission of peace.

Sons of God in a different way, equally projected to follow Jesus, knowing that having left everything for his Kingdom is a guarantee of eternal life.

"And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life" (Mt 19:29).

S. Benedict patron of Europe (Mt 19:27-29)

Who knows how many times Francis, the Herald of the Great King, in reading this passage from Matthew must have thought that in order to announce the Kingdom of God he would travel the whole earth to bring souls to Christ and to reach the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

"Would you do that?"

Francis must surely have asked himself this disarming question, to which his whole eloquent existence was answered: "Yes, without a doubt!".

For a single sheep of his flock he would certainly have left the others safe in search of the lost one.

"Let us look closely, brothers all, at the good Shepherd who, in order to save his sheep, endured the passion of the cross" (FF 155 - Admonitions).

He, who used to call Brother Leo "God's sheep", would have faced any adversity to find it, and for this he sought martyrdom even before the Sultan of Egypt, to win it for Christ.

The Sources, through the Major Legend, report:

"Francis, the servant of God, with an intrepid heart answered [the Sultan] that he had been sent not by men, but by God most high, to show him and his people the way to salvation and to proclaim the Gospel of truth.

And he preached to the Sultan the triune God and the Saviour of all, Jesus Christ, with so much courage, with so much strength and so much fervour of spirit, as to make it clearly evident that the promise of the Gospel was being fulfilled with full truth: I will give you a language and a wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict" (FF 1173).

Rich in tenderness and mercy, it is an episode that highlights the shepherd heart of the Poor Man and his concern for the Kingdom of God.

We find in the Sources:

"Once crossing the March of Ancona, after preaching in the same city, and heading towards Osimo, in the company of Brother Paul, whom he had elected minister to all the brothers of that province, he met a shepherd in the countryside, who was grazing his flock of rams and goats.

In the midst of the flock was a single sheep, quietly and humbly grazing on the grass.

As soon as he saw it, Francis stopped, and as if he had had a grip on his heart, full of compassion he said to his brother:

"Do you see that lonely and meek sheep among the goats? Our Lord Jesus Christ, surrounded and hunted down by the Pharisees and Synodites, must have looked just like that humble creature.

Therefore I beseech thee, my son, for love of Him, be thou also full of compassion, let us buy her and take her away from these goats and goatherds" (FF 456).

"Depart, preach, saying that the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Mt 10:7).

Wednesday of the 14th wk. in O.T. (Mt 10,1-7)

In today's Gospel we see Jesus going through towns and villages proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick.

Assiduous contemplation and purity of life had made Francis powerful, by grace, even over the power of evil, making him a credible witness to the Lord through numerous healings.

The Sources eloquently illuminate in this regard:

"People of all ages [...] ran to see and hear that new man.

He pilgrimaged through the various regions, fervently proclaiming the Gospel; and the Lord cooperated, confirming the Word with the miracles that accompanied it.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord, Francis, preacher of the truth, cast out demons, healed the sick" (FF 1212).

Once "I do not know how to qualify the horrible illness from which a brother suffered, some attributed it to the presence of an evil devil.

The poor man would often throw himself to the ground and, squinting his eyes in a horrible way, he would foam at the mouth; his limbs would now contract, now stretch, now stiff, now bent and twisted...

The saint Francis had immense compassion for him, went to him, blessed him, humbly praying to God, and the sick man obtained prompt and complete health and never suffered such an evil again" (FF 440).

"In Città di Castello a woman was possessed by an evil and furious spirit: as soon as the Saint [...] had obediently ordered [him to come out of her], the demon fled full of indignation, leaving the poor obsessed woman free in body and soul" (FF 1219)

Francis had married the Light, obscuring the power of evil.

The Minim had compassion on the tired and exhausted crowds that followed him and, in prayer, his constant refuge, he asked God for labourers for the abundant harvest.

He also asked his brothers to pray much for this cause.

Like Jesus, the Saint travelled through all the towns and villages, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every infirmity (cf. Mt 9:35).

Tuesday of the 14th wk. in O.T. (Mt 9,32-38)

Today's Gospel highlights Jesus resurrecting a dead girl and the healing of a woman who had been suffering from loss of blood for a long time.

Jesus saves both, and to the woman he says:

"Take courage, daughter, your faith has saved you" (Mt 9:22).

Like Jesus, Francis the Simple did not humiliate the needy, but went to them and saved them through faith in God.

The Sources recount:

"In the diocese of Sora, a noblewoman named Rogata had been suffering from loss of blood for twenty-three years. It should be added that she had resorted to many doctors, resulting in a great deal of ill health.

Often, as the illness worsened, she seemed to be dying. If the bleeding could be stopped, her whole body would swell.

She happened to hear a young man singing in the Roman vernacular the story of the miracles wrought by God through St Francis, and then, dissolving into tears from emotion and pain, she began to say thus:

"O blessed Father Francis, who shines through so many miracles, if you deign to free me from this illness, you will have great glory, because you have never performed such a great miracle until now".

To what so many words? She had scarcely finished speaking when she felt cured by the merits of blessed Francis.

Even a woman from Sicily, who had suffered loss of blood for seven years, was healed by the holy bishop of Christ" (FF 1314).

Faith in Jesus and his servants works wonderful things!

Monday of the 14th wk. in O.T. (Mt 9,18-26)

Like Jesus, so his disciple.

Following in the footsteps of Christ, Francis of Assisi also wished that the people of his time had been builders and prophets of other dreams.

But in his life he meets [and with him his friars] men in whom often dwells the incapacity to recognise the figure of the divine in the human.

A hardness that goes hand in hand with that contempt for the prophetic and that tends to nullify what is revolutionary in the spirit of the Poverello: the happy intuition of the valorisation of the person.

We find in the authoritative Sources:

"If Guido [a benefactor] treated them with so much consideration, others held them in contempt.

People of high and lowly status mocked and maligned them, even to the point of stripping them of their miserable garments.

The servants of God remained naked because, according to the evangelical ideal, they wore nothing but that one piece of clothing, and moreover they did not demand the return of what was taken from them [...].

Some threw mud on them; others put dice in their hands, inviting them to play; still others, grabbing them from behind by the hood, dragged them on their backs. These and other such wickednesses were inflicted on them, because they were thought to be such mean beings, that they could be scrambled at will.

Together with hunger and thirst, with cold and nakedness, they endured tribulations and sufferings of all kinds.

But they endured everything with imperturbable patience, according to the admonition of Francis" (FF 1444).

"A prophet is not despised except in his own country, among his relatives and in his own house" (Mk 6:4).

14th Sunday in O.T. B (Mk 6,1-6)

Jesus answers John's disciples about fasting. Now the Bridegroom is with them and they will not fast; when he is taken from them they will fast.

Logic that breaks down the legalistic mentality.

In the Sources we have various passages that highlight the Poor Man of Assisi's way of acting on this subject.

The Minim forbade excesses.

Francis knew well how to discern between the importance of fasting and exaggeration in practising it.

In his life, never did form take the place of substance. The Franciscan Sources illustrate:

"Francis reproached his brothers who were too hard on themselves and who were exhausted by vigils, fasts, prayers and corporal penances [...].

The man of God forbade such excesses, admonishing those brothers lovingly and calling them to common sense, healing their wounds with the medicine of wise instructions [...].

He spoke with them, identifying himself with their situation, not as a judge then, but as an understanding father with his children and as a compassionate doctor with his own sick.

He knew how to be sick with the sick, afflicted with the afflicted" (FF 1470).

All this while being "a new man, [who] with new virtues renewed the way of perfection that had disappeared from the world" (FF 3162).

As a mature and profoundly human person, he knew how to help his brothers, evaluating the different situations he had before him.

In the Legend of the Three Companions: "However, when it was appropriate, he chastised those who committed offences" (FF 1470).

Francis had received, by Grace, the immeasurable gift of true discernment.

The Little One did not betray substance for form: he kept both in a sensible human and spiritual balance.

"But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Mt 9:15).

Saturday of the 13th wk. in O.T. (Mt 9:14-17)

Jesus makes us contemplate Matthew's strong and particular call, displacing everyone, precisely because it begins with sinners and not with the perfect according to the mentality of the time.

"For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mt 9:13).

Francis and Clare saw in the stimuli of their vocation and the brothers and sisters who followed them a fundamental attractive appointment. An opportunity for existence in Grace, which had looked upon them and redeemed them.

Through the Call, God was realising a secret gift in them, far beyond the expectations of a small life.

Regarding Francis, we read in the Sources:

"As he was passing near the church of San Damiano, he was inspired to enter it. He went there, and began to pray fervently before the image of the Crucifix, who spoke to him with moving goodness

"Francis, do you not see that my house is falling down? Go then and restore it".

Trembling and astonished, the young man replied:

"I will do it gladly, Lord".

However, he had misunderstood; he thought it was about that church which, because of its antiquity, threatened imminent ruin.

At those words of Christ he became immensely happy and radiant; he felt in his soul that it was really the Crucified One who had given him the message.

As he came out of the church, he found a priest sitting nearby, and putting his hand in his purse, he offered him money saying:

"Sir, I beg you to buy oil to make a lamp burn before that Crucifix. When I have finished this money, I will bring you more, according to need' " (FF 1411).

During his life, the Poverello continued to consider minority as a specific vocation of the friar.

Thus, observing the behaviour of the religious, he sometimes seemed preoccupied....

At times he "saw that some were ardently desirous of the offices of the Order, of which they made themselves unworthy, apart from anything else, by the mere ambition to govern. And he said that these 'were not Friars Minor, but had forgotten their vocation and had fallen from glory'" (FF 729).

Clare, regarding the vocation of the sisters residing at San Damiano, also expressed herself in her Testament as follows:

"The Lord himself has placed us as a model, as an example and mirror not only for other men, but also for our sisters, those whom the Lord himself has called to follow our vocation, so that they too may shine as a mirror and example for all those who live in the world" (FF 2829).

Friday of the 13th wk. in O.T. (Mt 9,9-13)

By virtue of the faith testified to by the bystanders, Jesus heals not only the limbs of a sick person but, more radically, frees one from sins; a fact that scandalised the scribes with an evil eye. 

In Francis, perfectly conformed to Christ, this prerogative was repeated thanks to God's plan for him, open to divine Love.

The Franciscan Sources constitute "the vocabulary" of the life of the Poverello and the beginnings of his fraternity, with multiple episodes that reveal Francis' introspection and his holy operation through the Holy Spirit in him.

The Sources attribute to Francis 10 prodigies relating to healed paralysis. They are extensively mentioned in the Major Legend.

We quote some of them to testify how the Lord worked greatly through his servant:

"There was near the town of Orte, a child all shrunken up, who had his head joined to his feet and several bones broken.

Moved by the tears and prayers of his parents, the saint blessed him with the sign of the cross, and he stood up with his limbs well stretched out, instantly healed" (FF 1216).

Again: 'In the diocese of Rieti, a weeping mother presented her child to him, who had been so swollen for four years that he could not even see his own legs: the Saint barely touched him with his sacred hands and made him perfectly healthy' (FF 1215).

Where eminent Faith is alive, God works wonders with His instruments; indeed, He endows them with His own powers and enables them to work greater things with Him.

"And seeing Jesus their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven'" (Mt 9:2).

Thursday of the 13th wk. in O.T. (Mt 9,1-8)