Jesus teaches the crowd and explains: what makes one impure is what comes from the heart.

Francis, pure in heart, transparent in his intentions and intentions, had also introduced in the Admonitions he wrote a clear guiding call for his brothers - on the merits of behaviour.

In the Sources:

"When we live according to the flesh, the devil wants to take away from us the love of [our Lord] Jesus Christ and eternal life, and wants to lose himself with everyone in hell; for we through our own fault are ignoble, miserable, and contrary to good, ready instead and willing for evil, because, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Out of the heart proceed and come forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, impudiciousness, envy, false witness, blasphemy, [pride], foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within the heart of man, and it is these things that defile man.

Now instead, since we have left the world, we have nothing to do but to follow the will of the Lord and to please Him alone" (FF 57).

In this way he instructed his brothers in the way of purity.

And in the Vita Prima of Celano, regarding his brothers:

"And this is what they always used to do when they came to him; they did not hide even the slightest thought and involuntary motions of their souls from him, and after having accomplished all that was commanded them, they still considered themselves useless servants.

And truly "purity of heart" filled that first group of the blessed Francis' disciples to such a degree that, although they knew how to do useful, holy and upright things, they showed themselves utterly incapable of drawing vain pleasure from them.

Then blessed Francis, clasping his sons to himself with great love, began to manifest to them his plan and what the Lord had revealed to him" (FF 370).

Magnificence of the little ones!

«What comes out of man, that makes man unclean» (Mk 7:20)

Wednesday 5th wk. in O.T.  (Mk 7,14-23)

Mk highlights the comparison between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees, whom He reproaches for the hypocrisy of appearances - worshipping their tradition instead of God Himself - and neglecting the commandment of Love.

Francis of Assisi detested appearances, rituals observed for mere vanity, honour to God given with the lips and not with the adherence of the heart; failing the commandment of Love, the Substance of God.

He resented the hypocrisy of 'ablutions' that misunderstand the charity to be extended to one's neighbour.

He urged his brothers to bear witness to the Gospel with boldness, proclaiming the Word at every opportunity; without kneeling to abstract precepts.

Looking at the episodes that recall this new sense of purity, a passage from the Sources is particularly interesting:

The brothers, in their all-interior ideal "When they met a church or a cross along the way, they would bow down to recite a prayer and say devoutly:

"We adore thee, O Christ, and bless thee for all thy churches scattered throughout the world, for thou hast redeemed them by thy holy cross".

They were convinced, in fact, that they were in a holy place, wherever they encountered a cross or a church.

Everyone who saw them was greatly astonished, because of their way of dressing and living that was so different from any other: they looked like woodland creatures.

Wherever they entered, be it a city, a castle, a village, a dwelling, they proclaimed peace, exhorting men and women to fear and love the Creator of heaven and earth, and to keep his commandments.

There were those who listened to them willingly and those who, on the contrary, mocked them.

Mostly they were pelted with a storm of questions [...].

Although it was annoying to answer so many questions, they confessed with simplicity that they were penitents from Assisi [...]" (FF 1441).

Free from ceremonial, they proclaimed the Kingdom of God with authenticity and not only with their lips, but with the testimony of their lives, which emphasised the Word read and prayed.

They were not slaves to useless observances of custom, but tenacious servants of the Gospel at all costs.

Jesus' warning was not directed at them:

"Setting aside the commandment of God, keep the tradition of men" (Mk 7:8).

Rather, this admonition concerns those who take glory from one another, neglecting what pleases God.

«Artfully you set aside the commandment of God, to observe your own tradition» (Mk 7:9)

Tuesday, 5th wk. in O.T. (Mk 7,1-13)

The evangelist Mk shows how, as Jesus passed by, people everywhere flocked to carry on stretchers the sick to be healed.

Following in the footsteps of the Master, Francis performed healings in every place.

He had received special charisms in favour of the people, who wanted to touch him to be healed.

In the Sources, there is an interesting and moving episode in this regard.

In Susa, a young man from Rivarolo Canavese, named Ubertino, who had entered the Order of Friars Minor, after a terrible fright, became insane and was struck by paralysis in his right side, losing sensibility, motion, hearing and speech.

The brothers were distressed to see him lying in his bed in that state.

On the eve of St Francis he had a moment of lucidity and began to invoke his father in a heartfelt way.

At the hour of matins, while all the brothers were in choir, the blessed father appeared to the novice in the infirmary, causing a great light to shine in the house.

The father placed his hand on his right side, running it down to his feet; he put his fingers in his ear and made a special sign on his right shoulder, saying:

"This will be for you the sign that God, using me, whom you wished to imitate by entering Religion, has restored you to perfect health" (FF 1325).

Then he put on the girdle and said to him:

"Get up and go to church to devoutly celebrate, together with the others, the prescribed praises of God" (FF 1325).

The young man tried to touch him with his hands and kiss his feet, as a sign of thanksgiving, but the blessed father disappeared from his sight.

The young man then went into the church to celebrate the praises now healed, to the amazement of the onlookers.

Francis, an apostle of resurrection, in life and in death worked many healings in the bodies and hearts of many people.

These wanted to touch his tunic, his cloak, his hood, firmly believing that they could be healed and regain faith in the God who had sent him.

«And they begged him to touch even the fringe of his cloak; and as many as touched him were saved» (Mk 6:56)

Monday, 5th wk. in O.T. (Mk 6,53-56)

Francis had understood that the words of the Crucifix of San Damiano did not refer to the rebuilding of the small temple, but to the renewal of the Church in its members.

He had laid down the cloths of penance to assume the 'minoritic' garb, girding his hips with a rough rope and covering his head with the hood in use by the peasants of the time, walking barefoot.

He had begun his apostolic mission by marrying Our Lady Poverty to become, as Jesus suggested, a fisher of men, in faith.

The Sources, across the board, provide significant pictures of this becoming a 'fisherman' in the proclamation of the Word of salvation.

We read, in fact, in his address to the brothers:

"Dearest brothers, let us consider our vocation. God, in his mercy, has called us not only for our salvation, but also for that of many others.

Let us therefore go throughout the world, exhorting everyone, by example rather than by words, to do penance for their sins and to remember God's commandments'.

He continued:

"Do not be afraid of being thought insignificant or deranged, but proclaim penance with courage and simplicity. Have confidence in the Lord, who has overcome the world!

Francis had cast his nets into the sea of the society of the time to bring souls to God and this he taught his brothers to do.

They "walked all joyful, speaking among themselves the words of the Lord, saying nothing that did not serve the praise and glory of God and the profit of the soul.

They frequently abandoned themselves to prayer. The Lord took charge of preparing hospitality for them and saw to it that they were served what was necessary" (FF 1455).

Astonishment accompanied them, in their purity of spirit, for the souls they were leading to God - happy that the unloved Love, as Francis said, through the proclamation became better known.

The disciples who believed immediately experienced the fruitfulness of gestures made in unity with Christ.

With introspective capacity combined with Grace, Francis became a fruitful missionary, working wonders with the strength of the Risen One, casting the net on the right side.

The Sources narrate a significant episode that occurred at a hermitage near Rieti (Fonte Colombo).

Visited by the doctor for the cure of his eyes, Francis asked his companions to welcome him to lunch, preparing something good for him.

"Father," replied the guardian, "we tell you with blushes, we are ashamed to invite you, so poor are we at this time.

"Perhaps you want me to repeat it to you?" insisted the saint.

The doctor was present and intervened: "I, dearest brothers, will esteem your penury a delight".

The brothers hurriedly placed what was in the pantry on the table: a little bread, not much wine, and to make the meal more sumptuous, the kitchen sent some pulses.

But the table of the Lord meanwhile moves to take pity on the servants' table.

There is a knock at the door and they rush to open it: there is a woman carrying a basket full of beautiful bread, fish and shrimp pies, and on top plenty of honey and grapes.

At such a sight the poor diners sparkled with joy, and putting aside that misery for the next day, they ate of the delicious food.

The moved doctor exclaimed:

"Neither we seculars nor you friars really know the holiness of this man".

And they would certainly have been fully fed, but more than the food the miracle had satiated them.

Thus the loving eye of the Father never despises his own, rather he assists those most in need with more generous providence.

The poor man feeds at a richer table than that of the king, how much God surpasses man in generosity" (FF 629).

«Indeed amazement had seized him and all those with him in the catch of fish that they had caught» (Lk 5:9)

5th Sunday in O.T. (year C) (Lk 5,1-11)

In today's Gospel Jesus invites his own to a deserted place, in the background. The throng of the crowd did not even allow them to eat.

But the Lord first of all feels compassion for the people who followed him, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Assiduous contemplation and purity of life had made Francis powerful, by grace, even over the forces 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.

«And as he went out he saw many crowds and had compassion on them, for they were like sheep that have no shepherd, and he began to teach them many things» (Mk 6:34)

Saturday, 4th wk. in O.T. (Mk 6:30-34)

The evangelist Mark illustrates the circumstances of the Baptist's martyrdom.

Herod wanted to have John killed for fear of revolts, and because he reproached him for his offences.

But he feared the crowd, who considered him a prophet.

The theme of persecution combined with the people's favour for the man of God is also present in St Francis.

In the Sources we read:

"Since the herald of Christ was famous for these and many other prodigies, the people paid attention to his words, as if he spoke as an Angel of the Lord.

For the prerogative of the lofty virtues, the spirit of prophecy, the thaumaturgic power, the mission to preach coming from heaven, the obedience of creatures deprived of reason, the sudden conversions of hearts brought about by hearing his word, the knowledge infused by the Holy Spirit and superior to human doctrine, the authorisation to preach granted by the Supreme Pontiff by divine revelation, as well as the Rule, which defines the form of preaching, confirmed by the Vicar of Christ himself and, finally, the signs of the Supreme King impressed like a seal on his body, are like ten testimonies for the whole world and confirm without a shadow of a doubt that Francis, the herald of Christ, is worthy of veneration for the mission received, authentic in the doctrine taught, admirable for his holiness and that, therefore, he preached the Gospel of Christ as a true envoy of God" (FF 1221).

For this he too encountered persecution.

But to his brothers, in the Regola non bollata, he reminds them:

"And let all the brothers, wherever they are, remember that they have given themselves and abandoned their bodies to our Lord Jesus Christ.

And for his love they must expose themselves to enemies both visible and invisible, for the Lord says:

'He who loses his soul for my sake will save it for eternal life' " (FF 45).

Francis sacrificed his whole self on the altar of charity and poverty for the sake of the Kingdom, leaving everyone a shining example.

«And immediately the king sent a guard and ordered his head to be brought in, and went and beheaded him in the prison» (Mk 6:27)

Friday, 4th wk. in O.T. (Mk 6:14-29)

In the Regola bollata (1223) Francis of Assisi writes to his brothers:

«In whatever house they enter they are to say, first of all: Peace to this house; and, according to the holy Gospel, it is lawful for them to eat all the food that will be presented to them» (FF 86).

A poor, essential behaviour, suited to the circumstances, without pretence.

A style that also concerns the singular equipment of the route:

«And he commanded them to take nothing on the way except a staff only, neither bread nor saddlebags nor copper for a belt, but having put on sandals not to wear two tunics» (Mk 6:8-9).

All this constituted ‘the pilgrim's kit’ for the sake of Christ and his almighty Word.

For himself and his first companions, Francis had wondered a lot about how to follow the Gospel.

One day*, he entered St Peter's church, where the passage on the mandate given to the Apostles was being read.

"After Mass, he asked the priest to explain the passage to him*. The priest commented on it to him point by point, and Francis, hearing that the disciples of Christ must possess neither gold, nor silver, nor money, nor carry saddlebags, nor bread [...] but only preach the Kingdom of God [...] immediately, exulting in the Holy Spirit, exclaimed:

"This I want, this I ask, this I long to do with all my heart!" (FF 356).

And without any delay, full of joy, he set about to fulfil the salutary admonition and all the teachings he had heard.

The Sources continue:

"For he had never been a deaf hearer of the Gospel, but, entrusting everything he heard to a commendable memory, he sought with all diligence to carry it out to the letter" (FF 357).

From then on, with great fervour, Francis began to preach penance, edifying everyone with the simplicity and effectiveness of his word and the magnificence of his heart.

He began his preaching precisely in the church of St. George, where he had his first rudiments of Latin and religious instruction, where he had learned to read, and where he later had his first burial.

Poor, he began to sow the Good News; bare of everything.

And naked he gave himself to the Good News until the end of his life.

*The event may have happened either on 12 October (feast of St Luke) or 24 February 1209 (feast of St Matthias), on which days the Gospel of the Apostles' mission is read.

Thursday, 4th wk. in O.T. (Mk 6,7-13)