In chapter sixteen of John's Gospel, close to his return to the Father, Jesus says to his disciples:

«You will be sad, but your sadness will become joy» (Jn 16:20).

Francis had a brilliant ability, inspired from above, to transform every sadness into joy, in anticipation of blessed hope.

He had taught, for example, Brother Leo, God's sheep, to find perfect joy in being rejected and unrecognised by others.

He found joy in suffering at the mere thought that Jesus had experienced it first and that it was a noble way of uniting with Him.

He felt sadness at the bad testimonies among his own, but he was shaken by God himself before this kind of bitterness, for the Lord reminded him that everything was in his hand.

The various melancholies of the journey were transformed by the Poor Man, by the power of the Spirit, into opportunities for grace - thinking of the return of Jesus and the blessed union.

In the Sources, a jewel of original testimonies, we discover the beauty of such dynamics that faith in God and the efficacy of the Word worked out in the Minim.

"One day he saw one of his companions with a sad and melancholic face. Grudgingly enduring it, he told him:

"The servant of God must not show himself to others sad and angry, but always serene.

To your sins, reflect in your room and in the presence of God weep and groan. But when you return among the brothers, leave sadness behind and conform to others".

And, a little later:

"The adversaries of human salvation have much envy of me, and since they cannot upset me directly, they always try to do so through my companions."

He loved then so much the man full of spiritual gladness, that as a general admonition he had these words written in a chapter

"Let the brothers beware that they do not show themselves to be sad on the outside and gloomy like hypocrites, but let them show themselves to be joyful in the Lord, cheerful and suitably gracious" " (FF 712).

And again, in the Second Life of Celano, we find Francis instructing on how to behave in turmoil:

"The servant of God," he explained, "when he is troubled, as it happens, by something, he must get up at once to pray, and persevere before the Supreme Father until He restores to him the joy of his salvation. For if they remain in sadness, that Babylonian evil will grow and, in the end, will generate an indelible rust in the heart, if it is not removed with tears" (FF 709).

Francis, an expert on life in the Spirit, used to say to his own:

"Demons can do no harm to the servant of Christ when they see him holy and joyful. 'If, on the other hand, the soul is melancholic, desolate and weeping, with all ease it is either overcome by sadness or is carried away to frivolous joys' (FF 709).

While waiting to be reunited with his Lord, he wanted to live everything in unity of Spirit with Him, who had given all of Himself for every creature.

Thursday, 6th wk. in Easter  (Jn 16:16-20)

Jesus tells his own that the Spirit of Truth sent will lead them into all truth, announcing what he will have heard.

Francis, poor and simple, was a man constantly listening to the whisper of the Spirit.

And it was precisely this constant attitude that made him grasp what others sometimes missed.

The Firstfruits collected in the Sources illustrate how the Spirit of truth instructed and led him every day.

"For though he was most perfect among the perfect, yet, not admitting it, he esteemed himself the most imperfect of all.

For he had tasted and experienced personally how sweet, gentle and good the God of Israel is to the upright in heart, who always seek him with pure simplicity and true purity.

The sweetness and gentleness, which he felt infused from on high into his soul, a very rare gift granted to very few, moved him to forget himself completely, and then, brimming with such joy, he yearned with all his might to ascend to the immortal life of the elect spirits, where, by stepping out of himself, he had already partially elevated himself.

Filled with the Spirit of God, he was ready to face any anguish of spirit, any torment in the body, as long as he was granted what he yearned for: that the merciful will of his heavenly Father might be completely fulfilled in him" (FF 481).

Moreover, Francis, by now very ill and close to death, to Brother Elias who asked how he could express so much joy in the midst of so much pain, in a burst of fervour said:

"Brother, let me rejoice in the Lord and in his Lauds in the midst of my sorrows, for, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, I am so closely united to my Lord that, by his mercy, I can well rejoice in the Most High" (FF 1614).

He had learnt that the Spirit's presence leads to the whole truth and that He offers Himself to those who invoke Him most familiarly, in solitude and in suffering.

«But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but will tell what He has heard, and will announce to you the things that are to come» (Jn 16:13).

Wednesday of the 6th wk. in Easter  (Jn 16:12-15)

In chapter sixteen of John, addressing his disciples, Jesus makes it clear that it is good for Him to return to the Father, otherwise the Paraclete will not come to them: the Spirit who bears witness to the Truth.

Francis, in continuous prayer, considered it the greatest treasure of his existence.

Without the Holy Spirit he could neither speak nor act according to God.

Indeed, in the Major Legend, we find an episode that confirms this:

"Once, when he was to preach before the Pope and the cardinals, at the suggestion of the Cardinal of Ostia he had sent down from memory a discourse he had drawn up with every care.

Except that, when he found himself there in the midst, at the moment of uttering those edifying words, he forgot everything and could not utter a single sentence.

So, after humbly and sincerely exposing his embarrassment, he began to invoke the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

Immediately the words began to flow so abundantly, so efficacious in moving and bending the hearts of those illustrious people, that it was clearly evident that it was not he who was speaking, but the Spirit of the Lord' (FF 1211).

And again:

"The Spirit of the Lord, who had anointed and sent him, assisted his servant Francis wherever he went; Christ himself, the power and wisdom of God, assisted him.

That is why his words overflowed with sound doctrine and his miracles were so splendid and effective.

His word was like a blazing fire, penetrating the depths of the heart and filling the minds with admiration; it did not display the elegance of rhetoric, but had the fragrance and the breath of divine revelation" (FF 1210).

Francis' vocation and his mission were truly an Epiphany of the Spirit, who dwelt in him and his fraternity. Manifestation that still testifies to the holy operation that took place in his amazing journey of faith, encouraging every creature on his path.

«If I do not go, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you» (Jn 16:7)

Tuesday, 6th wk. in Easter  (Jn 16:5-11)

Francis and Clare of Assisi had a special devotion to the Spirit of the Lord and his holy operation.

There are countless passages in the Sources that attest to this.

In the Early Life of Celano, concerning the fraternal life led by the brothers, we read:

"Because they walked with simplicity before God and with courage before men, at that time the holy brothers merited the grace of a supernatural revelation.

Animated by the fire of the Holy Spirit, they prayed singing the 'Pater noster' to a religious tune, not only at the prescribed times, but at every hour, because they were not preoccupied with material cares" (FF 404).

Francis himself, captivated by the Spirit, went to Rome to make a request to Pope Honorius. These, together with his Cardinals, welcomed him with great devotion.

"[...] he preached before the Pope and the Cardinals with a frank mind and full of ardour, drawing from the fullness of his heart, as the Spirit suggested to him.

At his Word those high ones were moved and, drawing deep sighs from within, they washed their inner man with tears.

Having finished his speech and after a few moments of cordial conversation with the Pope, he finally expressed his request thus:

"It is not easy, Lord, as you know, for poor and humble people to have access to such great majesty.

You have the world in your hands, and very important commitments do not allow you to devote yourself to minutiae.

For this reason, Lord,' he continued, 'I ask the tender affection of your Holiness to grant us as pope the Lord of Ostia, who is present here; thus, the dignity of your pre-eminence remaining always intact, the friars will be able to turn to him in time of need, and be, with advantage, defended and governed'.

The Pope was pleased with such a holy request, and he immediately appointed to the Order, according to the request of the man of God, sir Ugolino, then Bishop of Ostia.

The holy cardinal accepted with love the flock, which had been entrusted to him, he tended it thoughtfully, and was its shepherd and pupil at the same time until the blessed end' (FF 612).

Clare too, bride of the Holy Spirit in the footsteps of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, thus addressed Agnes of Prague, her faithful disciple:

"And do not believe, and do not let yourself be seduced by anyone who would try to divert you 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).

The Spirit of God had fertilised the lives of Francis and Clare and that of their respective fraternities, making their actions an eloquent witness to the Gospel.

«When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of me. But you also shall bear witness, because from the beginning you have been with me»  (Jn 15:26-27)

Monday of the 6th wk. in Easter  (Jn 15:26-16:4a)

On this Sunday, the Gospel highlights the response given by Jesus to the disciples:

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him" (Jn 14:23).

Francis, in love with Christ, longed to be dwelt in fullness by the Lord, cherishing a profound relationship of love.

He longed to be God's dwelling place and asked for it in prayer for his brothers.

In the Sources, a place of firstfruits, we find:

"And as many as do these things, as long as they do such things and persevere in them to the end, the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them, and he will make his habitation and dwelling place therein. And they shall be children of the heavenly Father, whose works they do, and they shall be spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ [...]" (FF 200 - Letter to the Faithful).

Again, in the Vita prima of Celano:

"Passing one day through those quarters with great pomp and clamour by the Emperor Otto*, who was on his way to receive "the crown of the earth", the most holy father did not even want to come out of his hovel, which was close to the transit route, nor did he allow his own people to go there, except for one who had to firmly announce to the emperor that his glory would last very little.

Since the glorious saint had his dwelling in the depths of his heart, where he prepared a worthy habitation for God, the outer world with its clamour could never distract him, nor any voice interrupt the great work to which he was intent. He felt himself invested with apostolic authority, and therefore he firmly refused to flatter kings and princes" (FF 396).

The Poor Man considered himself the Herald of the Great King, the only true King: Jesus, who certainly did not chase the human crown.

Dwelling in God for Francis meant living his Word to the full, having the sentiments of Christ, fulfilling his own mission received, with the power of the Spirit.

And Clare, also, in her third letter to Agnes of Prague, recalls:

"It is now clear that the soul of the faithful man, who is the most worthy of all creatures, is made greater than heaven by the grace of God.

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 place and sojourn, and this only by reason of charity, of which the ungodly are deprived. 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).

The community of St Mary of the Portiuncula and that of San Damiano were indeed two places where the Trinity was mirrored and shone.

* Otto IV passed through the Duchy of Spoleto at the end of September 1209.

* Crowned in Rome on 4 October and dismissed by Pope Innocent III himself a year later. But the news could also refer to a later passing of the emperor in 1210.

6th Sunday in Easter C  (Jn 14:23-29)

Jesus reminds us that the world's hatred for His disciples reveals hatred for Him.

He adds that if they persecuted the Son of God, his own will be treated no better.

Francis was convinced that only love and courtesy extinguish hatred, and in the face of persecution for Christ it is important to persevere in the call received.

In the Legend of the Three Companions we read:

"As he prolonged his stay there, his father, worried, went looking for where his son had gone.

He thus came to know that, completely transformed, he was living near San Damiano.

The man was deeply saddened by this and, shocked by his son's unbelievable turn of events, he called his friends and neighbours and in all fury rushed to San Damiano.

When Francis, having become a knight of Christ, learnt that his own men were threatening him, and that his father was about to burst in on him, in order to dodge his father's violent wrath, he went to take refuge in a secret cave, which he had prepared for the purpose, and remained hidden there for a whole month.

The cave was known to only one member of the family.

From time to time, he would bring the abducted volunteer some food, which he consumed without being seen.

And he prayed with abundant tears that the Lord would deliver him from that persecution and lovingly help him to realise his aspirations' (FF 1416).

And again:

"One day, inflamed with enthusiasm, he left the cave and set out for Assisi, lively, brisk and gay. Armed with trust in Christ and inflamed with heavenly love, he reproached himself with cowardice and vain trepidation, and boldly decided to expose himself to the hands and blows of the persecutors.

At the first sight of him, those who knew him as he was before began to insult him, shouting that he was mad and senseless, 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 taking any notice of it, not letting himself be struck and agitated by the insults, giving thanks to God instead' (FF 1417).

Being called by God for his Kingdom involves living in the footsteps of Christ.

The servant is not superior to his master and is certainly tested as he is.

Strengthened by this, Francis lived in unity with Jesus the persecution of those who neither considered nor lived the Word of God.

«If the world hates you, know that it hated me first» (Jn 15:18)

Saturday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 15:18-21)

In today's Gospel verses Jesus calls us to love one another, as He has loved us, to the end.

In the life of Francis, this commandment shone particularly bright.

He loved his own with a predilection and cared for the poor and those lepers once abhorred.

The Sources inform us with significant passages.

"From then on he clothed himself with the spirit of poverty, an intimate feeling of humility and deep piety.

Whereas before he abhorred not only the company of lepers, but even seeing them from a distance, now, because of the crucified Christ, who, according to the words of the prophet, took on the despicable appearance of a leper, he served them with humility and gentleness, aiming at full self-loathing.

He often visited the homes of lepers; he generously gave them alms and with great compassion and affection kissed their hands and faces.

Even for the poor beggars he longed to spend not only his goods, but even himself.

Sometimes he would strip off his clothes for them, sometimes he would tear them to pieces, when he had nothing else to give.

He also assisted poor priests with reverence and piety, providing especially for the altar furnishings, thus becoming a sharer in divine worship, while providing for the needs of the ministers of worship" (FF 1036).

For the Poverello, giving his life for his friends was daily bread and joy of heart.

He had taught the brothers to help their brother in need and in danger, ready to give their lives so that the other might be.

In the Legend of the Three Companions

"One day when two brothers were walking together, they came across a madman, who started throwing stones at them.

One of them, seeing that the stones were directed at his companion, immediately stepped in front of him, preferring to be hit himself instead of his brother.

Such was the mutual love that inflamed them, and so sincerely were they ready to lay down their lives for one another" (FF 1447).

And again:

"To those who wanted to enter the Order, the Saint taught to repudiate the world first, offering to God first the external goods, then to make the interior gift of themselves" (FF 667).

Mutual love was his fixed ideal, thinking of what the Saviour had suffered so that we might be One.

«This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you» (Jn 15:12)

Friday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 15:12-17)

In chapter fifteen of John, Jesus announces that his full Joy in us comes from abiding in his love.

Looking more closely at the life of the two Poor of Assisi, we realise that in the assiduous listening to the Word of God, translated into life, there was their authentic joy. Joy free from all kinds of trappings, of trifles aimed at delaying their going to Christ.

In the Sources, a repository of experiential firstfruits, we find passages that smell of naked beauty, of blissful poverty, of joy that finds its raison d'être in Union with God.

Already in his Admonitions Francis explains where true joy dwells.

"Blessed is that religious man, who has no joy and gladness except in the most holy words and works of the Lord, and through these leads men to the love of God with joy and gladness.

Woe to that religious man who delights in idle and frivolous words and with them leads men to laughter" (FF 170).

And in the Second Life of Celano:

"When the sweetest melody of the spirit fermented in his bosom, it manifested itself outwardly in French words, and the vein of divine inspiration, which his ear furtively perceived, overflowed in jubilation in the manner of a jester.

At times - as I have seen with my own eyes - he would pick up a piece of wood from the ground, and while holding it on his left arm, with his right he would take a bow held curved by a string and pass it over it, accompanying himself with suitable movements, as if it were a viella*, and he would sing in French the praises of the Lord.

Well often all this exultation ended in tears and the jubilation was diluted into mourning for the passion of the Lord.

Then the Saint, prey to continuous and prolonged sighs and renewed groans, forgetting what he had in his hand, remained stretched towards heaven" (FF 711).

And in the Legend Perugina:

"From the moment of his conversion to the day of his death, Francis was very hard, always, on his body. But his highest and most passionate commitment was to possess and preserve spiritual joy within himself.

He affirmed: "If the servant of God will take care to habitually have and preserve interior and exterior joy, joy that flows from a pure heart, in nothing can demons harm him, who will say:

"Since this servant of God keeps himself happy in tribulation as in prosperity, we do not find a breach to enter into him and do him harm" (FF 1653).

And Clare, in her letters to Agnes of Prague, her spiritual daughter, makes it clear what joy consists in that no one can take away from the friends of Jesus.

To the letters, above all, is delivered the secret of Clare, a "Woman enclosed" in the mystery of God.

His message is so simple as to appear almost a revelation: prayer, poverty, joy.

"Thou truly happy! It is granted to you to enjoy this sacred banquet, that you may adhere with all the fibres of your heart to Him, whose beauty is the untiring admiration of the blessed hosts of heaven.

The love of Him makes one happy, contemplation restores, kindness fills.

The gentleness of him pervades the whole soul, the memory shines sweetly in the memory.

At his perfume the dead rise and the glorious vision of him will form the happiness of the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem' (FF 2901 - third letter).

*Five-stringed instrument proper to troubadours, similar to the viola.

Thursday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 15:9-11)

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)