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)

Jesus distinguishes between the peace that the world gives and the peace that comes from Him.

He is the Prince of Peace, all good things that come from Heaven.

Francis of Assisi was precisely the man of peace, the one who wherever he went wished it on everyone.

The Major Legend reads in this regard:

"In each of his sermons, at the beginning of the discourse, he greeted the people with the wish for Peace, saying:

«May the Lord give you Peace!»

He had learnt this form of greeting by revelation from the Lord, as he himself later affirmed.

It was thus that, moved also by the spirit of the prophets, like the prophets he proclaimed peace, preached salvation and, with his salutary admonitions, reconciled in a firm covenant of true friendship many who before, in discord with Christ, were far from salvation" (FF 1052).

And again, in the Legend of the Three Companions we find Francis exhorting his brothers to be people who live and transmit Peace.

"The peace you proclaim with your mouth, have it even more abundantly in your hearts.

Do not provoke anyone to anger or scandal, but may all be drawn to peace, goodness and concord by your gentleness [...]" (FF 1469).

Francis nourished himself on this good in prayer, and exhorted his brothers to be sons of Peace, as the beautiful blessing addressed to Brother Leone and written by the little Poor in his own hand [as Brother Leo himself confirmed] attests.

"May the Lord bless you* and keep you, show his face to you and have mercy on you.

May he turn his gaze towards you and give you Peace.

May the Lord bless you, Brother Leone" (FF 262).

Clare too, within the walls of San Damiano, lived and taught her sisters the search for Peace, the fullness of goods.

"And how his marvellous virtue was perfected in sickness, from this is proved: that in twenty-eight years of continuous exhaustion, not a murmur is heard, not a lament, but always from his mouth comes a holy conversation, always thanksgiving [...]" (FF 3236).

In the letters she wrote to her spiritual daughters, she wished Peace and, at the moment of her passing, addressed to her soul, she expressed herself thus:

"Go in safety," he tells you, "for you have a good escort on your journey.

Go, for He who created you, sanctified you, and always looking upon you as a mother his son, loved you with tender love" (FF 3252).

Francis and Clare remain important figures on the theme of Peace, sought in the depths of their hearts and in their relationship with God; witnessed by their works in the fraternity and with all creatures.

It is not for nothing that the Canticle of Brother Sun is a hymn to harmony and peace with all creation, where the new, pacified man lives every situation in harmony with the Gospel.

"Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister our Mother Earth, /who nourishes and governs us, /and produces various fruits with colourful flowers and grass [...] Praised be you, my Lord, for those who forgive / for your love [...]" (FF 263).

* This is the formula of blessing that, by the Lord's command, Moses and Aaron pronounced upon the sons of Israel. The final invocation is Francis' own.

Tuesday of the 5th wk. in Easter  (Jn 14:27-31a)

Jesus in today's Gospel emphasises that the Trinity dwells in those who keep his Word.

He then mentions the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will teach them all things and will be the "Memory" of the disciples.

Looking at Francis and Clare we realise how the Spirit of the Lord guided their lives and was their counsellor.

The Major Legend of St. Bonaventure attests how Francis allowed himself to be led and instructed by the Spirit in compiling the Regola non bollata (1221).

"Therefore, guided by the Holy Spirit, he climbed a mountain with two companions and there, fasting on bread and water, dictated the Rule, according to what the divine Spirit suggested to him during prayer.

Having descended the mountain, he entrusted it to his vicar for safekeeping. But since the latter, a few days later, told him that he had lost it through neglect, the Saint returned again to the solitude and immediately re-did it in all respects as if he had received the words from the mouth of God.

He then obtained confirmation, as he had desired, from the aforementioned Pope Honorius, in the eighth year of his pontificate.

To encourage the brothers to observe it fervently, he said that he had put nothing of his own into it, but had everything written down as it had been revealed to him by God" (FF 1084).

He considered the Holy Spirit to be the Minister General of the Order and was convinced that he spoke to everyone, especially the simple.

In the Second Life of Celano we read:

"When Francis took the tonsure, he often repeated to those who cut his hair:

"Take care not to make my crown too wide! For I want my simple brothers to have a part in my head'.

He wanted the Order to be open equally to the poor and unlettered, and not only to the rich and learned.

'With God,' he said, 'there is no preference of persons, and the Holy Spirit, the Minister General of the Order, rests equally on the poor and the simple' " (FF 779).

His singular unity with the Spirit he bore witness to in life and in death.

"In the twentieth year of his conversion, he asked to be taken to St Mary of the Portiuncula, to render to God the spirit of life there where he had received the spirit of grace.

When he was brought there, in order to prove that, after the model of Christ-Truth, he had nothing in common with the world, during that illness so severe that it ended his suffering, he prostrated himself in fervour of spirit, all naked on the bare earth: thus, in that extreme hour in which the enemy could still unleash his wrath, he would be able to wrestle naked with him.

So lying on the earth, after having laid down his sackcloth, he lifted his face to heaven, according to his custom, totally intent on that heavenly glory, while with his left hand he covered the wound on his right side, that it might not be seen.

And he said to the brothers:

"I have done my part; let Christ teach you yours" (FF 1239).

And Clare, gripped by the Spirit of the Lord, expressed herself thus in the second letter addressed to Agnes of Bohemia:

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

«But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you» (Jn 14:26)

5th wk. in Easter Monday  (Jn 14:21-26)

Francis held dear that expression from the Gospel:

«By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another» (Jn 13:35).

He cherished the transparent, simple and convincing witness of his fraternity, which would thus preach the Gospel with its life.

In the Sources, in the Legend of the Three Companions, we read:

"Deeply humble and mature in charity, each nurtured for his brother the sentiments one has towards a father and lord.

Those who, because of the office they held or because of personal qualities, had a pre-eminent role in the fraternity, made themselves humbler and smaller than all. And everyone was disposed to the most generous obedience, always available to the will of the superior, without seeking whether the order received was right or not, because he was convinced that any command was in conformity with the Lord's dispositions. In this way, it was easy and sweet to carry out any precept.

They were careful not to fall victim to unbridled desires. They were implacable judges of themselves, concerned not to harm one another in any way" (FF 1448).

And again:

"The brothers strove to banish all rancour and incompatibility, and to keep exchangeable love intact.

They did their utmost to replace every vice with the corresponding virtue, inspired and assisted in this by the Grace of Jesus Christ" (FF 1449).

Here is another passage that wonderfully describes their love for one another in the Lord:

"Nothing they held as private property, but books and other things were made available to all, according to the directive transmitted and observed by the Apostles.

Although they were in a state of true destitution, they were spontaneously generous with whatever was offered to them in the name of God.

They joyfully donated, out of love for Him, the alms they collected, to those who asked for them, especially the poor" (FF 1450).

It was true love, because it was concrete.

Francis had taught his brothers that money was worth no more than donkey dung, thus protecting them from dangers.

And the Sources inform:

"They were happy in the Lord, always, having nothing within themselves or among them that could in any way upset them.

The more they were separated from the world, the more they held fast to God.

They advanced on the way of the cross and the paths of justice; they removed every obstacle from the narrow path of penance and evangelical observance, so as to leave those who would follow them a smooth and safe road" (FF 1454).

And Clare of Assisi, in her stupendous Testament, addressed to her sisters, says:

"Having chosen us, therefore, for such a lofty task as this, that in us may be mirrored all those whom he calls to be examples and mirrors of others, we are exceedingly bound to bless and praise the Lord, and to grow more and more every day in goodness.

Therefore, if we live according to the aforementioned form of life, we will leave others a noble example and, through a very short effort, we will earn the pallium of eternal beatitude" (FF 2830).

Mutual love went beyond the walls, purifying and perfuming every polluted air with charity, offering bright mirrors of fraternal life.

Seeing it as a reflection of the glory of God, Francis' concern was the pursuit of heavenly things by the entire fraternity. 

He said, addressing the brothers of the whole Order:

"The great assembly is our Order, almost like a general synod that gathers from all parts of the world under one rule of life. In this the wise draw to their advantage the qualities proper to the simple, for they see people without culture ardently seeking heavenly things and, though without human instruction, attaining through the Spirit the knowledge of spiritual realities.

In this Order the simple also profit by that which is proper to the wise, when they see illustrious men humbling themselves with them in the same way, who could live full of honours in this world.

Hence the beauty of this blessed family, which by its manifold qualities forms the joy of the Father of the family" (FF 778).

This special awareness and insight into the divine secrets made the Saint and the Fraternity a singular image of the Glory of God, having received His freedom.

5th Sunday in Easter C  (Jn 13:31-33a.34-35)

Today's liturgy takes up chapter fourteen of John's Gospel, which is full of challenging themes.

To Philip's question: «Show us the Father» (Jn 14:8-9) Jesus responds by asking for faith in the profound unity of the Son with the Father, and vice versa; at least by the very works that amply attest to it.

In the Franciscan Sources, the Poverello translates this cry into real life, for he was not afraid as a son to make himself impure by frequenting the cultural and existential peripheries.

For the Poor Man of Assisi, the disciple's question to Jesus finds its most exhaustive answer by contemplating his Presence in the disinherited and discarded by society.

In the forgotten and marginalised, there the Father was shown, and the Son with Him.

In fact, the Sources highlight all this in Francis' meagre experience.

"Then, loving every form of humility, he went out to the lepers, staying with them and serving them all with great care. 

He washed their feet, bandaged sores, removed the rot from sores and cleansed them of purulence.

He also kissed, driven by admirable devotion, their festering wounds, he who would soon become the Good Samaritan of the Gospel" (FF 1045).

The Minim saw and embraced the Face of God in the Epiphany of the lepers!

Give us Lord your Holy Spirit to recover each one's journey in the fullness of being without boundaries. Amen!

«Believe me: I in the Father and the Father in me. If not, believe by works themselves» (Jn 14:11)

Saturday 4th wk. in Easter A.C  (Jn 14:7-14)