In today's Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus, even though Christ had already given them many.

But the only saving sign given to the people of believers by the Father is Christ who died and rose again.

After his conversion, Francis understood this well and became himself a sign for all those who met him.

The Sources, in fact, speak of the servant of God in this way:

"He received from Heaven the mission to call men to weep, to lament, to shave their heads and to gird themselves with sackcloth, and to imprint, with the sign of the penitential cross and with a garment made in the form of a cross, the Tau, on the foreheads of those who mourn and weep. But he confirms this to us with his indisputable truth, the testimony of that seal which made him like the living God, that is, Christ Crucified. This seal was imprinted on his body not by the work of nature or the skill of a craftsman, but rather by the marvellous power of the Spirit of the living God" (FF 1022).

Indeed, Francis, transformed into "Alter Christus," becomes the sign of Jonah for all those he meets. Even for the brigands of Monte Casale who convert to God through his testimony.

In fact, in the Sources we read:

"In a hermitage located above Borgo San Sepolcro, certain thieves came from time to time to ask for bread [...] And behold, Francis arrived at that hermitage. The friars explained their dilemma to him: should they or should they not give bread to those criminals?

The Saint replied: 'If you do as I suggest, I trust in the Lord that you will succeed in winning those souls'" (FF 1646).

So Francis advised his friars to buy good bread and wine, go into the woods and set the table for them.

"They will come happily to eat. Treat them with respect and at the end speak to them about the Word of God, and ask them to promise not to treat people badly anymore."

The friars did as Francis had told them, and "the thieves, through the mercy and grace that God poured out upon them, listened and carried out point by point the requests made to them by the friars [...] Finally, through God's goodness and the kindness and friendship of the friars, some of those brigands entered the Order, while others converted to penance, promising [...] that from then on they would no longer commit such evil deeds and would live by the work of their hands" (FF 1646).

True witnesses of the Gospel are always an eloquent sign for everyone.

«A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet» (Mt 12:39)

Monday of the 16th wk. in Ordinary Time  (Mt 12:38-42)

Francis of Assisi, the Wise and the Little One of God, always had a clear conscience about the importance and necessity of the contemplative life, tempered by work that keeps away idleness and conforms to Christ. He demanded this for himself and for his friars. He went so far as to say that serving his brothers was worth more than any stay in the hermitages, where he himself loved to go when he could.

We read in his writings: "And I worked with my hands, and I want to work; and I firmly want all the other friars to work in a way that is fitting for honesty. Those who do not know how to work should learn, not out of greed for the reward of work, but to set an example and keep away from idleness" (FF 119).

Furthermore: "We are convinced that [...] those who live differently in hermitages have been severely rebuked. For many transform the place of contemplation into idleness and reduce the hermitic way of life, instituted to enable souls to attain perfection, to a place of pleasure [...] Certainly, this rebuke is not for everyone. We know that there are saints [...] who follow excellent rules in the hermitage" (FF 765).

Even among the friars there was discussion about whether to live a life of contemplation or action. In fact, in the Leggenda Maggiore it is written:

"While they were steadfast in their holy purpose and approaching the valley of Spoleto, they began to discuss whether they should spend their lives among people or dwell in solitary places. 

But Francis, the servant of Christ, not trusting in his own experience or that of his companions, entrusted himself to prayer, to seek insistently what the divine will was on this point.

He was thus enlightened with an answer from Heaven and understood that he had been sent by the Lord for this purpose: to win souls for Christ [...] And so he chose to live for everyone, rather than for himself alone, inspired by the example of the One who deigned to die, He alone, for all men" (FF1066).

But love for prayer and listening to the Word always accompanied his actions and those of his friars.

"His tireless devotion to prayer [...] had brought the man of God to such clarity of mind that [...] he scrutinised the depths of Scripture with a clear and sharp intellect. He read the sacred books and kept firmly in his memory what he had once assimilated, for he continually pondered with affectionate devotion what he had heard with an attentive mind" (FF1187).

Transformed into prayer, without neglecting his duties:

Francis had a special predilection for the Word of God and, without neglecting his duties towards his neighbour, he always gave priority to listening to what the Lord asked or taught, fixing it firmly in his mind.

He had chosen the better part, the one that no one could take away from him. 

In fact, the Sources teach us in this regard:

"He spent all his time in holy recollection to imprint wisdom in his heart; he feared going backwards if he did not always progress.

And if at times visits from secular people or other matters pressed upon him, he would cut them short rather than finish them, in order to take refuge again in contemplation [...]

He always sought a secluded place where he could unite himself not only with his spirit but with every member of his body to his God" (FF 681).

"Often without moving his lips, he meditated at length within himself and, concentrating his external powers inward, he rose with his spirit to heaven. In this way he directed his whole mind and affection to the one thing he asked of God: he was not so much a man praying as he was himself transformed into a living prayer" (FF 682).

He had understood the essence of the Gospel.

When he was sick and in pain, a friar who had learned from Francis to take refuge in the Scriptures and who now invited him to read them for relief, the Saint replied:

"It is good to read the testimonies of Scripture, and it is good to seek the Lord our God in them. But as for me, I have already taken so much from the Scriptures that it is more than enough for my meditation and reflection. I need no more, my son: I know Christ poor and crucified" (FF 692).

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C  (Lk 10:38-42)

Mt sets before us the malice of the leaders who want to eliminate Jesus, set against the holiness of the Servant of God, who heals every sickness.

The Spirit of God is present in the Son, Power through which even his intimates will proclaim righteousness to the nations.

Francis of Assisi was truly the son upon whom the Spirit of the Lord had descended, the Father's favourite, who by his humility and hiddenness shone in the eyes of the brothers and the world.

The brothers, who had seen him pray, had no doubt that on Francis rested "the Spirit of the Lord [...] in all its fullness [...] therefore the surest thing for them was to follow his doctrine and his life" (FF 1071).

"The Spirit of the Lord, who had anointed and sent him assisted his servant Francis, wherever he went, Christ himself assisted him [...].

It was his word, like a burning fire, that penetrated the depths of the heart [...] It had the perfume and the breath of divine revelation".

(FF 1210).

And the Sources relate an episode that exudes Spirit and service from all sides; a Poor Man willing to be truly the Servant of God, as Jesus had taught him.

"While he was staying in a cell in Siena, one night he called his sleeping companions to him:

"I invoked the Lord," he explained to them, "that he might deign to show me when I am his servant and when I am not. For I would like to be no other than his servant. And the Lord, in his immense kindness and deigning, answered me now:

"Acknowledge yourself my servant truly, when you think, say, act holy."

"For this reason I have called you, brothers, because I want to blush before you if at times I have failed in these three things" " (FF 743).

For this reason Francis, in the footsteps of Christ in whom the Father was pleased, was also the servant and witness sent to heal and proclaim the Kingdom.

The Minim too, informed by love and not by Pharisaic legalism, was able to work wonders in the service of salvation.

«Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved» (Mt 12:18)

Saturday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 12,14-21)

The Pharisees ask Jesus why his disciples do what is not permitted by the Law on the Sabbath [eating, out of hunger, the ears of corn in the fields].

Jesus, who came to give full fulfilment to the Law, emphasises its foundation: do not demolish or transgress the Word, but observe it by loving.

Love is the true fulfilment of the Law of the Lord, which is perfect and refreshes the soul.

Francis understood this well by living and teaching his fraternity to do the same.

The Sources provide, through various pieces, precious examples of life. In the Letter to the Rulers of Peoples:

"I beseech you [...] with all the reverence of which I am capable, not to forget the Lord, absorbed as you are by the cares and cares of this world, and not to deviate from his commandments, for all who forget the Lord and deviate from his commandments are cursed and will be forgotten by him" (FF 211).

At the same time, the Poverello, with that balance and elasticity that distinguished him, emphasised:

"And whenever necessity arises, let all the brothers, wherever they may be, be allowed to take all the food that men can eat, just as the Lord says of David, who ate the loaves of the offering that were not allowed to be eaten except by priests [...] Similarly, in times of manifest necessity, let all the brothers provide for their necessities as the Lord will give them grace, since necessity has no law" (FF 33).

In support of what has been said, we quote a passage taken from the Perugina Legend.

Francis, faced with a friar of profound spirituality, perished and infirm, does something unusual for the mentality of the time.

"Francis said to himself:

"If this brother would eat some ripe grapes early in the morning, I think he would benefit from it".

One day he got up at dawn and secretly called that friar, led him to the vineyard near that church and, having chosen a vine full of beautiful, inviting grapes, sat down under it with his brother and began to eat the grapes, so that the sick man would not be ashamed to pick them himself.

While he was snacking, the friar praised the Lord God.

And as long as he lived, he often reminded his brothers, with devotion and weeping with tenderness, of the Holy Father's affectionate gesture towards him" (FF 1549)

Clare herself, in the Rule, addressed to the sisters, warns them:

"Let them always be solicitous to preserve reciprocally the unity of mutual charity, which is the bond of perfection" (FF 2810).

Love was the Rule of the brothers and the Poor Ladies of San Damiano: "[...] and so, carrying the yoke of mutual charity, with ease we shall fulfil the law of Christ. Amen." (FF 2918 - Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges).

«But if you had known what it means: 'Mercy I want, and not sacrifice' [Hos 6:6], you would not have condemned [people] without fault» (Mt 12:7)

Friday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 12,1-8)

Jesus, in chapter eleven of Matthew, calls His own to meekness and humility of heart as a place of refreshment from all toil, learning from Him.

Regarding the meekness of God, in the writings of the Poor Man of Assisi (Praises of God Most High) we find this wonderful expression:

"You are humility [...] You are beauty. You are meekness' (FF 261).

Francis, Alter Christus, was indeed a meek man and everything that reminded him of the meekness of Jesus he looked upon and revered with great respect and scruple.

Thomas of Celano himself, one of his main biographers, describes Francis thus:

"How beautiful, stupendous and glorious he was in his innocence, in the simplicity of his words [...] Of mild character, of a calm disposition, affable in speech, cautious in admonition" (FF 464).

For his eye ailment, in front of the surgeon who red-hot iron to cauterize the diseased part, Francis thus addressed "friar focu":

"The Father, to comfort the body already shaken by terror, thus speaks to the fire:

"Brother Fire, of enviable beauty among all creatures, the Most High has created you vigorous, beautiful and useful. Be propitious to me in this hour, be gracious! For long have I loved thee in the Lord. I pray to the Great Lord, who created you, to temper your heat now so that I can bear it, if you burn me with gentleness'.

Having finished his prayer, he draws a sign of the cross on the fire and then waits intrepidly. The saint offers himself ready and smiling to the iron.

The friars present, horrified and trembling, departed. Back they were, after the operation, Francis addressed them:

"Pusillanimous and of little courage, why have you fled? Verily I say unto you, I felt neither the ardour of fire nor any pain of the flesh".

And addressing the physician:

"If the flesh is not well cauterized, it will burn again".

To the amazement of the latter who, turning to the brothers, said: "I tell you, brothers, that today I have seen wondrous things" (FF 752).

And Clare, in her Testament, recommends to the sisters, first of all to those who preside over the community, the attitude and style of the Gospel:

"Let her still be so affable and within the reach of all, that the sisters may confidently manifest their needs to her and have recourse to her at every hour with confidence, as they think best, for themselves or for the benefit of the sisters" (FF 2848).

These two Giants of the Gospel were nourished by humility and meekness, finding in them their defence.

«Learn from me, who am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your lives» (Mt 11:29)

Thursday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 11:28-30)

The Gospel is a hymn of praise to God the Father by Jesus in the dimension of the weakness and vulnerability of the little ones.

He had experienced the disappointment of the 'great', suspicious of his wonders.

Instead of asking the Father for help, as Son he praises him in his dark moments.

Looking at our Poverello, all this is evident.

Short in stature, humble in spirit and a minor by profession, Francis of Assisi made littleness his existential mark and taught his brothers the same.

To be humble and minimal in the following of the Lord was the essential trait of the friar - precisely minor - who wanted to live in communion at the Portiuncula.

Turning to the great and wise of this world, the Saint found resistance in making his proposal of poverty and essentiality of life understood.

They often replied to him: "The poverty you seek, remain for ever with you, and your children, and your descendants after you" (cf. FF 1964).

In the Sources we find again that "Blessed Francis, hearing these words, marvelled in his heart and gave thanks to God, saying:

"Be blessed, O Lord God, who has kept these things hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed them to the little ones!

Yea, O Father, for thus it pleased thee!

O Lord, Father and master of my life, do not abandon me in their gathering, nor let me fall into that shame, but by your grace grant me to find what I seek, for I am your servant and the Son of your handmaid'" (FF 1965).

Furthermore, it must be remembered that "The servant of God, Francis, small in stature, humble of spirit and a minor by profession, while he lived here on earth, chose for himself and his brothers a small portion of the world [...] and they were certainly inspired by God who, in ancient times, called the place Porziuncola, the place that fell to those who did not want to possess anything on this earth [...].

There stood in this place a church dedicated to the Virgin Mother who, by her particular humility, deserved, after her Son, to be Sovereign of all Saints.

It was here that the Order of the Minors began, and their noble edifice rose wide and harmonious, as if resting on a solid foundation.

The Saint loved this place more than any other, and commanded the friars to venerate it with special devotion.

He wanted it always to be kept as a mirror of the Order in humility and highest poverty, reserving its ownership to others and keeping its use for himself and his own only" (FF 604).

So littleness was an eloquent sign of his being a child of God.

It was precisely from this position of concealment, in the difficult and dark periods of his journey of faith, that Francis raised praise to God the Father for what he was doing:

"Most High, Almighty, Good Lord,

Thine are the praises, the glory and the honour and every blessing [...].

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures [...]" (FF 263).

Francis composed this masterpiece at the cruellest and most suffering moment of his life, ill and in darkness.

Yet, he raised to God an authentic hymn of praise.

Like Jesus, who at the moment of loneliness and apparent defeat, of failure, raised his voice to the Father - to bless and praise him.

The blind alley and the darkness became a source of inspiration, and of a deeper relationship with the Lord; combined with that vulnerable littleness, entrusted to the Father for his Kingdom.

«I praise you, Father [...] for you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to babes» (Mt 11:25)

Wednesday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 11,25-27)

In today's Gospel, Jesus rebukes the cities that had received wonderful benefits but had not converted. He echoes:

«Woe to you, Corazin! Woe to you Bethsaida!» (Mt 11:21).

Judgment is on the horizon!

Francis of Assisi, profoundly grateful to God for having drawn him from the polite and carefree life of the world to the service of the Gospel, even he one day reproached those immersed in vice and worldliness who made no sign of conversion.

The Sources, through the Major Legend, narrate on this subject:

"At the time when the Saint was lying ill in Rieti, they brought to him, lying on a cot, a canon, named Gideon, who was vicious and worldly and suffering from a serious illness.

The canon wept and begged him, together with those present, to bless him with the sign of the cross.

But the saint replied to him:

"How will I be able to mark you with the cross, if until now you have lived following the instincts of the flesh, without fear of God's judgements?

In any case, because of the devotion and prayers of these people who intercede for you, I will bless you with the sign of the cross in the name of the Lord.

You, however, know that you will meet with greater chastisements if, once healed, you return to vomiting. For the sin of ingratitude always deserves worse punishments than the former'.

As soon as he had made the sign of the cross on him, he who lay shrivelled up rose up healed and, bursting into the praises of God, exclaimed:

"I am healed!" [...]

But he, after some time, forgot God and again indulged in impudence.

Well, one evening when he had gone to dine at the house of another canon and had stayed there to spend the night, suddenly the roof of the house collapsed.

But while all the others managed to escape death, only that wretch was caught and killed.

By God's righteous judgement, that man's last condition was worse than the first, because of the sin of ingratitude and contempt for God, since it is necessary to be thankful for the forgiveness received, and the repeated crime is doubly displeasing' (FF 1192).

In the end, only his Mercy will remain at arm's length with Justice.

«Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you» (Mt 11:22)

Tuesday of the 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 11:20-24)

Jesus makes it clear that it is necessary to take up one's cross in order to follow Him and be worthy of Him.

He also emphasises that whoever welcomes His disciples in truth welcomes Himself.

Francis truly saw in the sincere welcome the encounter with the poor Christ. Hence his humble and cordial spirit of hospitality and loving openness to all.

The Sources are a precious treasure chest documenting numerous episodes related to what has been said.

We read:

"And wherever the brothers are and will meet, let them show familiarity to one another.

And let each one confidently manifest to the other his need, for if the mother nourishes and loves her carnal son, how much more should one love and nourish his spiritual brother?" (FF 91).

Again:

"When some rich person of this world came to them, they received him gladly and affectionately, invited him to turn from evil and incited him to penance" (FF1452).

Moreover:

"Blessed Francis Little Poor several times asked for hospitality at the monastery of San Verecondo.

The Abbot and the monks received him with great delicacy and devotion" (FF 2249).

The Poor Man of Assisi lived the Gospel to the letter and took care to recognise the passage of Christ everywhere.

- The monastery of St Verecund is located on the road to Gubbio.

«And whoever gives one of these little ones a single cup of [water] to drink as a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward» (Mt 10:42)

Monday, 15th wk. in O.T.  (Mt 10,34-11,1)

In today's Gospel according to Luke, Jesus responds to the question, «Who is to me neighbour?» (Lk 10:29) by telling a story.

When faced with someone lying on the ground, we must not pass by, but rather help them and take care of them, because every person who has been mistreated is our neighbour, whoever they may be.

The Little Poor, who had received mercy from the Lord, had learned the lesson well and applied it "sine glossa", literally to everyone, beginning with the most needy and marginalised of his time.

The Poverello's encounter with the lepers is a fundamental page in his life. It is a crossroads that profoundly changes him and alters the coordinates of his inner life.

He felt compassion and "passion" for them, willing to help them in every way, because they were the treasure chest of the Suffering Servant.

We read in his wonderful Testament:

"The Lord gave me, Brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: when I was in sins, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers; and the Lord himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of soul and body" (FF 110).

Thus, "the Saint went among the lepers and lived with them, serving them in every need for the love of God. He washed their decaying bodies and cared for their festering wounds [...]

The sight of lepers, in fact, as he himself attests, was so unbearable to him that as soon as he saw their shelter two miles away, he would cover his nose with his hands.

But this is what happened: at the time when, through the grace and virtue of the Most High, he had already begun to have holy and salutary thoughts while still living in the world, one day a leper appeared before him. He forced himself to approach him and kissed him.

From that moment on, he decided to despise himself more and more, until, through the mercy of the Redeemer, he obtained complete victory" (FF 348).

And Francis healed many lepers:

"In the city of Fano, a young man named Bonomo, considered by all doctors to be a leper and paralytic, as soon as he was offered very devoutly by his parents to Blessed Francis, was freed from leprosy and paralysis and regained full health" (FF 564).

The care he gave to lepers, like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel, was transformed, by the gift of the Lord, into power and effectiveness in healing the diseases of the body and spirit.

He had a deep compassion for these souls abandoned to themselves and lived the Gospel of the destitute and marginalised to the letter, loving with extraordinary predilection the Lazaruses of his time and beyond.

«Go, you too do it the same» (Lk 10:37)

Sunday of the 15th wk. in Ordinary Time, year C  (Lk 10:25-37)