May 21, 2025 Written by 

Franciscan Life in the Spirit

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)

125 Last modified on Wednesday, 21 May 2025 05:00
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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John is the origin of our loftiest spirituality. Like him, ‘the silent ones' experience that mysterious exchange of hearts, pray for John's presence, and their hearts are set on fire (Athenagoras)
Giovanni è all'origine della nostra più alta spiritualità. Come lui, i ‘silenziosi’ conoscono quel misterioso scambio dei cuori, invocano la presenza di Giovanni e il loro cuore si infiamma (Atenagora)
This is to say that Jesus has put himself on the level of Peter, rather than Peter on Jesus' level! It is exactly this divine conformity that gives hope to the Disciple, who experienced the pain of infidelity. From here is born the trust that makes him able to follow [Christ] to the end: «This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God. And after this he said to him, "Follow me"» (Pope Benedict)
Verrebbe da dire che Gesù si è adeguato a Pietro, piuttosto che Pietro a Gesù! E’ proprio questo adeguamento divino a dare speranza al discepolo, che ha conosciuto la sofferenza dell’infedeltà. Da qui nasce la fiducia che lo rende capace della sequela fino alla fine: «Questo disse per indicare con quale morte egli avrebbe glorificato Dio. E detto questo aggiunse: “Seguimi”» (Papa Benedetto)
Unity is not made with glue [...] The great prayer of Jesus is to «resemble» the Father (Pope Francis)
L’Unità non si fa con la colla […] La grande preghiera di Gesù» è quella di «assomigliare» al Padre (Papa Francesco)
Divisions among Christians, while they wound the Church, wound Christ; and divided, we cause a wound to Christ: the Church is indeed the body of which Christ is the Head (Pope Francis)
Le divisioni tra i cristiani, mentre feriscono la Chiesa, feriscono Cristo, e noi divisi provochiamo una ferita a Cristo: la Chiesa infatti è il corpo di cui Cristo è capo (Papa Francesco)
The glorification that Jesus asks for himself as High Priest, is the entry into full obedience to the Father, an obedience that leads to his fullest filial condition [Pope Benedict]
La glorificazione che Gesù chiede per se stesso, quale Sommo Sacerdote, è l'ingresso nella piena obbedienza al Padre, un'obbedienza che lo conduce alla sua più piena condizione filiale [Papa Benedetto]
All this helps us not to let our guard down before the depths of iniquity, before the mockery of the wicked. In these situations of weariness, the Lord says to us: “Have courage! I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33). The word of God gives us strength [Pope Francis]
Tutto questo aiuta a non farsi cadere le braccia davanti allo spessore dell’iniquità, davanti allo scherno dei malvagi. La parola del Signore per queste situazioni di stanchezza è: «Abbiate coraggio, io ho vinto il mondo!» (Gv 16,33). E questa parola ci darà forza [Papa Francesco]
The Ascension does not point to Jesus’ absence, but tells us that he is alive in our midst in a new way. He is no longer in a specific place in the world as he was before the Ascension. He is now in the lordship of God, present in every space and time, close to each one of us. In our life we are never alone (Pope Francis)
L’Ascensione non indica l’assenza di Gesù, ma ci dice che Egli è vivo in mezzo a noi in modo nuovo; non è più in un preciso posto del mondo come lo era prima dell’Ascensione; ora è nella signoria di Dio, presente in ogni spazio e tempo, vicino ad ognuno di noi. Nella nostra vita non siamo mai soli (Papa Francesco)
The Magnificat is the hymn of praise which rises from humanity redeemed by divine mercy, it rises from all the People of God; at the same time, it is a hymn that denounces the illusion of those who think they are lords of history and masters of their own destiny (Pope Benedict)

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