Mar 18, 2026 Written by 

Word, Spirit, Life

Jesus claims divine sonship, claiming to have God for Father, to honour Him and be glorified by Him.

The leaders, on the other hand, who do not know the Father, mistake the Lord for being presumptuous.

 

Francis believed deeply in the Word of God and from the very beginning of his conversion, he committed himself to live it to the letter: 'sine glossa'.

He carried written on his heart the phrase of Jesus: «If anyone keeps my word, he will not see death forever" (Jn 8:51).

In fact, in the Perugian Legend we read:

“The ministers, knowing that according to the Rule they were obliged to observe the Gospel, had that chapter removed from it where it says: «you shall carry nothing in your walk»; deluding themselves that they were not obliged to observe Gospel perfection.

Francis, knowing this suppression by virtue of the Holy Spirit, said in the presence of some brothers:

«They believe the friars ministers to deceive God and me. Well then, that all the brothers may know and know that they are bound to observe the perfection of the holy Gospel, I want it to be written at the beginning and end of the Rule that the brothers are bound to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so that they may be inexcusable before God, I want with the Lord's help to always observe and fulfil in my behaviour the ideal that God has revealed to me for the salvation of my soul and the good of the brethren».

And indeed he observed the Gospel to the letter, from the time he began to have brothers until the day he died" (FF 1622).

And again in the Major Legend:

"Seeing that the number of brethren was growing little by little, the servant of Christ wrote for himself and his brothers, in simple words, a formula of life, in which, setting the observance of the holy Gospel as an indispensable foundation, he inserted a few other things, which seemed necessary to live in a uniform manner" (FF 1061).

And in the conclusion of the Letter to the Faithful:

«I, Brother Francis, your littlest servant, beg and entreat you, in the charity that is God, and with the desire to kiss your feet, that these words and the others of our Lord Jesus Christ with humility and love you should accept them and implement and observe them.

And those who cannot read, let them read them often, and learn them by heart, putting them into holy practice to the end, for they are spirit and life» (FF 206).

The Poor Man of Assisi, in love with the Word of God, dwelt in it, teaching his brothers to do likewise, for it was a pledge of eternal life.

And in a writing [which can be placed at the latest at the beginning of 1213] addressed to Clare, Francis expresses himself thus:

«Since, by divine inspiration, you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most high King, the heavenly Father, and have married the Holy Spirit, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I wish and promise, on my part and that of my brothers, always to have special care and solicitude for you, as for them» (FF 139).

 

«It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God’ and you do not know him» (Jn 8:54b-55)

 

 

Thursday 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 8,51-59)

206 Last modified on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 03:30
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".

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wherever people want to set themselves up as God they cannot but set themselves against each other. Instead, wherever they place themselves in the Lord’s truth they are open to the action of his Spirit who sustains and unites them (Pope Benedict
Dove gli uomini vogliono farsi Dio, possono solo mettersi l’uno contro l’altro. Dove invece si pongono nella verità del Signore, si aprono all’azione del suo Spirito che li sostiene e li unisce (Papa Benedetto)
But our understanding is limited: thus, the Spirit's mission is to introduce the Church, in an ever new way from generation to generation, into the greatness of Christ's mystery. The Spirit places nothing different or new beside Christ; no pneumatic revelation comes with the revelation of Christ - as some say -, no second level of Revelation (Pope Benedict)
Ma la nostra capacità di comprendere è limitata; perciò la missione dello Spirito è di introdurre la Chiesa in modo sempre nuovo, di generazione in generazione, nella grandezza del mistero di Cristo. Lo Spirito non pone nulla di diverso e di nuovo accanto a Cristo; non c’è nessuna rivelazione pneumatica accanto a quella di Cristo - come alcuni credono - nessun secondo livello di Rivelazione (Papa Benedetto)
Who touched Lydia's heart? The answer is: «the Holy Spirit». It’s He who made this woman feel that Jesus was Lord; He made this woman feel that salvation was in Paul's words; He made this woman feel a testimony (Pope Francis)
Chi ha toccato il cuore di Lidia? La risposta è: «lo Spirito Santo». È lui che ha fatto sentire a questa donna che Gesù era il Signore; ha fatto sentire a questa donna che la salvezza era nelle parole di Paolo; ha fatto sentire a questa donna una testimonianza (Papa Francesco)
But what does it mean to love Christ?  It means trusting him even in times of trial, following him faithfully even on the Via Crucis, in the hope that soon the morning of the Resurrection will come.  Entrusting ourselves to Christ, we lose nothing, we gain everything.  In his hands our life acquires its true meaning.  Love for Christ expresses itself in the will to harmonize our own life with the thoughts and sentiments of his Heart.  This is achieved through interior union [Pope Benedict]
Ma che vuol dire amare Cristo? Vuol dire fidarsi di Lui anche nell'ora della prova, seguirLo fedelmente anche sulla Via Crucis, nella speranza che presto verrà il mattino della risurrezione. Affidandoci a Cristo non perdiamo niente, ma acquistiamo tutto. Nelle sue mani la nostra vita acquista il suo vero senso. L'amore per Cristo si esprime nella volontà di sintonizzare la propria vita con i pensieri e i sentimenti del suo Cuore. Questo si realizza mediante l'unione interiore [Papa Benedetto]
St Thomas Aquinas says this very succinctly when he writes: "The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit" (Summa Theologiae, I-IIae, q.106 a. 1). The New Law is not another commandment more difficult than the others: the New Law is a gift, the New Law is the presence of the Holy Spirit [Pope Benedict]
San Tommaso d’Aquino lo dice in modo molto preciso quando scrive: “La nuova legge è la grazia dello Spirito Santo” (Summa theologiae, I-IIae, q. 106, a. 1). La nuova legge non è un altro comando più difficile degli altri: la nuova legge è un dono, la nuova legge è la presenza dello Spirito Santo [Papa Benedetto]
Even after seeing his people's repeated unfaithfulness to the covenant, this God is still willing to offer his love, creating in man a new heart (John Paul II)
Anche dopo aver registrato nel suo popolo una ripetuta infedeltà all’alleanza, questo Dio è disposto ancora ad offrire il proprio amore, creando nell’uomo un cuore nuovo (Giovanni Paolo II)

Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 1 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 2 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 3 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 4 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 5 Dialogo e Solstizio I fiammiferi di Maria

duevie.art

don Giuseppe Nespeca

Tel. 333-1329741


Disclaimer

Questo blog non rappresenta una testata giornalistica in quanto viene aggiornato senza alcuna periodicità. Non può pertanto considerarsi un prodotto editoriale ai sensi della legge N°62 del 07/03/2001.
Le immagini sono tratte da internet, ma se il loro uso violasse diritti d'autore, lo si comunichi all'autore del blog che provvederà alla loro pronta rimozione.
L'autore dichiara di non essere responsabile dei commenti lasciati nei post. Eventuali commenti dei lettori, lesivi dell'immagine o dell'onorabilità di persone terze, il cui contenuto fosse ritenuto non idoneo alla pubblicazione verranno insindacabilmente rimossi.