Today's liturgy offers us a passage from John's Gospel, emphasising the universal mission of the disciples.  They listen to the voice of the Shepherd and become one people in Christ and for Christ.

In the Franciscan Sources, the missionary nature of Francis and his disciples is narrated several times.

We read:

"Then the blessed Francis gathered them all together, and after speaking to them at length about the Kingdom of God, about contempt for the world, about denying one's own will, about the dominion one must exercise over one's own body, he divided them into four groups, of two each, and said to them:

«Go, beloved, two by two to the various parts of the world and proclaim to men peace and penance for the remission of sins; and be patient in persecution, confident that the Lord will fulfil his plan and keep his promises.

Respond with humility to those who question you, bless those who persecute you, thank those who insult and slander you, for in return the eternal kingdom is prepared for us» (FF 366).

"Then Brother Bernard with Brother Aegidius set out for Compostella, to the shrine of St James, in Galicia; St Francis with another companion chose another part; the other four, two by two, set out in the other two directions" (FF 368).

Thus they put the Word of the Gospel into practice, without sweetening it.

To all they brought the Good News of the Kingdom, proclaiming it even before their lips, with their simple and authentic behaviour.

Sylvester himself, who was a priest, had a dream before entering the Order:

"[...] he saw an immense cross, the summit of which touched heaven and the foot of which rested on Francis' mouth, and the arms stretched out on either side of the world.

Awakened, the priest understood and firmly believed that Francis was a true friend and servant of Christ, and his religious movement would spread prodigiously throughout the world" (FF 1434).

It often happened that they encountered rejection and harassment:

"Because of such hostility, the brothers were forced to flee from various nations. 

Thus, distressed, afflicted, not infrequently stripped of their robes and beaten by brigands, they returned to Francis with great bitterness.

They suffered such harassment in almost all the countries beyond the Alps, as in Germany, Hungary, and many others" (FF 1475).

«And they will listen to my voice and become one flock one shepherd»  (Jn 10:16b)