In today’s Gospel, Jesus, seeing the large crowd following him, emphasises the need to pray that there may be more labourers in his harvest to proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick, as a sign of gratuitousness.
In the Sources we find various passages referring to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and its gratuitousness by Francis and his friars. We read, in fact:
“His words were not empty, but filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: they penetrated the depths of the heart and aroused great wonder in his listeners.
At the beginning of every sermon, he would greet the people with a wish for peace, saying:
«May the Lord give you peace!»
He had learnt this form of greeting through a revelation from the Lord.
Like the prophets, he proclaimed peace and preached salvation” (FF 1052).
But it is surprising to find episodes that highlight his utter selflessness, both received and given.
“Francis, a man of God, stripped of worldly possessions, devoted himself to divine worship and, no longer regarding his own interests, committed himself to serving God in every possible way.
Returning to the church of St Damian, on his way back into the city, he began to walk through the squares and streets, raising praises to the Lord.
As soon as he finished his praises, he set about obtaining the stones needed for the restoration of the church.
He would say: «Whoever gives me a stone shall receive a reward; whoever gives two stones, two rewards; whoever gives three, three rewards!» (FF 1420).
Furthermore: “One winter morning, whilst he was praying, clad in rags, his own brother, passing by, remarked ironically to a fellow townsman:
‘Tell Francis to sell you at least a penny’s worth of his sweat!’”
The man of God, upon hearing these mocking words, was seized with superhuman joy and replied in French:
«I will sell this sweat, and at a high price, to my Lord» (FF 1424).
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mt 9:36–10:8)
