Mar 19, 2026 Written by 

Harmony in the works of God

In today's Gospel passage Jesus, to the Jews who did not believe in Him and wanted to stone Him, says: «even if you do not believe in me, believe in works, so that you may know and acknowledge that the Father is in me and I in the Father» (Jn 10:38).

Francis, renewed by his encounter with the Lord, had sown a new way of living and understanding the works of God.

He had a multi-dimensional gaze, which grasped the greatness of every event in perspective.

Celano, in the First Life, emphasises:

"Through Francis the ancient miracles were renewed, when in the desert of this world a fruitful vine was planted, which produces, through a new way of life, but faithful to the ancient, fragrant flowers of holy virtue and spreads everywhere the branches of holy religion" (FF 476).

"In order to draw from all things incitement to love God, he exulted in all the works of the Lord's hands and, from that show of joy, he went back to the Cause and Reason that makes all things live.

He contemplated, in beautiful things, the Most Beautiful and, following the footsteps impressed in creatures, he pursued the Beloved everywhere.

Of all things he made himself a ladder to climb and grasp the One who is all desirable.

'With the fervour of an unheard-of devotion, in each of the creatures, as in a stream, he deliberated that fountain-like Goodness, and gently exhorted them, in the manner of David the prophet, to the praise of God, for he perceived as a heavenly concert in the consonance of the various gifts and aptitudes that God had bestowed upon them' (FF 1162).

His pure and simple faith enabled him to go beyond appearances and always glimpse the Goodness of the One who is present in everything.

While always united in his every fibre with Christ, he never ceased to believe in the revelation of His works, embracing them with his tender gaze.

The Sources help us to understand:

"When he beheld the sun, the moon, the stars of the firmament, his soul was flooded with joy.

O simple piety and pious simplicity! Even for worms he felt great affection, for the Scripture said of the Lord:

«I am worm and not man»; therefore he took care to remove them from the street and put them in a safe place, so that they would not be crushed by passers-by.

And what about the other lower creatures, when we know that, during the winter, he even took care to have honey and wine prepared for the bees so that they would not freeze to death?

He magnified with splendid praise the industriousness and fineness of instinct that God had bestowed upon them, it happened that he spent a whole day praising them, those and all other creatures" (FF 458).

Yes, a heart of flesh and not of stone possesses that inward sniff that makes one recognise and believe that the Son of God does the works of the Father and with the Father, always.

Those who close their inwardness exchange the works of God for blasphemy, offending the Holy Spirit.

Francis took care of all this, and tried to pass it on to his own.

 

 

Friday, 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 10:31-42)

210 Last modified on Thursday, 19 March 2026 04:59
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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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)

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