"You shall love the Lord your God with
your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all
your mind, (and) you shall love your neighbor as
yourself." (Jesus's words as recorded in Matthew
22:37-38)
Archives 2004-2005: Following Francis,
Following Christ
ARCHIVES:
FOLLOWING FRANCIS, FOLLOWING
CHRIST
A monthly sharing on Saint
Francis of Assisi
(February 2004-December 2005)
Click on the following blue
links to access the article.
Authority of the Church
Authority, Responsibility,
and Pride
Becoming Spiritual Mothers
Christian Poverty
The Death of Saint Francis
The First Nativity
Re-enactment
Intellectual Pursuits
Lenten Resolutions and
Saint Francis
The Littlest Virtue
Money and Saint Francis
Mortification of the
Appetite
Peacemakers in the Kingdom
of God
The Portziuncola
Indulgence
The Real
Paradise
Rebuilding the Church
Respect for the Church
Reverence for the Blessed
Sacrament
Saint Francis and the
Sultan
Sermon in Action
Spiritual Purity
Universal Vocation to a
Life of Penance
The Way of Nothing
The Wolf of Gubbio
February 2004
Peacemakers in the Kingdom of God
One of the most beautiful incidents in the life
of Saint Francis is when Francis brought about
peace between the mayor and the bishop of
Assisi. It would certainly seem a strange
situation where a man of God, namely the bishop,
would be at odds with anyone, but that was the
case. And that was because the mayor Lord
Oportulo de Bernardo had defied Bishop Guido's
orders and continued an alliance with the
knights and nobles of Perugia in a class
struggle against the commoners of that city. In
other words, the mayor and knights of Assisi, by
their actions, were prolonging a war among the
citizens of Perugia. They were not making peace.
So Bishop Guido excommunicated Lord Oportulo.
Oportulo struck back. He forbid the Assisi
merchants to sell anything to the bishop or to
his household. The animosity between bishop and
mayor had gone beyond all bounds.
Francis knew what hatred was all about. His own
father had not understood Francis's desire to
follow God, and Francis, in the rashness of his
youth, had disowned his father on the steps of
the bishop's house. Prior to that, Francis had
fought as a knight in a war between Assisi and
Perugia and had seen death and hatred close at
hand. He wanted no part of it now. Years later
he had traveled to Damietta to try to effect
peace between Crusaders and Saracens, but to no
avail. The Crusaders had been violent toward
their enemies, so unlike the peaceful Francis.
The sultan had told Francis that, if Christians
were like the little friar, the sultan himself
would have converted. Because they were not, the
war between the pagans and Christians continued
unabated.
Francis loved both the mayor and the bishop of
his city. He could not bear to see them hating
one another. So he, from his sick bed in 1225,
called them both to a meeting at the bishop's
palace. They agreed only because of their
respect for the Poverello. When they had
gathered together, Francis was not present. He
was too ill to come. But his friars were there,
singing the Canticle of the Creatures which
Francis had composed. They sang through the
haunting verses lauding the Lord and His glory,
praising His creatures Brother Sun, Sister Moon,
Brother Fire, Sister Water. Their voices lifted
as they poured forth the verse which Francis had
composed specifically for this meeting:
"Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give
pardon for Your love and bear infirmity and
tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in
peace for by You, Most High, they shall be
crowned."
The words struck the hearts of both men. Francis
was calling them to pardon for the love of God.
Lord Oportulo fell on his knees before the
bishop, promising any atonement Bishop Guido
would ask. Guido, in his largeness of heart,
raised the Lord to his feet, apologized for his
quick temper, and asked the Oportulo's
forgiveness. The two men embraced, and peace was
restored between them.
As penitents, we are called to be like Francis,
like the friars, and like both bishop and mayor.
We are called to recognize factions and to work
to bring about peace between them. We are also
called upon to make peace if we are part of the
problem.
Sometimes endings are not as happy as the ending
to this story, and that is because those who are
at odds are not yet saints. Still, if we try to
bring about peace and fail, we are not then
allowed to wash our hands of the situation and
go our way. Jesus tells us to pray for our
enemies and do good to those who hate us. Our
prayers may be the only good over which they
have no power, for no one other than we
ourselves can prevent us from praying for
others. In the name Christ and of St. Francis,
who gave us our Rule with its provisions in
Article 26 regarding making peace with all, we
in the CFP exhort all our members to attempt to
be at peace with everyone and, if rebuffed, to
bathe our enemies with prayer for their ultimate
salvation. It is what Francis did. It is what
Christ called us to do. It is what we have no
choice but to do if we are to live our Rule in
its spirit. May God grant us the means and the
graces to be true peacemakers in His Kingdom.
Madeline Pecora Nugent
------------------------------------------
March, 2004
Mortification of the Appetite
"He used to say it would be difficult to satisfy
the necessity of the body without giving in to
the earthbound inclinations of the senses.
Therefore when he was in good health, he hardly
ever allowed himself cooked food; and on the
rare occasion when he did so, he either
sprinkled it with ashes or added water to make
it extremely insipid. What shall I say about
wine, when he would scarcely drink even enough
water while he was burning with a fierce thirst?
He discovered more effective methods of
abstinence and daily improved in their exercise.
Although he had already attained the height of
perfection, nevertheless always beginning, he
was innovative in punishing the lust of his
flesh with afflictions.
When he went out among the people, he conformed
himself to his hosts in the food he ate because
of the text of the Gospel. But when he returned
home, he kept strictly his sparse and rigid
abstinence. Thus he was austere toward himself
but considerate toward his neighbor. Making
himself obedient to the Gospel of Christ in
everything, he gave an edifying example not only
when he abstained but also when he ate." (The
Major Legend of Saint Francis by St.
Bonaventure, Chapter 5)
St. Bonaventure's description of the fasts and
abstinences of St. Francis might make us
penitents cringe. Ought we to be sprinkling
ashes on our chili or sousing our bagels with
water? Should we be limiting our fluid intake to
a cup a day? It's safe to say, I'm sure, that
our bishops would tell us, "no way." When we
read about St. Francis or any other saint, we
need to look at the underlying motivation rather
than at the actual actions of the saint. While
God may very well have called Francis to these
penances, that does not mean He's calling us to
the same ones.
For one thing, Francis suffered from headaches,
but one of the primary causes of headaches is
lack of fluid in the body. If you are plagued by
headaches, try drinking at least a quart of
water (yes, water) daily and see if the
headaches might go away. They do, for many
people. A major part of the penitential life is
to live in love with all. This isn't easy to do
if we are hurting. If headaches make you
irritable, then by all means do away with them
if you can. Drink the water and be kind.
Francis mortified his appetite for fine foods in
his own way. God may be calling you to mortify
yours in another way. Maybe you ought to stop
over-snacking or fast food consumption. Maybe
you're "addicted" to a certain food and need to
cut back or cut it out of your diet. God will
let you know what to do.
When we consider fasting and abstinence, we need
to see beyond the details to the big picture.
The purpose of fasting and abstinence is to make
sure that God stays in the first place in our
lives, that food and drink don't take His place.
Francis did what was right for him, to keep his
priorities straight. Do whatever is right for
you to achieve the same end. Our fasting and
abstinence need to be done in the spirit that
Christ fasted. He did so for the love of God and
for the sake of others. Our fasting and
abstinence can become a prayer of the body if we
do them for the same reasons.
It's important to notice that the coin of
Francis's fasting had two sides. When he was
alone, he fasted and abstained. When he was with
others, he ate was was set before him, as our
Lord commanded the apostles. It is charitable to
dine on what your hosts are consuming. Francis
knew that eating something when one wants to
fast can be a greater penance than not eating it
because the self-will is being chastened.
Fasting and abstinence are valuable to the
extent that they mortify the will and keep the
spirit tuned in to God. May the Lord make this
Lent of fasting and abstinence a Spirit-filled
Lent for us all.
God bless!
Madeline Pecora Nugent
-----------------------------
April, 2004
Respect for
the Church
"Once when St. Francis came to Imola, a city of
Romagna, he presented himself to the bishop of
the region, asking his permission to preach. The
bishop said to him: "It is enough, Brother, that
I preach to my people." Bowing his head, St.
Francis humbly went outside, and after a short
time, he came back in. The bishop said to him:
"What do you want, Brother? What are you seeking
now?" And the blessed Francis said: "Lord, if a
father drives his son out of one door, he must
come back in by another." Subdued by this
humility, the bishop embraced him with a happy
countenance and said: "You and all your brothers
may preach in my diocese in the future with my
general permission, for your holy humility has
merited this." (Second Life of St. Francis by
Thomas of Celano, Chapter CVIII)
At this age in the Church, we sometimes hear
talk against the clergy and bishops. It's good
to realize that history records no words from
St. Francis against the clergy, and this at a
time when many of them were engaged in the same
sorts of scandals that are rocking the Church
today. Was Francis looking at the Church through
rose colored glasses? Or did he prefer to focus
on something other than the sins of some of its
representatives?
Saint Francis was able to look beyond the sin of
any particular priest, religious, or bishop to
the meaning of the office that person held.
Francis knew that priests are ordained to
consecrate the Eucharist and celebrate the
sacraments. The sin of the priest has no bearing
on the validity of the sacrament. Most of us
find it difficult to separate the sinner from
the sacrament. Francis considered the
distinction obvious because Christ was
instituting the sacrament, through the priest.
Christ held Francis's gaze, not the prelate.
In this touching incident regarding the bishop
of Imola, Francis obviously felt an interior
prompting by the Lord to preach in that city.
However, Francis would never preach, nor allow
his brothers to preach, without the permission
of the bishop. When the bishop of Imola refused
permission, Francis accepted his decision.
However, he returned to appeal it, and in what a
humble manner! He set himself up as a son
speaking to his father, thus acknowledging the
bishop's authority over himself. Touched by
Francis's humility, the bishop changed his mind.
A perfect lesson here exists for all penitents.
We are to be respectful of and obedient to our
Church and her representatives. We need not
accept sin, but we do respect the office. We
keep our eyes fixed on Christ Who is, has been,
and always will be working through and guiding
the Church. Only Christ and Our Lady are
perfect. Let us not grow discouraged when we
discover that others are less so. May we seek to
become more perfect ourselves while praying for
the salvation of all.
God bless!
Madeline Pecora Nugent
---------------------------------------
May 2004
Becoming
Spiritual Mothers
"We are mothers
to him when we enthrone him in our hearts and
souls by love with a pure and sincere conscience
and give him birth by doing good. This, too,
should be an example to others." (St. Francis,
Letter to All the Faithful)
Saint Francis had
a very practical spirituality. It was
useless to Francis to speak lyrically and live
lousily! Francis, in this letter to all
who were trying to live lives of penance
(conversion), warns us to "put our money where
our mouth is." In other words, we, as
penitents, had better be doing what we say we is
the right thing to do. If we don't do the
right, who's going to?
Francis went
beyond just advising us to do the right. He
tells us, in the above passage, that, if we do
what is right in good deeds and pure love, then
we become 'mothers' to Jesus. We give
birth to Him in our souls.
Do we really
think about what that means?
Our Lady gave
birth to Christ. He was conceived in her womb
where He grew for nine months before Mary bore
Him, nursed Him, and tended His baby needs.
Francis is saying that, when we love God and
others, we will give birth to Christ, too, in a
spiritual sense. It is as if we hold Him
in our arms, show Him to the world, nourish His
Presence so that He grows strong, and care for
that Presence lovingly, protecting it from all
harm. Christ is to become so tangible
through us that His Presence is felt by all
because we are there.
Is this too tall
an order for us spiritually poor penitents?
Francis didn't
think so. He instructed his friars to preach all
the time, and to use words only when necessary.
He meant that the lives of his followers were to
be a sermon. Indeed, they were, for folks
who saw the first friars felt they were in the
Presence of God. The sisters who followed
Clare had the same effect on people. And
such must be the effect of us penitents.
The cross or
crucifix we wear bears witness to Christ.
May our lives birth, in a spiritual way, the One
Who died for love of us!
Madeline Pecora
Nugent
--------------------------------------------
June, 2004
Universal Vocation to a Life of Penance
It often happened that when St.,
Francis preached in a place, some people would
be moved to ask to join his Order of friars.
Once he was preaching in a hamlet called Cannara,
and he was being disturbed by some very unruly
and annoying swallows. He rebuked the swallows
and they immediately became quiet and attentive
to his sermon.
This miracle was followed by a
greater miracle. All the men and women who heard
him wanted to join him. Just as all the swallows
put aside their "bird business" to allow Francis
to preach, all the people who came to hear
Francis were willing to set aside their secular
pursuits, their hopes, dreams, aspirations,
families, and marriages to join Francis in
living the gospel. It was as if they were all
brought to the hour of death when they could
clearly see the "one thing that is necessary."
Francis realized that it was not in God's will
that every one of these people should leave
their loved ones and families to join his Order.
But he did promise to provide these people with
a Rule of Life for lay people who were not free
to leave everything and become a friar or
sister. Several years later in 1221, this
promise to the people of Cannara was fulfilled
with the Rule given to Lucchesio and his wife
Buonadonna in Poggibonsi. This is the Rule that
we in the Confraternity of Penitents follow
today.
On his way from Cannara to
Bevagna, Francis again encountered great flocks
of birds. When Francis called to them, they all
flew to him and surrounded him. Then he
preached to them a sermon, just as he had
preached to the people of Cannara. Just as
the people of Cannara responded to Francis with
love and respect, so did the birds.
These episodes from the life of
Francis point out the truth of a universal
vocation to follow Christ and to achieve
salvation. All the birds of Cannara heard the
rebuke of St. Francis to be silent, and they
responded. All the birds which Francis met on
the road to Bevagna heard and responded to his
call to come to him. All the people who heard
Francis preach at Cannara wanted to leave
everything to live the Gospel.
The call is given to all. We are
free to ignore the call and continue to live a
totally secular existence as if this life is all
there is. We can respond for the moment as did
the birds and then go about our business as if
nothing has changed. Or we can determine
to give God our all as did the people of Cannara.
The call to live a life of
penance and conversion came to the people of
Cannara through St. Francis. The same call comes
to us through various and diverse means,
including, perhaps, this web site and these
reflections. May we imitate the birds who
recognized and responded to the call which was
given to them and yet go beyond the call, as did
the people of Cannara, and do something about
it.
Jim Nugent
-------------------------------------------------
July, 2004
Reverence for the Blessed Sacrament
Many of us revere the Lord in
His Real Presence in the Eucharist. While the
Church, from the very beginning, recognized the
Lord in the Eucharist, the laity have not always
had the opportunity to adore and be in the
presence of the resurrected body of Jesus
Christ. The first known record of the Blessed
Sacrament being carried in a public procession
(as is done now on the feast of Corpus Christi),
was in Lugo, Spain, in the seventh century. By
the time of Saint Francis, this devotion was
growing. At the very beginning of the thirteenth
century, the practice of "major elevation", the
raising of the Host above the head of the priest
after the words of consecration, was beginning.
For the first time, the laity during Mass had a
full view of the Body of Christ.
The burning love of the Lord, which St. Francis
had, was especially manifested in his reverence
for the Blessed Sacrament. His famous prayer
from his deathbed Testament shows this. "We
adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all
your churches in the whole world, and we bless
you, because by your holy cross you have
redeemed the world."
In his "Letter to All Clerics"
Francis said "If the Body of our Lord Jesus
Christ has been left abandoned somewhere
contrary to all laws, It should be removed and
put in a place that is prepared properly for It,
where It can be kept safe."
In his Testament, he also wanted
the Holy Sacrament to be "honored and venerated
and reserved in places which are richly
ornamented".
His rule of 1223 seems to have
required that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved
on the altar in Franciscan churches. Francis
also esteemed the nation of France because these
people reverenced the Body of Christ more than
other Catholics.
The reverence of St. Francis for the Eucharist
was spread throughout Europe by the early
Franciscans. For example, the Franciscan
minister general, John Parenti, required that
the Most Holy Sacrament be preserved "in ivory
or silver ciboria and that these be placed in
well locked tabernacles, because neither in
heaven nor on earth can anything be found which
deserves similar veneration". As another
example, among many others, the Franciscan
Archbishop of Rouen, in northern France,
complained in 1256 that the monks in the Priory
of Sacey were praying with their backs to the
Blessed Sacrament. He ordered that the Blessed
Sacrament be placed on the altar so that the
monks could pray facing their Divine King. In
1240, St. Clare brought the Sacred Host,
enclosed in a silver casket, to the door of the
Convent of San Damiano to prevent the Saracens
from entering.
As we benefit from the
opportunity to be in the presence of the Lord
during Eucharistic Adoration and at other times,
we should understand that the Holy Spirit has
been acting down through the ages to bring this
about. Many holy persons, such as St. Francis,
among many others, have been inspired by the
Holy Spirit to advance in the Church Eucharistic
devotion.
Jim Nugent
----------------------------------------
August 2004
The
Portziuncola Indulgence
In the summer of 1216, St. Francis was in the
chapel of St. Mary of the Angels. It was the
night before he was to journey to Perugia to
visit Pope Honorius III. Christ and His Mother
appeared to him surrounded by angels. The Lord
said, “Francis, ask of Me whatever you will for
the glory of God and the salvation of men.”
Saint Francis replied, “Lord, I pray You by the
intercession of the Virgin, Advocate of mankind
and present here, to grant an indulgence to all
those who visit this church.” The Blessed Mother
bowed before her Son to second the request. The
Lord told Francis to go to the Pope to obtain
the desired favor. Even though there was much
opposition from the cardinals to this idea, the
Pope quickly agreed to St. Francis’s request.
This was the Portiuncula Indulgence of August 2.
Why did St. Francis send his request through the
Blessed Mother instead of going directly to
Christ?
Perhaps it was because he did not want to
trouble His Divine Majesty with a request which
was not in His Will. St. Francis knew that the
Blessed Mother knows the Divine Will better than
any human being who ever lived. He preferred to
send his request through the Virgin.
Here is another way in which St. Francis can be
an example for us as he has for countless
multitudes down through the ages. When we have a
request to make of the Lord, which we are not
sure that it is in His Will, we can always go
through the “Advocate of mankind.”
Jim Nugent
Note: Information on the Portiuncula Indulgence
is on this
link.
-------------------------
September, 2004
The
Death of Saint Francis
St. Francis died on Saturday evening, October
3, 1226 at the Porziuncola, near Assisi. His
death revealed his life.
Shortly before his death he wrote his
Testament. He began this last of his writings
with the following words: "This is how God
inspired me, Brother Francis, to embark on a
life of penance." We can see from these words
that St. Francis considered his life to be a
life of penance. His life of penance and poverty
could be seen by all in the last days before his
death. He was in extreme pain, his face and body
were ugly and stiff with pain. Francis
also had mental anguish because he could see
that his vision for his Order was not being
followed by those in charge of his Order. He
died singing Psalm 142, which is the prayer of a
man under attack from enemies. He had nothing in
this world to cling to, to hold on to. His death
was similar to the death of the Lord on the
Cross as He cried "My God, my God, why have You
deserted me?". For anyone who is attached to
this world and believes that this world is all
there is, this was a horrible way to die. This
horror was reflected in the sadness of the
people who loved Francis and saw him slipping
away from them.
Francis did not embrace a life of penance
because he loved pain and suffering. No, Francis
loved the Lord, and after Francis’s death, the
Lord revealed to all the meaning of St.
Francis’s life. On an evening in early autumn,
when nature should be going to sleep, a
multitude of skylarks fluttered on the roof of
Francis’s cell and sang a song to him as if it
were a morning in summer. They were announcing
St. Francis’s entrance into eternal glory.
The same announcement of God's joy in the
loving surrender of this man's life was made by
Francis’s body. His ugly and distorted face
became white as lilies and joyful. His stiff
body became supple. At his death, the miraculous
nature of his stigmata was revealed to all.
Everyone could see that the Lord had indeed
granted Francis His Own Five Wounds. These
events changed the despair and sadness of those
surrounding Francis to joy. People could see
that the meaning of the life of St. Francis was
not pain and sadness, but joy. Francis’s death
was a reflection of the Lord’s triumph over sin
and death.
The death of St. Francis reveals to us why
we, like St. Francis and many others, embark on
a life of penance.
Jim Nugent
Note: The Transitus (Death) of St. Francis
will be commemorated by the Confraternity of
Penitents on the evening of October 3. For
times and locations, please check the
Events Link from the CFP home page.
---------------------------------------
October, 2004
Christian Poverty
St. Francis loved “Lady Poverty." Why was he
able to love her so deeply and also teach us so
very much about her?
One reason may be that he grew up rich.
Francis certainly contemplated what it meant to
live the Gospel. He knew that possessions were
not evil in themselves. Did not Jesus praise the
rich tax collector, Zacchaeus, for giving half
of what he owned to the poor? Does not the
commandment “Thou shall not steal” presuppose
private property? Before his conversion, Francis
was not greedy or materialistic, but he did not
have the attitude toward possessions that the
Lord wants us all to have. By growing up in a
comfortable environment, Francis could see the
futility of any attachment to material
possessions.
Francis understood that Christian poverty
consists not in not having possessions, but in
freedom from those possessions. There is always
this competition in our lives between the world
and God. Possessions are part of the pull of the
world on us. To be free from this pull of
possessions, we must possess as if not
possessing. After the rich young man had refused
Christ’s invitation to sell all, give to the
poor, and follow Christ, Jesus says, “How hard
it is for those who have riches to make their
way into the kingdom of God! Yes, it is easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God.”
“In that case,” said the listeners, “who can
be saved?”
“Things that are impossible for men,”
He replied, “are possible for God.” (Luke 18:
24-27)
The life of St. Francis is one example of the
truth of the above statement from the Lord. As
the Lord said, it is impossible to live
Christian poverty without the grace of God.
Poverty cannot be disconnected from the rest of
Christian life such as prayer, penance, the
sacraments, conversion, and so on. To live as
St. Francis, in having no possessions, or to
have many possessions which do not possess us,
requires God’s grace. We can think of St.
Francis as a rich young man who did accept the
Lord’s invitation to sell all, give to the poor
and follow Him. St. Francis accepted the call
from the Lord and the grace needed to fulfill
the call.
When the Lord spoke of how difficult it was
for a rich man to be saved, you could sense the
discomfort of His listeners by their question,
“In that case, who can be saved?” They knew that
He was not just speaking of greedy and
materialistic rich men. He was speaking to them,
who were certainly not rich by worldly
standards.
The Lord was trying to change their whole
attitude toward possessions. He wanted them to
be free of any attachment to things which could
compete with the Kingdom of God. It is so easy
to become attached to possessions, whether they
be very great or very small. When that happens,
we are not free to use our possessions according
to God’s Law and the prompting of the Holy
Spirit. It is also possible, with the grace of
God, to be detached from them, be they very
great or very small. The life of St. Francis, as
well as the lives of those who have renounced
possessions voluntarily for the sake of the
Kingdom of God right down to this day, shows us,
even those of us who must own things, the
correct outlook toward possessions.
Jim Nugent
-----------------------------------
November 2004
Spiritual Purity
One of the chief hallmarks of all saints is
spiritual purity. This quality was especially
exhibited by the life of Saint Francis. What is
spiritual purity? It is recognizing
and acknowledging the truth. It does not call
evil good or good evil. It does not call vice
virtue or virtue vice. It is not bending the
truth for the sake of convenience.
Spiritual purity is not the same as holiness,
but it is a prerequisite for holiness. It is
sinful to know the right thing to do and not do
it, but it is worse to do the wrong thing and
call it right. When you do what you know is
wrong, you can repent. How can you repent if you
do not recognize the wrong you have done or if
you make excuses for it? This does not refer to
an honest mistake.
We become spiritually impure when we put
"other considerations" above what we know to be
right and bend our judgment of right to suit our
needs. For example, when King Saul was accused
by the prophet Samuel of disobeying God’s order,
King Saul made excuses (1 Samuel 15:20-21). When
the prophet Nathan revealed to David his sin in
committing adultery with Bathsheba, David
recognized his sin and God forgave him (2 Samuel
12:1-15).
St. Francis’s decision to live the gospel was an
act which came from spiritual purity. He knew
who Christ was, and he knew that God is truth.
To live the gospel is to live the truth.
Everything else in the world, no matter how good
and true, is false in comparison to the gospel.
Of course, knowing the truth and living the
truth are two different things. We need grace to
move from spiritual purity to holiness. Even
spiritual purity is a gift, but it is a gift
which is very easily squandered.
Other characteristics of St. Francis, such as
his sexual purity, were rooted in his spiritual
purity. Francis knew that the body was good, but
it is a gift from God which is to be used
according to God’s Laws. His love for "Lady
Poverty" came from his realization of the
fleeting character of worldly wealth and power.
How many people even today pursue wealth and
power even though they know deep down that it
will all pass away? St. Francis’s deep respect
for priests and his loyalty to the Church came
from his realization that the Church was founded
by Jesus Christ Himself.
What was the source of St. Francis’s spiritual
purity? It was his worship and adoration of the
Lord. Once he really bowed down to the Lord in
true adoration, he could not tolerate any
falsehood in his life. He knew the way that the
Lord wanted him and his friars to live. Others
in his order were willing to make compromises
for the sake of utility. St. Francis wanted to
be the herald of the Great King, and he was
totally loyal to his King.
Jim Nugent
------------------------------
December, 2004
The
First Nativity Re-enactment
As the great feast of Christmas approaches,
perhaps we can allow St. Francis to help us
celebrate this feast in a proper manner. In
1223, when St. Francis was nearing his death, he
decided to have a special celebration of
Christmas. He asked his friend, John Velita, the
lord of Greccio, to have the Christmas Eve Mass
celebrated on a mountainside in a real manger
with an ox and an ass like those who were with
the Infant Jesus. Since this was a novelty for
the liturgy of the time, St. Francis had asked
for and received permission from Pope Honorius
to do this.
This first Christmas Nativity Scene was a truly
blessed event. Those who attended had a
procession with a thousand torches carried by
Franciscan friars and people from Greccio. These
lights lit up a mountainside on a snowy December
night. This gift of St. Francis to the people of
Greccio has enriched our Christmas celebrations
for almost 800 years.
Why did St. Francis undertake this very novel
celebration of the Christmas Mass? He was
utterly amazed that the "Firstborn of all
Creation", as St. Paul put it, would come to us
in the poverty of a manger in the arms of a
humble virgin. He even wept at the thought of
it. Do we weep at this thought? St. Francis also
saw Christmas as a feast of joy for all
creation. Oxen and asses should have a double
ration of hay and oats on Christmas in memory of
the animals who were present at the birth of the
Lord. He wanted the Emperor to scatter grain on
the highways on Christmas for the birds. He even
wanted the walls to be smeared with meat or fat
on Christmas so that they could "eat" in their
own way.
We can contrast the attitude of St. Francis and
the people of Greccio to the modern attitude
toward Christmas. St. Francis truly understood
and absorbed the doctrine that Jesus Christ was
"True God and True Man". He wept at the very
human poverty which the Lord endured, but he
also rejoiced that the "Light of the world", as
symbolized by the torches that the people
carried, actually entered our world. Jesus
Christ is the fullest possible Light of Divine
Revelation to the world. Yet many in the world
love the darkness more than light. This is why
the Christmas season has been secularized into
the busiest time for commercial businesses or a
vague feeling of "peace and goodwill" toward
humans. When the Christless Christmas season
fails to give us any real joy, people sink into
"December depression."
Many of the modern Christmas traditions such as
Santa Claus and the Christmas tree do have a
basis in Jesus Christ himself. These traditions
have been detached from Christ. Perhaps they can
be reattached. When we drive through a
residential neighborhood around Christmas and
see homes decorated beautifully with lights
which may have been put up by people who have
little or no faith in Christ, perhaps we can
think of the people of Greccio who carried a
thousand torches to the One who said "I am the
Light of the world".. When we are caught in the
stress of Christmas shopping, we can think of
God the Father who gave the ultimate Gift of His
Son to the world. Those of us who do the Fast of
St. Martin before Christmas can think of the
people who lived before the coming of the Lord
and only had the promise of His Coming or not
even that. A recollection of that Christmas Eve
in Greccio in 1223.can help us to celebrate the
Nativity of the Lord in a more fitting manner.
Jim Nugent
-------------------------------------
January, 2005
The Wolf of
Gubbio
One of the many ways in which St. Francis can
inspire us is by his great faith. A great
illustration of the faith of St. Francis comes
from the famous story of the wolf of Gubbio. At
that time, the town of Gubbio was plagued by
wolves and especially by one very large and
ferocious wolf. This wolf was so fierce that it
attacked and ate not only animals but also
people. Even the arms of the day could not
protect people from this dangerous wolf. This
wolf succeeded in terrorizing the people so much
that they were afraid to come out from behind
the walls of the city.
When St. Francis was traveling near Gubbio, he
was warned of this wolf. We do not know whether
St. Francis asked the Lord for permission to
confront the wolf or that the Lord inspired him
to go out to meet the wolf. In any case, he
certainly had the Divine Power of Jesus Christ
as his “shield”. It would have been very stupid
for him to venture forth without this “shield”.
This is where the great faith of St. Francis
shines forth. St. Francis trusted in the Lord in
a case where to be mistaken meant a horrible
death from a fierce wolf.
While it is often prudent to use material
protections when there is danger, these are
sometimes of no avail. When the wolf saw St.
Francis, it lunged toward him but was stopped by
the Sign of the Cross. In the Name of Christ,
Francis ordered the wolf not to be wicked. St.
Francis surely was not putting the Lord “to the
test” (Mt 4:7). Rather he was trusting and
obeying the Lord so that he could even “move
mountains” (Mt 21:18-22).
St. Francis spoke with the wolf as one would
with a human being and made a deal with the wolf
by which the wolf would no longer harm either
man or beast but would be fed by the people of
Gubbio. St. Francis then repeated his pact
between the wolf and the people in the presence
of the townspeople. The pact of peace between
the wolf and the people of Gubbio was kept by
both parties until the wolf died of old age two
years later. The people did feed the wolf, and
even the dogs of the town did not bark at the
wolf. The wolf in turn no longer harmed anyone.
In this event, St. Francis gives us another
example of the Life of Faith. One thinks of
Abraham who was promised by God to be the father
of many nations and yet was willing to sacrifice
his son Isaac when commanded to do so (Gn
22:1-18). Another example is David who killed
the giant Goliath with a sling (1S 17) even
though the whole army of Israel was afraid of
Goliath and David was only a youth.
How many times have we heard people say that
they would rather trust in the material world
which they can see, hear, and touch rather than
having faith in Jesus Christ? One wonders if
they are right. In the first century, Jesus
Christ claimed “I am the Way, the Truth and the
Life” (Jn 14:6). Jesus back up His claim not
only by His many miracles crowned by His
Resurrection but also by the lives of countless
people, both ordinary and extraordinary, who
have put their trust in Him.
In Mt 16:13, Jesus asks “Who do people say
the Son of Man is?” The taming of the wolf by
St. Francis is a striking example of St.
Francis’s answer to that question. What is our
answer?
Jim Nugent
------------------------------------------
February, 2005
Saint
Francis and the Sultan
The current conflict in
Iraq brings to mind another conflict from almost
800 years ago. This was the bloody siege of Damietta on the coast of Egypt by the armies of
the Christian crusaders in 1218-1219. In the
summer of 1219, St. Francis arrived in the camp
of the Christians. He witnessed all the evils,
which go with war. While there were many
terrible battles, with some Christian victories
and some Saracen victories, the crusaders
managed to surround the city, and as a result,
Damietta fell to disease and starvation in
November 1219.
After the fall of Damietta, St. Francis
requested and was very reluctantly given
permission to try to convert to Christ the
leader of the Moslem armies, Sultan
Malik-al-Kamil. St. Francis marched right toward
the camp of Sultan Kamil with one of his friars,
Brother Illuminato. This seemed to be certain
death since the Sultan had offered gold to
anyone who brought him the head of a Christian.
Why did Kamil hate Christians? While some of the
Crusaders were holy and valiant, many were not.
Many joined the Crusades for motives of cruelty,
greed, and plunder. The victorious Christian
armies brought rape, prostitution, and slavery
to the defeated city. Since the Saracens often
did the same thing, hatred between the two sides
was enormous. While religion was the "dividing
line" between the two sides, the real fight was
over the material things of this world.
Since St. Francis had no interest in such
things, he had no hatred for the Saracens, and
he was very willing to go to them. St. Francis
and Brother Illuminato were beaten and
mistreated by the Saracens, but they were taken
to Sultan Kamil. St. Francis told the Sultan
that his intention was to save his soul by
preaching the Gospel to him. The Sultan replied
that he could not listen to St. Francis without
his own holy and wise men being present. St.
Francis agreed, and they were brought in. These
"wise" men, however, would not listen to St.
Francis but demanded that he and his companion
be beheaded for speaking against the law of
Mohammed. The Sultan did not listen to his
advisors since he admired St. Francis for
risking his life to come to him to save his
soul. The Sultan even treated St. Francis and
Brother Illuminato as honored guests.
On another day, St. Francis offered to enter
into fire with the Sultan’s own holy men to
demonstrate the truth of the Gospel. When that
challenge was refused, St. Francis promised to
enter the fire alone. If he burned, it was due
to his sins. If God preserved him, the Sultan
was to acknowledge Christ as the Lord. The
Sultan also refused this challenge because he
feared the reaction of the people. The Sultan
and Francis did, however, become great friends.
When St. Francis left, the Sultan guaranteed him
safety so that he could travel in the Holy Land
unhindered.
Why did Sultan Kamil not behead St. Francis as
his advisors had recommended? Perhaps he had an
interest in saving his own soul. Perhaps he also
saw that all Christians were not like the
murderers, plunderers, and rapists he saw in the
Christian armies. Perhaps St. Francis apologized
to the Sultan for the evils that the Christians
had done just as Pope John Paul II has also
apologized recently for all that Christians have
committed down through the centuries.
What is so very sad is that many of the
Christians of the time of St. Francis did not
learn anything from the fact that St. Francis
and Brother Illuminato returned back to the
Christian camp unharmed and with an escort of
Saracen knights.
Many people in our modern society think that
religions, and especially Christianity, are
responsible for the conflicts in the world, and
especially the conflict between Islam and the
West. They think that we need to put
Christianity on the "back burner" or privatize
it to bring peace. The relentless secularization
of society is a result of this idea. Almost
eight hundred years ago, St. Francis proved that
this idea is false. He made peace with a man who
should have been his archenemy without denying
or in any way compromising the Gospel. St.
Francis showed us that we do not need to water
down the Gospel in our dealings with other
religions. We need to live the Gospel.
Jim Nugent
-----------------------------------------
March, 2005
Lenten Resolutions and Saint Francis
Lent is, of course, a penitential season during
which time we renew our determination to turn
away from sin and, with the grace of Jesus
Christ, live a converted life. St. Francis
undertook the same task that we all have to
tackle. St. Francis did what we all have to do,
which is to examine our lives to see what
hinders our living of the Gospel.
Early in his life of penance, when he was
working very hard to rebuild San Damiano, the
priest at that church sometimes made a special
dish for St. Francis because he felt very sorry
for him and knew that St. Francis had converted
from a life of luxury and self indulgence. St.
Francis felt that this kindness was not
consistent with a life of poverty. St. Francis
responded by going out to beg for whatever
scraps of food people would give him. This was
very difficult for him because of his middle
class merchant background. He ended up with a
nauseating swill, which no sane person would
eat. Yet he forced himself to eat all of it and
immediately experienced a great light in which
he understood the secret of receiving as well as
giving in love. The bitterness of the awful food
was sweetened by the love with which he received
it.
During this time, he was out begging for oil for
the lamps for the Church of San Damiano. He
passed by the house of one of his former
acquaintances where the men were playing some
sort of game. He was too embarrassed to ask for
anything and kept going. Then he realized his
weakness so he went back and confessed his
weakness to the men who were there. He then
asked for and received the oil, which he sought.
Again, it was the love of St. Francis, which
turned the bitter task into sweet success.
This was also the time when St. Francis was
enduring the mockery of his brother Angelo and
his father Pietro. Once his brother Angelo saw
St. Francis shivering in rags on a day in
mid-January. Angelo mockingly asked a neighbor
to ask St. Francis to sell him a few cents worth
of sweat. Angelo seemed to understand value only
in terms of money. When the neighbor jokingly
fulfilled the commission, St. Francis replied “I
will sell my sweat at a higher price to my God!”
St. Francis’s father was so disappointed in
Francis that he shouted curses at St. Francis
whenever he met him. St. Francis responded by
bringing along a poor man who spoke blessings
while his father was cursing St. Francis. Then
St. Francis would say, “Do you not realize that
God can give me a father whose blessing will
counter your curses?”
St. Francis overcame the difficulties stemming
from his former way of life and from other
people who were not yet converted by love. This
was a tremendous inspiration to so many of the
people he encountered. Perhaps, when we
encounter difficulties in fulfilling our Lenten
resolutions, we can remember that our motivation
is love for the Lord. Or when our spiritual
director asks to do something we do not
naturally want to do, love can make the
bitterness sweet. Ultimately the meaning of Lent
is Love.
Jim Nugent
-----------------------------
April, 2005
Authority of
the Church
During the
course of his life, St. Francis was no stranger
to conflict. There was conflict with his own
family, especially his father, conflict with
others who thought he was crazy, and even
conflict with those in his own order who did not
really share his vision of a life of poverty.
One possible conflict was absent from his life.
There was no conflict between St. Francis and
the hierarchy of the Church. Many other saints
have not been so fortunate. For example, Bishop
Guido of Assisi, who seems to have had many
faults, supported St. Francis and was
instrumental in the founding of the Order. The
powerful Cardinal John, the Bishop of Santa
Sabina, was very well disposed to St. Francis
and his followers, and helped St. Francis to
appear before Pope Innocent III. This Pope had a
dream where he saw St. Francis preventing the
collapse of the Church. Innocent III thereby
gave his approval to the new Order. The next
Pope, Honorius III, gave St. Francis the
unprecedented Porziuncola indulgence.
It would seem unlikely that Pope Innocent III
would give his approval to the new Order. At
that time there were several groups such as the
Cathari and Waldensians who espoused poverty but
were in severe conflict with the Church. They
firmly rejected the authority of the Church.
Pope Innocent III considered his papacy to be a
"Royal Priesthood" where spiritual and temporal
authority were united. This was a time when the
temporal power of the papacy was at its highest.
Many of the kings and princes in Europe gave
homage to the Vicar of Christ. Pope Innocent
felt that it was his duty to guide everyone to
the eternal salvation of their souls. This could
not be done without having the means to correct
wrong actions and bring them into conformity
with divine laws. Earthly power was a means to
an end and not an end in itself. The attitude of
the Church was very different from modern
secularism which sees worldly power and action
as a way to build up this world, with this world
as an end in itself. Many in the Church, both
clergy and laity, gave lip service to the
Church's view of things but in practice lived
for this life only and had a viewpoint more in
harmony with modern secularism. While the Church
at that time was externally quite strong,
internally it was riddled with many problems.
The other movements, which embraced poverty and
simplicity, also often condemned the temporal
power of the Church. By doing so, they were
setting themselves up as worldly powers.
Authority is necessary in this world, and when
one authority is torn down another must be set
up.
St. Francis and his followers embraced poverty
and simplicity, but they also embraced loyalty
and obedience to the Church. Pope Innocent and
the others in the hierarchy who supported St.
Francis could see that the new Order was just
what the Church needed. St. Francis's emphasis
on penance and poverty was an antidote to the
secularism of the time which forgot our final
goal and focused on worldly power and pleasures
as ends in themselves. The Franciscan emphasis
on obedience to the Church kept the Order from
going off into the craziness which afflicted
many of the other "poverty and simplicity"
movements of the times. One can see the work of
the Holy Spirit in Pope Innocent's dream where
he saw St. Francis upholding a Church which
appeared very strong on the outside but was
internally very weak. Our own era, which is
afflicted by this worldly secularism on one hand
and New Age craziness on the other hand, may not
be all that different from the thirteenth
century.
Jim Nugent
-----------------------
May 2005
Rebuilding the
Church
The symbol of the Confraternity of Penitents is
the famous San Damiano crucifix. This crucifix
is famous because it spoke to St. Francis while
he was praying in the Church of San Damiano. The
crucifix said to St. Francis "Francis, go and
repair my house, which as you see, is falling
into ruin." At first, Francis thought that the
Lord was referring to the physical structure of
the San Damiano Church. He later realized that
the call from the Lord was to rebuild the
Church, which at that time was externally very
powerful, but internally was falling into ruins.
Even though Francis initially misunderstood the
call, from then on St. Francis worked only for
the Lord.
Why did the Lord speak to Francis in such exact
words? Francis was ready to hear what the Lord
wanted him to do because Francis really wanted
to fulfill the Will of God. Francis wanted to
serve, but whom ought he serve? Francis came to
realize that that there was only One Master
worth serving.
During Francis's time, the Church was
experiencing many problems: heresies, ignorant
and lax clergy, and a laity which was strongly
attracted to the allures of this world. Yet,
many in the Church loved and wanted to serve the
Lord. God used Francis's gifts of leadership to
draw these people to greater service of the
Lord. From St. Francis came the many Franciscan
orders of priests, brothers, and nuns as well as
diverse lay groups which derive their
inspiration from St. Francis. Even Orders such
as the Benedictines, which did not join Francis,
understood that he was serving the same Lord as
they, and so they helped Francis. The impact
that St. Francis had comes from the Grace of the
Lord but also from the saint's obedience to that
Grace.
This brings to mind the recent death of Pope
John Paul II. Those of us who remember the
1960's and the 1970's recall that, during that
time, the Church also seemed to be falling into
ruins. Pope Paul VI referred to the "Smoke of
Satan" which had invaded the Church. Many of us
experienced first hand certain problems in some
aspects of the Church. When the cardinal from
Poland was elected Pope in 1978, his mission
seems to have been similar to the one which St.
Francis received from the San Damiano crucifix
in the thirteenth century. We all know how John
Paul II worked to rebuild the Church which was
falling into ruin, but he did not do it alone.
Just as St. Francis drew people who loved the
Lord into greater service of Him, John Paul II
also led those in the Church to rebuild the
Church.
One may ask how you can compare a Pope who lives
in the splendor of the Vatican with the poor man
of Assisi who embraced poverty to an extreme
degree. Francis realized that poverty is not an
end in itself but a means to an end. The
ultimate end is to know and to do the Will of
God. This is what the medieval saint, the modern
pope, and the rest of us ought have in common.
We all have to work at knowing and doing God's
will in our lives. Most of us do not have the
gifts which St. Francis had or the gifts that
Pope John Paul II had, yet we are all required
to use our specific gifts according to God's
Will. The lives of all the canonized and
uncanonized saints show us that it can be done.
Jim Nugent
-------------------------------------
June, 2005
The
Way of Nothing
The great Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross
(1542 - 1591), made a drawing which expressed
clearly the way to holiness. At the top of
drawing is a circle, the symbol of a mountain
whose summit is Christian perfection. From the
bottom of the mountain are three paths which
lead to the top, but only one path, the
narrowest, reaches the top. The two other paths
end halfway up the mountain. They cannot be used
to reach the top.
One of the paths is the one
which strives for holiness but is still attached
to worldly goods. When we love anything for its
own sake, we are on this path and cannot reach
the top of the mountain.
Another futile path is
the one which seeks the things of heaven, but
does so for the sake of selfish spiritual
satisfaction. This path also cannot reach the
top of the mountain.
The path, which does reach
the top, is the narrowest path, which the saint
called "the way of nothing". This path seeks
only the honor and glory of God. To be on this
path, we cannot want or love anything that is
not in conformity to the will of God. The other
paths, because of the diversions of the love of
things or the love of self, will not lead all
the way to the top.
Although St. Francis lived hundreds of years
before St. John of the Cross, he fully
understood the way to holiness. St. Francis
embarked on "the way of nothing" when he prayed
before the San Damiano crucifix, desiring only to
do the Will of God. Even when he misinterpreted
God's Will, Francis was still on the correct
path.
St. Francis was also aware of the paths he
needed to avoid. He openly and publicly rejected
the path of worldly attachment and loves when, in
the winter of 1207, he stood in the court of
Bishop Guido of Assisi. Francis had been accused
by his father of dissipating the family
property. To avoid being tried in a secular
court, Francis asked to be judged by the bishop
since Francis had already left the world and was
under the jurisdiction of the Church.
Francis was a lay brother in the service of the
Church, and he lived in San Damiano, a place subject
to the bishop.
In the bishop's court, before a
large part of the people of Assisi, Francis
stood naked and gave all his possessions, even
his clothing, back to his father. This act culminated
Francis's rejection of what St. John of the
Cross called the way "of the imperfect spirit."
He had rejected all attachments of the world so
that he could do God's Will. While his decision
to give up even his clothing may have been a
sudden one, Francis, during this time, suffered
much in order to be free to do God's Will. He
had already suffered much verbal and physical
abuse from his family and other people who did
not understand the path that he was taking.
The
path to holiness truly was a costly path for
Francis and all who take it. Yet he knew it was
worth it. Bishop Guido responded to Francis by
removing his elaborate mantle and putting it on
the shoulders of the naked Francis. This act
demonstrates that the way of Christian
perfection is only possible within the "mantle"
of the Church.
Saint Francis was also aware of the other
imperfect path, that of seeking heavenly things
for the sake of personal satisfaction. Could
this be why St. Francis, during his lifetime,
rejected academic studies and scholarly
investigations? These things are not necessarily
bars to holiness as demonstrated by such great
saints as St. Anthony and St. Bonaventure, yet
St. Francis could see that these things could
lead to personal satisfaction apart from God.
The "way of nothing," as outlined in the drawing
of St. John of the Cross, does not give us a
detailed and specific program to reach Christian
perfection. The "way of nothing," as followed by
St. Francis, was very different from the "way of
nothing" of other saints. Yet all the various
"ways" have in common the seeking of nothing but
the Will of God.
Jim Nugent
--------------------------
July, 2005
The Real Paradise
When St. Francis died on Saturday evening
October 3, 1226, a miraculous even occurred. The
skylarks flocked together and sang a great song
for St. Francis although during dusk skylarks
normally would be retiring since they prefer the
light of day. This, and other events associated
with the death of St. Francis, indicated that at
his death the soul of St. Francis triumphantly
entered heaven.
While the earthly Francis certainly entered
heaven at his death, even while he was on earth,
St. Francis brought a glimpse of heaven to all
he encountered. Since he lived only for God
after his conversion, he showed us what it was
like to be in heaven even during all his trials
and suffering. In heaven, our only passion is
the Lord, and all other loves are in and through
the Lord. St. Francis demonstrated this heavenly
attitude by his intense love for the Lord,
ultimately culminating in the stigmata, his life
of poverty and penance, which detached him from
an unheavenly love of earthly things, and his
love and service to his fellow human beings, in
imitation of his Divine Master. Just as Jesus
Christ, while on earth and especially after His
Ascension into heaven, brought heaven to all who
followed Him, St. Francis also brought the
heavenly peace of Christ to all whom he
encountered.
We are all aware that our life on earth has many
unheavenly aspects to it. There are sin, pain,
sickness, selfishness, conflict, and many other
evils. St. Francis's Order of friars, St.
Clare's Order of sisters, and the lay Brothers
and Sisters of Penance were not established in
order to create a utopia or heaven on earth free
of pain, sorrow, and suffering. In contrast to
the modern secular attempts to create "heaven"
here on earth by external political policies and
programs, St. Francis understood that heavenly
peace begins within each individual through the
power of the Holy Spirit which is the gift of
God. The sufferings of this life are not
eliminated when the exercise of political power
creates structures of peace and justice. The
Franciscan communities were and are driven by
the passion of faith. These communities embody
the renunciation of possessions and of
self-determination; they reject the fulfillment
of a self-seeking Eros. Such communities, where
one can find them, give people a glimpse of the
real paradise. The things that are renounced are
barriers to people living only for the obedience
and service of the Lord.
This orientation of the Franciscans, as well as
of other lay and religious movements in the
Church which are ordered toward personal
sanctification, is in harmony with the way in
which Jesus Christ brought heaven to earth. He
did not come as a powerful charismatic political
leader who reformed the very unjust structures
of that time. Instead, He established the very
earthly, human, and sinful Church, which has
brought heaven to earth by teaching and
preaching, and, above all, by giving us the
sacraments.
St. Francis endured much pain, suffering, and
sorrow in his life just as we do at the present
time. Yet St. Francis also experienced the joy
and peace of heaven in the midst of all his
poverty and suffering. By our own lives, lived
in obedience to the Lord, we can expose the
deceit of the false secular utopias of sex,
possessions, comfort, and power and at least
give the world a glimpse of the real paradise.
---------------------------
August, 2005
Sermon in Action
During the winter of 1220-1221, St. Francis had
gotten quite sick. His caretakers had induced
him to take some broth and meat to combat his
extreme weakness. Since the winter was quite
cold in Assisi, Francis's guardian and the
minister general of the order, Pietro di Catanio,
had ordered Francis to sew a piece of fox fur on
the inside of his has habit. Francis obeyed, but
also sewed a piece of fox fur on the outside to
show that he was "pampering" his body. Early in
1221, when it was still quite cold, Francis,
although still sick with a fever, went with
Pietro di Catanio and many other brothers to the
piazza in Assisi to preach.
Francis preached on love and contempt for
worldly things. In the middle of his sermon,
Francis asked everyone to wait for him and went
down the street to the cathedral of San Rufino.
He went into the crypt where Saint Rufinus was
laid and seems to have gone into a rapture. Then
he asked Pietro to tie a cord around his neck
and lead him before the people shouting "Behold
the glutton who has grown fat on the meat of
chickens, which he ate without your knowing
about it." Pietro reluctantly obeyed crying out
as he led Francis through the streets "Run,
people, come and see the greedy scrounger, the
hypocrite, who preaches fasting to your face and
behind your backs gulps down fat chickens!"
When they got to the crowded piazza, Francis
went to the stone where criminals were punished
and humiliated and said, "You think that I am a
holy man, as do those who, on the basis of my
example, leave the world and enter the order and
lead the life of the brothers. Well, I confess
to God and to you that during my illness I ate
meat and some stew."
What was St. Francis doing here? Was this just a
theatrical display? Everyone knew that the
"gluttony", which Francis was confessing, was a
legitimate and necessary accommodation of his
very real and serious illness. Probably, while
Francis was preaching to the large crowd, he
could sense that the people of Assisi looked
upon him as a holy and saintly man. This
disturbed him greatly. He knew that the esteem
of people was worthless and was a temptation to
pride. He probably went to the cathedral of San
Rufino to ask the Lord what to do about that.
His "display" was the answer that he received
from the Lord.
Francis obeyed the Lord and the Lord obtained
the fruits of Francis's obedience. When they saw
this, many in the crowd said, "This holy man
accuses himself with deep humility of having
taken care of his health when he so clearly
needed it. We who know his life so well, we know
that it is because of his excessive abstinence
and austerity since his conversion that we see
him live in a body that is almost dead. What
shall we do, wretches that we are, we who live
according to the pleasure and desires of the
flesh?" Even people who had been living evil
lives of wicked deeds were touched by what they
saw.
What does this "theatrical display" of St.
Francis mean for us? It seems that St. Francis
went from a sermon of words to an "action"
sermon. He was teaching us that we should not be
concerned with what people think of us. We
should only be concerned with what He who sees
all and knows all thinks of us. Are we in true
union with Him? This also seems to be one of
many examples which Francis gives us of asking
the Lord a question about a problem or dilemma
and receiving an answer. Often the answers to
our questions come from other people or from
circumstances, but there are times when the Lord
will speak to us if we are listening. This
episode in the life of St. Francis is another
example of how the saints can inspire us.
Jim Nugent
---------------------------------
September 2005
The Littlest
Virtue
Once, when St. Francis was living at the
Portziuncola, Brother Masseo, who was taller,
more handsome, and more intelligent than St.
Francis, said to him "Why after you? Why after
you? Why after you?" St. Francis then asked him
what he meant by that question. Then Brother
Masseo said "Why does all the world seem to be
running after you, and everyone seem to want to
see you and hear you and obey you? You are not a
handsome man. You do not have great learning or
wisdom. You are not a nobleman. So why is all
the world running after you?" Francis did not
answer immediately but stood and prayed for a
long time. Then he gave his answer to Brother
Masseo. Referring to God, St. Francis replied
"For those blessed and all-holy eyes have not
seen among sinners anyone more vile or
insufficient than I am. And so in order to do
that wonderful work which He intends to do, He
did not find on earth a viler creature, and
therefore he chose me, for God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to put to shame the
wise, and God has chosen the base things of the
world and the despised, to bring to naught the
noble and great and strong, so that all
excellence in virtue may be from God and not
from the creature."
By his reply, St. Francis was teaching Brother
Masseo and all of us that all real merit is the
work of God and only our sins and failings
belong to us. When Francis referred to himself
as a "vile sinner" he was not being humble but
was simply telling the truth. The virtue of
humility involves not attributing or taking
credit for that which humanly speaking belongs
to oneself. St. Francis understood that all real
merit was from God.
St. Francis saw that the greatest temptation for
himself and his brothers was to pride. He
constantly strove to fight against the rise of
pride. For example, he was just as willing to
obey a person who was just admitted as a novice
as a wise person who had many years of
experience in the order. The more contemptible
the person giving the orders the greater the
merit of obedience. He valued the opinion of
others above that of his own. He also preferred
blame to praise because blame could lead one to
amendment of life while praise could lead one to
fall into the sin of pride.
Once, right after he had given his cloak to a
poor widow, he experienced an inner joy. He
immediately confessed to all that he was guilty
of vainglory. He wanted the Friar Minor to flee
from honor, not take pleasure in doing good, or
to enjoy the praise of others. Another time he
praised a bishop who called him a "poor and
despised, simple and unlettered man" because the
bishop had rendered "to each his own,
attributing to God the praise, to me the
worthlessness." St. Francis knew that it was
very difficult to guard against these faults of
vainglory and pride.
St. Francis understood that we often do good
deeds out of egotism even though we think we are
doing them out of love. The approval of the
world and a good appearance seems to be all that
we need. His biographer, Thomas of Celano said
in his Second Life, We bear patiently our not
being good. We cannot bear at all not to seem
good, not to be thought good. And thus we live
completely amid the praise of men, because we
are nothing else but men."
St. Francis taught his friars that without
humility no virtue is acceptable to God and
said, "Humility is the guardian and ornament of
all virtues." As we progress in our life of
conversion let us not forget the "littlest" of
all the virtues.
Jim Nugent
---------------------------
October, 2005
Authority, Responsibility, and Pride
While we all look upon St. Francis as an example
of poverty and humility, these very virtues can
create tensions. When Francis was near the end
of his life and the order of Friar Minors was
growing very rapidly, Francis found himself in
an awkward position. He wished to be servant of
all and the least of all, yet he was now at the
head of a large and growing Order, and he was
also in a rapidly declining state of health.
Also, on September 22, 1220, Pope Honorius
issued a directive directed to the guardians of
the Order that a novitiate of one year be
established before admission to the Order and
that no one could leave the Order after they had
taken final vows. This greatly increased
Francis's administrative duties. On top of all
this, many in the Order did not share Francis's
ideas on poverty and humility. These things
forced Francis to choose between exercising
authority and his desire to be little.
Francis seems to have had no problem with
obeying authority, but he did have a problem
with exercising authority. This is illustrated
by an incident when he was near death. A brother
had reproved him for his lack of firmness toward
those who did not scrupulously observe the rule.
He answered that he could get perfect obedience
when the brothers were few, but, when they were
many and many of these turned away from the
right way because of lukewarmness and lack of
zeal, he did not want to become an executioner
and use punishment and flogging. In response to
the tension between exercising authority and
littleness, Francis chose to be little. He
suddenly appointed Brother Pietro di Catanio as
the head of the order and promised him obedience
and reverence.
While it is very obvious that often authority
has to be exercised, Francis clearly saw the
dangers of authority. Francis felt that those
who aspired to high position in the Order were
not true Friars Minor. He also felt that those
who were upset when they were removed from
office showed that it was the pride of position
that was important to them rather than the
responsibility.
One time Francis had said, "I would not seem to
myself to be a Friar Minor unless I were in the
state I will describe to you. Suppose I, being a
prelate among the brothers, should go to the
chapter and preach and admonish the brothers,
and at the end this should be said against me:
'An unlettered and contemptible person is not
suitable for us; therefore, we do not want you
to rule over us, because you have no eloquence.
You are simple and unlettered.' At length I am
thrown out with reproaches and despised by all.
I say to you, unless I listen to these words
with the same face, with the same joy, with the
same purpose of sanctity, I am in no way a Friar
Minor."
Francis concluded his remarks by saying, "In
office is found occasion for fall. In praise, an
occasion for complete destruction. In the
humility of being a subject, an occasion for
profit for the soul."
In these remarks, St. Francis was showing us the
attitude which we all should have when we hold
office and exercise authority. We should
understand that positions of power and authority
bring us great responsibility before God. With
these responsibilities come great dangers to our
soul. While we do not all have the option of
giving the responsibility to another, we can
understand that all authority comes from God and
act accordingly.
Jim Nugent
------------------------
November, 2005
Intellectual
Pursuits
It is well known that St. Francis had a distrust
of intellectual pursuits. He had said that the
sons of the secular world must be left to their
"prideful and foolish learning" as they indulge
in "wordy circumlocutions, ornaments, and
embellishments, vain displays and curiosities."
He instructed his friars to seek "not the bark
but the pith, not the shell but the kernel, not
the many things but the much, the greatest and
the lasting good."
On the other hand, St. Francis gave his consent
to St. Anthony of Padua to teach at a Franciscan
house of studies in Bologna. He also said that
brothers who were chosen to preach could "give
themselves to the study of spiritual things.....
not hindered by other duties." St. Francis
realized that those who were chosen to preach
had been "chosen by a certain great king to
deliver to the people the edicts that proceed
from his mouth." A great theologian who had
heard St. Francis preach said "My brothers, the
theology of this man, based upon purity of life
and contemplation, is a soaring eagle, while our
learning crawls on its belly on the ground."
Thus it is certainly wrong to assume that St.
Francis was an ignorant man.
St. Francis understood that the life of
intellectual pursuits, and the entire Christian
life is based on humility. Study was not evil in
itself but easily leads to pride and trivial
pursuits while the "one thing necessary" is
neglected. In the thirteenth century as well as
in our own day, learning is used to rationalize
evil and all sorts of injustices. St. Francis
wanted his friars to realize that intellectual
pursuits could easily suck one into the vanities
and pride of this world. The antidote to that
happening was humility.
One of St. Francis's early followers who had
been a scholar, Brother Riccieri, had said "In
some fashion every man can readily attain real
knowledge of the truth and attain perfect
peace." To do this one must "free oneself from
attachment to any creature." According to this
brother this was the secret of humility-"and
what is humility but the light of truth?" When
the divine light is within us, all worldly
allurements arouse nothing but distaste. In
recognition of the humility of Brother Riccieri,
St. Francis ordered him to remain as a lay
brother although he could easily had become a
priest.
For St. Francis, learning could never hinder
prayer and the contemplative life. Francis
believed that learning must not weaken humility,
which with poverty is the foundation of
Franciscan life. For St. Francis, one must have
humility in order to understand divine
mysteries. One who is to move easily from the
knowledge of himself to the knowledge of God
must study the Scriptures humbly, not
presumptuously. If Scripture were not studied in
this way, holy doctrine would end up being just
like secular and "pagan" science. If someone
came into the Order with a lot of learning, St.
Francis felt that that person should in some way
renounce his possession and offer himself naked
into the arms of the Crucified. Even those of
great learning should remain docile and bend to
humble practices. The viewpoint of St. Francis
on learning and studies was thoroughly in
harmony with his commitment to Christ and the
Christian Life.
Jim Nugent
----------------------
December, 2005
Money and
Saint Francis
St. Francis had an attitude toward money which
many now would regard as extreme. Chapter 8 of
the rule of his friars states "And so all the
friars, no matter where they are or where they
go, are forbidden to take or accept money in any
way or under any form, or have it accepted for
them, for clothing or books or as wages, or in
any other necessity, except to provide for the
urgent needs of those who are ill. We should
have no more use or regard for money in any of
its forms than for dust. Those who think it is
worth more or who are greedy for it , expose
themselves to the danger of being deceived by
the devil. We have left everything we had behind
us. We must be very careful now not to lose the
kingdom of heaven for so little. If ever we find
money somewhere, we should think no more of it
than of the dust we trample under our feet, for
it is vanity of vanities, and all vanity."
St. Francis understood that money was a
necessity in the general society, but he also
saw the great danger that it posed for both his
friars and for everyone. This is illustrated by
the famous story concerning the time that
Francis and one of his companions were walking
along a road and found a money belt. His
companion urged Francis to take the money and
give it to the poor. St. Francis refused and
claimed that the money belt was a trick of the
devil. Francis was probably correct in his
judgment. While giving to the poor is good , it
can also lead to pride. Since the money did not
belong to Francis, there entailed no sacrifice
to give it away. Since Francis was a man of deep
prayer, he immediately understood the dangers
that others did not perceive.
They walked on past the belt, but since his
companion continued to argue, Francis finally
consented to go back to the belt. On the way
back they saw a young man sitting on a well, and
Francis called him to come along as a witness.
When they arrived at the money belt, it looked
like it was filled with money. Francis forbade
them to touch the belt until he went away a
short distance to pray. Upon returning, he asked
his companion to pick up the belt. His companion
did not want to touch it and only picked it up
when ordered to do so under obedience. When he
took the purse into his hands, a serpent jumped
out of the purse.
Francis knew that the rule concerning money was
impractical for the general society, but he also
wanted himself and his friars to teach society
by their way of life. He saw how easy it was for
even good people to be drawn to all kinds of
evil and away from the Lord. In our own time we
can compare our laws on abortion, which show how
little we value the lives of the weakest, with
our incredibly complex tax laws to see what our
society values the most. If his friars lived
like everyone else, they would not be the
"light" which Francis wanted them to be for
society.
We should also note the exception that Francis
allowed in the rule. Money could be used to care
for the urgent needs of the sick. Apparently,
even in those times money was needed to obtain
medical care. Francis knew enough to put charity
even above his rule on money. He knew that love
of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated.
Even though money is a necessity for most lay
persons in our time, let us always pay attention
to St. Francis's admonition for us.
Jim Nugent
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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