"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

A special "Thank you!"
Goes out to
John Michael Talbot
for giving us permission
to use his song on our
"Come to the Quiet"
You Tube Video
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Showing posts with label Father Mitch Pacwa S.J. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Father Mitch Pacwa S.J. Show all posts

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Are You "Searching" For Jesus?

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We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just Click on the GoodSearch Icon below and download the GoodSearch Toolbar – Then type "Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center" into the toolbar:


Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!


T


Thursday, May 05, 2011

Are You "Searching" for Jesus?



T

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just Click on the GoodSearch Icon below and download the GoodSearch Toolbar – Then type "Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center" into the toolbar:


Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!


PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!


Pax Et Bonum!


T


Thursday, April 07, 2011

St. Clare Joins St. Francis and His Brothers

 St. Clare's Tunic and Mantle on display at San Damiano Assisi, Italy

On Palm Sunday, in the year 1212 A.D., a young noblewoman of Assisi, Clare di Favarone, attended Mass at the cathedral of San Rufino where she received her palm from the hand of the bishop himself. That night she left home secretly and went to the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, the Portiuncula. There, St. Francis himself witnessed her vows to live the Gospel life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. From that moment till her death she was a true Bride of the Poor Christ, the most faithful daughter of St. Francis


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Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Canticle of Brother Sun

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Altissimu, onnipotente, bon Signore,
tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.
Ad te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.


Laudato sie, mi' Signore, cum tucte le tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate sole,
lo qual'è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora luna e le stelle:
in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate vento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale a le tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sor'aqua,
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora nostra matre terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti flori et herba.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo tuo amore
et sostengo infirmitate et tribulatione.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterrano in pace,
ka da te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora nostra morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le tue sanctissime voluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.

Laudate e benedicete mi' Signore et rengratiate
e serviateli cum grande humilitate.


In translation:

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

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.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Canticle of the Sun
Written one year before his death
and after receiving the "Stigmata"



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Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Are You "Searching" for Jesus?


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We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just Click on the GoodSearch Icon below and download the GoodSearch Toolbar – Then type "Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center" into the toolbar:


Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!


T


Eastertide at Greccio



One day during Eastertide the brothers at the hermitage of Greccio prepared the table more daintily than they ususally did with white linens and glassware. Coming down from his cell, St. Francis saw the table elevated above the ground and decorated extravagantly. But though the table was smiling, he was not. Unseen and little by little he retraced his steps, put on the hat of a poor man who was there, and, taking his staff in his hand, went outside. He waited outside the door until the brothers began to eat, for they were in the habit of not waitning for him when he did not come at the signal. They had just begun to eat when this truly poor man cried out at the door, "For the love of the Lord God, an alms, please, for this poor, sick pilgrim." The brothers answered, "Do come in, whoever you are, for the love of him whose name you have invoked." He immediately entered and appeared before them as they were eating. Oh, what astonishment that pilgrim then caused these comfortable citizens! They gave him the plate he asked for, and he withdrew and sat alone on the floor, placing the dish in the ashes.

"Now I am sitting as a Lesser Brother should sit." he said. And turning to the brothers, he said, "We should be moved by the example of the poverty of the Son of God more than others are. I saw a table richly prepared, and I thought, this is not the table of poor men who beg from door to door."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano - Second Life 
Chapter XXXI

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Monday, April 04, 2011

Are You Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired?


“Come to the Quiet”
2011 Retreat Schedule

May 20-22 (Men Only)
June 24-26 (Women Only)
July 15-17 (Married Couples Only)
August 19-21 (Men Only
September – 23-25 (Lay Franciscans)

Fr. Todd will be offering all retreatants Reconciliation at St. Andrew's at 11:00 A.M. on Friday and we will be leaving St. Andrew's at 12:00 Noon “SHARP.” Even if you don't plan on receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, please plan on arriving with the rest of the group at 11:00 A.M., so that we don't hold  the rest of the group up! We will be attending Mass at St. Sylvester's Catholic Church in Woodsfield, Ohio and arrive back in Richmond around 4:00 P.M. Sunday.

The cost is  $110 per person ($40 non refundable, non-transferable deposit due upon registration).

Your Registration includes Saturday and Sunday Morning Continental Breakfasts, your Saturday evening meal, along with healthy drinks and snacks throughout the weekend.

Please makes checks payable to:
The Portiuncula Hermitage
% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374
Cell: 765.220.1623
email: hermitage@parallax.ws

Occupancy is extremely limited, so please get your Registration in as soon as possible!





Name: ____________________________________________


Address: ____________________________________________

City:  _________________________State: _____Zip: ________

Phone: (____) - _____- ______________

Preferred Weekend:  First Choice:_____________________

Second Choice:_____________________



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Woe To Those Who Despise Priests!



Blessed is the servant of God who has confidence in priests who live according to the laws of the holy Roman Church. Woe to those who despise them. Even if they fall into sin, no one should pass judgement on them, for God has reserved judgement on them to Himself. They are in a privileged position because they have charge of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they receive and which they alone administer to others, and so anyone who sins against them commits a greater crime than if he sinned against anyone else in the whole world.

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Admonitions
Admonition XXVI

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Sunday, April 03, 2011

"Son" Bathing


"O wonderful ascent, O stupendous descent! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity, that the Lord of the Universe, God and Son of God, should so humbly hide himself, for our salvation, in what seems to be only a small piece of bread! Look, then, upon the humility of God! And pour out your hearts before him. Humble yourselves that he might exalt you. Hold back nothing of yourselves, that he may receive your all who gave his all to you."

St. Francis
Letter to the Whole Order

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Making a Clean Sweep of the Churches



Once while he was staying at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula and there were as yet few friars, St. Francis went through the villages and churches round about the city of Assisi proclaiming and preaching to the people that they should do penance. And he carried a broom to sweep out the churches that were dirty, for he was very grieved when he found any church not as clean as he wished.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 56

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Sensual Man


In the early days of the Order, when the brothers lived at Rivo Torto, there was a brother who prayed little and did no work, who never went begging, for he was ashamed, but he ate well. Considering his behavior, Blessed Francis was warned by the Holy Spirit that this brother was a sensual man. One day he said to him: "Go your way, Brother Fly, for you wish to eat the fruit of the labor of your brothers, while you remain idle in the vineyard of God. You resemble Brother Drone who gathers nothing, does no work, but eats the fruit of the activity of the working bees." He left without asking forgiveness, for he was a sensual man.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 62 

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The Devil Tears The Soul From The Body With Anguish



We should all realize that no matter where or how a man dies, if he is in the state of mortal sin and does not repent, when he could have done so and did not, the devil tears his soul from his body with such anguish and distress that only a person who has experienced it can appreciate it. All the talent and ability, all the learning and wisdom which he thought his own, are taken away from him, while his relatives and friends bear off his property and share it among themselves. Then they say, "A curse on his soul; he could have made more to leave to us and he did not." And the worms feast on his body. So he loses both his body and his soul in this short life and goes to hell, where he will be tormented without end.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Saint Francis of Assisi
LETTER TO ALL THE FAITHFUL

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Just Once...



Just once, let the love of God take entire and absolute possession of your heart; let it become your heart like a second nature; let your heart suffer nothing contrary to enter; let it apply itself continually to increase this love of God by seeking to please Him in all things and refusing Him nothing; let it accept as from His hand everything that happens to it; let it have a firm determination never to commit any fault deliberately and knowingly, or, if it should fail, to be humbled and to rise up again at once - and such a heart will pray continually.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Tau Cross - St. Francis of Assisi



The first recorded reference to the TAU is from Ezekiel 9:4, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a TAU on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." The TAU is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and looks very much like the letter "T". 
 
At the Fourth Lateran Council, on November 11, 1215, Pope Innocent made reference to the TAU and quoted the above verse in reference to the profaning of the Holy Places by the Saracens. It is widely accepted that St. Francis was present at the Fourth Lateran Council and that he heard the words of Pope Innocent III when he said, "The TAU has exactly the same form as the Cross on which our Lord was crucified on Calvary, and only those will be marked with this sign and will obtain mercy who have mortified their flesh and conformed their life to that of the Crucified Savior. From then on, the TAU became Francis' own coat of arms. 

Francis used the TAU in his writings, painted in on the walls and doors of the places where he stayed, and used it as his only signature on his writings. 
 
St. Bonaventure said, "This TAU symbol had all the veneration and all the devotion of the saint: he spoke of it often in order to recommend it, and he traced it on himself before beginning each of his actions." 

Thomas of Celano, another Franciscan historian writes, "Francis preferred the Tau above all other symbols: he utilized it as his only signature for his letters, and he painted the image of it on the walls of all the places in which he stayed." 
 
In the famous blessing of Brother Leo, Francis wrote on parchment, "May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord show His face to you and be merciful to you! May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace! God bless you Brother Leo!" Francis sketched a head (of Brother Leo) and then drew the TAU over this portrait.

THE TAU AS OUR FRANCISCAN SYMBOL

Where did the TAU come from and what does it mean? (Rhymes with "How") Simply and basically, the TAU represents the Cross. It is also the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. However, the two major influences on Francis concerning the TAU were the Antonians and the Fourth Lateran Council. 

St. Francis borrowed the TAU and what it meant to him from the Antonians. They were a religious community of men founded in 1095 whose sole function was to care for lepers. They were disbanded as an Order by the Church in the 1500's because leprosy was no longer a problem and many of the religious orders had fallen into Theological problems. On their habit was painted a great TAU cross. Francis was very familiar with these men because they staffed the leper house in Assisi and the hospital of St. Blase in Rome where Francis went to stay. This is now the church of San Francisco A Ripa. 

Every time you see St. Anthony, "the Abbot or Hermit" in art, he is portrayed with the TAU. 

St. Francis was exposed to the TAU through the direct influence of the Antonians, but the greatest influence of all that made the TAU so dear to Francis, whereby it became his signature, was the Fourth Lateran Council. 

Pope Innocent III opened the Council on November 11, 1215, with these words: "I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you." (Luke 22-15.) Innocent announced that for him, for the Church, and for every Catholic at the time, the symbol they were to take as the sign of their Passover was the TAU Cross. 

He incorporated into his homily the statement from Ezekiel (9:4) that the elect, the chosen, those who are concerned will be marked with the sign of the TAU. He explained that this Passover is a three-fold Passover. 

Every Catholic must be involved in this triple Passover: A Corporal Passover, a Spiritual Passover and an Eternal Passover. 

These became some of the most precious themes of Francis' preaching. He must have taken them so deeply to heart that when Pope Innocent III ended his homily with "BE CHAMPIONS OF THE TAU", Francis evidently took that as a personal statement and made the TAU his own symbol: a symbol for his order, his signature, painted it everywhere, and had great devotion to it for the rest of his life. 

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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Dr. Tom Ringenberg: "Come to the Quiet" and Become a Monastic Without Having to Leave Your Day Job

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Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that the Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace.

Please prayerfully consider joining me in supporting the Portiuncula Retreat Center by simply contributing $5.00 $10.00 $15.00 or more a month.


Simply Click On This
Parish Pay
Icon


Or mail payments to:

"Portiuncula Hermitage"

% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374.



Thank you and God bless!
Yours In Christ,


Dr. Tom Ringenberg

Centerville, IN

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GoodShop: Please Help Us Build The Portiuncula Chapel

Please help us duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
found on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just download the GoodSearch – Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center toolbar at:

Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!


T


Itching Ears



St. Francis did not want the brothers who were living in hermitages, who were restricted severely as to number, to have itching ears for news of worldly things, lest, with their meditation on heavenly things interrupted, they should be drawn to the business of inferior things through those who spread rumors.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter XII

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Absorbed By The Fire Of Divine Love Like A Glowing Coal



No human tongue could describe the passionate love with which Francis burned for Christ, his Spouce; he seemed to be completely absorbed by the fire of divine love like a glowing coal. The moment he heard the love of God being mentioned, he was aroused immediately and so deply moved and inflamed that it seemed as if the deepest chord in his heart had been plucked by the words.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter IX

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Avarice, Taking the Name of Discretion



Once the followers of St. Francis were walking in such fervor of love for Christ, Avarice, taking the name of Discretion, began to say to them: "Do not show yourselves so unbending before men and do not despise in this way the honor they show you; but show yourselves affable to them and do not outwardly spurn the glory they offer you, but do so at most inwardly. It is good to have the friendship of kings, acquaintance with princes, and familiarity with the great, for, when they thus honor and revere you, when they will rise and come to meet you, many who see this will be the more easily turned to God by their example."

..."They esteemed themselves to be also inwardly what they were proclaimed to be outwardly, placing their glory in the mouths of those who praised them, like foolish virgins giving oil to those who sold it, and like an unprofitable servant."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Sacrum Commercium
Chapter IV

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Oh, Brothers! Oh, Brothers! Oh, Brothers!



One time it happened the while Brother Bernard of Quintavalle was attending Mass in a church and his whole mind was on God. He became so absorbed and rapt in contemplation that during the Elevation of the Body of Christ he was not at all aware of it and did not kneel down when the others knelt, and he did not draw back his cowl as did the others who were there, but he stayed motionless, without blinking his eyes, gazing straight ahead, from morning until none.

But after none he came back to himself and went through the Place (the Portiuncula) shouting in a voice filled with wonder: "Oh, Brothers! Oh Brothers! Oh, Brothers! There is no man in all this country, no matter how great and noble he is, who, if he were promised a very beautiful palace full of gold, would not willingly carry a sack full of the most filthy manure in order to obtain that very noble treasure!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 28

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