Sublime And High Perfection

If thou lovest, thou shalt be loved.

If thou servest, thou shalt be served.

If thou fearest, thou shalt be feared.

If thou doest good to others, fitting it is that others should do good unto thee.

But blessed is he who truly loves, and desireth not to be loved again.

Blessed is he who serves, and desireth not to be served.

Blessed is he that doeth good to others, and desireth not that others should do good to him.

But because these things are most sublime and high perfection, therefore they that are foolish cannot understand them nor attain thereto. Three things there are that are very sublime and very profitable, which he who has once acquired shall never fail.

The first is, thou shalt bear willingly and gladly, for the love of Jesus Christ, every affliction that shall befall thee.

The second is, that thou humble thyself daily in every thing thou doest, and in every thing thou seest.

The third is, that thou love faithfully with all thy heart that invisible and supreme Good which thou canst not behold with thy bodily eyes.

LITTLE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS
Part Four
Chapter 1
OF VICES AND VIRTUES

Abject Humility

If you are sons of peace, you will win both clergy and people, and this will be more pleasing to God than if you were to win the people alone and alienate the clergy. Conceal their mistakes and make up for their many defects; and when you have done this, be even more humble than before.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 55

Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR : Mystic Monk Of Steubenville

Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR

Chancellor of Franciscan University of Steubenville

In 1953, Michael Scanlan graduated with a BA from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1956 and gaining admittance to the New York Bar Association, he served as Staff Judge Advocate in the US Air Force. He also did graduate studies in political science and higher education administration at Catholic University and Boston University.

In 1957, Scanlan entered the Franciscan Third Order Regular. He graduated from St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1964. He served as acting dean of the College of Steubenville and as a lecturer in theology from 1964-1966, and from 1966-69, as dean of the General Honors Program. Father Scanlan was appointed rector-president of St. Francis Major Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania in 1969. He accepted the office of president of the College of Steubenville in 1974, a position he held until 2000, when he was named Franciscan University's first chancellor.

In addition to this duties as University chancellor, Father Scanlan is president of FIRE (A Catholic Alliance for Faith, Intercession, Repentance, and Evangelism), and a member of the Board for the Christian Film and Television Commission, Campaign for America National Committee, the Advisory Board for the Institute on Religious Life, and the Board of Directors of Renewal Ministries.

Father Scanlan has published numerous articles in religious periodicals and over 16 books and booklets, including Let the Fire Fall (Servant Books, 1986), Appointment with God (Franciscan University Press, 1987), The Truth About Trouble (Servant Books, 1989), and Rosary Companion (Franciscan University Press, 1993), and the best selling What Does God Want? ( Our Sunday Visitor, 1996). He has also spoken at numerous national and international conferences and frequently leads pilgrimages and retreats throughout the world with Franciscan University Journeys.

Father Scanlan received the Cross Pro Ecclesia and Pontifice in 1990, the Founders Award from Fellowship of Catholic Scholars in 1993, and the Protector Award from the Pro-Life Action League in 1995. He holds honorary degrees from the College of Steubenville (LittD, 1972), Williams College (LLD, 1978), and St. Francis College (MDiv, 1975; PhD, 1987).

Richmond Catholic Community Switches To Mystic Monk Coffee Through The Portiuncula

A special "Thank You" goes out to Father Todd Riebe and The Richmond Catholic Community of Richmond, Indiana for switching to Mystic Monk Coffee and purchasing it through The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage/Retreat Center.



By Ordering Mystic Monk Coffee Through The Portiuncula, the Little Portion Donates a Portion to Birthright!


FAIR TRADE ORGANIC

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life and the right and dignity of every person, especially the unborn. Fair Trade Organic is a decision to act with social justice.

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing all Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright!

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the left side of this page:

Called To Simplicity And Humility

God called me by the way of simplicity and humility, and has in truth revealed this way for me and for all who are willing to trust and follow me.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 68

Having Too Much Confidence

St. Francis would say, "Too much confidence makes one guard too little against the enemy. If the devil can get but one hair from a man, he will soon make it grow into a braid. Even if after many years he still has not made him fall whom he has tempted, he is not put out over the delay, as long as he catches him in the end. For this is his business, and he is busy about nothing else by day or by night."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER LXXIX - 113

The Efficacy of Francis' Preaching - His Powers of Healing

Because of the extraordinary miracles which highlighted his preaching, the people listened to St. Francis' words as if an angel of God were speaking. The extraordinary degree of virtue he had attained, and his spirit of prophesy; the power of his miracles, together with his divine appointment to preach, and the obedience irrational creatures paid him; the profound change of heart in those who heard him, and the fact that he had been taught by the Holy Spirit without the aid of man, and commissioned to preach by the Supreme Pontiff as a result of a revelation, in addition to the rule in which the approach to preaching is laid down, and which was approved by Christ's Vicar, together with the mark of the Great King which was impressed on his body like a seal - these were all so many testimonies which proclaimed before the whole world that Christ's Francis deserved to be respected because of his office, to be believed because of his teaching, and to be admired for his sanctity, and that therefore he preached Christ's Gospel as a spokesman from God himself.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER XII - 12

Nationwide Demonstrations Against Obama and Abortion October 30th

To: Bishops, Clergy, and Laymen

By: Randall Terry




Join us, along with Randall Terry, in Indianapolis on October 30, 2008


Go to: http://www.ahumbleplea.com/

End The Abortion Holocaust!!!


Contact: 904-687-9804
©2008 Society for Truth and Justice

St. Mary of the Portiuncula, The Mirror of the Order

Saint Francis was very happy that this place had been given to the brothers because the church bore the name of the Mother of Christ, because it was very poor, and also because of its name of Portiuncula. The fact that it was called the church of the Portiuncula was indeed a presage that it would become the mother and head of the Order of the poor lesser brothers. The church had been given the name Portiuncula because the aforesaid place where the church had been built had already been called Portiuncula for a very long time.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 8

Madmen And Fools

Saint Francis said to brother Giles, "Our fraternity will little else than reproaches at having left their own possessions in order to eat at the expense of others. This caused them much suffering and great want. They were persecuted by their friends and relatives and by the citizens generally, both rich and poor, of all ranks, who derided them as madmen and fools, because at that time no one spontaneously left his own goods to beg from door to door."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions - 33

Mystic Monk Coffee At The Franciscan University Of Steubenville

Amy Scattergood
Los Angeles Times

"Last year, the Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, a very small community of 13 Carmelites in northwestern Wyoming, began roasting and selling their own coffee.

"Mystic Monk Coffee, says floor manager Brother Elias, was started as a way of generating income not only to help keep the community active ("manual labor is so important... we can't just pray all day") and self-sufficient, but also to build a monastery. "We couldn't see selling hundreds of jars of jams; and we drink a lot of coffee." The monks get their coffee from brokers, then roast it on a Diedrich roaster ("we got the Cadillac of roasters") using profiles set up by master roaster Brother Michael Mary, who worked in a Minneapolis coffee house before coming to Wyoming to study for the priesthood. The monks' website offers 21 kinds of coffee, including Hermit's Bold, a lovely blend of Sumatran and Guatemalan beans. Well-rounded, with notes of molasses and black pepper, a cup of the brew might be just the thing for those moments of silent contemplation."




Mystic Monk Coffee : "Standing on Holy Grounds!"

Fair Trade Organic

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life, especially the unborn. Fair Trade/Organic is a decision to act with social justice. With the silky rich garnish of chocolate, Guatemalan has an acidity that is enjoyable with or without cream. From a distant land of beauty, enjoy a coffee that many consider to be one of the finest. The Portiuncula is tithing all Mystic Monk Coffee sales to Birthright; a loving alternative to abortion!

Simply scroll down left side of this page and click on the

"MYSTIC MONK COFFEE" Icon!


You can order:

Breakfast Blend
Carmel (reg. or decaf.)
Chocolate Cherry (reg. or decaf.)
Chocolate Mint (reg. or decaf.)
Colombian
Cowboy Blend
Dark Roast Colombian
Decaffeinated Colombian
Espresso Blend
Ethiopian
Fair Trade Organic Decaffeinated Mexican
Fair Trade Organic Ethiopian
Fair Trade Organic Guatemalan
French Vanilla (reg. or decaf.)
Hazelnut (reg. or decaf.)
Hermits' Bold Blend
Irish Cream (reg. or decaf.)
Midnight Vigils Blend
Mystic Monk Blend
Royal Rum Pecan (reg. or decaf.)
Sumatran

The Poor Come To Us In The Name Of Christ

When you see a poor man, you must consider the one in whose name he comes, namely, Christ, who took upon himself our poverty and weakness. The poverty and sickness of this a man are, therefore, a mirror in which we ought to contemplate lovingly the poverty and weakness which our Lord Jesus Christ suffered in his body to save the human race.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 89

Lay Franciscans of Richmond

Lay Franciscans of Richmond

The Richmond Lay Franciscans of the Sisters of St. Francis Oldenburg, Indiana will meet on Saturday, November 8, at 11:30 A.M. in the Fr. Minton Room at Seton West School (Holy Family Church).

Everyone is welcome!

Please plan on attending...we may be Franciscans, but we feast like Jesuits!

50 U. S. Bishops: "No to Obama!"

The Tablet has an interesting article by Rocco Palmo claiming that 50 U.S. Bishops - about one fourth of the total - have said that the most important issue for Catholics when voting should be abortion.

A quarter of America's bishops have said that the most important issue for voters in the forthcoming presidential election is abortion - comments that may help boost the fortunes of Republican candidate John McCain.

Some 50 out of the nation's 197 active bishops have published articles or given interviews during the run-up up to the election urging abortion as the key issue on which voters should decide which way to vote. ... http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/12189

Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis, for example, wrote in St. Louis Review, that "the issue of life is the most basic issue and must be given priority over the issue of the economy, the issue of war or any other issue."

He said "Saving our children or killing our children. This is the overriding issue facing each of us. All other issues ... have to take second place to the issue of life."

As I've been saying all along, the other issues are important, but the killing of approximately 1 million children a year trumps the others.

posted by Lee Strong | 5:29 PM

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The Idle Are Vomited From The Mouth Of The Lord

Francis used to say that the lukewarm who did not make themselves acquainted familiarly with work would be quickly vomited forth from the mouth of the Lord. No one could appear idle before him without being corrected by him with a sharp rebuke.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CXX - 161

Christ's Poor Have Nothing To Fear

Christ's poor have nothing to fear. Francis' poverty was so well supplied that it provided miraculously for the needs of those who came to his aid, procuring food and drink and a house, when money or any other means could not be found. Poverty such as that will certainly never be left short of the necessities which God gives to everybody in the ordinary course of divine providence.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER VII - 13b

Never Refuse Anyone Who Asks, "For The Love Of God!"

One of the expressions we use in ordinary speech always moved Francis profoundly whenever he heard it, and that was, "For the love of God." As soon as he would hear these words, they would excite him, work upon him, and enkindle him, as if an inner chord had been plucked by them. And he kept faithfully till his death the promise made to himself when he was still loving a worldly life, that he would never refuse a poor person who begged anything, for the love of God." He used to say, "How greatly we should love the very love with which God has loved us so much!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life - 196

Pilgrims And Strangers

Because St. Francis and his companions had been called by God and chosen to bear the Cross of Christ in their hearts and in their actions and to preach it by their words, they appeared to be and they were crucified men, both as to their habit and their austere life and their deeds and their actions. Therefore, they had a greater desire to receive shame and insults for the love of Christ than the vain honors or respect and praise of the world. On the contrary, they rejoiced in being insulted, and they were made sad by being honored. And so they went through the world as pilgrims and strangers, taking with them nothing but Christ Crucified. And because they were living branches of the True Vine, that is Christ, they produced great and good fruit in the souls that they won for God.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 5

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula and Donate To Birthright

Order Mystic Monk Coffee Through The Portiuncula: the Little Portion and Donate to Birthright!


FAIR TRADE ORGANIC

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life and the right and dignity of every person, especially the unborn. Fair Trade Organic is a decision to act with social justice.

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing all Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright!

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the left side of this page:

A Pleasing Fragrance Before God

From the Portiuncula, Francis set out as a herald of the Gospel to preach the kingdom of God in the towns and villages in the vicinity, "not in such words as human wisdom teaches, but in words taught by the Spirit" (1 Cor 2:13). To those who saw him he seemed like a man from another world as, with his gaze fixed on heaven where his heart always dwelt, he tried to lift their thoughts on high. As a result of his efforts the supernatural vineyard of Christ began to put forth shoots which gave out a pleasing fragrance before God and produce fruit in abundance, lush and rich.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER IV - 5

How Glorious, How Holy And Wonderful!

How glorious, how holy and wonderful it is to have a Father in heaven. How holy it is, how beautiful and lovable to have in heaven a Bridegroom. How holy and beloved, how pleasing and lowly, how peaceful, delightful, lovable and desirable above all things it is to have a Brother like this, who laid down his life for this sheep, and prayed to his Father for us, saying: "Holy Father, in your name keep those whom you have given me."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Letter to All the Faithful

Sweeping Churches

When blessed Francis was living at St. Mary of the Portiuncula and as yet had but a few brothers, he sometimes traveled through the hamlets and visited the churches in the vicinity of Assisi, proclaiming and preaching repentance to men. He brought along a broom to clean the churches.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 18

Worldly Affairs

Brethren, I do not deny that what you have said is good, but consider your own call. Do not look back. Do not descend from the housetop to take anything from the house. Do not go back from the field to take a cloak. Do not become entangled in worldly affairs. Do not become involved with the things of the world that defile and corrupt, things from which you fled through your knowledge of the Savior. 

Saint Francis of Assisi

Sacrum Commercium - 40

Franciscan University of Steubenville Vocations Awareness Day

Vocations Awareness Day

STEUBENVILLE, OH–More than 100 religious communities and dioceses from across the United States and abroad will send vocations directors to participate in Franciscan University of Steubenville’s annual Vocations Awareness Day, which is one of the largest vocation fairs in the nation.

The event, sponsored by the Pre-Theologate Program and Chapel Ministries, will be held on Friday, October 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Finnegan Fieldhouse. It is free and open to the public. Afterward, a 4:45 p.m. Mass in Christ the King Chapel will be celebrated for those discerning religious life or the priesthood.

Last year’s Vocations Awareness Day attracted about 800 attendees. University and high school students, home school families, and local individuals took advantage of the opportunity to meet with vocations directors, ask questions, and learn about their unique missions and charisms.

Some of this year’s orders include: Franciscans of the Third Order Regular, Dominican Order of Preachers, Carmelite friars and nuns from California, Washington, and Oklahoma, Benedictine monks, Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, School Sisters of St. Francis, and sisters from Madrid, who are especially seeking Franciscan University education or Spanish majors to teach in Spain. Religious directors from many dioceses across the U.S. will also be present.

Father Ken Cienik, SA, director of the Pre-Theologate Program, encourages the public to attend. He says this is a great opportunity to encounter “a wide variety of religious orders and dioceses at one time and to discern if one might be right for you.”

For more information, call 740-283-6495 or e-mail vocationday@franciscan.edu.

Lukewarm Souls

When soul is tepid and little by little cools to grace, then flesh and blood leap forward to impose their needs.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 15

This Is How St. Francis Prayed

When Francis prayed in the wilds and in solitary places, he would fill the woods with sighs, water the earth with tears, beat his breast with his hand, and there, making the most of a more intimate, secret place, he often spoke aloud to the Lord. He would give an account to his Judge, entreat his Father, speak with his Friend, chat amiably with his Bridegroom. Indeed, in order to offer to God with every fiber of his being a single, multifaceted holocaust, he would ponder the many facets of Him who is Supreme One.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Seond Life - 95

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula and Donate To Birthright

Order Mystic Monk Coffee Through The Portiuncula: the Little Portion and Donate to Birthright!


FAIR TRADE ORGANIC

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life and the right and dignity of every person, especially the unborn. Fair Trade Organic is a decision to act with social justice.

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing all Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright!

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the leftt side of this page:

Holy Humility

Francis, the faithful servant and perfect imitator of Christ, feeling himself wholly united to Christ through the virtue of holy humility, desired this humility in his friars before all other virtues. And in order that they might love, desire, acquire, and preserve it, he gave them constant encouragement by his own example and teaching, and particularly impressed this on the Ministers and preachers, urging them to undertake humble tasks.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 73

Love God For Himself Alone

One thing I must tell you. This blind impulse of love towards God for himself alone, this secret love beating on the cloud of unknowing, is more profitable for the salvation of your soul, more worthy in itself, and more pleasing to God, and to all the saints and angels in heaven; yes and of more use to all your friends both bodily and spiritually, whether they are alive or dead. And it is better for you to experience this spiritually in your affection than it is to have the eye of your soul opened in contemplation...

The Cloud of Unknowing
CHAPTER IX

Jacob's Ladder

St. Francis never failed to keep himself occupied doing good; like the angels Jacob saw on the ladder, he was always busy, either raising his heart to God in prayer, or descending to his neighbor. He had learned how to distribute the time in which he could gain merit wisely, devoting part of it to his neighbor by doing good, and part to the restful ecstacy of contemplation.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER XIII - 1

When The Brothers Arrive In A City

"When the brothers arrive in a city where they do not yet have a residence, and they find someone who wants to give them a piece of land to build a friary with a garden and the necessary space, they must first of all decide that the area is adequate, and not exceed it; they must never lose sight of the holy poverty that we have promised to observe nor of the good example that we are bound to give to others."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 14

Voter's Guide for Nominal Catholics

Last Sunday after Mass I picked up my "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics."

For those Catholics who for whatever reason chose not to attend Mass last Sunday (or indeed have not been seen inside the confines of a church since Easter) you can simply go to the "Agnus Daily" website and get your own "Voter's Guide for Nominal Catholics!"

http://agnusdaily.com

Weapons

The brothers often asked for advice of the Bishop, who received Francis with kindness, but said: "It seems to me that it is very hard and difficult to possess nothing in the world." To this blessed Francis replied: "My Lord, if we had any possessions we should also be forced to have weapons to protect them..."

Catholics Launch 3,500 Rosary Rallies Asking God to Save America

Contact: Gary Isbell, America Needs Fatima, 717-309-1990

SPRING GROVE, Penn., Oct. 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- At noon on October 11, 3,500 public rosary rallies will take place across America to ask God to intervene and save America from its pressing spiritual, moral, political, financial and national security troubles. October 11 is the Saturday closest to October 13, anniversary of the Fatima miracle of the sun.

The American TFP and its America Needs Fatima campaign are coordinating the events and expect it to be one of the largest network of public rosary rallies ever held.

"October 13 is the day the Miracle of the Sun occurred before 70,000 witnesses in Fatima in 1917," said Robert Ritchie, director of America Needs Fatima. "The date also marks the last apparition of the Blessed Mother, when she asked for conversion, penance, prayer and especially for the recitation of the rosary."

The America Needs Fatima web site (www.ANF.org) offers visitors material to start a rosary rally, such as posters, banners, rosaries, and a detailed map of the nation announcing rally locations by state. Anyone interested in attending a rally can find the nearest location online.

"Amidst today's suffering and uncertainty, more people are turning to the rosary. And there is a compelling reason. It offers hope. It changes lives. It's a great consolation for those who suffer and seek spiritual solutions in this troubled world," continued Mr. Ritchie.

"There's lots of anxiety about the future. I believe that's why 3,500 rally captains volunteered to organize rosary rallies and spread Our Lady's Fatima message," Mr. Ritchie said. "Catholics have great confidence in the Mother of God who promised at Fatima: 'Finally, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.'"

"The phones never stop. We could have possibly had 5,000 rallies if we had enough volunteers to handle all these calls. There's that much interest," Mr. Ritchie concluded.

For more information, visit www.ANF.org or call toll-free 866-584-6012.

A New Kind Of Fool

Francis spoke to the friars in the fervour and power of the Holy Spirit, saying, "My brothers! God has called me by the way of simplicity and humility, and has in truth revealed this way for me and for all who are willing to trust and follow me...The Lord told me that He wished me to be a new kind of fool in this world, and He does not wish us to live by any other wisdom but this..."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 68

Beware Of Pride And Empty Boasting

We must all be on our guard against pride and empty boasting and beware of worldly or natural wisdom. A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but do nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with noi desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit...Humility, patience, perfect simplicity, and true peace of heart are all its aim, but above everything else it desires the fear of God, the divine wisdom and the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1221
CHAPTER XVII

Ignatius Press Removed From Portiuncula: The Little Portion

The Portiuncula: the Little Portion has decided to end our relationship with Ignatius Press and has removed them from our blog.

We apologize to viewers of our site for any inconvenience this may have caused.

St. Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1221
CHAPTER XIV

The Catholic Company Removed From Portiuncula: The Little Portion

The Portiuncula: the Little Portion has decided to end our relationship with The Catholc Company and has removed them from our blog.

We apologize to viewers of our site for any inconvenience this may have caused.


St. Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1221
CHAPTER XIV

Mystic Monk Coffee, Portiuncula: the Little Portion - Helping Birthright

FAIR TRADE ORGANIC

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life and the right and dignity of every person, especially the unborn. Fair Trade Organic is a decision to act with social justice.

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing all Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright! So cuddle up in your cozy recliner with your favorite book (St. Francis of Assisi Omnibus of Sources) wrap yourself in your favorite "blanky" (blanket) while enjoying a cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

Please remember to keep the pre-born in your prayers!

To order, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the left side of this page:

Guard Against Idle Or Useless Words

Once at St. Mary of the Portiuncula, reflecting that the graces obtained in prayer are lost through idle words said after prayer, St. Francis decreed this rememdy against the fault of uttering idle words: "Whoever says an idle or useless word must immediately accuse himself and recite one Our Father for every idle word. And I wish him to say the Our Father for his own soul if he first accuses himself of his fault, but if he was first corrected by someone else, he should recite it for the soul of the person who corrected him."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Part Three : 14

He Who Eats And Drinks Unworthily The Body And Blood Of Christ

We should confess all our sins to a priest and receive from him the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The man who does not eat his flesh and drink his blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 6:54). Only he must eat and drink worthily because he who eats and drinks unworthily, without distinguishing the body, eats and drinks judgement to himself (1 Corinthians 11:29)...

Saint Francis of Assisi
LETTER TO ALL THE FAITHFUL

Love ThoseWho Persecute And Rebuke And Slander You

Guard against all pride, vanity, envy, avarice, the cares and worry of this world, detraction and complaining. And if you do not have book-learning, do not be eager to acquire it, but pursue instead what you should desire above all else, namely, to have the Spirit of the Lord and his grace working in you, to pray always with purity of heart and to have humility, patience in persecution and in infirmity, and to love those who persecute and rebuke and slander you, because the Lord says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). "Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Matthew 5:10). "Anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22).

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1223
CHAPTER X

A Warning Against Those Who Harm The Friars Or The Order

Those who harmed the Order by their evil deeds incurred the frightful penalty of his curse, as he said, "May God and all the saints of heaven curse those who obstruct and bring to ruin by their bad example what he has achieved in the past and continues to achieve by the holy friars of this Order, as I, too, curse them.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life 8:3

The Feastday Of St. Francis Of Assisi - October 4th

The larks are birds that love the noonday light and shun the darkness of twilight. But on the night that St. Francis went to Christ, they came to the roof of the house, though already the twilight of the night to follow had fallen, and they flew about the house for a long time amid a great clamor, whether to show their joy or their sadness in their own way by their singing, we know not. Tearful rejoicing and joyful sorrow made up their song, either to bemoan the fact that they were orphaned children, or to announce that their father was going to his eternal glory. The city watchmen who guarded the place with great care, were filled with astonishment and called the others to witness the wonder.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Miracles - 32

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The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi - October 3rd

Francis' sons saw the body of their blessed father adorned with the stigmata of Christ, in the middle, namely, of his hands and feet; not indeed the holes made by nails, but the nails themselves formed out of his flesh, indeed imbedded in the same flesh, and retaining the blackness of iron; and his right side was red with blood.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life - 217a

"Welcome, My Sister Death"

St. Francis exhorted death itself, terrible and hateful to all, to give praise, and going joyfully to meet it, he invited it to make its lodging with him. "Welcome," he said, "my sister death."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life - 217

The Transitus of St. Francis October 3, 2008

Saint Francis spent the few days that remained before his death in praise, teaching his companions whom he loved so much to praise Christ with him. He himself, in as far as he was able, broke forth in this psalm: "I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life - 217

Up To Now We Have Made Little Or No Progress

Though he [St. Francis] found it necessary to moderate his early rigor because of his infirmity, he would still say: "Let us begin, brothers, to serve our Lord God, for up to now we have made little or no progress."

Celano, First Life - 103

PREACH THE GOSPEL AT ALL TIMES, IF NECESSARY USE WORDS

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1221
CHAPTER XVII

Sister Briege McKenna, OSC, Miracles Do Happen In Jacksonville, FL October 10, 2008

Do you believe in miracles?

Sister Briege McKenna does. For over 25 years, since she was healed of crippling arthritis, Sister Briege has ministered hope and healing to countless people all over the world, from huge rallies in Latin America to retreats in Korea. Miracles Do Happen tells the story of Sister Briege's encounter with the healing power of God. It also shares her insights about faith, the power of the Eucharist and the importance of prayer. Most of all, it points the way to a closer relationship with Jesus, greater knowledge of his love, and deeper faith in his power to do the impossible.

Friday, October 10, 2008
7:00 P.M. Mass and Eucharistic Healing Service
Holy Family Catholic Church
9800 Baymeadows Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32256
Phone: 904.641.5858

The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi - October 3, 2008

A devotion familiar to all Franciscans which has survived the test of the last three decades is the Transitus. Each year on the third evening of October, we ritually remember the passing of Francis of Assisi from this life into God. In fact, the Transitus has become a significant and even a necessary annual event. To ritually revisit the story of Francis' passing is vital; without it something significant is missing. It specifies the living memory of Francis; it intensifies our commitment to follow Christ in the way of the poor man of Assisi.

Since this rite of intensification has become an annual expectation for most friars, sisters, and seculars, a consideration of its origins and meanings seems worthwhile and timely. It is surprising that no historical study of the Transitus has been undertaken in the past three decades when so much ritual flux has been the order of the day.

Meditate upon the following readings, describing the last days and hours of our Father Francis:

A reading from Thomas of Celano and St. Bonaventure:

St. Francis spent the last few days before his death in praising the Lord and teaching his companions whom he loved so much to praise Christ with him. He himself, in as far as he was able, broke out with the Psalm: I cry to the Lord with my voice; to the Lord I make loud supplication. He likewise invited all creatures to praise God and, with the words he had composed earlier, he exhorted them to love God. Even death itself, considered by all to be so terrible and hateful, was exhorted to give praise, while he himself, going joyfully to meet it, invited it to make its abode with him. "Welcome," he said, "my sister death." (Celano, Second Life.)

When the hour of his death approached, Francis asked that all of the brothers living with him be called to his death bed and softening his departure with consoling words, he encouraged them with fatherly affection to love God. He spoke of patience and poverty and of being faithful to the Holy Roman Church, giving precedence to the Holy Gospels before all else. He then stretched his hands over the brothers in the form of a cross, a symbol that he loved so much, and gave his blessings to all followers, both present and absent, in the power and in the name of the Crucified. Then he added: "Remain, my sons, in the fear of the Lord and be with him always. And as temptations and trials beset you, blessed are those who persevere to the end in the life they have chosen. I am on my way to God and I commend you all to His favor."

With this sweet admonition, this dearly beloved to God, asked that the book of the Gospels be brought to him and that the passage in the Gospel of St. John, which begins before the Feast of the Passover be read. Finally, when all God's mysteries had been accomplished in him, his holy soul was freed from his body and assumed into the abyss of God's glory, and Francis fell asleep in God. (Bonaventure, Major Life.)

When You See A Poor Man

When you see a poor man, you must consider the one in whose name he comes, namely, Christ, who took upon himself our poverty and our weakness.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 90