Virtue And Vice

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Where there is Love and Wisdom,
there is neither Fear not Ignorance.
Where there is Patience and Humility,
there is neither Anger nor Annoyance.
Where there is Poverty and Joy,
there is neither Cupidity or Avarice.
Where there is Peace and Contemplation,
there is neither Care nor Restlessness.
Where there is Fear of God to guard the dwelling,
there no enemy can enter.
Where there is Mercy and Prudence,
there is neither Excess nor Harshness.


Saint Francis of Assisi
The Admonitions
Admonition XXVII


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Lodola Capellata (The Hooded Lark)

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Above all birds, St. Francis loved the little lark, known in the language of the country as lodola capellata (the hooded lark). He used to say, "Sister lark has a hood like a Religious and is a humble bird, for she walks contentedly along the road to find grain, and even if she finds it among the rubbish, she pecks it out and eats it. As she flies she praises God very sweetly, like good Religious who despise earthly things, whose minds are set on the things of heaven, and whose constant purpose is to praise God. Her plumage resembles the earth, and she sets an example for to Religious not to wear fine and gaudy clothing, but cloth of a humble price3 and colour, just as earth is inferior to the other elements."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 113

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Keeping Devotions Private

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My friend, it is more to your advantage - and it is safer, too - to keep your private devotions to yourself. The way you worship God on your own is a great grace; do not flaunt it or talk much about it or think much about it. Instead, keep it to yourself, and be wary of it as a thing given to someone who does not deserve it. Never cling too tightly to these holy feelings, for they can quickly change to the opposite.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST
THOMAS A' KEMPIS
Chapter 7

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Intoxicated By Love

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Intoxicated by love and compassion for Christ, blessed Francis sometimes used to act in ways like these. For the sweetest of spiritual melodies would often well up within him and found expression in French melodies, and the murmurs of God's voice, heard by him alone, would joyfully pour forth in the French tongue. Sometimes he would pick up a stick from the ground, and laying it on his left arm, he would draw another stick across it with his right hand like a bow, as though he were playing a viol or some other instrument; and he would imitate the movements of a musician and sing in French to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 93

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Prayer Of St. Francis Before The Cross

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Most High, Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness in my heart,
and give me correct FAITH,
sure HOPE and perfect CHARITY,
with understanding and knowledge, Lord,
so that I may fulfill Your true and holy command,
Amen.

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Let Your Nose Hit The Dirt

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A friar once said to Brother Giles, "Father, tell me, how can we avoid this pride?" To whom Brother Giles made this reply, "Rest assured, my brother, that thou canst never hope to be free from pride until thou hast first placed thy mouth where thou dost set thy feet; but if thou wilt well consider the gifts of God, thou wilt clearly see that thou hast reason to bow down thy head..."

Little Flowers of St. Francis
PART FOUR: Chapter III

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The Dark Night Of Contemplation

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The soul is singing about the fire of love. In this night of painful contemplation, the soul is ignited! Although the burning in some ways resembles what unfolded in the sensory part of the soul, in other ways it is as different as the soul is from the body. This is the love that blazes in the spirit! In the middle of her dark predicament, the soul feels herself vividly wounded by the flaming blade of divine love!

St. John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

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Adoro Te Devote

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Truly Holy.

These are Third Order (Secular) Franciscans from Campinas, Brazil. They are called Brotherhood of Toca de Assis and their charism is to care for the poorest of the poor, (beggars and street people), the permanent Adoration of  the Holy Sacrament  and living as sparingly as possible.  

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Deep Union

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In the inner wine cellar
I drank of my Beloved, when I went abroad
Through all this valley
I no longer know anything,
And lost the herd that I was following.

Now I occupy my soul
And all my energy in his service;
I no longer tend to the herd,
Nor have I any work
Now that my every act is LOVE.

Saint John of the Cross
Spiritual Canticle



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We Are Not To Judge? Oh really? Tell That To St. Francis Of Assisi

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"Francis denounced evil wherever he found it, and made no effort to palliate it; from him a life of sin met with outspoken rebuke, not support. By the efficacy of his preaching he moved hearts which had become hardened to repentance and restored health to bodies and souls."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure - Major Life
Chapter XII

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Padre Pio Speaks Out Concerning Modernists In The Catholic Church

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Saint Padre Pio's reactions to the aggiornamento (literally "bringing up to date" or "Modernizing" it) the religious orders concocted in the wake of Vatican II:

In 1966, the Father General [of the Franciscans] came to Rome prior to the special Chapter on the Constitutions in order to ask Padre Pio for his prayers and benedictions. He met Padre Pio in the cloister. "Padre, I came to recommend to your prayers the special chapter for the new Constitutions..." He had scarcely gotten the words "special Chapter"..."new Constitutions" out of his mouth when Padre Pio made a violent gesture and cried out: "That is all nothing but destructive nonsense." "But Padre, after all, there is the younger generation to take into account... the youth evolve after their own fashion... there are new demands..." "The only thing missing is mind and heart, that’s all, understanding and love." Then he proceeded to his cell, did a half-turn, and pointed his finger, saying: "We must not denature ourselves, we must not denature ourselves! At the Lord’s judgment, St. Francis will not recognize us as his sons!"

Saint Padre Pio

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Gloomy Hypocrites

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Anyone who comes to the brothers, friend or enemy, thief or robber, is to be received with kindness. And wherever the brothers are and anywhere they meet other brothers, they are to greet one another wholeheartedly and lovingly, and honor on another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9). And they are to be careful not to look outwardly sad, like gloomy hypocrites, but they are to show themselves happy in the Lord (Philippians 4:4), and cheerful and truly gracious.

St.Francis
Rule of 1221
Chapter VII

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A Franciscan Prayer

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by
ENID DINNIS


When I am old and tutored by
The grim experience of days;
When I have proved men in their ways,
Oh, do not let the dreamer die.


When I have learned aside to toss
The foolish things that wise men hate,
Lest Littleness should hold me great,
Be mine the folly of the Cross.


When comes detachment's strength to me,
Let mine the weakness be that wept
O'er Lazarus' grave and kept
Three comrades in Gethsemane.


When head bids heart herself forget,
When Reason's lure would love deceive,
May my poor foolish heart achieve
A few life-giving blunders yet.


When I have grown too sane, too sad,
To join the angels' faerie ring
And serve the playtime of the King,
Then, Sweet Francis, make me mad.


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Become Hidden In The Wounds Of The Savior

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(Photo taken at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio)

With fruitful devotion, St. Francis frequented only heavenly dwellings, and he who had totally emptied himself remained so much the longer hidden in the wounds of the Savior. He therefore frequently chose solitary places so that he could direct his mind completely to God...

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life - 71

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Rivotorto Assisi, Italy

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In Italian, Rivotorto means crooked stream. Flowing meekly through the Spoleto Valley – only several kilometers from Assisi – the Rivotorto knows Francis well. After Pope Innocent’s initial approval of Franciscan life in 1209, Francis and his brothers found a small old shed near the stream where they settled for a period of time. No one lived in the shed. Its sad, unassuming state fit the group’s need to live poor, humble lives.

When a local farmer returned to the shed with his donkey (allowing the animal to roam throughout the shed), the Franciscans – with permission from the Benedictines – relocated to the Portiuncula (the Church of St. Mary of the Angels). They had already been attending mass at the Portiuncula for some time.

Today Rivotorto is regarded by many as the “protoconvento”. Here the community took another big step in its development. Plus Francis’ presence at Rivotorto almost immediately made it a place of pilgrimage. By 1250, an altar already stood where the first Franciscans had once lived.

From the altar, over several centuries, a chapel grew. In their 1491 General Chapter, the Franciscans expressed their wish to maintain the Rivotorto chapel as a place of devotion. Today the church at Rivotorto is precisely that. Pilgrims and parishioners now also have the opportunity to see reconstructions inside the church of the shed that Francis and his followers once called home.

Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

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Do you Believe In Miracles?

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Do you believe in miracles? Miracles happen when we encounter the healing power of God through the power of the Eucharist and of prayer. Healing points the way to a closer relationship with Jesus, greater knowledge of his love, and deeper faith in his power to do the impossible.

Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

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Brother Fly - Thirty Third Sunday Of Ordinary Time

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A reading from 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 "If anyone is unwilling to work, neither should that one eat."

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 ahamed, 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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It's CCHD Sunday Once Again: Communist Campaign For Humanist Development

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It is important to note that this money was provided by every diocese in the United States that participates in the CCHD collection. Whenever a diocese takes up the CCHD collection (typically the third Sunday of November), 25% of that funding remains with the diocese while the other 75% goes to the National CCHD and is redistributed to groups like these.

IPJC received an award from the CCHD, and was featured in the book, Beyond Empowerment: A Pilgrimage with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development by Jeffry Odell Korgen.

Some notable titles in the IPJC library include talks and works by the heretical organization FutureChurch, the Women's Ordination Conference, Hans Kung and an entire section devoted to Marxist Liberation Theology. Also featured are books such as "Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex and Politics" by the notorious witch, Starhawk. Just to illustrate how evil this book is, this is Amazon's description of it:

"Featuring narrative, chants, songs, and rituals, Dreaming the Dark has helped many thousands of women use magic, spirituality, and community to bring about political and social change. This anniversary edition of the best-selling classic includes a new preface reflecting on the fifteen years since the book's original publication."

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The Franciscan Cincture Represents Poverty, Chastity And Obedience

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The Cincture, or White Cord, is a sign of chastity, and has been since the Church's beginning -- and before. Old Testament priests wore cinctures, Consecrated Virgins and religious wear cinctures, and the wearing of cinctures in honor of a particular saint is ancient, first spoken of in the life of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, and carried on by St. Dominic, who wore the cincture in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Certain Confraternities and Archconfraternities (groups of faithful to a religious cause) also wear cinctures as signs of their affiliation and chastity. Franciscans wear a White Cincture called a 'Cintura Bianca' (pronounced Chin-Torah-Bee-Anka) which translated means 'White Rope.' The three knots on the Franciscan Cincture represent Poverty, Chatity and Obedience, the three Conerstones of the Franciscan Order.

St. Dominic once asked St. Francis of Assisi for his White Cord he wore over his tunic. Dominic, the Founder of the Dominican Order,  wore this White Cord under his habit for the remainder of his life in honor of St. Francis, whom he so greatly admired and respected. This White Cord can be worn inside trousers or under a dress without anyone having knowledge that you are even wearing it..

Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

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Archconfraternity Of The Cord Of St. Francis

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  After his conversion St. Francis girded himself with a rough cord in memory of the cords with which Christ had been bound during His Passion, and a white girdle with three knots came subsequently to form part of the Franciscan habit. According to Wadding, St. Dominic received the cord from St. Francis and always wore it under his habit out of devotion to the saint, his example being followed by many of the faithful. In his Bull "Ex supernae dispositionis" (19 November, 1585), Sixtus V erected the Archconfraternity of the Cord of St. Francis in the basilica of the Sacro Convento at Assisi, enriching it with many Indulgences, and conferred upon the minister general of the Conventuals the power of erecting confraternities of the Cord of St. Francis in the churches of his own order and of aggregating them to the archconfraternity at Assisi. The same pope, in his Bull "Divinae caritatis" (29 August, 1587), granted new Indulgences to the archconfraternity and empowered the minister general of the Friars Minor to erect confraternities of the Cord of St. Francis in the churches of his own order in those places where they are no Conventuals. Paul V, in his Bull "Cum certas" (2 March, 1607), and "Nuper archiconfraternitati" (11 March, 1607) revoked all spiritual favours hitherto conceded to the archconfraternity and enriched it with new and more ample Indulgences. Both these Bulls were confirmed by the Brief of Clement X, "Dudum felicis" (13 July, 1673). Finally, Benedict XIII in his Constitution "Sacrosancti apostolatus" (30 September, 1724), conceded to the minister general of the Conventuals authority to erect confraternities of the Cord of St. Francis in churches not belonging to his own order in those places where there are no Franciscans. New privileges and Indulgences were conceded to the archconfraternity by two decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences dated 22 March, 1879, and 26 May, 1883. Besides the ordinary requirements necessary for the gaining of all plenary and partial Indulgences, the wearing of the cord and enrollment in the records of the archconfraternity are the only conditions imposed on the members.

Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

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The Portiuncula has turned to GOODSEARCH, A Christian Alternative To Google Search

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Simply Click On:    

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The Portiuncula Hermitage receives one penny every time you click to search the Internet on this link.

Thank you and God bless you!

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Parresia: The Quality Of A Monk To Perform Miracles

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Athanasius comments: "For Antony [Antony of the Desert] did not heal by issuing commands, but by praying and calling upon the name of Christ, so that it was evident to everyone that it was not he who did this, but the Lord manifesting His compassion to men and, through Antony, was healing those who suffered." (Matthew 17:19 and John 16:23-24)

Vita Antonii 83-84

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The Franciscan Lay Apostolate (F.L.A.)

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Apostolicam Actuositatem is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. It defines the mission of the lay Christian faithful to both "lead non-believers to the faith and to instruct, strengthen, and encourage the faithful to a more fervent life". The lay apostolate are made up of laypeople and consecrated religious who exercise a ministry in cooperation with the Catholic Church, whose organizations cooperate with ecclesiastical authorities. They operate "under the direction of her pastors" but are not members of the official Church hierarchy nor in Holy Orders.

Apostolates operate with the permission of the local Ordinary of a Diocese, but without material support.

The Franciscan Lay Apostolate is currently under the direction of Chris Dickson, F.L.A. Along with his staff, the Franciscan Lay Apostolate works to foster and spread of the Gospel, the "Good News," of Jesus Christ, and works to raise the dignity of people's lives by imitating Jesus Christ.

Contact Info:

Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
P.O. Box 34
Jerusalem, Ohio 43747

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Regard Money As Dust

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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.

Saint Francis of Assisi
RULE OF 1221
Chapter 8

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A WARNING: If You Return To Your Vomit

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"To the honor and glory of Almighty God, hear the truth I announce to you. If every one of you confesses his sins and brings forth fruits befitting repentance, I give you my word that every pestilence will depart and the Lord, looking kindly upon you, will grant you an increase of temporal goods. But hear this also; again I announce to you that if you are ungrateful for his gifts and return to your vomit, the plague will be renewed, your punishment will be doubled, and even greater wrath will be let loose against you."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER VII

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Brother Ass And St. Francis

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by
JOHN BANISTER TABB


It came to pass
That "Brother Ass"
(As he his Body named,)
Unto the Saint Thus made complaint:
"I am unjustly blamed. "

Whate'er I do,
Like Balaam you
Requite me with a blow,
As for offense
To recompense
An ignominious foe.

"God made us one,
And I have done
No wickedness alone;
Nor can I do
Apart, as you,
An evil all my own.

"If Passion stir,
'Tis you that spur
My frenzy to the goal:
Then be the blame
Where sits the shame,
Upon the goading soul.

"Should one or both
Be blind or loth
Our brotherhood to see,
Remember this,
You needs must miss
Or enter heaven through me."

To this complaint
The lowly saint
In tears replied, "Alas,
If so it be,
God punish me
And bless thee,
Brother Ass."



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Spiritual Revolution

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(Photo taken at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio)

The desert is a place of spiritual revolution, not of personal retreat. It is a place of inner protest, not outward peace. It is a place of deep encounter, not of superficial escape. It is a place of repentance, not recuperation. Living in the desert does not mean living without people; it means living for God. Antony and the other desert dwellers never forgot this. They never sought to cut off their connections to other people instantly. They sought rather to refine these relationships increasingly.

Of course, the desert was, on a deeper level, always more than simply a place. It was a way. And it was not the desert that made the Desert Fathers and Mothers, any more than it was the lion that made the martyrs.

In the Heart of the Desert

Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis

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"Listen" And "Silent" Are Spelled With The Same Letters

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(Photo taken at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio)

At certain times the blessed and venerable father Francis left behind the crowds of the world that were coming together daily with the greatest devotion to hear and see him, and he sought out a quiet and secret place of solitude, desiring to spend his time with God and to cleanse himself of any dust that may have clung to him for his association with men.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER I

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St. Francis of Assisi Built The Very First Nativity Scene

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What Francis did on the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ near the little town called Greccio in the third year before his glorious death should be especially noted and recalled with reverent memory. In that place there was a certain man named John, of good reputation and an even better life, whom blessed Francis loved with a special love, for in the place where he lived he held a noble and honorable position in as much as he had trampled upon the nobility of his birth and pursued nobility of soul. Blessed Francis sent for this man, as he often did, about fifteen days before the birth of the Lord, and he said to him: "If you want us to celebrate the present feast of our Lord at Greccio, go with haste and diligently prepare what I tell you. For I wish to do something that will recall to memory the little Child who was born in Bethlehem and set before our bodily eyes in some way the inconveniences of his infant needs, how he lay in a manger, how, with an ox and an ass standing by, he lay upon the hay where he had been placed." When the good and faithful man heard these things, he ran with haste and prepared in that place all the things the saint had told him.

...The manger was prepared, the hay had been brought, the ox and the ass were led in. There simplicity was honored, poverty was exalted, humility was commended, and Greccio was made, as it were, a new Bethlehem.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER XXX

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