God Will Never Refuse Food And Clothing To The Poor Of Christ

Pope Honorius III tried to persuade Saint Francis to accept some revenues, predicting that his friars would suffer many miseries if they lived entirely on alms. The Saint replied, "I confide in the Lord Jesus, that as he has promised, and will give us, life and eternal glory in heaven, he will not refuse us the small amount of food and clothing which are necessary for the body on earth."

St.Francis of Assisi
Miscellaneous Writings

Regarding Government Taxes

It is not lawful to take the things of others to give to the poor. It is a sin worthy of punishment, not an act deserving a reward, to give away what belongs to others.

St. Francis of Assisi
Admonitions To The Bretheren

THANKSGIVING

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!

Psalm 8

Contemplation

In contemplation, God slakes the soul's thirst and feeds its hunger, according to Guigo II. God gives the meditator a new wine and lifts him or her above the normal meditative self into the sphere of experienced transcendence. Here at last is an infused element of prayer. Here the Holy Spirit prays in the human spirit.

Prayer Against Hunters

MARION DOYLE

Little brown brother of the Umbrian hills,
Childlike and pure, you surely are the one
To hear a plea of pity for the ills
Man visits on all helpless things that run
Or creep and fly beneath the stars and sun.

Guard them, I pray, from human lust and greed-
The beautiful, the saucy and the shy-
And teach mankind to know wild creatures' need
Of confidence when human feet go by;
A heart that almost bursts the walls of flesh,
The frozen terror in a small bright eye,
Are plea enough for their immunity.

Contemplating On The Wounds Of The Savior

Pondering sacred Scripture was the way the early monks, the desert fathers and mothers, and in fact the people of the bible, prayed. And the monks developed a traditional method for doing that, the ingredients of which we find rehearsed in John of the Cross when he writes: "Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer and it will be opened to you in contemplation" (Sayings, #158).

A Lenten Rosary: Become Hidden In The Wounds Of The Savior

The Scourging at the Pillar

With joy-filled devotion Francis dwelt in the heavenly mansions and in complete self-emptying he remained for long periods hidden, as it were, in the wounds of the Savior. He therefore sought out solitary places where he could cast his soul entirely upon God.

Celano – First Life – 71

Just as that whip scourged Your precious and holy body, Lord Jesus, so take that very same whip into your hands and beat me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Lay wide open my sins and my sinful nature, to be exposed to the healing power of the Son, the Son of the Everliving God.

Lord Jesus, I pray that as I search along that path into Your outstretched arms, that if I deviate from that path, that You take that whip and drive me back onto that narrow path to righteousness.

The Crown of Thorns

When he was asked why he went about the countryside weeping, St. Francis said, “I should travel through all the world and, without any false shame, cry and moan over the passion of my Lord!”

Legend of Perugia – 37

Lord Jesus Christ, my Beloved, just as that Crown of Thorns was placed upon your precious and holy head, please take that very same Crown of Thorns and place it upon my unworthy and sinful head for as you told me in your own words:

“Do not be afraid to put on my crown of thorns.
It is My crown of glory!
Wear it as I did.
I will bear the pain so that you have none.
Then, and only then, will you see Me in glory.
Then we shall meet face to face.
You in me, and I in you.
People will see me in your image.
Give yourselves to Me fully,
And I will come to you in glory…”

Lord Jesus, I humbly beg You to place Your crown of thorns upon my sinful and unworthy head. I pray that Your Crown blocks any thoughts that are not from you from entering into my mind. Lord Jesus, I pray that only Your good and holy thoughts are able to penetrate Your Crown into
my mind. Give me Your Knowledge and Wisdom and allow me to come into complete union with You.

The Nails Pierce His Precious Hands

St. Francis used to say we should prefer nothing to the salvation of souls, and he said so for this reason: It was for souls that the only-begotten Son of God deigned to ascend the cross.

St. Bonaventure – Major Life 9:4

Lord Jesus, just as those nails pierced Your precious and holy hands, so I willingly invite You to take those very same nails into Your fists and drive them into my unworthy and sinful hands to make me Your “Carpenter Apprentice,” so that I can "Go, and rebuild Your house, which is falling completely to ruin!"

Lord Jesus, as my soul walks blindly through the dark night of my soul, I humbly offer You my hands as a little child to his Big Brother. I beg You to take my sinful hands into Yours and ask you to lead me out of the darkness and into the Light...the Light of Christ.

The Nail Pierces His Precious Feet

God called St.Francis and his companions and chose them to bear the cross of Christ in their hearts and to preach it in word and action. That is why they looked like and were in fact crucified men in their comportment and in their austere life, in their deeds and actions. And that is why they wanted more to receive shame and insults for the love of Christ than the world's vain honors or respect or praise; and that is why they were saddened when they were honored. And so they went through the world as pilgrims and strangers, with Christ crucified as their only baggage.

Little Flowers of St. Francis – Chapter 5

My sweet Lord Jesus, please take that very nail that pierced Your precious and holy feet into Your hands and drive it through my unworthy and sinful feet. “Shod” my feet with that nail for the the preparation of the Gospel, commissioning me to take Your “Good News” to all the corners of the earth.

The Spear Pierces The Heart of Jesus

Receive the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ with great humility and with veneration, remembering the words of the Lord: “Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life” and, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Rule 1221, Chapter XX

Oh sweet Brother Jesus, I beg You to take that very spear that pierced Your Most Precious and Holy Heart and “run me through!” Impale me, Oh Lord! Wound my soul! Pierce my heart and soul with Your love for all mankind; every man, woman and child, regardless of Race, Color or Creed. Dear brother Jesus, I beg you to drive that spear deep into my heart and soul so that all my sins and sinful nature pours out onto the dust and dung heaps of the earth, to be replaced by Your total Being, Your Holy Spirit, our Father's Love, and our Father's Joy!

Now hidden in the tomb... contemplation... silence... listening... expectant... emptied of all... peace... serenity... quiet... God is present... only God.... complete emptying of self... plunged into the dark night of his presence.

Secret Wisdom Is Called A Ladder

A thief climbs a ladder to break into the vault where treasures are stored. The soul, too, ascends the secret contemplation to plunder the riches of heaven.

St. John of the Cross

The Sin of Appropriation

When we think of possessions, we usually have material things in mind, but St. Francis used to remind his brothers that possessions are material and spiritual, anything we appropriate to ourselves. For him it is not possessions that are sinful, but possessiveness, appropriating to ourselves what is not ours.

Admonition 2

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

"Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be recognized as children of God" (Matthew 5:9).

They are truly peacemakers who, in all their suffering in this world for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, preserve their peace of soul and body.

Admonition 15

Environmentalists: Lost In Slavery To A False god

For created things are less than the human person. They are made for you, not you for them, and so they can never satisfy you. Only I can satisfy you...These souls in one way or another have identified with the earth in their love, and so they have in fact become earth themselves...Some lose me in their slavery to creatures...And the more disordered their love in possessing, the greater is their grief in loss....They suffer because they do not have what they long for.

Catherine of Siena

If through delight in the beauty of these things
men assumed them to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is the Lord,
for the author of beauty created them...
For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator...
and they trust in what they see,
because the things that are seen are beautiful.
Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
for if they had the power to know so much
they could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

Wisdom 13:3, 5, 7b-9

Look Long At The Good Shepherd

Look long at the Good Shepherd, Who, to save His sheep, endured the suffering of the cross.

Admonition 6

Honor The Nobility And Dignity Of Begging

Even when St. Francis would know that his host had prepared more than enough food, he would go begging at mealtime to give the brothers an example and to honor the nobility and dignity of Lady Poverty.

He would usually say something like this to his host: "I'm going out to beg for alms because I don't want to renounce my royal dignity, my inheritance, my vocation, and the vows the Lesser Brothers and I have made. I may come back with only a few scraps, but I shall have done what is mine to do."

Writings of Leo, Rufino, and Angelo

It Is Unseemly To Feel Humiliated When Seeking Alms

The Son of God was more noble than we; nevertheless, for us he made himself poor in this world. For love of him we have chosen the way of poverty; we shouldn't, then, feel humiliated to go seeking alms. It is not seemly for the heirs of the kingdom to feel ashamed of the pledge of their heavenly inheritance.

Celano - Second Life

Value Coins And Lose The Kingdom Of Heaven

We must not think that the utility and value of coin or money is greater than that of stones. The devil wants to blind those who do desire and value money more. And so let us who have left all things beware, lest for so little we lose the kingdom of heaven.

Rule 1221 - Chapter VIII

St. Francis's Letter To St. Anthony

I am pleased that you are teaching sacred theology to the brothers, so long as this kind of study, as our Rule has it, does not extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion.

St. Francis's Letter to St. Anthony

Christmas Fast

One Christmas the brothers were discussing whether or not they were obliged to abstain from meat since the feast fell on a Friday. Francis responded to Brother Morico, "You sin, little brother, to call a day on which the Child was born for us a Friday. On a day like this I want even the walls to eat meat, and if they can't, at least let their surfaces be smeared with it."

Celano - Second Life

Miracle Of The Hay

The hay that had been placed in the manger at Greccio was kept, so that the Lord might save beasts of burden and other animals through it. And in truth it happened that many animals throughout that region, beasts of burden and others with various illnesses, were freed from their ailments after eating of this hay. Indeed, some women who had been laboring for a long time in a difficult birth delivered their children easily when some of this hay was placed upon them; and a large number of persons of both sexes, suffering from various illnesses, obtained the health sought in the same way.

Today, the place on which the manger stood is consecrated to the Lord by a church, and over the manger there is an altar dedicated to St. Francis, so that where once the animals ate the hay, now people eat to health of soul and body the flesh of the Lamb without blemish and without spot, our Lord Jesus Christ, who in highest and ineffable love gave himself to us, and lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God eternally glorious, forever and ever. Amen, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib (cont'd)

The gifts of the Almighty were multiplied at Greccio, and a wonderful vision was seen by a virtuous man who was present at the Mass. He saw the little Child lying in the manger seemingly lifeless, and then Francis, the holy man of God, went up to it and roused the Child as from a deep sleep. The vision was not unfitting, for the Child Jesus, who had been forgotten in the hearts of many, was brought to life again by God's grace working through his servant Francis and was stamped deeply upon his memory. And when the solemn vigil of Christmas was brought to a close, each one returned home with unspeakable joy.

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib (cont'd)

Frequently, too, when Francis wished to refer to Christ Jesus, he would call him simply, "the Little Baby of Bethlehem," and at the word "Bethlehem" his voice was more like the bleating of a sheep. And when he said the name "Little Baby of Bethlehem" or "Jesus," his tongue licked his lips, as if he were savoring the sweetness of the words...

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib (cont'd)

Francis was clothed with the vestments of the deacon, for he was a deacon, and he sang the Holy Gospel in a resonant voice. And his voice was a strong voice and sweet, a clear voice and sonorous, ravishing everyone there with heavenly desires. Then he spoke to the people charming words about the poor King re-born and about the little town of Bethlehem.

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib (cont'd)

The good folk came and were filled with joy as if for the first time over a whole new mystery. The woods rang with voices, the rocks echoed their festive chorus, the brothers sang their choice praises to the Lord, and the whole night seemed to leap rejoicing. The saint of God stood ecstatically before the manger, his spirit trembling with compassion and ineffable love. Then the priest celebrated the solemnity of the Eucharist over the manger and he too experienced a consolation he'd never tasted before.

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib (cont'd)

Then the manger itself was prepared with the hay that had been brought, and the ox and ass were led in. Then was Godpel simplicity resplendent, poverty exalted, humility commended, and Greccio, as it were a new Bethlehem. The night was bright as if full of daylight, and it was sweet to people and beasts alike.

Celano - First Life

The First Christmas Crib

There was a certain man in Greccio by the name of John, of good reputation and an even better life. ..Thus it was that about two weeks before the Birth of the Lord, Blessed Francis sent for this man, and said to him, "If you would like to celebrate the Birth of Jesus at the hermitage of Greccio, then go with haste and diligently prepare what I tell you. For I wish to re-create the birth of the Babe born in Bethlehem, so that we will see with our own eyes how he did not even have the barest necessities, how he lay upon the hay where he had been placed."

Celano - First Life

Scatter Wheat And Grain On Christmas Day

All mayors and lords of castles and towns are required each year on Christmas Day to order their subjects to scatter wheat and other grain on the roads outside the walls so that our sisters the larks and other birds might have something to eat on so festive a day.

Mirror of Perfection - 114

St. Francis's Devotion To The Birth Of Jesus

Francis used to observe with inexpressible eagerness and above all other solemnities the Birth of the Child Jesus, calling it the feast of feasts on which God, become a little baby, hung upon human breasts. He would avidly kiss pictures of those infant limbs, and his compassion for the child overflowed his heart, making him stammer sweet words, even like a child. The name Baby Jesus was for him honeycombed-sweet in the mouth.

Celano -Second Life - 199

Bear Everything With Patience and Humility

You will encounter some who are faithful, meek and well disposed; they will joyfully receive you and your words. But there will be more who are skeptical, proud, and blasphemous, and who will insult you and resist your message. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to bear everything with patience and humility.

Legend of the Three Companions - 36

Feast Day of St. John of the Cross

Suffering is more fruitful than pleasure. It is in suffering and in stillness that God strengthens the soul. When she is active and satisfied, she practices nothing more than her own inclinations and weaknesses. In suffering, the soul evolves in virtue and purity. She wakes up and grows wiser.

St.John of the Cross - Dark Night of the Soul

Franciscus Christificatus

FRANCIS THOMPSON

Thief that has leaped Heaven's star-spiked wall!
Christ's exultant bacchanal!
Wine-smears on thy hand and foot
Of the Vine that struck its root
Deep in Virgin soul, and was
Trained against the reared Cross:
Nay, thy very side its stain
Hath, to make it redly plain
How in the wassail quaffed full part
That flown vintager, thy heart.
Christ in blood stamps Himself afresh
On thy Veronical-veil of flesh.

Lovers, looking with amaze on
Each other, would be that they gaze on:
So for man's love God would be
Man, and man for His love He:
What God in Christ, man has in thee.
God gazed on man and grew embodied,
Thou, on Him gazing, turn'st engodded!
But though he held thy brow-spread tent
His little Heaven above Him bent,
Thy scept'ring reed suffices thee,
Which smote Him into sovereignty.

Thou who thoughtest thee too low
Fir His priest, thou shalt not so
'Scape Him and unpriested go!
In thy hand thou wouldst not hold Him,
In thy flesh thou shalt enfold Him;
Bread wouldst not change into Him...ah see!
How He doth change Himself to thee!

Do Not Look Down Upon Or Judge Ill

All the Lesser Brothers are to wear poor clothes and, with God's blessing, let them mend them with pieces of sackcloth or some other materiel. I admonish and encourage them not to look down upon or judge ill of those people they see wearing soft and colorful clothes and enjoying the choicest food and drink. Instead, let each brother criticize and judge himself.

Rule 1223 - Chapter II