St. Francis of Assisi - October 7

St. Francis Consoles the Lady Clare

"The week St. Francis died, St. Clare, the first little plant of the Poor Ladies of San Damiano and the marvelous disciple of Francis in the observance of evangelical perfection, feared that she was going to die before he did, because they both were gravely ill.  She wept bitterly and would not be consoled, for she thought she would not see Francis before he died, he who had been her father after God, her consolation and teacher, the one who had rooted her in God's grace.

So Clare expressed her anxiety to Francis through one of the brothers,  And Francis was filled with compassion for her, since he loved Clare with a special fatherly affection.  But he knew he could not quiet her fears by a personal visit to her and the other Poor Ladies, so he sent her a letter blessing her and absolving her of ay infraction she may have committed against his admonitions or the commands and counsels of the Son of God.

Then, in order that she might put aside all sadness, he said to the brother whom Clare had sent to him, 'God and tell the Lady Clare to put aside all displeasure and sadness that she cannot see me now, and assure her that, before she dies, both she and her sisters will see me again, and they will be filled with consolation.'"  --Mirror of Perfection, 108

Letting go of the people we love is a hard thing to do.  But our consolation is in the hope of seeing them again.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 6

In Love with Christ Crucified

"Jesus in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and Mary in agony somewhere in Jerusalem, unable to do anything, having to stand helplessly by and let her only son suffer the terrible inner struggle that no one else can suffer for us.  Such was St. Francis's feeling, his compassion for Christ, his Savior.  He wanted somehow to suffer with Jesus, and so, two years before he died, this prayer rose from the depths of his love for the crucified Christ:  'O Lord, I beg of you two graces before I die--to experience personally and in all possible fullness the pains of your bitter passion and to feel for you the same love that moved you to sacrifice yourself for us.'  --Little Flowers of St. Francis

Who among us has not felt the pain of someone we dearly love?  As a mother I felt this for my children when they were in physical pain or emotional pain and would willingly have traded places with them if I could.  This is the kind of love Christ has for us....and Francis had for Christ.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 5

The Two Small Coins of St. Francis

"Christ's Poor One, Francis, possessed nothing but two small coins (cf. Mk 12:42) which he could dispose of with largesse and charity:  his body and his soul.  But those two mites he offered to God continually, for love of Christ; he seemed always to be immolating his body with the rigor of fasting and his soul with the flame of desire:  his body, a holocaust outside in the court of the temple; his soul, incense offered in the inner temple."  --St. Bonaventure, Major Life, 9:3

If we would realize that all we truly possess is our body, while alive, and our soul, for eternity....that everything else is merely for our use--perhaps we would experience the joy that St. Francis experienced even in the midst of his hardships.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 4

The Feast of St. Francis

"The larks are friends of daylight and shun the shadows of twilight  But on the eve that St. Francis passed from this world to Christ, just as twilight was descending, the larks rose up to the roof of his cell and began circling it with clamor of wingbeat and song.  No one knew if they were singing with joy or sadness for their voices were filled with joyful tears and sad joy, as if they were orphaned children weeping and singing their father into heaven.  The city guards who were keeping watch there were filled with wonder and they summoned others to witness the sight."  --Celano, Treatise on the Miracles, 32

I believe we all have what is called a 6th sense, but only animals have remained open to it while very few of us humans have.  As they say, if you don't use it you lose it.  Some call it intuition.  Whatever it is, be open to "knowing" things that God wants you to know, so that, like the larks, you will be available to His bidding.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 3

The Transitus, or Passing of St. Francis

"When he was dying, St. Francis made clear to his brothers the uniqueness of each person's response to Christ.  He covered the wound in his side with his right hand, as if to preserve the seal of his own unique response, and he said,'I have done what was mine to do; may Christ teach you what is yours to do.'"  --Celano, Second Life, 214

The wound in his side refers to the stigmata he had experienced earlier.  Here, Francis is reminding his followers that they must follow in the path that Christ has prepared for them individually.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 2

St. Francis's Instructions for His Death

"As soon as my soul has left the body, strip me naked, as I stripped myself before the world, and place me on the bare ground.  Then leave me there for a long as it takes to walk a mile."  --Writings of Leo, Rufino, and Angelo, 33d

The text does not explain why Francis requested this.  Perhaps it was his body's way of returning to the earth from whence it came.  His soul, he knew, would already be with God.

St. Francis of Assisi - October 1

St. Francis Welcomes Sister Death

"Francis spent the remaining few days before his death in praise, teaching his much-beloved companions to praise Christ with him.  He also asked all creatures to praise God and, using the words he'd composed earlier, exhorted them to love God.  He even exhorted death itself, terrible and hated by all, to give praise; and joyfully going to meet it, he invited death to be his lodger.  'Welcome,' he said, 'my sister Death.'"  --Celano, Second Life, 217

This month's readings concern St. Francis's last days.  As Christians we have the assurance that "death" will be better than life--no matter how wonderful a life on earth we've had.  My only sadness will be for those I leave behind.  Francis uses this time of his impending transition to encourage his much-beloved companions.