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Commentary on the Gospel for Friday, October 4, 2024
St. Francis of Assisi
It’s so lovely that today’s readings seem especially linked to the one from Assisi! Let’s turn to Galatians: “I bear in my body the marks of Jesus” – isn’t that a beautiful thought? It’s also in the responsorial psalm: “There is no good for me apart from you.” And in the Gospel: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the little ones”.
He has always been loved and admired by the Church. I think it’s so lovely that the popularity of the saint of Assisi has been increasing in our time! He’s not just the patron saint of Italy, but also the patron saint of ecology! Pope John Paul II made that official. His Canticle of the Creatures shows us a beautiful harmony between heaven and earth, between life and death, between the universe and God.
His story is really well known and has been told lots of times, even in movies! Of all the books I’ve read, I find the writing of G. K. Chesterton absolutely fascinating. I’d love to share a few of my favourite bits from his original and profound biography of St. Francis of Assisi with you.
The saints live in eternity and in time, and they take part in God and in history. But the timelessness of St. Francis is more obvious because his language, which is all about love and the heart, reaches the very depths of the human soul. Holiness is all about being full of love. When you’re in union with love, you find your place to live. We believe that Francis found the closest dwelling to love. “There’s no contradiction between the poet who gathers flowers in the sun and endures a freezing vigil in the snow, between one who praises every earthly and bodily beauty and refuses to take a morsel. He was a complex man, that’s for sure!” He loved and reverenced ordinary men and everyday things. In fact, we could even say that he sent uncommon and extraordinary men into the world, not to be different, but to encourage everyone to be kind and good, and to embrace their ordinary, everyday lives. “The difference between Christ and St. Francis is like that between the Creator and the creature. St. Francis was certainly the most aware creature that has ever existed of this colossal contrast! But, if we accept this, it’s really important to say that Christ was the perfect example that Francis wanted to copy. […] And, above all, when we compare Francis with us, we can see that he was at least a very good representation of his Master. He was like a bridge between us and Christ, showing us what it looks like to live as Christ would have us live.
Let’s ask for the grace to want to imitate Jesus Christ with the same fervour and joy that Francis did, while being ordinary human beings.