On September 14th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Cross. Throughout the centuries, few believers (even saints) maintained a devotion to the Holy Cross as fervently as Saint Francis of Assisi. So on this feast day, we reflect upon the Lord's gift of the stigmata to Saint Francis: a gift given to the Poverello that inspired a true and lasting devotion to the Holy Cross of Christ Crucified throughout the world. This passage comes from Pierre Pourrat's book entitled 'Christian Spirituality' which was published in 1924. Saint Francis, pray for us!
Today's Reading: The Passion of Saint Francis of Assisi
The love of Christ crucified, above all, filled his soul. It was not simply a love, but a compassion for the suffering Jesus, a veritable participation in his pain. Not long after his conversion, Francis felt himself pierced through with the love of the divine Crucified One, in the Church of Saint Damian, then in ruin. While he prayed before a crucifix, he heard the voice of Jesus saying to him: "Go, Francis, and repair my church; which you see clearly has fallen into ruins." At the moment that he gave his servant a mission, Jesus imprinted his wounds deeply on his soul. From that day, Francis was not able to think of the passion without weeping. "He filled the highways with lamentations," says Thomas of Celano, "and refused all consolation in meditating on the wounds of Christ." He would occasionally withdraw into the woods and desert places in order to lament by himself over the sufferings of Jesus.
"One day," as is related by the companions of Francis, "he was walking alone near the Church of Saint Mary of the Porziuncola weeping and lamenting aloud. A holy man heard him and thought he was suffering. Seized with pity, he asked him why he wept. Francis answered: 'I bewail the passion of my Lord Jesus Christ, and I ought not to feel ashamed to go throughout the world thus weeping.'" The man then began to weep with him. It was often noticed that when he had just been praying, his eyes were filled with blood because he had wept so much and so bitterly. "Not content with shedding tears, he used to deprive himself of food at the memory of the passion of the Lord."
He taught his followers this prayer with the intention of making them do unceasing honor to the passion of the Savior: "We adore you, O Christ, in all the churches of the whole world, and we bless you because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world." Francis has so constant a memory of the passion present in his heart that it might be thought that he desired to participate actually in the pains of Christ. The 'Little Flowers of Saint Francis' attribute the following prayer to him, which expresses the sentiment of his soul in this regard toward the end of his life, a little while before the apparition of the stigmata:
"O my Lord Jesus Christ, two graces do I beseech you to grant me before I die: the first that, during my lifetime, I may feel in my soul and in my body, so far as may be possible, that pain which you, sweet Lord, did suffer in the hour of your most bitter passion; the second is that I may feel in my heart, so far as may be possible, that exceeding love whereby you, Son of God, was enkindled, to bear willingly such passion for us sinners."
His prayer was heard by the impression of the stigmata of Christ in his flesh. "About two years before his death," his companions tell us, "at the approach of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, he was praying one morning on the slope of Mount Alvernia. He was uplifted to God by desire and by seraphic ardor and felt himself transformed by a tender compassion for him who, in the excess of his charity, willed to be crucified. A six-winged seraph then appeared to him, bearing between his wings the form, of great beauty, of One Crucified, having the hands and feet stretched on the cross, and clearly a figure of our Lord Jesus. Two wings were folded so as to hide his head; two others veiled the rest of his body, and the other two were extended to sustain the flight of the seraph. When the vision had disappeared, a wonderful ardor of love rested in Francis's soul; and, more wonderful still, in his body there appeared the impression of the stigmata of our Lord Jesus Christ. The man of God hid them as much as possible until his death, not wishing to make public the mystery of the Lord; but he was not able to conceal them from his companions, at least from those that were most familiar. But after his happy departure from this world all the brethren who were then present and man of the laity saw his body gloriously marked with the stigmata of Christ."
Francis of Assisi bequeathed to his Order, as precious heritage, a special devotion to the passion of Jesus; a devotion that very soon spread and became general throughout the whole Church.
Today's Prayers
For our families & friends, we pray: Hail Mary...
For our parish communities, we pray: Hail Mary...
For our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we pray: Hail Mary...
For our Pope-Emeritus, Benedict XVI, we pray: Hail Mary...
For our departed brothers & sisters in faith, we pray: Hail Mary...
For the Catholic Church throughout the world, we pray: Hail Mary...
And for peace in Syria and throughout the world, we pray: Hail Mary...
Our Father...
Almighty God and Father,
in obedience to your holy will,
your Only Son endured the cross for our salvation.
Grant that as we have come to know
the mystery of the cross here on earth,
we may receive its rewards in heaven.
We make this prayer through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.
Saint Francis, pray for us!
Saint Clare, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us!
Holy Men & Women of Assisi, pray for us!
Liturgy of the Hours
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Today's prayer is adapted from the Liturgy of the Hours.
If you would like to learn more about the Assisi Project and opportunities for faith formation, prayer, pilgrimage, retreat, and spiritual direction in the Franciscan spiritual tradition, please contact Cliff Garvey at assisiproject@ymail.com. Pax et bonum! May the Lord give you peace!
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NEW!
ASSISI PROJECT WEEKEND RETREAT
CHRISTMAS WITH SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
December 13-December 15, 2013
The Assisi Project is an adult faith formation and retreat ministry that is dedicated to helping adults live the gospel in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. Each month, we gather for Mass, a community supper, and a period of prayerful discussion and faith sharing. Although we are not affiliated with any Franciscan community, the Assisi Project looks to Saint Francis and Saint Clare for inspiration and intercession. Working and praying together, we strive to live more simply, to pray more deeply, and to strengthen our fellowship with Christ Jesus and with one another.
Each year, we sponsor a pilgrimage, a weekend retreat, and various days of prayer and reflection. This year, we are planning a weekend retreat at the Rolling Ridge Retreat Center in Andover, Massachusetts from Friday evening, December 13th through Sunday afternoon, December 15th. Scheduled to coincide with the Third Sunday of Advent (or Gaudete Sunday), our retreat is entitled "Christmas with Saint Francis of Assisi" and will focus on preparing retreatants to participate more fully in the joy of our Savior's incarnation at Christmas.
The cost is $250 per person which includes two overnight accommodations; three meals on Saturday; two meals on Sunday; coffee, tea, and snacks throughout the weekend; and a guided retreat experience on beautiful lakefront campus. If you would like to join us for this unique and very special weekend of prayer and fellowship, please contact Cliff Garvey at assisiproject@ymail.com. Space is limited! Please join us! May the Lord give you peace!
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NEW!
PILGRIMAGE 2014
SAINTS & SHRINES OF ITALY
July 7-July 17, 2014
All are welcome to join the Assisi Project and Collette Vacations for Pilgrimage 2014: Saints & Shrines of Italy from July 7, 2014 through July 17, 2014. During this eleven day pilgrimage, we will visit some of Christendom's best-loved and holiest sites where we will literally walk in the footsteps of the saints.
Along with a professional tour manager and local guides, we will spend four nights in the 'Eternal City' of Rome and we will tour Vatican City (including Saint Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums). In addition, we will visit the Catacombs and Rome's three other major basilicas: Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major, and Saint Paul Outside the Walls. There also will be free time to explore Rome and Vatican City at your own pace.
After Rome, our pilgrimage will take us to Montecassino, the sixth century monastery founded by Saint Benedict, which houses his relics and those of his sister, Saint Scholastica. Our travels will also take us to Pompeii, where we will visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, one of the world's most famous Christian shrines; and to Monte San Angelo, where we will visit the ancient Grotto of Saint Michael the Archangel. Next, we will travel to San Giovanni Rotondo, where we will venerate the relics of Saint Padre Pio and see the confessional where the saint spent countless hours directing pilgrims on their journey toward God.
After San Giovanni Rotondo, our pilgrimage will lead us to the Adriatic Coast and Loretto, where we will visit the Holy House of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition holds that the house was carried by angels from Nazareth to Loretto. We will visit the beautiful shrine of Our Lady of Loretto, where more than fifty popes have made pilgrimages of prayer. Next, we will travel to Assisi, where we will walk in the footsteps of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. While in Assisi, we will pray at their tombs and in the basilicas built in their honor, view their relics, and bask in the Umbrian sunshine as the saints did more than eight centuries ago. We will also visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, which houses the Porziuncola, the little chapel which is considered the home church of the worldwide Franciscan community. For those who are interested, there's also an optional full-day excursion to Florence (available at an additional cost).
Space is limited! Book now and save $250. Until December 9, 2013, the cost of this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage opportunity is $3,669 (Triple); $3,699 (Double); and $4,099 (Single). These prices include: all air and ground transportation (from Boston's Logan Airport only); ten night hotel accommodations; fifteen meals (nine breakfasts and six dinners), and all air taxes, fees, surcharges, and hotel transfers. These prices do not include recommended travel insurance ($230 per person). For more information, please contact Cliff Garvey at assisiproject@ymail.com or click here. Please join us on pilgrimage! May the Lord give you peace!
