BONAVENTURE and HIS LESSONS on ST. FRANCIS: Chapter XV—The Canonization of St

MARCH 2018 BONAVENTURE AND HIS LESSONS ON ST. FRANCIS: Chapter XV—The Canonization of St. Francis and the Solemn Transferal of His Remains 5. Francis’ friars and sons who had been summoned 6. Our holy father left this world on Saturday to his deathbed spent the night on which he died evening, October 3, in the year of our Lord 1226, singing God’s praises with all the people, so that it and he was buried the following day. He immediately seemed as if angels were keeping watch and no one became famous for the numerous and extraordinary would think obsequies miracles which were were being celebrated for worked through his the dead. In the morning intercession, because God the crowd which had looked with favor upon gathered took branches him. In his lifetime his from the trees and sublime holiness was brought his body to made known to the world Assisi, singing hymns in order to show people and canticles and how they should live by carrying a multitude of the example of his perfect lights. As they passed the uprightness. Now that he church of San Damiano where the noble Virgin Clare was reigning with Christ, his sanctity was to be who is now in glory in heaven lived with her sisters, proclaimed from heaven through the miracles they made a short stop and let them see and kiss his worked by God’s power, to strengthen the faith of body with its heavenly jewels. Eventually they the whole world. All over the world the glorious reached the town with great rejoicing and reverently miracles and the wonderful favors which were laid the precious treasure they were carrying in the obtained through his intercession inspired countless church of San Giorgio. It was there that he had gone numbers to serve Christ faithfully and venerate his to school as a little boy, and it was there that he saint. Word of what was taking place, as well as the afterwards preached for the first time; there too, he facts themselves, came to the ears of the pope, found his first resting-place. Gregory IX so that he was aware of the miracles God was working through his servant Francis. Bonaventure—Major Life of St. Francis (1263) VISITOR'S MESSAGE Homily by Fr. Robert Altier... Reading (Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95) Gospel (St. John 8:31-42) Our Lord, in the Gospel reading to do what they want to do and not what Our Lord today, tells us that if we remain has told us to do. He told us that if we remain in His in His Word then we will truly be Word then we will know the truth and the truth will His disciples. Again, we have set us free. This is where the problem comes in for lots of people who want to say most of us. As we have talked about so many times, that they are followers of Christ, but they really want the fear that we have is the fear of changing, it is 1 the fear of letting go of things, it is the fear of the commandment to worship God. That is the way we detachment. We are afraid that if we detach from have to be as well. How much does it really mean to these various things that the joy we get is going to us to get rid of sin? How much does it mean to us be taken away or the pleasure is going to be (to put it the other way) to have true freedom? to removed or whatever it might be, and so we do not know the truth and to have the truth set us free so do God’s Will. Our Lord makes very clear that anyone that we will be true disciples of Christ, so that we will who sins is a slave to sin. If we want the true be true members of the household? That is what freedom of the children of God, there is only one way Jesus is telling us. to get it and that is to get rid of sin, to be a true Only if the Son sets us free will we be members of disciple of Jesus Christ. the household. If we choose sin, we become a slave, If we look at the first reading, we hear what and a slave is not a member of the household in a Nebuchadnezzar has to say when he sees the three permanent sense. We want to be permanently part young men in the furnace unhurt. He says, Blessed of this household. The alternative is to be be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, permanently apart from the household of God, and and then goes on to say that they were willing to that means to go to hell. That is not what any of us sacrifice their bodies rather than to worship any wants. So if that is the case, we need to get rid of other god except their own – because there is only sin and we need to do whatever it is going to require, one. Now if we have things that we are unwilling to to sacrifice our bodies rather than worship anything give up, they are ultimately little idols in our lives. other than the one God, to be willing to suffer rather And so we need to look at it and say, “How many than to sin. Whatever it is going to require, we need gods am I willing to worship? There is only one, but to make sure that we are willing, as the saints would if I have set up all kinds of little false gods then I am say, even to do violence to ourselves, meaning that giving honor to something that is not God. we know how severe the temptations can be at times Therefore, I have become a slave to something else; and we have to be willing to say “no” and to suffer whereas if I worship and honor only the one God, the immediate consequences for the long-term gain. then I will have true freedom if I am doing God’s If we are convinced of Who Jesus is and the freedom Will.” As Saint Paul tells us in his Letter to the that He offers us, then we have to be willing, as He Hebrews, that in our fight against sin we have not tells us, to remain in His Word. If we are going to yet come to the point of shedding blood, we see that remain in His Word, it means to be obedient to Him, same basic point in the first reading, that these to do what He has commanded us to do. That means young men were willing to die rather than violate the to get rid of sin and to serve Him alone. This text was transcribed from the audio recording of a homily by Father Robert Altier with minimal editing. ADMINISTRATOR'S MESSAGE... Our search for perfection… St. Francis said that the first to wear sandals. ‘Do not bring a second tunic,’ Rule for all his Orders was he said, and added: ‘Whatever house you find the Gospel of Our Lord, yourself in, stay there until you leave that Jesus Christ. To live the locality.’” (Mk 6: 7–13) Gospel perfectly was the way When we consider this relative to our own lives, if of perfection. We have all our objective is to live the Gospel and seek read that many times, but perfection in our own lives, we see how far we are we need to really ponder what this call means. The from it. This is not a bad thing. Objectives we set in Gospel of Mark tells us what the Lord asked of his our lives are always set for things we don’t have. apostles when then went out on their first missions. Things we want. That said, we need to understand We can assume that this call to them was the way of that our call is different than for the apostles, or for perfection which the Saints, and the Church, often priests or bishops in our day. We are lay people, not refer to. It states: apostles, not bishops, and not priests or sisters. The “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to way of life that St. Francis gave us was different than send them out two by two... He instructed them he gave to his First and Second Orders, that is the to take nothing on the journey but a walking priests and brothers, and sisters who came to follow stick—no food, no traveling bag, not a coin in him. The Rule he gave them called them to the purses on their belts. They were, however, perfection. Many do not attain it. It is a challenge for 2 them. So even today some Franciscan friars say it is the world around us, wherever we are, doesn’t have easier to admire St. Francis than follow him. a clue. Yet in living this Rule we live the mission the Lord has given us in our lay lives. Jesus did not give There really is no doubt that St. Francis, himself that a first mission to lay people. He gave it to his is, followed this direct call of Our Lord towards apostles, who were the first bishops of the Catholic personal poverty and perfection. He was known for Church. Nowhere do we see him giving any such his poverty, and he always pointed out to his commands to the laity around him.

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