Monday, December 15, 2014

The qualities Our Father St. Francis proposes for us


Ø  Accepting the other as he is means to know how to see their qualities, the charism of each.
Ø  In the early Franciscan fraternity there was a great variety of people – a Bernardo, a Giles, a Sylvester, a Juniper, a Masseo, a Ruffino; it is difficult to find a group with greater differences.

Ø  Francis showed that he was able to highlight the best parts of everyone and with them created a prototype of the perfect friar minor by putting them together:

Ø  And, he used to say that the good Lesser Brother is one who would possess the life and qualities of the following holy brothers:
Ø  Brother Bernard most perfectly had the simplicity and purity of Brother Leo who was truly a man of most holy purity;

Ø  the courtly bearing of Brother Angelo who was the first soldier to enter the Order and was endowed with every courtesy and kindness;
Ø  the friendly manner and common sense of Brother Masseo, together with his attractive and gracious eloquence;

Ø  the mind raised in contemplation which Brother Giles had even to the highest perfection;
Ø  the virtuous and constant prayer of Brother Rufino who, whatever he was doing, even sleeping, always prayed without ceasing and whose mind was always intent on the Lord;

Ø  the patience of Brother Juniper, who achieved that the perfect state of patience because he always kept in mind the perfect truth of his low estate and the ardent desire to imitate Christ through the way of the cross;

Ø  the bodily and spiritual strength of Brother John of Louds, who at that time in his robust body surpassed everyone;

Ø  the charity of Brother Roger whose life and conduct were spent in ardent love;
the solicitude of Brother Lucidus who had the greatest care and concern and did not want to remain in any place for a month, and when he enjoyed staying someplace, would immediately leave, saying: “we do not have a dwelling here on earth, but in heaven.”

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