The Marks of Christ: gentleness and humility

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 4, 2023: Celebrating St. Francis of Assisi
Galatians 6: 14-18; Matthew 11: 28-30

Francis of Assisi is considered a man who managed the maximum resemblance to Christ in his life, not so much due to the marks of the stigmata that he received from the Lord, but more due to the marks of Christ that he lived all his life - that is Gentleness and Humility. Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart, invites Jesus in the Gospel today.

Specially today, with the rising fanaticism around the world, we are called to imitate that gentleness and humility of the self emptying Lord. We are not here referring only to the fanatic terrorists who are threatening the peace of the world, but even to the fanatics in the garb of Christians, people who are insisting on rules and rubrics, legalities and orthodoxy, the ego and hierarchy, to such an extent that mercy and understanding, dialogue and compassion find no place within the practice of faith and religion. People refuse to see the truth that dialogue is not diluting, compassion is not compromise, instead dialogue and compassion are the ways to bear Christ to the world today, a world that is so torn by fundamentalism and inhumanity.

Francis came at a time when the Church was wounded due to various spiritual calamities within the Church in the 10th and the 11th century and he treated those wounds with the compassion of the Lord, the humility of the Son of God and the peace of the Prince of Peace. He showed us that the marks of Christ that all of us can bear in our life, are exactly these: to be instruments of peace, through love, pardon, faith, hope, light, joy, consolation and new life.

May St. Francis assist us to understand the difference between true holiness and self righteousness, the distance between love and legalism and the need to grow towards becoming Christ ourselves!