THE WORD AND THE SAINT
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, as due to the gift that Christ offers to his followers, which Francis wanted to spread all his life - Peace. Peace and mercy to all who follow Chrsit, who form the people of God, says St. Paul in the first reading.
Especially today, with the rising craze of violence around the world, we are called to be truly instruments of peace, the peace that comes from the self emptying Christ. We are not referring only to the warring nations or the fanatic terrorists who are threatening the peace of the world, but more to the hypocrites in the garb of Christians, people who are hate, divide, fight, harbour rancour, plot against and destroy persons from the hiding. People are thrown into confusion and frustration more by these than by those from outside! There are those who wish to live in integrity and sanctity but they are a bare minimum. The majority of us are caught between these two factions... highly tempted and mostly tired. The Lord says, come to me! It is only in going to the Lord that we can grow in our integrity.
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. Today, as Pope Francis says, the Church or our faith is somewhat in a similar situation beaten and bruised from within and from without. The call is clear and loud: come to the Lord.