4th of October Feast of Saint Francis the Living Christ

“Why to you? Why to you? Why to you, Br. Francis?” was the question addressed by one of his companions to our father and brother Francis. “Why to you? Why to you? Why to you, Br. Francis” “Why to you? Why to you? Why to you, Br. Francis?” Why does the whole world continue to look upon you in profound admiration after 800 yrs since you passed from the scene? Why do so many men and women continue to venerate you as both father and master, plus follow your example? Why do believers and non-believers alike look to you when they speak of the commitment to justice, peace, and the defense of nature? “Why to you? Why to you? Why to you, Br. Francis?”

I don’t know, my dear brothers, how St. Francis would reply to these questions; but I, who have asked myself the same questions over and over again, think that the secret of the timeliness of Francis lies in the fact that he allowed himself to be transformed by Christ – although those who don’t share our faith may not understand it. Francis is before anything else a believer, a man who encountered the poor and crucified Christ and allowed himself to be captivated by His beauty. Bonaventure describes Francis as the “friend of Christ” (LM 13, 3), and Clare as his “little plant”; the latter speaks of the former in her testament as a “true lover and imitator of Christ”  ( Read more)

(Br. Jose Rodriguez Carballo, ofm - Minister General Assisi – Oct. 4, 2009)