
St. Francis of Assisi Teaches a Lesson in Humility
‘The humble person is perceived as someone who gives up, someone defeated, someone who has nothing to say to the world. But this … represents God’s own way of acting.’ —Pope Benedict XVI
‘The humble person is perceived as someone who gives up, someone defeated, someone who has nothing to say to the world. But this … represents God’s own way of acting.’ —Pope Benedict XVI
St. Francis’ meditations on the life of Christ led him to create the first-ever Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, in 1223.
Excavations of a medieval door in the town of Assisi give new meaning to an old story
The cardinal and president of the Italian bishops’ conference recounted how St. Francis had been repulsed by the sight of lepers at first but experienced a transformation when he encountered them in person.
In a brief speech, the Pope underlined the importance of encountering the poor face to face and learning from their witness to hope at a time when those on the margins largely face indifference.
Father Massimo Fusarelli succeeds Father Michael Perry, a native of Indianapolis, who led the order since 2013.
“When spiritual joy fills hearts,” said St. Francis of Assisi, “the serpent throws off his deadly poison in vain.”
The patron saint of Italy had a special weakness for mostaccioli, traditional dry biscuits that Italians still cook every Oct. 4 as a tribute to the famous stigmatist saint.
COMMENTARY: A few lessons for the feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals
Before signing the encyclical on the tomb of St. Francis, Pope Francis thanked officials from the Vatican Secretariat of State, present at the Mass, who oversaw the text’s translation from Spanish into different languages.
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