I’ve just attended Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday (instituted by St John Paul II) without hearing the words 'Divine Mercy' spoken ,and was told there will be no Benediction at the Divine Mercy Service this afternoon. Driving away from the church I averted my eyes from the sight of a beautiful tree in the church grounds with all its branches removed, ready for felling, and reversing up a driveway after taking Holy Communion
to a shut-in parishioner - telling myself to trust the rear-vision camera - I broke a rear light on my brand new car.
I was telling myself, ‘Keep your eyes on Christ crucified’ (St Teresa of Jesus), when I sat at my computer and read this message from Francis Yuen, a promoter of living in the Divine Will.
Thank you, Francis!
Perfect joy
according to Saint Francis of Assisi
How Saint Francis,
walking one day with brother Leo, explained to him what things are perfect
joy.
One day in winter, as Saint Francis was going with Brother Leo
from Perugia to Saint Mary of the Angels, and was suffering greatly from the
cold, he called to Brother Leo, who was walking on before him, and said to him:
"Brother Leo, if it were to please God that the Friars Minor should give, in all
lands, a great example of holiness and edification, write down, and note
carefully, that this would not be perfect joy."
A little further on,
Saint Francis called to him a second time: "O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor
were to make the lame to walk, if they should make straight the crooked, chase
away demons, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb,
and, what is even a far greater work, if they should raise the dead after four
days, write that this would not be perfect joy."
Shortly after, he cried
out again: "O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor knew all languages; if they were
versed in all science; if they could explain all Scripture; if they had the gift
of prophecy, and could reveal, not only all future things, but likewise the
secrets of all consciences and all souls, write that this would not be perfect
joy."
After proceeding a few steps farther, he cried out again with a
loud voice: "O Brother Leo, thou little lamb of God! if the Friars Minor could
speak with the tongues of angels; if they could explain the course of the stars;
if they knew the virtues of all plants; if all the treasures of the earth were
revealed to them; if they were acquainted with the various qualities of all
birds, of all fish, of all animals, of men, of trees, of stones, of roots, and
of waters - write that this would not be perfect joy."
Shortly after, he
cried out again: "O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor had the gift of preaching
so as to convert all infidels to the faith of Christ, write that this would not
be perfect joy."
Now when this manner of discourse had lasted for the
space of two miles, Brother Leo wondered much within himself; and, questioning
the saint, he said: "Father, I pray thee teach me wherein is perfect
joy."
Saint Francis
answered:
"If, when we shall arrive at
Saint Mary of the Angels, all drenched with rain and trembling with cold, all
covered with mud and exhausted from hunger; if, when we knock at the
convent-gate, the porter should come angrily and ask us who we are; if, after we
have told him, 'We are two of the brethren,' he should answer angrily, 'What ye
say is not the truth; ye are but two impostors going about to deceive the world,
and take away the alms of the poor; begone I say'; if then he refuse to open to
us, and leave us outside, exposed to the snow and rain, suffering from cold and
hunger till nightfall -- then, if we accept such injustice, such cruelty and
such contempt with patience, without being ruffled and without murmuring,
believing with humility and charity that the porter really knows us, and that it
is God who maketh him to speak thus against us, write down, O Brother Leo, that
this is perfect joy.
"And if we knock again, and the porter come out in
anger to drive us away with oaths and blows, as if we were vile impostors,
saying, 'Begone, miserable robbers! to to the hospital, for here you shall
neither eat nor sleep!' -- and if we accept all this with patience, with joy,
and with charity, O Brother Leo, write that this indeed is perfect
joy.
"And if, urged by cold and hunger, we knock again, calling to the
porter and entreating him with many tears to open to us and give us shelter, for
the love of God, and if he come out more angry than before, exclaiming, 'These
are but importunate rascals, I will deal with them as they deserve'; and taking
a knotted stick, he seize us by the hood, throwing us on the ground, rolling us
in the snow, and shall beat and wound us with the knots in the stick -- if we
bear all these injuries with patience and joy, thinking of the sufferings of our
Blessed Lord, which we would share out of love for him, write, O Brother Leo,
that here, finally, is perfect joy.
"And now, brother, listen to the
conclusion. Above all the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which
Christ grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and accepting
willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury, discomfort and
contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory, seeing they proceed not
from ourselves but from God, according to the words of the Apostle, 'What hast
thou that thou hast not received from God? and if thou hast received it, why
dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?'
"But in the cross of
tribulation and affliction we may glory, because, as the Apostle says again, 'I
will not glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Amen."
To the
praise and glory of Jesus Christ and his poor servant Francis.
Amen.
