On Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th October, the feast-day of St. Francis, the founder of the Order of Friars Minor was celebrated with particular solemnity at the St. Saviour Convent in Jerusalem.
On Sunday, at the Mass, the Franciscan community present began by celebrating the jubilary friars who this year mar k a significant number of years of religious life. The Custos, Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa was the “new boy on the block” with his 25 years of religious life, as two friars celebrated 75 years, one 70, another 60 and two others 50 years following Christ in the steps of St. Francis.
As Friar Artemio Vítores said in his homily, these figures may seem incredible to the youngest newcomers to the Order, but these years following Christ are the sign of his fidelity and the gifts that he has bestowed on these friars in succeeding in following him, one of which – celebrated in particular here - is that of being a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land. But the path has not come to an end, “Don’t be afraid and keep on in your faith, to continue showing to Christ, so that all people who meet you can see, the love for God that he offered himself.”
It was around this message that all the friars gathered together, the same evening, for the first vespers of the celebration of St. Francis, presided by Friar Pierbattista and joined, according to tradition, by all the seminarians from all the Jerusalem seminaries, the Patriarchate, the White Fathers, the Salesians, the fathers of Betharram and of course the Franciscan seminary.
During these vespers, which commemorate the death of the little poor man of Assisi, the Custos gave a meditation on the poverty and nudity of St. Francis.
“Called by Christ to become the Son of the Father, to implement a new divine plan, Francis could not fail to undress to begin a new life. He chose then to wear Christ alone or little more. Francis stays naked because we are naked before the Lord. Francis stays naked because he moves himself away from the centre. Francis stays naked because there is no shame in him, he is forgiven, he is freed from fear, including that of death which is also a new birth and a new nudity. And exposing himself naked is exposing himself to the risk of being hurt. Like Christ, Francis made amends and healed, like Christ he entered the Paschal time which consists no longer of healing but of letting himself be hurt and forgoing the possibility of defending himself… And that is perhaps the way to heal and reconstruct : by letting yourself be hurt.
This is what we are invited to contemplate, this naked and hurt body, and we are invited to contemplate a marvel of God, because it is a reflection of God himself.”
The depth and demanding nature of the meditation was followed by the joy of seeing the temporary votaries renew their vows. Then came the solemn moment to remember the death of St. Francis, before singing his Canticle of the Creatures.
After vespers, all the assembly was invited to the courtyard of the Curia to share a buffet and join in the joy and good humour of the seminarians.
On Monday 4th October, the feast-day mass took on a solemn but no less joyous character in the presence of Mons. Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop, and the General Consuls of Jerusalem or their representatives and a large presence of priests and faithful. According to tradition, it was a Dominican father, Father Guy Tardivy, prior of the Convent of St. Stephen, who had the honour of giving the sermon. After having spoken about the possible meeting between St. Francis and St. Dominic, Father Tardivy concluded with an appeal :”May our style of life, as disciples of St. Francis and St. Dominic, encourage the Christians and the Christian communities of the Holy Land, of our dioceses of the Holy Land, to be renewed by the word of God following Christ, then a world of justice and peace can appear on the horizon. This is very topical for us today. Amen. »
In less than a week, the Extraordinary Assembly of Bishops on the Middle East will open. In the meantime, it was with refreshments at the Curia, followed by a lunch to which the friars had invited many religious as guests that the feast-day continued.
It only came to a conclusion in the evening, with the office of the second vespers, presided by the Custody Vicar, Friar Artemio, this time in the intimacy of the Franciscan community of St. Saviour. But as a conclusion, the joy of the celebration will certainly have been for many friars, and for many of the faithful, being renewed in following Christ in the steps of the one who was his epiphany and permanent manifestation: Francis of Assisi.
Mab
On Sunday, at the Mass, the Franciscan community present began by celebrating the jubilary friars who this year mar k a significant number of years of religious life. The Custos, Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa was the “new boy on the block” with his 25 years of religious life, as two friars celebrated 75 years, one 70, another 60 and two others 50 years following Christ in the steps of St. Francis.
As Friar Artemio Vítores said in his homily, these figures may seem incredible to the youngest newcomers to the Order, but these years following Christ are the sign of his fidelity and the gifts that he has bestowed on these friars in succeeding in following him, one of which – celebrated in particular here - is that of being a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land. But the path has not come to an end, “Don’t be afraid and keep on in your faith, to continue showing to Christ, so that all people who meet you can see, the love for God that he offered himself.”
It was around this message that all the friars gathered together, the same evening, for the first vespers of the celebration of St. Francis, presided by Friar Pierbattista and joined, according to tradition, by all the seminarians from all the Jerusalem seminaries, the Patriarchate, the White Fathers, the Salesians, the fathers of Betharram and of course the Franciscan seminary.
During these vespers, which commemorate the death of the little poor man of Assisi, the Custos gave a meditation on the poverty and nudity of St. Francis.
“Called by Christ to become the Son of the Father, to implement a new divine plan, Francis could not fail to undress to begin a new life. He chose then to wear Christ alone or little more. Francis stays naked because we are naked before the Lord. Francis stays naked because he moves himself away from the centre. Francis stays naked because there is no shame in him, he is forgiven, he is freed from fear, including that of death which is also a new birth and a new nudity. And exposing himself naked is exposing himself to the risk of being hurt. Like Christ, Francis made amends and healed, like Christ he entered the Paschal time which consists no longer of healing but of letting himself be hurt and forgoing the possibility of defending himself… And that is perhaps the way to heal and reconstruct : by letting yourself be hurt.
This is what we are invited to contemplate, this naked and hurt body, and we are invited to contemplate a marvel of God, because it is a reflection of God himself.”
The depth and demanding nature of the meditation was followed by the joy of seeing the temporary votaries renew their vows. Then came the solemn moment to remember the death of St. Francis, before singing his Canticle of the Creatures.
After vespers, all the assembly was invited to the courtyard of the Curia to share a buffet and join in the joy and good humour of the seminarians.
On Monday 4th October, the feast-day mass took on a solemn but no less joyous character in the presence of Mons. Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop, and the General Consuls of Jerusalem or their representatives and a large presence of priests and faithful. According to tradition, it was a Dominican father, Father Guy Tardivy, prior of the Convent of St. Stephen, who had the honour of giving the sermon. After having spoken about the possible meeting between St. Francis and St. Dominic, Father Tardivy concluded with an appeal :”May our style of life, as disciples of St. Francis and St. Dominic, encourage the Christians and the Christian communities of the Holy Land, of our dioceses of the Holy Land, to be renewed by the word of God following Christ, then a world of justice and peace can appear on the horizon. This is very topical for us today. Amen. »
In less than a week, the Extraordinary Assembly of Bishops on the Middle East will open. In the meantime, it was with refreshments at the Curia, followed by a lunch to which the friars had invited many religious as guests that the feast-day continued.
It only came to a conclusion in the evening, with the office of the second vespers, presided by the Custody Vicar, Friar Artemio, this time in the intimacy of the Franciscan community of St. Saviour. But as a conclusion, the joy of the celebration will certainly have been for many friars, and for many of the faithful, being renewed in following Christ in the steps of the one who was his epiphany and permanent manifestation: Francis of Assisi.
Mab