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São Francisco de Assis | Moysés Azevedo — Transcript

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0:00What is our theme?
0:01>> May the Lord give you peace.
0:04>> May the Lord give you peace, right?
0:08Pope Leo XIII, visiting the city of
0:11Assisi, speaks to us exactly about this
0:15theme that is so dear to him, isn't it?
0:20Which were some of the first words Pope
0:23Leo XIII said: "Peace be with you,
0:26right?" And when he visited Assisi, he
0:29spoke a little about that. And I would
0:32like to read it to you. I won't be able
0:34to put it up there right now, but I
0:36would like to read it. Pay attention to
0:38this, which Pope Leo XIII said, because
0:40it is from this that we will speak a
0:42little about the life of Saint Francis.
0:46At the beginning of his evangelical
0:48life, of Saint Francis's evangelical
0:51life, he had heard a call, open quote.
0:55And here Saint Francis speaks. The Lord
0:59revealed to me that we should say this
1:02greeting: May the Lord give you peace.
1:08Close quote. And then we return to the
1:13Pope speaking. With these essential
1:17words, he transmits to his friars and
1:21to all believers the interior
1:23astonishment that the gospel had
1:26brought to his existence. Peace, the
1:32pope continues, is the sum of all God's
1:36goods, a gift that comes from above.
1:41And the pope continues. It is the same
1:46greeting that on Easter night the risen
1:49Lord directs to his frightened
1:52disciples locked in the upper room.
1:57Peace be with you. What was it that
2:01Jesus said to the disciples once
2:03resurrected, entering the upper room?
2:08That in Portuguese, but in his language
2:10, Jesus's, Aramaic, what was it? Hebrew
2:13, Aramaic. What was it? Shalom. And the
2:17pope continued. This greeting is not a
2:22formula of courtesy, but the certain
2:25announcement of Christ's victory over
2:29death. The certain announcement of
2:34Christ's victory over death. The Pope,
2:40visiting Assisi, recalls this core,
2:43this mandate that Jesus had already
2:46given and that Francis gives to his
2:49friars. Wherever you arrive, whomever
2:56you greet, whoever you go to, wherever
2:59you go to announce the gospel, the
3:02first thing you must do, says Francis,
3:05is, may the Lord give you peace. And
3:10the Pope, commenting on this, says: "It
3:13is because the gospel in Francis's life
3:16was such a big, such a strong impact,
3:18that he could not translate it with any
3:21other name than peace." And peace in
3:26its biblical sense, which is shalom,
3:29which is the same greeting Jesus gave
3:32the disciples, is that sum of all of
3:37God's goods. "A gift from God is not
3:40something produced by men, but a gift
3:43that comes down from above. So, if
3:47today, if this afternoon we are going
3:48to talk a little bit about Saint
3:50Francis and about peace, then isn't the
3:52best way to do that just by saying it
3:54to our brother? My brother, may the
3:57Lord give you peace. Go ahead, say it,
3:59communicate it. Hey, pay attention. Pay
4:02attention. Look at me here. Look at me
4:04here. You are not wishing for peace.
4:08Look at me. Look at me. Listen now. You
4:12are not wishing peace upon this person,
4:15no. You are not just giving good wishes
4:19or an act of courtesy. Who here is
4:21baptized, raise your hand. There you go
4:24. We are grafted into Christ. And
4:28grafted into Christ, we are ministers
4:30of peace. So you are communicating the
4:34gift of peace, which is a living person
4:37, Jesus Christ, and who brings in Him
4:39the fullness of blessing and happiness
4:41to that person's life. So you're not
4:44going to say it like:" Did the Lord
4:45give you peace? "No, not quite. It's,
4:49it's much more than that. You are
4:52ministering peace. You are not, oh, I'm
4:56giving you a good wish. I wish that you
4:59No, you are communicating the gift of
5:02peace to that person. If we had an idea
5:06of this, we would minister peace more
5:09to people and we would receive the gift
5:12of peace more. So, let's go. Now I want
5:15you to minister the gift of peace to
5:18your brother next to you. Say:" May the
5:21Lord give you peace. "Go on. May the
5:23Lord give you peace.
5:24>> Shalom. Shalom. Shalom. For those
5:33arriving now, if you're young, I know
5:35you're scared, there's nowhere to sit,
5:36but you can sit around here, okay? If
5:39you want to come to the front, no
5:40problem, you can come. The the young at
5:43heart too, my friends. I think it will
5:45be more complicated, but those who want
5:47to can come to the front. Those benches
5:50there are for the priests who are
5:52coming for mass, but here you can, okay
5:54? So let's go, let's talk a little
5:58about this peace. This peace as a gift
6:02of God that was so present in the life
6:04of Francis. Now, whoever is coming,
6:06come soon so I can stop looking. I'm
6:08not going to. I'm going, I'm not going.
6:09Come on then. Come on. Okay. because
6:12otherwise it will interrupt our
6:15preaching a little. So, where is, what
6:19is the source of peace? What is the
6:22source of peace? Tell the person next
6:24to you. What is the source of peace?
6:26Tell her to answer what the source of
6:27peace is. Well, if peace is a gift,
6:31it's logical, the source of peace is
6:34the open heart of Jesus there, right?
6:38Look at the open heart of Jesus, the
6:40risen one who passed through the cross.
6:42Have you ever seen an image more
6:43beautiful than this one? Neither have I
6:46, right? The risen one who passed
6:48through the cross, who opens his chest
6:51and communicates the gift of peace.
6:55Francis had this experience in his life
6:58, as Pope Leo said, the experience with
7:01the gospel, the experience with the
7:04living person of Jesus, took hold of
7:07Francis 'heart. And then he could
7:11overflow and communicate it, not as an
7:13act of courtesy, but communicate it to
7:15others. So, the source of peace is a
7:21person, it is the experience with the
7:24living, risen Jesus. How did this
7:26happen in Francis' life? Let's do a You
7:32know the life of Saint Francis very
7:36well, but allow me to revisit some some
7:39points of Francis 'history. Be patient
7:43with me, right, Francis? was born into
7:48a family in Assisi, a wealthy,
7:51bourgeois family. We are at the moment
7:57there of the commercial revolution,
7:59where the nobility and the bourgeoisie,
8:02the bourgeoisie is growing and taking
8:05over society. And his father was a
8:09wealthy merchant, a fabric merchant, he
8:15did business with France and other
8:18places, so he could thus, in his
8:20emerging class of the, quote-unquote,
8:24Italy of that time, as Italy did not
8:27exist as such, he was an eminent
8:29merchant. What was his father's name?
8:38Pietro Bernardone, I will ask you. I
8:40think you know, right? The father's
8:42name, what is the father's name?
8:44Francis' father? Pietro Bernardone. And
8:47the mother's name? Maria Pia or Maria
8:53Pica, right? But which one? Well, and
8:56what was Francis 'name? Wow! Wow! Wow!
9:02Wow! What was Francis' baptismal name?
9:07It was not Francis. What was it? John,
9:12which is Giovanni, right? John. So,
9:16Francis 'family was Pietro, his mother
9:19Maria, and him. Right? Wrong. There was
9:24someone else, at least there could have
9:26been others, but there was one more
9:27person. Do you know who it was? No,
9:32Jesus is present in all of our families
9:36, right? But there was another another
9:40human being in his life besides Jesus,
9:43right? No, Saint Clare was not part of
9:49Francis' family. Francis had a brother
9:52named, you see, Pedro Henrique? Francis
9:57had a brother named Angelo, at least
10:00that brother he did have. So there we
10:04see that family core, Peter, Mary, Pia,
10:13uh, eh, John, Giovanni, and Angelo. And
10:19there, it's interesting to say this, we
10:22can imagine in a very pious way what
10:25that life was like. And the first
10:28biographer of Francis, Thomas of Celano
10:30, he doesn't present it like that at
10:32all. Look, what he has to say about how
10:37the early years were and in what
10:39environment Francis was raised. Let me
10:44find it here. Done. The biographer
10:53Thomas of Celano says:" He lived in
10:56Assisi, in the territory of the Spoleto
11:00Valley. From his tenderest age, he was
11:07foolishly raised by his parents
11:13according to the vanities of the world.
11:19Having imitated this sad conduct of his
11:23time, he ended up being the most
11:25shameless and frivolous among his
11:28friends. I mean, ah, as we know and are
11:34very well aware, Francis was a child of
11:37his time. He was a child of his time.
11:43He lived with the mentality of his time
11:45. He continues by saying: "These sad
11:53beginnings he lived from his childhood,
11:56the man whom we today venerate as a
11:59saint." What is a saint? In truth,
12:02learning, or rather, miserably wasting
12:06his life until he was almost 25 years
12:10old. Even worse, he outdid the young
12:16men of his time in frivolity. He was
12:22the one who went furthest in inciting
12:25evil and all kinds of madness. Desiring
12:31everyone's admiration, he strove to be
12:34the first in the displays of vainglory,
12:38in games and pastimes, in joking and
12:41vain talk, and in delicate and
12:44luxurious clothing. Francis was a child
12:49of his time. And looking at Francis as
12:52a child of his time, there is no way
12:54for us to understand humanly what
12:57happened to that young man. That young
13:03man who lived at parties, that young
13:05man who, as his biographer said,
13:07insisted on showing himself to be even
13:10more reckless than all his friends.
13:14That young man who was considered the
13:17king of Assisi, there was no way,
13:18humanly we had no way to explain it.
13:22There is only one explanation, and the
13:25biographer will say it. One day, the
13:34hand of the Most High Lord, his right
13:38hand, finally rested upon him and
13:41transformed him, so that through him
13:47sinners would recover the hope of
13:50returning to the path of grace and he
13:54would serve as an example of conversion
13:58to God for all. Only a divine project,
14:04only a divine plan, only a divine
14:08initiative makes us understand. Francis
14:12of Assisi, As his biographer says, one
14:19day the right hand of the Lord, the
14:24right hand of the Lord rested upon him
14:26with a purpose. And the purpose was so
14:32that, through his intercession, sinners
14:38might recover the hope of returning to
14:42the path of grace. Francis 'life still
14:48echoes 800 years later. It echoes in
14:54the life of the world, in the life of
14:57society, in our midst, because God had
15:00a plan, a project, and the initiative
15:02is entirely God's. There is no human
15:07merit in choosing someone, as he
15:08himself liked to say, right? You
15:12remember, right? And just repeating
15:14what you already know, Brother Masseo,
15:17who was one of the friars who was
15:20always with Francis, tells the truth.
15:22Francis, it's not an exaggeration of
15:26humility. Francis is very truthful, he
15:29is very authentic, he is very sincere.
15:32When Brother Masseo said: "Why you,
15:36Francis, why you? You are not handsome,
15:41you are not eloquent, you are not an
15:44intellectual. Why you, why does
15:48everyone come to meet you?" And he said
15:52, because God, looking at the world,
15:54saw no one as miserable as I. And so,
16:00when everyone looks at my life, they
16:03can recognize the work of God, which is
16:07not my work, it is His work. And seeing
16:12the work of God, sinners can have hope.
16:16So, my brothers, looking at the life of
16:19Francis, why does Francis' life touch
16:21us so deeply? Because of Francis '
16:23generous response. It's true. Because
16:25of the mystery of God who chose him?
16:27It's true, but because it fills our
16:30lives with hope, with reconciliation
16:33and peace, it fills our lives with hope
16:36. Because if God did this in the life
16:39of Francis, He can also do it in mine
16:41and in yours. And this example takes us
16:44out of ourselves and gives us hope to
16:48also respond generously like that. So
16:51you can say, if God did it in Francis,
16:54He can do it in me, He can do it in you
16:56. So tell the person next to you, look,
16:58if God did it in Francis, He can do it
17:04in me and He can do it in you. But how
17:09did God do it in him, right? I quickly
17:12prepared a lot of things. I see, I see
17:14that I won't say anything I prepared.
17:16Let's go. How did God place His hand
17:20upon Francis? There's a cool little
17:22image of him, young, from a movie,
17:24right? Can it appear there, right? From
17:26Brother Sun, Sister Moon, right? That
17:28young man there, just like all the
17:30young people of his time, right? How
17:34did God work in the life of this young
17:36man, this frivolous young man, a friend
17:42of debauchery? How did God do it? He
17:47tells his biographers that the action
17:49of grace is very mysterious, because
17:52that's how the action of grace is,
17:54mysterious in our lives. Sometimes we
17:58keep wanting to know how it was, how it
17:59happened, but there's no way to say it
18:01was here, it was like this, like that,
18:03it started there. Oh, no. Just like in
18:05our lives. How was the action of grace
18:06in our lives? We can recount the
18:09beginning and all that, but the spirit
18:11of God works mysteriously, in ways we
18:13don't know how. And one day we realize
18:17it and God's grace breaks through in
18:20our lives. It was the same for Francis.
18:23And his biographers have been trying.
18:26So, there are some paths and I will
18:28follow one here, also from Thomas of
18:31Celano, in his first book; in the
18:34second, he changes it a bit because
18:36that's how it is, to find that there
18:39was a period where he had an illness,
18:42an illness. He who was so full of life
18:47and everything, faced a serious illness
18:50. And they say that upon coming out of
18:54that illness, upon waking, it awakened
18:57along with him a desire for God and a
19:02contempt for the world. The contempt
19:06for the worldly life he lived, which he
19:08didn't tell anyone about, but that
19:10already existed within him. He had many
19:13aspirations, he had many desires for
19:16greatness, for human glory. And
19:20starting from that situation he lived
19:23through, upon coming out of it, he
19:26began to question himself about his
19:29life, about the worth, the values of
19:32the things of life, and about God and
19:35the life he was leading. But he didn't,
19:41how should I say it? He didn't show
19:44this to others and continued to live
19:46his little life. Even in the midst of
19:50that situation, of that discomfort, he
19:52continued to live his life. And then he
19:55had a dream, Francis had a dream where
20:00in this dream he sees armor, he sees
20:04glorious houses, and he says: and he
20:07looks and says: "What is this? Why all
20:10this? So many things. I won't say it
20:12word for word, right? But the voice
20:15tells him in the dream. It is for you
20:18and your, let's say, almost your army,
20:21the people I will gather for you, you
20:23will use it. Francis woke up from that
20:27dream thinking, seeking human glory. In
20:30that time, the knight, the gentleman,
20:32right? As a knight, he was indeed the
20:35man; those who fought in wars returned
20:38with more wealth, more strength, more
20:41power. And Francis said:" Oh, that's it
20:44, this is because God is preparing
20:46something glorious, something of glory
20:48for me. "And he enlisted in a war that
20:53was just beginning and went to that war
20:56in the regions of Assisi, struggles
21:00that existed nearby. And there in that
21:04fight he already went, in that war, he
21:06was taken prisoner, spent a night in
21:08prison with his friends, his gang,
21:10right, who had gone, the whole group,
21:12as it still is today, isn't it? He
21:15would go, and wherever he went, the
21:17gang would follow, right? So the whole
21:20group was in prison and Francis has a
21:23new dream. And in the dream, Francis,
21:30is it worth more to fight for the Lord
21:33or for the servant? And Francis said:"
21:39For the Lord. "He said:" Well then, you
21:41are fighting for the Lord's servant. "
21:43So leave everything and go back to
21:45Assisi, for I will tell you there what
21:47you have to do. And from there, from
21:52that dream in Spoleto, Francis returns
21:55to Assisi even stranger, because things
21:59inside him started to get more stirred
22:02up. And from then on, that young man
22:07began to dedicate himself more to
22:10prayer, began to gradually distance
22:12himself from the worldly life he had,
22:14without saying much yet. And people
22:19started to find it strange. What is
22:21happening to Francis? There's something
22:24up, there's definitely something. And
22:26Francis's return coincided with a
22:29moment of life, of, let's say, the
22:32birth of a spiritual life in Francis's
22:36life. Francis started on the paths of
22:41prayer. He wasn't totally out of the
22:46world yet, but he started to pray.
22:50Maybe, perhaps that's the next one,
22:52right? He's already in a habit there,
22:54but he wasn't wearing a habit then, was
22:55he? It was that Francis started to pray
22:58, started to have a life of intimacy
23:01with God. He began, by God's initiative
23:06, to fall in love with God. So much so
23:11that there was even some comment, right
23:13? Because as Francis started becoming
23:17strange to his friends, as he began to
23:20become more isolated, he no longer went
23:22to all the parties, he went to some,
23:24but not all of them anymore, he didn't
23:27get as involved. Then his friends
23:30started to say:" Francis, what is
23:32happening to you? "What is happening to
23:35you, Francis? Is something going on?
23:38And one of them said:" I know, Francis,
23:41you who are a man of many women, have
23:43finally fallen in love with one. "Ah,
23:46is that it, right, Francis? You are in
23:49love. And Francis laughed and said:" It
23:52is true, I am in love. "And his
23:55biographers say, Francis used this
23:58terminology so as not to say everything
24:01. Yes, he was in love. And Saint
24:06Bonaventure says, he was in love with
24:07religion. And actually, in religion, he
24:13was referring to everything that the
24:15very person of Jesus was going to do in
24:17his life. Because no one falls in love
24:21with a rule, no one falls in love with
24:24an order, no one falls in love simply
24:27with a community; we fall in love with
24:29a person. And Francis let himself fall
24:33in love with God, because God was
24:36already in love with him. Francis was
24:41being drawn by God and was letting his
24:43heart be inflamed with love for God. So
24:47, Francis's life cannot be understood
24:50without this passionate, loving
24:52experience, which we today call spousal
24:55love; without this experience of losing
24:59one's head, in the good sense, for the
25:02love of God, of approaching God, of
25:05touching Him, of slowly leaving the
25:07taste of the things of the world to
25:10start with...God. Because Francis,
25:16understand, he didn't just, hello, he
25:18didn't distance himself from
25:20worldliness out of, ah, penance, right?
25:23I won't leave it. Francis was falling
25:26in love with God and was letting go,
25:28was letting go because things were
25:29losing their taste and he was feeling
25:31an increasingly stronger taste for the
25:33things of God. And then that episode
25:37happens that we all know, the episode
25:40of the leper, right? The encounter with
25:44the leper. You have the slide there,
25:46don't you? It is interesting that we
25:50know it one way, but it is important
25:52that we understand it in a deeper way.
25:55How was this leper encounter? Thomas of
25:59Celano and also his historians say the
26:02following: Francis was riding a horse.
26:08Actually, before, pardon, before, God
26:11says something to Francis in his prayer
26:15experience. In his prayer experience,
26:19God says this to Francis, look, before,
26:22not before he met the leper there,
26:24pause there. God says this, Francis.
26:29God speaks. Did you know that God
26:30speaks? Who has already heard the voice
26:33of God in their heart? Those who didn't
26:36raise their hands, get ready, because
26:38God, and when God speaks, you see? When
26:41God speaks, it shakes you. And look at
26:44what Francis, what God said to the
26:46heart of the praying Francis. Francis,
26:49friend of God, Francis, in love with
26:52God. And when God speaks, God doesn't
26:55just say anything at all. Look at what
26:57God said to Francis. God said:" Francis
27:02, Francis was still, let's say, in a
27:05life halfway towards approaching God
27:08more and more, but still in his own way
27:11. "He says:" Francis, exchange what you
27:17still love with carnal love for the
27:20values of the spirit. "Prefer bitter
27:24things to sweet ones and despise
27:29yourself, if you want to know me. Look,
27:34our Lord played hardball, right? Oh,
27:37let's go, there's still more ahead, but
27:39look at this part. Come on, let's
27:41repeat with me, with me so you can
27:43memorize it. Let's go. Francis,
27:45exchange for the values of the spirit
27:51that which you still love with carnal
27:53love. Prefer bitter things
28:01>> to sweet ones
28:03>> and despise yourself,
28:07>> if you want to know me. The strongest
28:12word is yet to come. It's now, Francis,
28:18only turned inside out will you be able
28:21to savor the truth of my words. It's
28:26strong, Francis. Only by being, only
28:31turned inside out will you know me more
28:35deeply. Let me turn you. Our Lord is
28:39asking for permission, Francis. You
28:41want to, you are in love with me. Your
28:44heart is on fire. Do you want to know
28:47me more? Do you want a deeper, happier,
28:49and fuller life? Then, Francis, let me
28:52turn you inside out and then you will
28:57be able to truly understand who I am
29:00and how strong my love is. Do you want
29:05to, will you let yourself be turned
29:07inside out? Look at what you will
29:09answer. Our Lord loves hearing these
29:12things; it's beautiful. Ask the brother
29:15next to you. Do you want to be turned
29:16inside out? That's it. That's it. Only
29:28turned inside out will you be able to
29:30savor the truth of my words. We get
29:33scared, but we should be scared of not
29:36being turned inside out. Sad is the
29:40life that does not let itself be turned
29:44, that does not let itself be turned
29:48inside out, because it will live in a
29:52way that is so, my God, so petty, so
29:57poor. But when we allow God to turn us
30:04inside out, we cannot imagine what the
30:07mind of God, the thought of God, has
30:11prepared for us. A new work begins and
30:15unfolds in our life. Because of this,
30:22Francis began to think of the bitter as
30:25sweet, right? God told him, prefer
30:30bitter things to sweet ones, despise
30:34yourself. So, what did Francis have the
30:37most resistance to in his life? The
30:41lepers. Francis had a true rejection of
30:45lepers, which was very common back then
30:47, right? Leprosy was an incurable
30:51disease. And when someone—everyone
30:56was afraid of catching leprosy, so then
31:00exactly that happens. Francis's
31:05greatest bitterness in life was the
31:09leper. And then one day Francis is
31:12riding his horse, clip-clop, clip-clop,
31:14clip-clop, you know, on his horse. And
31:16that is exactly what happened. Then,
31:20when Francis sees, he sees a leper. And
31:25then he remembers, it’s not that he
31:27stayed, I said like that, but isn't it
31:28that he stayed behind, what is it? What
31:30is it? What is it? What is it? When he
31:32saw the leper, he remembered what God
31:35had told him. Trade the bitter for the
31:38sweet. Francis thought:" Oh, trade the
31:43sweet for the bitter. "Yeah. Then
31:45Francis:" Here is the bitter. "And then
31:47, Francis gathered the little strength
31:50he had, the strength of God's grace,
31:56got off his horse and instead of
31:59putting, before giving the money, he
32:02takes the leper's hand and kisses it.
32:08And the disgust he felt turns into
32:11great spiritual joy. And then he gives
32:17everything he has, gives his clothes,
32:19gives his money. Not his clothes, he
32:20gives his money, he gave, he even gave
32:22the horse's saddle, if I'm not mistaken
32:24. And then the biographers say, it's
32:27there in the biographers, when he gets
32:29back on his horse, he looks, the leper
32:32was no longer there. And then, Francis
32:40starts to understand what it is, who it
32:43was that was hidden in the leper. And
32:48from then on, he who was in love with
32:51Jesus, Francis goes after Jesus. This
32:56is, the biographers say it textually,
32:58it is not poetry. He goes after Jesus
33:02in the poor and in the lepers, because
33:05he says:" Jesus, I, I experienced the
33:08joy of kissing Jesus' hand, "in other
33:11words. And he understood the mystery of
33:17Jesus who is found in the least, in the
33:20smallest ones. The leper, what was
33:26bitter, became sweet. Christ hidden in
33:30the leper. But Francis is still there
33:33in his little outfit, everything still
33:34the same, it's still in his life. But
33:37the work of transformation in Francis
33:40is happening, it's operating, right?
33:45And then it happens one day in this
33:47life, in this, in this altar, who has
33:49already experienced such a work of God
33:52in their life? Say me, right? So you
33:55can imagine this work in Francis's life
33:58, the conversion, the grace, the life,
34:01leaving it more and more. And one day
34:04he is passing in front of a church, a
34:07little church called San Damiano, all,
34:11how should I say, in ruins. And so he
34:16feels an attraction to prayer, because
34:17Francis had this characteristic and it
34:19grew in him, right? You know that in
34:22the life of Saint Francis, when he was
34:24walking and when he saw a church, from
34:26afar, from afar, what did he do? He
34:30would kneel and adore the Blessed
34:33Sacrament. He had an attraction there
34:37for a life of prayer, for adoration,
34:41adoration of the Lord. And so Francis
34:45entered that church to pray, he felt
34:48attracted to it. And upon arriving
34:52there, here is this image, I think it's
34:54by Giotto, I think, right? He
34:56encounters that which we know so well.
35:00You can move to the next slide, which
35:02is the San Damiano Cross, right? No,
35:04it's not there, but everyone knows it,
35:06right? Let's imagine the San Damiano
35:07cross here, right? There it is, right
35:09there, live and in color, right? That
35:12cross right there, right? with Francis.
35:19And Francis remains there in prayer, he
35:22remains there in prayer and Francis
35:24says:" Lord, what do you want me to do?
35:27"And there, biographers say that a
35:31mystical experience occurs in Francis.
35:35When the Lord speaks strongly to
35:38Francis, some biographers, I don't know
35:42if eh, let's say, say that the image
35:46speaks to Francis. Whether the image
35:48speaks or doesn't speak, what matters
35:50is that Francis heard the Lord say:"
35:55Francis, get up. "and rebuild my church
36:01. Come, Francis has a strong calling
36:05and that experience is a turning point
36:08in Francis's life. He leaves there, if
36:11he was strange before, he became
36:14strange and, you know? he left there
36:18all shaken and he understood, he said:"
36:20No, the church of San Damiano that was
36:22there was like that and he understood
36:24that, well, he had to rebuild that
36:26church. But how was he going to rebuild
36:29that church? And he went on praying.
36:33But how did he? Ah, logically. But how
36:38had Francis not remembered that? Where
36:41was he going to find money to rebuild
36:44that church? In his father's things. It
36:49was, Francis, logically, in his
36:52father's things. His father was rich,
36:55the pieces of fabric were valuable. And
37:00so Francis takes a bunch of pieces of
37:03fabric and goes to a neighboring town
37:06to sell them to make money to rebuild
37:09that church. he sells it, goes there
37:15and wants to give it to the priest, the
37:16priest is terrified because he says: "
37:18No, I cannot accept this money." And
37:20that whole "take it, take it, take it"
37:22begins. I don't want it, I don't want
37:23it. And he himself. So, when his father
37:26finds out, the conflicts between Pietro
37:28Bernardone and Francis begin, which
37:31already existed, because where does
37:34this boy think his head is at, right?
37:37How is that possible? He thinks life is
37:39like this, I don't know if you've heard
37:40that around, right? He thinks life is
37:42just like that, no. What kind of
37:44madness is this? Here I am working,
37:48working, working and he's building
37:50churches, Bernardone's father, right?
37:54And even selling my things to build the
37:57church. Then that complicated situation
38:01in Francis's life begins, right? And
38:04Francis begins to rebuild San Damiano,
38:06it begins, and the conflict with the
38:08family, the conflict with his father.
38:11One day this conflict reaches a
38:13breaking point, because Francis really
38:16starts to leave his father's house and
38:19already wants to live at San Damiano,
38:21and his father won't accept it. And one
38:25day he goes there, grabs Francis, and
38:27drags him. No, what are you thinking,
38:30John? What are you thinking, Francis?
38:33He locks him in the house, his mother
38:35despairs like any mother, right? She
38:38tears her hair out. My God in heaven,
38:40Francis, for the love of God, take it
38:42easy. And that family tension, it's
38:46funny, a family tension establishes
38:49itself in the life of the Bernardones,
38:52and they start to become almost a
38:55laughingstock for the whole of Assisi,
38:58because the boy went crazy, the boy
39:01lost his mind and, in the middle of all
39:04that confusion, right, there's a day
39:07when his mother releases Francis;
39:10Francis runs back there again, takes
39:14more of his father's things to sell.
39:17Then things get worse and his father
39:18can't take it anymore. He grabs Francis
39:21. And then that scene we know so well,
39:24right? That we find beautiful, that we
39:26cry over. We should look at that scene
39:31more deeply, where the father takes him
39:37, the father has no patience left. and
39:42takes Francis to court. What is
39:46happening there in that square is not
39:49simply an act, let's say, eh an act of
39:54"oh, Bishop, help me." No, he is taking
39:57Francis to canonical justice, which at
40:00the time was the law. The Church
40:04exercised jurisdictional,
40:05jurisdictional power. So he takes
40:09Francis, then the whole city gets
40:11involved and Pietro stands there.
40:14Francis is already like this,
40:15understand what I'm going to say, okay?
40:19Spiritually for Francis, he had, he
40:21lived, he suffered a lot in this, in
40:23the conflict, but there came a moment
40:25when Francis said: "But is this really
40:28what I want? Is this my life? I am
40:34determined. I am determined. I cannot
40:41not do this. And when Pietro Bernardone
40:45, before Bishop Guido, says, he is
40:47taking away everything I gave him. He
40:50is dishonoring my name, Bernardone. The
40:53whole city is mocking me. He takes my
40:57goods and destroys them in favor of the
41:00poor and the church. Then Francis said:
41:05" Very well, if that is the problem, "
41:07so Francis takes off his clothes,
41:13places them in the hands of the judge,
41:15or rather, his father, puts them in his
41:17father's hands and says:" So, my father
41:20, if this is my, if this is the problem
41:22, then I will no longer call you father
41:24. "" If the problem is mine, is your
41:27tarnished name, I will now have a new
41:30name. "" If the problem is your money,
41:35what I have here are my clothes. ""
41:37Everything the Lord gave me, ""
41:41everything is in your hands, my Father,
41:43because now "" I want to abandon myself
41:48into the hands of the Heavenly Father.
41:49"The city of Assisi is moved. It is a
41:58moment of grace. It is not, it is not
42:00just a sociological moment, it is not a
42:02moment, it is a moment of grace. The
42:05city is moved. The bishop is speechless
42:09, the father is speechless, the mother
42:12just cries, but the bishop, in an act
42:17of fatherhood, puts his cloak on him.
42:21And putting on the cloak was not just
42:24to cover Francis's nakedness, it was to
42:27say:" You are now under the protection
42:30of the church. "And he places Francis,
42:37takes away any kind of risk from
42:39Francis's life in that legal sense,
42:42right? And places him under the care of
42:46the church. And Francis leaves from
42:49there. The story wasn't so romantic.
42:55Imagine. Do you understand what I'm
42:57going to say? Okay? The guy leaves his
43:00city naked, with everyone watching,
43:04with nowhere to go and nothing to do,
43:11but in an act of faith and trust,
43:13abandoned in the hands of the Father,
43:16and happy. Now that is something that
43:19no one can really understand, humanly,
43:21right? Happy. He goes to San Damiano,
43:30he wears the clothes of his time, of
43:33the poor of his time. It was the first
43:36habit of Francis, something all patched
43:39up. And he begins to lay stones, to
43:45rebuild that church. It was the
43:46Lord’s mandate, it was what the Lord
43:48commanded. So, that is what I am going
43:49to do. That is what I am going to do.
43:52He begins to rebuild San Damiano, and
43:56Francis begins to live a life of prayer
43:59and begging. He dedicates himself more
44:03and more and still more to prayer and
44:06begins to beg in the city of Assisi to
44:08rebuild San Damiano. Some people are
44:13touched, they begin to help, other
44:15people despise him, they take him for a
44:20madman. We all know this. But the
44:24prayerful life and testimony of Francis
44:27begins to stir the society of Assisi.
44:31Because when God begins to work in
44:35someone’s life, it is not just that
44:38someone, God’s work begins to spread
44:42all around. And those old friends from
44:47back then begin to have an immense
44:53curiosity about what is happening with
44:56Francis. And it was like this,
45:00Bernardone, it was like this that
45:03Bernardo and others begin to approach
45:06Francis. And when they begin to
45:09approach Francis, what is it that
45:11Francis proposes to them? Nothing more,
45:15nothing less than to carry stone. It
45:18was, it was to rebuild that church. To
45:20pray and to rebuild that church.
45:24Humanly, it seems like something that,
45:26my God, what is the project, what is
45:28the plan? But it was obedience to the
45:32direction that God had given them. When
45:37they begin to arrive, then something
45:38happens, Francis begins to say, well,
45:40Francis says something very beautiful.
45:43After our Lord gave himself to me,
45:45after he spoke to me, the first thing
45:51and the most important thing he gave me
45:53after that was brothers. They were
45:57those who were arriving and adhering to
46:00that experience of Francis. And when
46:04those arrived," Francis, what are we
46:05going to do? "What are we going to do?
46:07So, Francis goes and searches for this
46:11in the Gospel. And Francis opens the
46:14Gospel three times, right, together
46:17with Bernardo. Where is the Gospel? The
46:21Gospel, where is it? Ah, it’s right
46:25there, right? And then come the words
46:27of the Gospel, three words of the
46:29Gospel. And one is one of those phrases
46:33, those passages of the Gospel that
46:35whoever wants to follow me, whoever
46:40wants to follow me, take up your cross
46:45and follow. Because whoever wants to
46:48gain their life and whoever loses their
46:50life for love of me. Another passage
46:56was that of Jesus sending the disciples
46:59and saying:" Do not take two, do not
47:02take two tunics, do not take money, do
47:06not take only one, do not take a staff,
47:09right? Some, nor sandals. "And Francis
47:14said:" Ready, that’s it, it is this,
47:17it is this that we are called to live,
47:20it is this. "" And they begin, they
47:23begin to live. And Francis discovers
47:28that he wants to live the gospel, that
47:31God is calling him to live the gospel.
47:34And the gospel, as he used to say,
47:37without gloss. You know what without
47:39gloss means, right? A gloss is the
47:42following, people sometimes say, eh,
47:45whoever wants to strike you on one
47:47cheek, offer the other. Then there’s
47:50a little asterisk. We go down there,
47:52and it says: "At that time, what was
47:55meant was not to say offer one cheek
47:57and turn the other, it strips away
48:00everything strong and powerful from the
48:02gospel." Francis says: "No, I don’t
48:04want that. What I want is, if they
48:06strike one cheek, I want to offer the
48:08other. I want to see the gospel just as
48:11it is, without emptying the gospel of
48:13its strength. And this is, it wasn't
48:19just scandalous in Francis's time, it
48:21is scandalous in any time. In any time,
48:29in any time. Reconciliation with God in
48:36Francis's life happens like this. And
48:39as he reconciles with God, he begins to
48:44understand one of the beautiful things
48:46we talk about so much, right, about
48:47Francis, in that little group. Francis
48:51is there one day and the brothers
48:53arrive and Francis is in tears, huge
48:55tears, huge tears, huge tears. And they
48:59ask, what is it, Francis? What happened
49:01? What happened? What happened? What
49:03was it that Francis answered? What was
49:05it that Francis answered? Love is not
49:08loved. And Pope Leo says this. Love is
49:12not loved. As Saint—let’s—we
49:14can’t read it together, right? But
49:16let's. Whoever can read, read it. Love
49:19is not loved, as Saint Francis of
49:21Assisi said. Forget it. Oh my. Let's
49:28skip it. Let's skip there, look. Hold
49:30on. Love is not loved, as Saint Francis
49:32of Assisi said. Are you seeing it there
49:34? Let us. Let's go. Let us be infected
49:39by his desire to live the love of the
49:43Lord and to transmit it to those near
49:46and far. Because as he affirmed, one
49:52must greatly love the love of Him who
49:55loved us so much. That's Pope Leo in
50:00Assisi. Francis, reconciled with God,
50:05experiences the infinite love of God,
50:08which was unknown to him, and begins to
50:12feel the imperative within himself to
50:15make Love known and loved. It is a
50:20requirement and it is a personal
50:22response. Who has already experienced
50:27love? Who has already experienced the
50:30Beloved? Say me.
50:33>> No, I want to hear it louder and I want
50:35you to raise your arm. Who here has
50:37experienced love? Who here has
50:39experienced the Beloved? And so, if you
50:44have done so, you are also invited,
50:47like Francis, to transmit love to
50:49others. Love. I have to make a very big
50:58leap. Reconciliation with God,
51:01reconciliation with oneself. We won't
51:03talk about that. The life of repentance
51:06in the life of Francis, but let's talk
51:08about it to wrap things up. We have a
51:11beautiful testimony to hear in a little
51:12while. Reconciliation with the brother.
51:17Having experienced love, the Lord gave
51:19him brothers. And Francis keeps
51:24experiencing God's mercy made flesh in
51:27his life and understanding it like the
51:30leper. Jesus hides in the leper, Jesus
51:35hides in my brother, especially the
51:38most challenging and complicated one.
51:42Reconciliation with a brother in the
51:44life of Francis begins to tread a path
51:46of humility and patience. Let's go to a
51:50story in the life of Francis that you
51:52all know, but allow me to tell it once
51:54more. One day, Francis was not at home,
51:59right? And so, there was a friar, who
52:05was the guardian of the house. Francis
52:09was out begging, and there were three
52:12bandits in the region, three evildoers,
52:18and it seems these guys—he has a very
52:20cute face, but they weren't really like
52:23that, you know? Eh, do you think it's
52:26ugly? It was much worse, you see? He
52:29looked all pious, but he wasn't. The
52:33three evildoers were like that;
52:36everyone in the region was afraid of
52:39them because they would rob, they would
52:43mistreat, they even killed, they were
52:47murderers. And they arrived there at
52:52Saint Francis's convent. He wasn't
52:55there; who was there was a brother.
52:57When the brother opened the little door
52:58, they were knocking; when the brother
53:00opened it, the guys said," We want to
53:01eat something here, "and so on. Then
53:03the brother recognized them and said,"
53:05You rascals. "He didn't say it like
53:07that, right? But let's adapt it: you
53:12shameless scoundrels, you
53:14good-for-nothings, right? What do you
53:17think you're doing? Go away. You who
53:21live here mistreating others, stealing
53:24money from others, from the poor, eh,
53:27what do you think? Get out of here
53:32before I grab a stick and beat you all
53:35up, and he chased the guys away. And he
53:38really did chase them away, too. He was
53:42inside the monastery, right? So then,
53:48then Francis arrived, after the guys
53:49had left, Francis arrived, and when
53:51Francis arrived, the brother, all happy
53:53, said," Oh Francis, you don't know
53:55what happened. "You know those three
53:58guys who were making trouble for
53:59everyone? Well, they arrived here, and
54:02I said this, that, and the other. I
54:03told everyone off. And Francis kept
54:07listening, and listening, and listening
54:10, and said:" Brother, you shouldn't
54:12have done that. "Why, Francis? Don't
54:18you know what I want? Go after them,
54:21Francis. Go after them. And when you
54:27find them, kneel before them and say
54:32humbly, ask for forgiveness for your
54:35guilt. I'm reading what the biographer
54:38says. For your cruelty, the brother’s
54:42cruelty. And after you ask for
54:46forgiveness for the cruelty you showed
54:50them, ask them on my behalf humbly not
54:54to do any more harm to anyone. To fear
54:59God and not offend their neighbor. And
55:03if they do that, I promise, look,
55:06Francis, to provide for their needs and
55:08give them food and drink continually,
55:11provided they don't do this to anyone
55:13anymore. And when you have done all
55:17this, return home very humbly. The
55:21brother was astonished. But Francis
55:27said:" Do this out of holy obedience. "
55:30And the Franciscans were obedient and
55:35went to do it. While the guardian—he
55:43was the guardian, not just anyone. When
55:48the guardian left, Francis went to the
55:51chapel and began to pray, begging God
55:54to soften the hearts of those thieves
55:57and lead them to penance. Francis went
56:03to pray for the thieves, and the
56:06brother went into the woods; the poor
56:08man must have been terrified, right? Of
56:12course, right? He went in, went there,
56:15and found the evildoers. When he found
56:17the evildoers, he knelt down and said:"
56:19I want to ask for forgiveness for my
56:21cruelty, kneeling down, and I bring a
56:26message from Francis. The message is
56:29this. "" He is humbly asking you to
56:32forgive me and for you to stop doing
56:35evil. "And then, through Francis's
56:42prayer and the brother's humility, the
56:46biographer says, these men said:" Woe
56:49to us, wretched ones. "How is it that
56:56after we did all this, this holy man
56:58comes here to kneel before me and ask
57:01for forgiveness? We who deserve the
57:06harsh torments of hell, we who not only
57:09rob our neighbor but also beat, wound,
57:12and even kill, what are we going to do?
57:16And the other said:" Let's go to Saint
57:19Francis, to see if he gives us hope
57:21that we can return to the mercy of God.
57:24"And then it says these men return to
57:27Francis. Francis receives them with
57:33kindness, comforts them with many
57:35examples, preaches to them, tells them
57:39that God's mercy is greater than their
57:42sins, and promises with certainty that
57:45they will reach God's mercy. Because
57:50even if they had infinite sins, God's
57:52mercy is still greater than our sins.
57:56And what happens to those men? What do
58:00you think? They joined the Order of
58:03Saint Francis. And it is a historical
58:07fact. It is not just a little story, no
58:08. It is not just a flower, no, not a"
58:10fioretti ". They joined, all three
58:13joined the order and lived in a holy
58:15way, the biographers say. And what does
58:19this teach us? Coming to the conclusion
58:25that mercy, humility, and a look of
58:28hope, giving others a chance to restart
58:32, is the best remedy, not our arrogance
58:35. Sometimes we want to evangelize, we
58:40want to announce the gospel, we want to
58:42defend the church, we want to defend it
58:44. Our Lord does not need this defense.
58:50The only defense our Lord needs is a
58:53humble and merciful heart towards his
58:55own, including the most miserable, the
58:59weakest, the most sinful. Because what
59:04transforms a man's heart is not the
59:06eloquence of speeches. What transforms
59:10the hearts of men is prayer and
59:13humility and mercy. And Francis is a
59:17strong testimony to all of this. And
59:20finally, I had about three pages here,
59:23but finally, reconciliation with
59:26humanity. And how does Francis give
59:30this gift of peace for the
59:32reconciliation of humanity? By
59:34evangelizing. Evangel, it's already
59:38there, evangelizing. Francis, look,
59:41there were only eight of them. It was
59:44just, look, look at the madness of the
59:46gospel. There were only eight. Francis
59:48gathers the others and says:" My
59:50brothers, let's evangelize the world.
59:54Just look. "And then he says:" Two go
59:58here, two go there, two go there, and
1:00:01two go there. "And goodbye. And they
1:00:07left. How is it gospel, two go here,
1:00:16two go there. He's a little crazy,
1:00:20isn't he? But the holy madness of God,
1:00:26two here, two there, two there, the
1:00:28four cardinal points. And it happened,
1:00:30there were eight and they went like
1:00:32that. Go, dearest ones, says Francis,
1:00:37two by two. It sounds like a speech to
1:00:40a crowd, it's for eight. Go, dearest
1:00:43ones, two by two through the various
1:00:46parts of the earth. Imagine, Francis
1:00:49went as far as Rieti. But from various
1:00:52parts, a city quite close to his own,
1:00:55from various parts of the earth,
1:00:57announcing to men peace and penance for
1:01:00the remission of sins. Attention, he
1:01:03says, be patient in tribulation,
1:01:06knowing that the Lord's plan will be
1:01:08fulfilled and his promise will come to
1:01:11pass. And what is evangelization like?
1:01:16Francis says:" Answer with humility
1:01:18those who question you, not with
1:01:20arrogance or haughtiness, right? No,
1:01:23not at all. You shall answer with
1:01:26humility those who question you. Bless
1:01:29those who persecute you, right? Don't
1:01:31heap another curse upon those who are
1:01:33cursed. Bless those who persecute you.
1:01:37It is not about getting into heated
1:01:39fights on the internet. Heck, there are
1:01:43people who become lions on the internet
1:01:44, right? But that is not, that is not
1:01:47how we convert anyone. Bless those who
1:01:52persecute you, give thanks to those who
1:01:55slander and insult you, because for all
1:01:58this, the eternal kingdom is prepared
1:02:01for us. And he tells the brothers,
1:02:06before they leave, put your trust in
1:02:08the Lord and He will take care of you.
1:02:13No, no, do not carry money in your
1:02:15pocket. Great trust in the Lord and He
1:02:18will take care of you. With boldness,
1:02:24humility, charity, trust, and
1:02:27creativity. And so the brothers begin
1:02:33to go, they begin to return, and they
1:02:36return with a larger number; it begins
1:02:39to grow. And so we reach the point
1:02:44where Francis goes to the Pope, pledges
1:02:49obedience to the Pope and receives the
1:02:53blessing for his rules, which are
1:02:55completely revolutionary for his time.
1:02:59They are not in accordance with the
1:03:01Canon Law of his time. It didn't even
1:03:05exist, but it wasn't what existed in
1:03:07his time, and it contributes to what we
1:03:10understand as the evangelization of the
1:03:13church to this day. And today we are
1:03:18here, 800 years later, with this church
1:03:21full, celebrating the work of God's
1:03:25grace in the life of a man who simply
1:03:28let himself fall in love with God. Amen
1:03:33.

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This page contains the full transcript of São Francisco de Assis | Moysés Azevedo by Comunidade Católica Shalom, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 8,047 words across 1,149 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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