Memory of Saint Francis
Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (+1226). We remember the dedication of the Primavalle "little chapel" the first place of prayer of the community of Sant'Egidio in the outskirts of Rome. On October 4, 1992, the peace accord that put an end to the war in Mozambique was signed in Rome. Prayer for all those who work for peace.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 11,25-30
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, remembering his death on the night of October 3, 1226. Even today, his witness continues to move the hearts of many men and women towards the Lord. Two signs mark his conversion: his encounter with the leper, whom he embraced and kissed, and the time he listened to the voice of the Crucifix in the church of Saint Damian. From then on, the young Francis began living the Gospel "without additions." In him, the Gospel became the leavening of a universal fraternity. The Gospel passage that the liturgy offers us on this feast day reports a prayer in which Jesus thanks the Father for bending down to the little ones, revealing to them his mystery of his saving love . This mystery, which has lain hidden for ages, that not even the wise could understand if God did not reveal it to them, that is God so loved the world to send His Son to save men and women from the power of evil and death. It was God's gracious will to save humanity by starting with the smallest and weakest. This privilege of the poor is a constant in the Bible from the very first pages and still a reality for Jesus' disciples. Pope Francis constantly reminds of this with his example. That is precisely why he chose the name of the saint from Assisi. Still today, the young man from Assisi asks us to follow his example and join the ranks of the little ones who have welcomed and lived out this love. Saint Francis is part of the long line of witnesses that runs like a red thread through scripture: God's preference for the poor and the weak. This is where God starts saving the world. Francis retraced the ancient story of Jesus' disciples: despite being simple, scorned men, they were chosen by Jesus to be apostles of the kingdom. Through today's disciples Jesus continues to speak to the tired crowds of our world and to tell them: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."