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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-04-17, M, St. Francis of Assisi
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 10-04-17 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 10/03/2017 10:29:10 PM PDT by Salvation

October 4, 2017

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Reading 1 Neh 2:1-8

In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,
when the wine was in my charge,
I took some and offered it to the king.
As I had never before been sad in his presence,
the king asked me, "Why do you look sad?
If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart."
Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king:
"May the king live forever!
How could I not look sad
when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins,
and its gates have been eaten out by fire?"
The king asked me, "What is it, then, that you wish?"
I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king:
"If it please the king,
and if your servant is deserving of your favor,
send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves,
to rebuild it."
Then the king, and the queen seated beside him,
asked me how long my journey would take
and when I would return.
I set a date that was acceptable to him,
and the king agreed that I might go.

I asked the king further: "If it please the king,
let letters be given to me for the governors
of West-of-Euphrates,
that they may afford me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah;
also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal park,
that he may give me wood for timbering the gates
of the temple-citadel and for the city wall
and the house that I shall occupy."
The king granted my requests,
for the favoring hand of my God was upon me.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!

Alleluia Phil 3:8-9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
"I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him,
"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
And to another he said, "Follow me."
But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."
And another said, "I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home."
Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: assisi; catholic; lk9; ordinarytime; prayer; saints; stfrancis; stfrancisofassisi
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The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


21 posted on 10/03/2017 11:24:38 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Luke
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Luke 9
57 And it came to pass, as they walked in the way, that a certain man said to him: I will follow thee withersoever thou goest. Factum est autem : ambulantibus illis in via, dixit quidam ad illum : Sequar te quocumque ieris. εγενετο δε πορευομενων αυτων εν τη οδω ειπεν τις προς αυτον ακολουθησω σοι οπου αν απερχη κυριε
58 Jesus said to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Dixit illi Jesus : Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres cæli nidos : Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet. και ειπεν αυτω ο ιησους αι αλωπεκες φωλεους εχουσιν και τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατασκηνωσεις ο δε υιος του ανθρωπου ουκ εχει που την κεφαλην κλινη
59 But he said to another: Follow me. And he said: Lord, suffer me first to go, and to bury my father. Ait autem ad alterum : Sequere me : ille autem dixit : Domine, permitte mihi primum ire, et sepelire patrem meum. ειπεν δε προς ετερον ακολουθει μοι ο δε ειπεν κυριε επιτρεψον μοι απελθοντι πρωτον θαψαι τον πατερα μου
60 And Jesus said to him: Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou, and preach the kingdom of God. Dixitque ei Jesus : Sine ut mortui sepeliant mortuos suos : tu autem vade, et annuntia regnum Dei. ειπεν δε αυτω ο ιησους αφες τους νεκρους θαψαι τους εαυτων νεκρους συ δε απελθων διαγγελλε την βασιλειαν του θεου
61 And another said: I will follow thee, Lord; but let me first take my leave of them that are at my house. Et ait alter : Sequar te Domine, sed permitte mihi primum renuntiare his quæ domi sunt. ειπεν δε και ετερος ακολουθησω σοι κυριε πρωτον δε επιτρεψον μοι αποταξασθαι τοις εις τον οικον μου
62 Jesus said to him: No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Ait ad illum Jesus : Nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum, et respiciens retro, aptus est regno Dei. ειπεν δε ο ιησους προς αυτον ουδεις επιβαλων την χειρα αυτου επ αροτρον και βλεπων εις τα οπισω ευθετος εστιν εις την βασιλειαν του θεου

22 posted on 10/04/2017 4:23:38 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
57. And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.
58. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head.
59. And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go you and preach the kingdom of God.
61. And another also said, Lord, I will follow you; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62. And Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

CYRIL; Although the Almighty Lord is bountiful, He does not grant to every one absolutely and indiscriminately heavenly and divine gifts, but to those only who are worthy to receive them, who free themselves and their souls from the stains of wickedness. And this we are taught by the force of the angelic words, And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said to him, Lord, I will follow you. First indeed there is much tardiness implied in the manner of his coming. It is next shown that he is filled with too great presumption. For he sought not to follow Christ simply as several others of the people, but rather caught at the honor of the Apostleship. Whereas Paul says, No one takes the honor to himself but he that is called of God.

ATHAN. He dared also to match himself with the incomprehensible power of the Savior, saying, I will follow you wherever you go; for to follow the Savior simply to hear His teaching is possible to human nature, as it directs itself towards men, but it is not possible to go with Him wherever He is; for He is incomprehensible, and is not confined by place.

CYRIL; In another respect also our Lord deservedly gives him a refusal, for He taught that to follow the Lord, a man must take up his cross, and renounce the affection of this present life. And our Lord finding this lacking in him does not blame him, but corrects him.

It follows, And Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, &c.

THEOPHYL. For having seen our Lord drawing much people to Him, he thought that he received reward from them, and that if he followed our Lord, he might obtain money.

THEOPHYL; Therefore it is said to him, Why do you seek to follow Me for the riches and gain of this world, when so great is My poverty that I have not even a place of rest, and take shelter under another man's roof.

CHRYS See how our Lord sets forth by his works the poverty which he taught. For him was no table spread, no lights, no house, nor any such thing.

CYRIL; Now under a mystical signification He applies the name of foxes and birds of the air to the wicked and crafty powers of evil spirits. As if He said, Since foxes and birds of the air have their abode in you, how shall Christ rest in you? What fellowship has light with darkness?

ATHAN. Or herein our Lord teaches the greatness of His gift, as if He said, All created things may be confined by place, but the Word of God has incomprehensible power. Say not then, I will follow you wherever you go. But if you would be a disciple, cast off foolish things, for it is impossible for him who remains in foolishness to become a disciple of the Word.

AMBROSE; Or, He compares foxes to heretics, because they are indeed a wily animal, and, ever intent upon fraud, commit their robberies by stealth. They let nothing be safe, nothing be at rest, nothing secure, for they hunt their prey into the very abodes of men. The fox again, an animal full of craft, makes no hole for itself, yet likes to lie always concealed in a hole. So the heretics, who know not how to construct a house for themselves, circumscribe and deceive others. This animal is never tamed, nor is it of use to man. Hence the Apostle, A heretic after the first and second admonition reject. But the birds of the air, which are frequently brought in to represent spiritual wickedness, build as it were their nests in the breasts of the wicked, and as long as deceit reigns over the affections, the divine principle has no opportunity to take possession.

But when a man has proved his heart to be innocent, upon him Christ leans in some measure the weight of His greatness, for by a more abundant shedding of grace He is planted in the breasts of good men. So then it does not seem reasonable that we should think him faithful and simple, who is rejected by the judgment of the Lord, notwithstanding that he promised the service of unwearied attendance; but our Lord cares not for this kind of service, but only purity of affection, nor is his attendance accepted whose sense of duty is not proved. For the hospitality of faith should be given with circumspection, lest while opening the interior of our house to the unbelieving, through our imprudent credulity we fall a snare to the treachery of others. Therefore that you may be aware that God despises not attendance upon him but deceit, He who rejected the deceitful man chose the innocent.

For it follows, And he said to another, Follow me. But He says this to him, whose father He knew to be dead. Hence it follows, But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

THEOPHYL; He did not refuse the discipleship, but his wish was, having fulfilled the filial duty of burying his father, to follow Christ more freely.

AMBROSE; But the Lord calls those upon whom He has compassion. Hence it follows, And Jesus said, Let the dead bury their dead. Since we have received as a religious duty the burial of the human body, how is it thus that the burial even of a father's dead body is forbidden, unless you are to understand that human things are to be postponed to divine? It is a good employment, but the hindrance is greater, for he who divides his pursuits, draws down his affections; he who divides his care, delays his advances. We must first set abort the things which are most important. For the Apostles also, that they might not be occupied in the office of distributing alms, ordained ministers for the poor.

CHRYS. But what more necessary than the burial of his father, what more easy, seeing that there would not be much time given to it? We are then hereby taught that it becomes us not to spend even the slightest portion of our time in vain, although we have a thousand things to compel us, nay to prefer spiritual things to even our greatest necessities. For the devil watchfully presses close upon us, wishing to find any opening, and if he causes a slight negligence, he ends in producing a great weakness.

AMBROSE; The performance of a father's burial is not then prohibited, but the observance of religious duty is preferred to the ties of relationship. The one is left to those in like condition, the other is commanded to those who are left. But how can the dead bury the dead? unless you here understand a twofold death, one a natural death, the other the death of sin. There is also a third death, by which we die to sin, live to God.

CHRYS. By thus saying, their dead, he shows that this man's father was not his dead, for I suppose that the deceased was of the number of the unbelieving.

AMBROSE; Or because the throat of the ungodly is an open sepulcher, their memory is ordered to be forgotten whose services die together with their bodies. Nor is the son recalled from his duty to his father, but the faithful is separated from the communion of the unbelieving; there is no prohibition of duty, but a mystery of religion, that is, that we should have no fellowship with the dead Gentiles.

CYRIL; Or else, his father was borne down with years, and he thought he was doing an honorable act in proposing to pay the kind offices which were due to him, according to Exodus, Honor your father and your mother. Hence when calling him to the ministry of the Gospel, our Lord said, Follow me, he sought for a time of respite, which should suffice for the support of his decrepit father, saying, Permit me first to go and bury my father, not that he asked to bury his deceased father, for Christ would not have hindered the wish to do this, but he said, Bury, that is, support in old age even till death. But the Lord said to him, Let the dead bury their dead. For there were other attendants also bound by the same tie of relationship, but as I consider dead, because they had not yet believed Christ. Learn from this, that our duty to God is to be preferred to our love for our parents, to whom we show reverence, because through them have we been born. But the God of all, when hen as yet we e were not, brought us into being, our parents were made the ministers of our introduction.

AUG. Our Lord spoke this to the man to whom He had said, Follow me. But another disciple put himself forward, to whom no one had spoken any thing, saying, I will follow you, O Lord; but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at home, lest perchance they look for me as they are wont.

CYRIL; Now this promise is worthy of our admiration and full of all praise, but to bid farewell to those who are at home, to get leave from them, shows that he was still somehow divided from the Lord, in that he had not yet resolved to make this venture with his whole heart. For to wish to consult relations who would not agree to his proposal because one somewhat wavering. Wherefore our Lord condemns this, saying, No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. He puts his hand to the plough who is ambitious to follow, yet looks back again who seeks an excuse for delay in returning home, and consulting with his friends.

AUG. As if he said to him, The East calls you, and you turn to the West.

THEOPHYL: To put one's hand to the plough, is also, (as it were by a certain sharp instrument,) by the wood and iron of our Lord's passion, to wear away the hardness of our heart, and to open it to bring forth the fruits of good works. But if any one, having begun to exercise this, delights to look back with Lot's wife to the things which he had left, he is deprived of the gift of the kingdom to come.

GREEK EX. For the frequent looking upon the things which we have forsaken, through the force of habit draws us back to our past way of life. For practice has great power to retain to itself. Is not habit generated of use, and nature of habit? But to get rid of or change nature is difficult; for although when compelled it for a while turns aside, it very rapidly returns to itself.

THEOPHYL; But if the disciple about to follow our Lord is reproved for wishing even to bid farewell at home, what will be done to such as for no advantage-sake frequently visit the houses of those whom they have left in the world?

Catena Aurea Luke 9
23 posted on 10/04/2017 4:24:31 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Monastery of Christ in the Desert

Abiquiu, New Mexico

24 posted on 10/04/2017 4:32:12 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: Salvation
St. Francis' feast day and the things we can learn from cats and dogs: click
25 posted on 10/04/2017 6:30:39 AM PDT by chud
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To: All
Saint Francis of Assisi

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Scenes from the Life of St Francis (Scene 7)Image: Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis (Scene 7) | Benozzo Gozzoli

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint of the Day for October 4

(September 26, 1182 – October 3, 1226)

 

Saint Francis of Assisi’s Story

Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance.

Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi’s youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: “Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”

From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.

He must have suspected a deeper meaning to “build up my house.” But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor “nothing” man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up all his possessions, piling even his clothes before his earthly father–who was demanding restitution for Francis’ “gifts” to the poor–so that he would be totally free to say, “Our Father in heaven.” He was, for a time, considered to be a religious fanatic, begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, evoking sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.

But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: “Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff” (Luke 9:1-3).

Francis’ first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no intention of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church’s unity.

Francis was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.

During the last years of his relatively short life, he died at 44, Francis was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.

On his deathbed, Francis said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, “Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death.” He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior’s permission to have his clothes removed when the last hour came in order that he could expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.


Reflection

Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like. He recognized creation as another manifestation of the beauty of God. In 1979, he was named patron of ecology. He did great penance–apologizing to “Brother Body” later in life–that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God. Francis’ poverty had a sister, Humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.


Saint Francis of Assisi is the Patron Saint of:

Animals
Archaeologists
Ecology
Italy
Merchants
Messengers
Metal Workers


Click here for a reflection on Saint Francis of Assisi!


26 posted on 10/04/2017 11:21:20 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Information: St. Francis of Assisi

Feast Day: October 4

Born: 1181 or 1182 at Assisi, Umbria, Italy

Died: 3 October 1226 at Assisi, Italy

Canonized: 16 July 1228 by Pope Gregory IX

Major Shrine: Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, Assisi, Italy

Patron of: against dying alone, against fire, animal welfare societies, animals, Assisi, Italy, birds, Catholic Action, ecologists, ecology, environment, families, Franciscan Order, lacemakers, merchants, needle workers, peace, tapestry workers, zoos

27 posted on 10/04/2017 11:49:55 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

St. Francis of Assisi

Feast Day: October 4
Born: (around) 1181 :: Died: 1226

St. Francis was born around 1181 in Assisi, in Italy. As a young man he loved parties and good times. He was handsome and rich, so he bought himself the finest clothes and spent money freely.

Francis had no wish to study or to learn his father's business, as he was having too much fun. One day he refused to give alms to a poor beggar but as the man was leaving, he felt sorry for what he had done and ran after him with some money.

After he fell ill twice, Francis realized that he was wasting precious time. He realized that he should be serving Jesus and began praying more and making sacrifices to grow strong in spirit.

While riding his horse one day he saw a leper and quickly turned his horse to ride away. Then he thought to himself, if Jesus saw a leper he would not turn the other way. So he kissed the horrible-looking leper, and gave him money.

Often he gave his clothes and money to the poor. He served the sick in hospitals. Still he felt he must do more. He fasted and began to go around in rags to humble himself.

It is not hard to imagine how his rich friends must have looked at him now! His father was so angry that he beat him and locked him up at home. Francis bore all this suffering for love of Jesus.

When his father took everything from him in disgust, Francis put all his trust in his Father in heaven. He said that he was married to "Lady Poverty" and he began to live as a beggar.

He had no shelter. His food was what kind people gave him. Everywhere he went, he begged people to stop sinning and return to God. Many men began to see how close to God this poor man really was, and they became his followers. Francis followed the example of Jesus closely by living a life of simplicity and teaching the Gospel message with great joy.

That is how the great Franciscan order of priests and brothers began. They helped the poor and sick and preached everywhere. Even after the order had spread all over Italy, Francis insisted that they should not own anything. He wanted his priests to love poverty as he did.

St. Francis had the power of working miracles. He loved all creatures and the birds and animals happily obeyed his commands!

As a reward for his great love, Jesus gave him his own wounds. Two in his hands, two in his feet and one in his side but the humble Francis tried to hide them from people.

Toward the end of his life, he became very sick. He was told he would live only a few more weeks and he exclaimed, "Welcome, Sister Death!" He asked to be laid on the ground and covered with an old habit.

He advised his brothers to love God, to love being poor, and to obey the Gospel. "I have done my part," he said. "May Jesus teach you to do yours." Francis died on October 3, 1226.


28 posted on 10/04/2017 11:54:21 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Wednesday, October 4

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St.
Francis of Assisi. He was born in
1182, into a wealthy family, leading
a carefree life through his youth.
Following a conversion, he
renounced his wealth preferring
poverty as he preached the Gospel.

29 posted on 10/04/2017 7:51:53 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 4th

St. Francis of Assisi, confessor

MASS READINGS

October 04, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis' footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (16)

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Activities (5)

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Library (17)

Old Calendar: St. Francis of Assisi, confessor ; Other Titles: Il Poverello

St. Francis (1182-1226) was born and died in Assisi. He was the son of a rich merchant, Bernardone, received a good education, and in the beginning followed the ways of the world. He was taken prisoner in the battle between the Assisians and Perugians, and after his release decided to abandon everything for Christ. His father became extremely displeased at his action, and disinherited him. In 1220 he founded a new order which in ten years numbered five thousand brothers. His followers were called Friars Minor because they were to consider themselves as the least among religious. Out of humility Francis never accepted the priesthood but remained a deacon all his life. He had a great love for God's creatures and called them his brothers and sisters. His ardent love of God merited for him the name of Seraphic. This feast is celebrated today both in the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.


St. Francis of Assisi
Francis Bernardone was born in 1181 at Assisi, Umbria, Italy. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he lived a lavish and irresponsible life. At the age of twenty, he went to war against Perugia, but was captured and imprisoned. During his imprisonment he experienced a vision from Christ and changed his life completely. He left all his possessions and embraced complete poverty, taking the Gospel as his rule of life.

He wore ragged old clothes, begged for food and preached peace. He began to attract followers, and in 1209 with the papal blessing he founded the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Then in 1212 with St. Clare of Assisi he founded the foundation of the Order of "Poor Ladies," now known as the "Poor Clares." He also founded the "Third Order of Penance" (the Third Order) which included lay people. He was the first person (recorded) to receive the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ) in 1224. He died on October 4, 1226 at Portiuncula, Italy. He was canonized by Gregory IX less than two years later.

Patron: against fire; animals; Catholic Action; dying alone; ecology; environment; families; fire; lacemakers; merchants; peace; zoos; Italy; Assisi, Italy; Colorado; Sante Fe, New Mexico; archdiocese of San Francisco, California; archdiocese of Denver, Colorado; archdiocese of Sante Fe, New Mexico; diocese of Salina, Kansas.

Symbols: birds and animals; bag of gold and rich raiment at his feet; winged crucifix with five rays; stigmata; crown of thorns; lighted lamp; fiery chariot; birds; deer; fish; skull; wolf; fire.

Things to Do:


30 posted on 10/04/2017 7:59:58 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Nehemiah 2:1-8

Saint Francis of Assisi (Memorial)

Send me to Judah . . . to rebuild it. (Nehemiah 2:5)

Perhaps you know the story of the call of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day we celebrate today. Praying in a run-down chapel, he heard the Lord saying, “Francis, go and repair my house; look, it is falling into ruins.” Now, God wasn’t speaking about that particular chapel; he was speaking about the challenges facing the whole Church at the time. It took Francis some time to realize this, but once he did, he and his fellow friars went out and changed the course of history.

Nehemiah feels a similar call in today’s first reading: to go and rebuild Jerusalem. And like St. Francis, he does more than “look sad” and bemoan the state of his people (Nehemiah 2:3). He too springs into action.

In every age and for every generation, God has called his people to rebuild his Church. No matter what the era, there has always been a need for renovation, for a return to our roots in the Lord, and for addressing the challenges of the day. In every age, God invites his people, not just to mourn the situation, but to rebuild.

It doesn’t have to be difficult. Look at St. Francis. As soon as he heard God’s call, he grabbed a hammer and set to work. Of course he would! God had told him to rebuild his Church, so that’s what he did. Over time, though, God helped him become more clear about what the call really entailed.

You can follow the same approach. Just do what makes sense to you. What would be helpful? Where are the needs the greatest? What kind of work are you best suited for?

No matter what you choose to do, just get started. If you take that first step, you can be sure that the Holy Spirit will guide you and help clarify your mission. He may give you the sense that you are doing exactly what you should be doing, or he may nudge you in a different direction to make you more effective.

Both St. Francis and Nehemiah got out there and made a difference for the Lord. So can you.

“Lord, teach me how I can help rebuild your house!”

Psalm 137:1-6
Luke 9:57-62

31 posted on 10/04/2017 8:14:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 4, 2017:

On her wedding day, a bride listed ten of her husband’s faults she would overlook for the sake of their marriage. On their 50th anniversary, she revealed that she never actually made the list; she just kept overlooking irritations! Overlook a fault today.

32 posted on 10/04/2017 8:16:59 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

October 4, 2017 – Costly Christ

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Luke 9: 57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Introductory Prayer: In you, Lord, I find all my joy and happiness. How could I offend you by chasing after fleeting success and lifeless trophies? I believe in you because you are truth itself. I hope in you because you are faithful to your promises. I love you because you have loved me first. I am a sinner; nevertheless, you have given me so many blessings. I humbly thank you.

Petition: Let me willingly accept the cost of following in your footsteps

1. Hidden Expenses: A would-be disciple of Jesus’ boasts that he will follow Our Lord anywhere, whatever the sacrifice. Jesus’ response makes us wonder whether the fellow understood what he would be getting into. Following Christ is demanding — and not always glamorous. We might dream of doing great things for Christ, but then find the day-to-day struggle distasteful (“the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head”). Unglamorous challenges take many forms. A new wife might discover to her chagrin that her husband can’t handle finances. Or a parent with high hopes learns that a child has a learning disability that will limit her ability to excel. Or a husband takes a higher-paying job to support his family, only to find his new boss is a tyrant. Or a teen suffers ridicule at public school for her modest clothes. All these trials can be the cost of following Christ. What price am I willing to pay?

2. Family Ties: Christ tries to dissuade another would-be follower from “burying his father.” The man was probably settling his father’s estate and getting too involved in family finances. Our Lord wanted him to cut with all that, immediately, and get on with the work of the Kingdom. Too often money matters distract us from doing what Christ wants. No wonder St. Paul warns, “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Is money holding me back in my relationship with Christ? Am I working longer hours than I need to, just for the sake of money?

3. Long Good-bye: The moment of decision had arrived. But instead of joining Jesus’ camp, the would-be disciple felt the tug of family ties. As followers of Christ, we have to be willing to make a fundamental option for Christ — an option that by necessity excludes other paths. Does this sound hard? It should sound familiar. Think of the young woman who says yes to a proposal of marriage. She does so assuming that her beloved has long broken off other romantic relationships. Or take the student who decides to go out for the soccer team at school. He rules out spending hours of practice on the basketball court. By extension, if we want to follow Christ, why do we fritter away hours in activities that have nothing to do with our faith or the Church? Are there things I need to weed out of my life?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me focus my energies better on you and what you are asking of me. Let me not be distracted by activities or material possessions or even relationships that aren’t helping my spiritual life.

Resolution: I will weed out one thing from my life that doesn’t fit in with my state as a Christian. It could be a Web site, a subscription to a publication, an immodest piece of clothing, a relationship.

33 posted on 10/04/2017 8:22:46 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Homily of the Day
October 4, 2017

In the first reading, Nehemiah who was cupbearer to the king of Persia asks the king to let him go back to Israel to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. The king allows him to go and even supplies him with timber to rebuild the walls of the temple. Unlike Ezra who was a scribe/priest, Nehemiah was a layman highly trusted by the king. This tells us that our Christian community (which is also the temple of God) must be rebuilt by both the priests and laymen. There must be laypeople who will give all or most of their time to the evangelization of the faithful, to the building up of the Christian community. We need Christian lay couples and families actively doing the apostolic work of priests.

The gospel talks about the hardships of the apostolic calling. A missionary catechist must be ready to endure any and all physical discomforts to preach anywhere. He understands that his guide in the missions, Jesus Christ, “had nowhere to lay his head.” Also the missionary must be ready to cut off all family ties in order to concentrate fully on his apostolate. Once he leaves his house, parents, relatives, etc. he does not know if and when he will come back. He understands that to preach the Good News takes precedence over all family obligations. The last requirement to becoming a missionary is being ready to leave everything behind – a good job, comforts of life, friends and family. But of course support from his family would be a big help in his missionary work.


34 posted on 10/04/2017 8:27:10 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 6

<< Wednesday, October 4, 2017 >> St. Francis of Assisi
 
Nehemiah 2:1-8
View Readings
Psalm 137:1-6 Luke 9:57-62
Similar Reflections
 

"REBUILD MY CHURCH"

 
"Send me...to rebuild it." �Nehemiah 2:5
 

Nehemiah set out to rebuild the ruined city of Jerusalem (Neh 2:5ff). God instilled in him a heart of concern for Jerusalem and prepared his way by granting him favor in the eyes of King Artaxerxes.

While in prayer, St. Francis of Assisi, today's saint, heard God command him: "Rebuild My Church." Francis immediately set out to repair and rebuild several church buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Eventually in prayer, Francis discerned that the Lord meant for him to rebuild the people in the Church rather than its buildings. So Francis built up a religious order whose ministry brought new life to the people of God.

Are you called to rebuild the Church? Perhaps your particular role in rebuilding the Church is to work to rebuild your family (see Is 58:12), which is the "domestic Church" (see Catechism, 2204, 2685). Some of you may be called to minister in the Church. As He did with Nehemiah and Francis, God will supply what you need (see Phil 4:19) and prepare your way. Therefore, put your hand to the plow (Lk 9:62) and get to the work of rebuilding (Hg 2:4).

 
Prayer: Father, give me a disciple's heart. St. Francis, pray for me to love Jesus much more deeply.
Promise: "The king granted my requests, for the favoring hand of my God was upon me." �Neh 2:8
Praise: St. Francis followed Jesus by being true to the Church, in his respect for and obedience to the Church's authorities.

35 posted on 10/04/2017 8:30:09 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Pro-life advocates question Planned Parenthood practices.


36 posted on 10/04/2017 8:32:28 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Lessons from the Life of St. Francis
Catholic Caucus: St. Francis Of Assisi And Great Pardon Known As The Portiuncula Indulgence
St. Francis, Christian Love, and the Biotechnological Future
Finding St. Francis (we don't hear much about the saint who submitted to Church authority)
St. Francis of Assisi {ecumenical}
Francis of Assisi: Pattern for Lay Holiness
The Real St. Francis of Assisi Was Not a Garden Gnome...
Chesterton and Saint Francis
Saint Francis of Assisi, 'giant of holiness,' honored Oct. 4

Franciscan Brothers Follow in St. Francis' Bare Footsteps
St. Francis of Assisi (and) St. Clare of Assisi [Catholic Caucus]
On Francis of Assisi
Franciscans ready to celebrate 800th anniversary of order's founding
'Stone-for-stone' Porziuncola reproduction erected in San Francisco
Portiuncula Indulgence can be obtained this Sunday
Away in a Manger [St. Francis of Assisi and the first Nativity scene]
The Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi -- The Wounds of Christ
St. Clare's Advice Defended Assisi Against An Attack By the Mohammedans (My Title)

The Way of the Cross, with Prayerful Meditations authored by Saint Francis of Assisi
Friar Assails "Lies" Against Franciscans of Assisi In Wake of Pope's Program
color=#e00040>Cimabue's Assisi Fresco Reconstructed
Friars Minor Support Pope's Measures for Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi and Eucharistic Adoration
Saint Francis of Assisi’s Letter to the Clergy
World Needs the Spirit of St. Francis, Says John Paul II
Saint Francis of Assisi, Founder of the Friars Minor, Confessor 1181-1226>
Assisi frescoes rise from the rubble
Christ's words to St. Francis, "repair my Church," appropriate for today says Archbishop Chaput

 

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assissi

Lord, make me am instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
and where there is saddness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Saint Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in 1182. He lived and preached a life of poverty and love of God to all men. He founded the religious Order of the Franciscans; with St. Clare, he founded the Order of the Poor Clares; and the Third Order for lay people. He died in 1226.

37 posted on 10/04/2017 8:36:47 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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