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Even after his conversion, Francis retains something of his antipathy for the Perugians, historical enemies of Assisi and the faction that imprisoned him in his fighting days.
Francis understood that the way to imitate Jesus was by doing the good works that he had done, but there was also a mystical dimension to that identification.
Francis wanted to make sure that his brothers understood that any glory they might experience always reflected more on God’s goodness than on any merit of their own.
In modeling his life on the Gospels, Francis hoped that people would see in him and in the Lesser Brothers an example of what they, too, could achieve if they would only follow Jesus.
Francis prayed continually to be identified with the crucified Christ. His efforts throughout his life to conform himself to the Gospel eventually resulted in a visible manifestation of that prayer.
As we approach the final week of Lent, the spiritual stakes are high. At some point in our journey, we each are called to spend time alone with Jesus, hearing him speak to us the words he spoke to the woman in today’s Gospel.
The promise of resurrection at the heart of our faith allows us to celebrate our loved ones even in their passing, because we know that life, not death, is the final reality.
There’s something attractive about being able to reinvent ourselves. It’s difficult, though not impossible, to do this if we stay in the same place with the same people all our lives.
We like to think that the origins of our holy people are shrouded in mystery, in part because it allows us to set them apart as different from us. This gives us a built-in reason not to emulate them too closely.
Does our outward appearance accurately portray our inner attitude? In some measure, the disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—help us to bring these two closer together. But we need to be mindful that we don’t take this too far.
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