Saint Francis Receiving the Message from the
Crucifix of San Damiano
by Giotto
1267-1337
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
all praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all
blessing.
To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through all you have made,
and first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day;
and through whom you give us light.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his
splendor;
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All Praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon
and the stars; in the heavens you have made them,
bright, and precious, and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through Brothers wind and air, and fair and stormy,
all the weather's moods,
by which you cherish all that you have made.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful is he, how cheerful!
Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through our Sister
Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers
and herbs.
All praise be yours, my Lord,
through those who grant pardon for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy are those who endure in peace,
By You, Most High, they will be crowned.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your will!
The second death can do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks
And serve him with great humility.
--St. Francis of Assisi
The Canticle of the Creatures
St. Francis Preaching to the Birds
by Giotto
1257-1377
"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "this Rule does not
contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it
may be safely practiced privately by you or by
anyone inclined to do so. . . . His Excellency
is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote
Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the
neglected practice of penance and he wishes you
success" (January 30, 1998).
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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FOLLOWING FRANCIS, FOLLOWING
CHRIST
A Monthly Reflection on the
Life and Teachings of Saint
Francis of Assisi as They Relate to the Rule and
Constitutions of the Confraternity of Penitents
August , 2008
Seek the Face of God and “Follow Instructions”
There are times when all of us are bewildered
and do not know where to turn. Francis was in
that situation in 1206. He knew that he had a
call from the Lord to abandon his former life,
but what did the Lord want of him? This was
the question in Francis’s mind when he entered
the very run down, crumbling church of San
Damiano. Over the door of the church there were
the words “Domus mea”, My house. The now famous
San Damiano crucifix, the symbol that has been
adopted by the Confraternity of Penitents, which
hung near the altar, had survived the decay.
What was Francis doing in “My house”? He was
doing what people have done since Old Testament
times--he was seeking the face of God. We read
in Psalm 24: “Who may go up the mountain of the
Lord? Who can stand in His holy place? The
clean of hand and pure of heart, who are not
devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely.
They will receive blessings from the Lord, and
justice from their saving God. Such are the
people that love the Lord, that seek the face of
the God of Jacob.” (Ps 24:3-6) When Francis
embraced the leper, he was rejecting his former
attachment to earthly beauty and now he was
“pure of heart”. Even that, however, is not
enough. Francis still had to seek the “face of
God” and he did that by going to the Church of
San Damiano and praying before the crucifix.
In the Church of San Damiano, Francis found what
he was seeking. By gazing at the San Damiano
crucifix, the Lord returned the favor by gazing
back at him. Then, the Lord spoke to Francis
saying, “Francis, go and repair My house, which,
as you see, is falling into ruin.” This call
was repeated a second and third time.
Francis immediately set out to obey the Lord.
He went and took some rich cloth from his
father’s shop and sold it in the neighboring
city of Foligno to get money to pay for the
restoration of San Damiano. Since this occurred
before Francis was disowned by his father, he
was not stealing. Francis had taken the Lord
literally and understood that He wanted him to
repair churches. Therefore, Francis set about
to repair churches in the area. I believe that
Francis understood the Lord correctly. While
the Lord did not want Francis to spend the rest
of his life repairing churches, that is exactly
what the Lord demanded of Francis at that time.
By selling his father’s cloth, he angered his
father so much that it led his father to disown
him. Francis was pushed further into the
Church. This in turn led Francis to seek
support from the Church which led to the
formation of the Friars Minor.
Here, Francis can teach a practical way to seek
the will of God for our lives. First, we have
to take the advice of Psalm 24 and seek to rid
ourselves of attachment to sin. Sin is the
barrier which blocks the face of God from our
eyes. When the flesh and worldly cares dominate
us, then we are not “pure of heart” and God is
unable to reach us. Then we have to seek His
Face, in other words, His Presence. Francis did
it with the San Damiano crucifix. Francis’s
experience before the crucifix teaches us that
we should not expect the Lord to lay out an
entire life plan before us. We only need to
know what He expects of us now. We must learn
to “just follow instructions” and not worry
about what is down the road.
Jim Nugent
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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