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
June 2012
Three Hours of Penance
I recently did three hours of penance. I planted
our garden's pole beans and corn. This meant
turning over, with fork and shovel, three raised
garden beds, smoothing the soil, adding manure
and lime to the garden, planting the seeds,
inserting the poles for the beans, and putting
into place rock slabs that I use between the
rows to keep out the weeds. I had not thought of
this as penance until I discovered, in my
research for a book on Saint Francis, that
medieval penitents considered manual labor to be
penance.
Well, they were right! However, I can't congratulate
myself on my three hours of penance when many
people around the world daily spend eight to
twelve hours or more doing manual labor, that
is, doing penance.
How many of us know that we are doing penance
when we do manual labor? How many of us think of
God while working? Saint Francis wanted his
friars to work with their hands. Even on his
deathbed, he said that he always worked with his
hands and he still wished to. He saw the value
in manual labor because Jesus was a manual
laborer when He was a carpenter. Francis, in his
profoundly simple theology, realized that if he
could imitate Christ, he would draw very close
to God. This is what motivated Francis all
during his life of conversion. Francis wanted to
pray and assist the needy because Jesus did
these things. He fasted and wore poor clothing
in imitation of Christ. He walked the roads of
Italy and exhorted the people to penance because
Jesus did this. And Jesus worked with His hands.
So did Francis.
We know that Francis rebuilt three churches. We
know that his friars carried water for others
and worked in the fields beside the day
laborers. Francis and many of his brothers cared
for lepers, tending their gardens, bathing their
sores, and begging for them. Unlike the noble
monks who lived in monasteries and had lay
servants, the friars wanted to earn their
living. Begging was an afterthought, done out of
necessity if those for whom they worked were
niggardly and refused them any food as payment
(the friars refused to take money for their
work, but they would accept food for the day).
We follow Francis well if we do manual labor,
but only if we do it to glorify God as best we
can. How do we do that? By thinking of Him,
praising Him, working the best we can for Him,
no matter how mundane the task.
Every season of the year brings its own manual
labor, even to those who live in apartment
buildings and work in offices. They may not be
tilling gardens or shoveling snow, but they will
have housekeeping chores to do, cars to
fix, and clothes to mend. How much time per day
do you spend doing penance while doing manual
labor? Might the labor go better for you if you
offer it up, not just as something you have to
do, but as a gift of penance (conversion) to
God? You will be aware of your conversion to Him
if you think of Him as you work, giving to Him
the work of your Hands, for He made the hands
with which you work.
May God be praised in all his works, forever.
Madeline Pecora 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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