杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

鈥淏e forgiven bearers of forgiveness, healed bearers of healing, joyful and simple in fraternity, all in the strength of love which flows from Christ's side and which is nourished in your personal encounter with Him.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis offered that encouragement to Franciscan friars on Friday, as they celebrate the eight centenary of the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi, which he received in the central Italian town of La Verna on September 17, 1224.

The 杏MAP导航 held an audience in the Vatican with Friars Minor of La Verna and the Tuscan Province in Italy, thanking them for bringing a relic of St. Francis鈥� blood for him to venerate.

Bringing God鈥檚 love to our stigmatized world

In his address, 杏MAP导航 Francis urged Christians to seek to conform ourselves to the image of 鈥淐hrist poor and crucified.鈥�

He said St. Francis of Assisi鈥檚 stigmata wounds were an eloquent sign of both the suffering Christ endured for our salvation and His victory over death.

鈥淚t is precisely through His wounds that the mercy of the Crucified and Risen Christ, like through channels, flows towards us,鈥� he said.

The 杏MAP导航 noted that every Christian has the duty to care for all the 鈥渟tigmatized鈥� people they meet who bear the 鈥渟cars of suffering and injustice or past mistakes.鈥�

鈥淚n the communion of love of the Church,鈥� he said, 鈥渆ach of us rediscovers who we are: a beloved, blessed, and reconciled child, sent to testify to the wonders of grace and to be a craftsman of fraternity.鈥�

St. Francis, added the 杏MAP导航, acts as a companion on our way, helping us overcome crushing difficulties and fears.

His povery of spirit, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, made him open to the Lord and the needs of his brothers and sisters, always trusting in the love of the Father.

Offering God鈥檚 forgiveness

The Holy Father went on to reflect on the image of the stigmata in the life of every Franciscan.

He emphasized the need for Franciscans to be united among themselves and to always forgive as part of their mission to 鈥渞epair鈥� the Church.

鈥淵ou are good confessors,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Franciscan has a reputation for this. Forgive everything. Always forgive. God never tires of forgiving: we are the ones who tire of asking for forgiveness.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis said his namesake鈥檚 stigmata represents the 鈥渟eal of the essential,鈥� indicating the centrality of Christ in the Church鈥檚 mission.

He also urged the Friars Minor to bring to the Church and the world 鈥渁 bit of that immense love that pushed Jesus to die on the cross for us.鈥�

Graces of St. Francis of Assisi

In conclusion, the 杏MAP导航 told an anecdote from his homeland, Argentina.

When some people see a priest, he said, they touch iron 鈥渂ecause it brings bad luck.鈥�

Yet, he noted, no one ever carries out this superstitious act when they see a priest in a Franciscan habit.

鈥淲ho knows why,鈥� he marveled. 鈥淏ut, your habit makes people think of St. Francis and the graces he received.鈥�

New prayer to St. Francis of Assisi

Concluding the audience, 杏MAP导航 Francis recited a new prayer he has written to ask for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, which will be prayed at the Chapel of the Stigmata in Verna.

Saint Francis,
man wounded by love, Crucified in body and in spirit,
we look to you, decorated with the holy stigmata,
to learn how to love the Lord Jesus
and our brothers and sisters with your love, with your passion.
With you, it is easier to contemplate and follow
Christ, poor and Crucified.
Give us, Francis,
the freshness of your faith,
the certainty of your hope,
the gentleness of your charity.
Intercede for us,
so that it may be sweet for us to bear the burdens of life,
and in trials, we may experience
the tenderness of the Father and the balm of the Spirit.
May our wounds be healed by the Heart of Christ,
to become, like you, witnesses of His mercy,
which continues to heal and renew the life
of those who seek Him with a sincere heart.
O Francis, made to resemble the Crucified One,
let your stigmata be for us and for the world
resplendent signs of life and resurrection,
to show new ways of peace and reconciliation. Amen.