September 17th - Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis

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September 17th - Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis

Francis imitated Christ so perfectly that towards the end of his life
our Lord wished to point him out to the world as the faithful imitator
of the Crucified, by imprinting His five wounds upon his body.

Two years before his death, when, according to his custom, Francis had
repaired to Mt. La Verna to spend the 40 days preceding the feast of
St. Michael the Archangel in prayer and fasting, this wonderful event
took place. St. Bonaventure gives the following account of it:

"Francis was raised to God in the ardor of his seraphic love, wholly
transformed by sweet compassion into Him, who, of His exceeding
charity, was pleased to be crucified for us. On the morning of the
feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying in a
secret and solitary place on the mountain, Francis beheld a seraph
with six wings all afire, descending to him from the heights of
heaven. As the seraph flew with great swiftness towards the man of
God, there appeared amid the wings the form of one crucified, with his
hands and feet stretched out and fixed to the cross. Two wings rose
above the head, two were stretched forth in flight, and two veiled the
whole body.

"Francis wondered greatly at the appearance of so novel and marvelous
a vision. But knowing that the weakness of suffering could nowise be
reconciled with the immortality of the seraphic spirit, he understood
the vision as a revelation of the Lord and that it was being presented
to his eyes by Divine Providence so that the friend of Christ might be
transformed into Christ crucified, not through martyrdom of the flesh,
but through a spiritual holocaust.

"The vision, disappearing, left behind it a marvelous fire in the
heart of Francis, and no less wonderful token impressed on his flesh.
For there began immediately to appear in his hands and in his feet
something like nails as he had just seen them in the vision of the
Crucified. The heads of the nails in the hands and feet were round and
black, and the points were somewhat long and bent, as if they had been
turned back. On the right side, as if it had been pierced by a lance,
was the mark of a red wound, from which blood often flowed and stained
his tunic."

Thus far the account of St. Bonaventure. Although St. Francis strove
in every way to conceal the marvelous marks which until then no man
had seen, he was not able to keep them a complete secret from the
brethren. After his death they were carefully examined, and they were
attested by an ecclesiastical decree. To commemorate the importance of
the five wounds, Pope Benedict XI instituted a special feast which is
celebrated on September 17th, not only by all branches of the
Franciscan Order, but also in the Roman missal and breviary.

ON LOOKING UP TO THE CROSS
1. With the example of our holy Father St. Francis in mind, consider
what effect a glance at the cross should have on us. It led Francis
from the service of the world to the service of God and to penance. A
look at the crucifix should remove from our hearts all delight in the
world and fill us with sorrow for the sins we have committed in the
service of the world, and of our evil passions. For what other reason
was Christ nailed to the cross, and his whole body bruised? The
Prophet tells us: "He was wounded for our iniquities. He was bruised
for our sins" (Is 53:5). Meditation on the sufferings of our Savior
caused St. Francis to shed so many tears that his eyes became
inflamed.--Do you also kneel before the crucifix and bewail the sins
through which you nailed your Savior to the Cross?
2. Consider that a look at the cross is also a consolation for the
sinner. Our crucified Lord assured St. Francis of the complete
remission of his sins. The Prophet also tells us: "By His bruises we
are healed" (Is 53.5). Moses gave us a picture of our Savior on the
Cross when he raised a brazen serpent on high in the desert, so that
those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpent in punishment for
their murmuring might be healed by looking up to this sign of our
redemption. On the crucifix you behold our Savior Himself. "Behold the
Lamb of God; behold Him who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn
1:29).--Look up to Him with sincere contrition and lively confidence;
He will also take away your sins.
3. Consider how the contemplation of the Crucified finally pierced St.
Francis through and through with the fire of love, so that our Lord
made him even externally like Himself. A look at the crucifix should
also awaken ardent charity in us. St. Augustine points this out to us
when he says: "Behold the head that is bent to kiss you, the heart
that is opened to receive you, the arms stretched out to embrace you."
Do not look at the image of your crucified Savior in the cold and
indifferent way that one looks at a work of art, to marvel at the
painful expression there represented. Let it speak to your heart and
let your heart speak to it. Serve Him faithfully so that you may one
day be united with Him in eternity.

Saint Quote:
Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as
life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy
to be given, as peace to be spread.
--Saint Francis of Assisi


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Prayer in Honor of the Sacred Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who when the world was growing cold, in order that
the hearts of men might burn anew with the fire of Your love, did in the
flesh of the most blessed Francis reproduce the stigmata of Your passion: be
mindful of his merits and prayers; and in Your mercy vouchsafe to us the
grace ever to carry Your cross, and to bring forth worthy fruits of penance.

-To all the faithful who, upon the five Sundays which immediately precede
the feast of the sacred stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi, or upon any
other five consecutive Sundays during the year, shall exercise themselves
either in pious meditation, or in vocal prayer, or in any other work of
Christian piety, in honor of the said sacred stigmata, a plenary indulgence
is granted once a year, on each of the five Sundays, on the usual
conditions.

--Pope Leo XIII, 21 November 1885