ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI — MODEL OF CHRIST

IL POVERELLO

“Count it all naught, for God!”

PIOUS PRACTICES IN HIS HONOR:

a)  “Spend some time in med­i­ta­tions, prayers, or oth­er devo­tion­al exer­cis­es in hon­or of the sacred Stig­ma­ta, on any of the five Sun­days imme­di­ate­ly pre­ced­ing the Feast of the sacred Stig­ma­ta of St. Fran­cis of Assisi [SEPTEMBER 17TH] or on any one of 5 suc­ces­sive Sun­days, once a year.

b)  Vis­it a church or pub­lic ora­to­ry for the pur­pose of prayer on the Feast of St. Fran­cis of Assisi [OCTOBER 4TH], or on one of the sev­en days imme­di­ate­ly fol­low­ing [through OCTOBER 11TH].

c)  Devote some time to prayer or oth­er exer­cis­es of piety in hon­or of St. Fran­cis, with the inten­tion of so doing for nine suc­ces­sive days, or an entire month.”          (Rac­col­ta, #515)

HYMN:  O Divi Amoris Victima

O Victim dear of Heavenly Love, / Impurpled by Thy fivefold Sign, / Saint Francis, “Father of the Poor”, / Jesus’ Cross a living Shrine.  / Thou burning with the glowing flames / Of love of God and love of man / Dost yearn for Christ to thed Thy blood / And thrice dost try the seas to span.  / Although denied Thy heart’s desire, / Thou lettest not Thine ardour wane; / But kindled still with Love Divine / To stir new fires Thou strivest amain.  / Still living in Thine Orders three, / Thou art found in many a savage clime; / And frozen hearts, warmed at Thy flame, / Grow fervent with Thy Fire Sublime.  / So shalt Thou crush the powers of hell, / Thy conquering arms our foes dismay; / When Holy Church doth seem to fail, / Still is Thy mighty strength Her stay.  / Come, help us, father, while we pray, / Thy love within our hearts inspire, / Thy boundless love, that spreads abroad / The glowing brightness of its fire.  / Praise we The Father and The  Son, / Praise we The Holy Paraclete:  / He grant us grace to emulate / Our father’s spirit as is meet. Amen.

(tr. C. E. Spencer, Rac­col­ta #516)

O Glorious Saint Francis, who, even in Thy youth with a generous heart didst renounce the comfort and ease of Thy father’s house in order to follow Jesus more closely in His Humility and Poverty, in His Mortification and Passionate Love of The Cross, and didst thereby merit to behold the miraculous Stigmata impressed upon Thy flesh and to bear them about with Thee, obtain for us also, we pray, the grace of passing through our life here below, as though insensible to the ephemeral splendor of all earthly possessions, with our hearts constantly beating with love of Jesus Crucified even in the darkest and saddest hours of life and with our eyes ever serenely raised toward Heaven, as though already enjoying a foretaste of the eternal possession of The Infinite Good with His Divine and Everlasting Joys.  Amen.    (Raccolta #517)

In Latin:

Domine Jesu Christe, Qui, frigescente mundo, ad inflammandum corda nostra Tui Amoris Igne, in carne beatissimi Francisci Passionis Tuae sacra Stigmata renovasti; concede propitius, ut eius meritis et precibus Crucem jugiter feramus et dignos fructus paenitentiae faciamus:  Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum.  Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Who, when the world was growing cold, didst renew in the flesh of Blessed Francis the sacred marks of Thy Passion in order to inflame our hearts with The Fire of Thy Love; mercifully grant that, by his merits and prayers, we may always carry The Cross and bring forth fruits worthy of repentance:  Who livest and reignest forever and ever.  Amen.     (Raccolta #518)

A good start for a biography can be found here:  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm