By Christopher Wells
Around 18,000 pilgrims and visitors from around the world filed passed the mortal remains of St Francis of Assisi on Sunday, taking the unprecedented opportunity to venerate the major relics of one of the most beloved saints in the history of the Church.
As part of the commemoration of the 8th centenary of the death of the “Poverello,” the Little Poor Man of Assisi, the skeletal remains of Saint Francis will be on public display in the Basilica dedicated to him in his hometown. It marks the first public exposition of the relics since the saint’s body was interred in the crypt of the Basilica in the year 1230.
The exposition will continue for just one month, from Feb 22 to Mar 22 of this year.
An atmosphere of reflection and joy
Franciscan Father Giulio Cesario said the thousands of pilgrims who came to Assisi for the first day of the viewing of the relics entered an “atmosphere of reflection but also of joy… to venerate the mortal remains of Saint Francis and hear him whisper in their hearts a word of goodness that sustains and encourages growth.”
Father Cesario, the director of the office of communications of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, offered his “heartfelt” gratitude “to all who came who love Francis and who collaborate” with the friars “to make this occasion a true moment of fraternity.”
Freedom from ‘the logic of the world’
The first day of exposition was marked in a special way by the celebration of Solemn Mass by the Pontifical Legate for the Papal Basilicas of Assisi, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime.
In his homily, the Cardinal emphasized that St Francis of Assisi embodied a spirit of independence from “the logic of the world,” a freedom that does not seek possessions but entrusts itself to God, that does not seek to dominate but to serve.
Cardinal Fernández Artime said embracing this spirit does not mean taking refuge in the past, but rather firmly facing the challenges of the present.
Drawing inspiration from the liturgical readings, the prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life invited the faithful to ask themselves, as we begin the season of Lent, whether we want “to live according to the logic of self-sufficiency and power, or according to the logic of trusting obedience to God.”
Triumphing over temptation
Recalling the Gospel account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert, Cardinal Fernández Artime noted that St Francis faced these same temptations, but rather than responding with pride, accumulation of wealth, and self-sufficiency, chose instead littleness, poverty, and obedience. St Francis, he said, “chose to worship God alone.”
The cardinal explained that “the victory over temptation never closes us in on ourselves, but opens us to others” pointing to Christ leaving the desert to proclaim the Kingdom, and Francis, in imitation of the Lord, overcoming temptation in order to embrace the leper and all his brothers and sisters.
He went on to explain the connection between the Scripture passages and the veneration of the relics of Saint Francis, which is not simply an act of remembrance, but rather “a strong and concrete invitation” to ask ourselves “where is my desert? What temptation abides within me? Where does the Lord ask me to make a leap of faith?” – Vatican News
