St Francis of Assisi

Today is the Feast of saint, Francis of Assisi, whose name I chose for my Confirmation[1]. This post begins with a painting by Rubens: The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger. It seems fitting to include this not only because the month of October is dedicated to Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, but also because of the dark and troubling times in which we live.

Rubens shows Our Lord ready to punish the earth with the thunderbolts of His justice on account of the widespread evil present almost everywhere. The Prince of this world is coiled like a serpent around the globe. Our Lady seeks to restrain her Son; she exposes her virginal breast as if to recall the tender babyhood of her Son, imploring mercy for us all. St Francis too, shielding the earth, seeks to protect us by praying that Our Lord in His mercy should stay His hand. The rainbow appears over Mary's figure, sign of the Covenant between God and mankind:

"And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth." [Genesis ix.16.]

👈The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger. 1614. Peter Paul Rubens. (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels).

[1]  Sunday 25th June 1961, in St Benedict's Church, Atherstone, Warwickshire. By Bishop Bright, John Boland being sponsor: R.I.P.

Below is a prayer to Our Lady which is attributed to St Francis : 

Ave Domina

Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Theotokos,

who art the Virgin made church

and the one chosen by the Most Holy Father of Heaven,

whom He consecrated with His Most Holy Beloved Son

and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete;

in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace; Hail His Tabernacle; Hail His Home.

Hail His Vestment; Hail His Handmaid; Hail His Mother

and hail all you holy virtues,

which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit

are infused into the hearts of the faithful,

so that from those unfaithful you make them faithful to God.

Salutatio Beatæ Mariæ Virginis

Ave Domina, sancta Regina, sancta Dei genitrix Maria,

Quæ es virgo ecclesia facta et electa a sanctissimo Patre de cælo,

quam consecravit cum sanctissimo dilecto Filio suo

et Spiritu sancto Paraclito, in qua fuit et est omnis plenitudo gratiæ et omne bonum.

Ave palatium eius,

Ave tabernaculum eius;

Ave domus eius.

Ave vestimentum eius;

Ave ancilla eius;

Ave mater eius;

et vos omnes sanctæ virtutes,

quæ per gratiam et illuminationem Spiritus Sancti

infundimini in corda fidelium,

ut de infidelibus fideles Deo faciatis.

A meditation by St Francis on the Lord's Prayer

Our Father: Most Holy, our Creator and Redeemer, our Saviour and our Comforter.

Who art in Heaven: in the angels and the saints. Who givest them light so that they may have knowledge, because Thou, Lord, art Light. Who inflames them so that they mayest love, because Thou, Lord, art Love. Who lives continually in them and who fills them so that they may be happy, because Thou, Lord, art the Supreme Good, the Eternal Good, and it is from Thee that all good comes, and without Thee there is no good.

Hallowed be Thy Name: May our knowledge of Thee become ever clearer, so that we may realize the extent of Thy benefits, the steadfastness of Thy promises, the sublimity of Thy Majesty and the depth of Thy judgments.

Thy Kingdom come: so that Thou may reign in us by Thy grace and bring us to Thy Kingdom, where we shall see Thee clearly, love Thee perfectly, be blessed in Thy company and enjoy Thee forever.

Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven: so that we may love Thee with our whole heart by always thinking of Thee; with our whole mind by directing our whole intention towards Thee and seeking Thy glory in everything; and with all our strength by spending all our powers and affections of soul and body in the service of Thy Love alone. And may we love our neighbours as ourselves, encouraging them all to love Thee as best we can, rejoicing as the good fortune of others, just as it were our own, and sympathizing with their misfortunes, while giving offence to no one.

Give us this day our daily bread: Thine own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to remind us of the love He showed for us and to help us understand and appreciate it and everything that he did or said or suffered.

And forgive us our trespasses: in Thine infinite Mercy, and by the power of the Passion of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the merits and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all your saints.

As we forgive those who trespass against us: and if we do not forgive perfectly, Lord, make us forgive perfectly, so that we may indeed love our enemies for love of Thee, and pray fervently to Thee for them, returning no one evil for evil, anxious only to serve everybody in Thee.

And lead us not into temptation: hidden or obvious, sudden or unforeseen. But deliver us from evil: Present, past, or to come.

Amen.

[This translation is based on that of Benen Fahy, OFM, as it appeared in "The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi," Burnes & Oates, London, 1964].

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.