My Pilgrimage to Assisi, Part IV

Other important attractions at the sight of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels are the Rose Garden and the Rose Chapel. The entrance to the garden is through the sacristy of the Basilica. Here he invited the turtledoves to praise God together with him and the doves used the hands of the Statue of St. Francis in the Rose Garden for nesting.  

There is a great story behind the roses seen at this garden without thorns. Once, St. Francis felt the temptation to abandon his religious life and to accept the worldly life. To overcome his doubt about his vocation he rolled naked in the bramble thorns. In contact with his body, the bramble bushes turned into dog roses without thorns. Ever since the rose bushes in this garden are without thorns.

Again, it would be hard for us to understand and accept the Franciscan way of overcoming temptations. But at the same time, I think it would be better to discipline ourselves to overcome temptations rather than willingly submitting ourselves to continue living in sin. Saints are people who successfully found ways to stay in a state of grace rather than submitting themselves to all kinds of temptations.

The Rose Garden opens the way to the Rose Chapel. After overcoming his temptation in this way, he spent his time in prayer and penance in this cell which later was transformed into a chapel. I could only think of several ways I should  follow Francis in overcoming my own attraction to the worldly things. Our Christian life invites us to imitate Christ in every way, rather than making a selective reading of the teachings of Christ to suit my own needs and interests.

The chapel is decorated with several frescoes by different painters. It includes the Umbrian Tiberio d’Assisi depicting the early Franciscan community and the first saints of the order, the miracle of the roses, and the concession of the indulgence.

The friary house also has a museum which contains several sacred articles,  beautiful paintings, and archeological finds. The Crucifix by Giunta Pisano (1236), a wooden painting portrait of St. Francis from the 13^th century, a painting of St. Francis receiving the Stigmata, and Coronation of Mary are among the few attractions in this chapel.

The painting of St. Francis receiving the stigmata is based on the actual event of St. Francis receiving the five wounds of the Crucified Lord on his body. As we all know, St. Francis is the first human being to receive the stigmata of Christ. It happened when Francis and his companions were praying at mount La Verna in 1224. The account of this incident is transmitted to the future generation from Brother Leo who was also present at that time.  Felix Timmermans, in his The Perfect Joy of Saint Francis, retells the story in his famous biography of St. Francis.

Francis’ soul yearned for God, and in preparation for the feast of St. Michael, Francis and his friends went to mount Al Verna. As it became impossible for Francis to walk further, his companions asked a peasant, whom they saw on their way, for his donkey to carry Francis. When the peasant realized that it was Francis of Assisi, he exclaimed:  “Well then, take care to be as good as they say you are, because many people have put their trust in you. So I beg you, never do anything that will destroy our faith and hope!” Even when his Brothers became indignant at the peasant’s remark, Francis kneeled down, kissed the peasant’s feet and thanked him for the warning.

Then they continued their journey to the mountain until they reached the hermitage there. Francis spent the night praying there. He asked his brothers to leave him alone there and only Brother Leo was allowed to come near him with water and food. He asked his Brothers to spend their time in prayer and thus they spent many days praying. As Francis was absorbed in prayer, he saw the infinite depth of God’s beauty. But whenever he opened the gospels he repeatedly had to read the passion of Christ. Then Francis understood what God was telling him through the Scripture.  He then slowly uttered: “To be like Him in His suffering and torment, before death comes! Lord, be merciful to me!” In that intense moment of contemplation he received the stigmata, thus giving him a bigger share than most us in the suffering of Christ.

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The city of Los Angeles is named after the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels (according to an article published in Los Angeles Times March 26, 2005). The Spanish Franciscan missionaries were among the early settlers in that region which they originally called “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the Porciúncula River” now famously known as LA or Los Angeles.

My Pilgrimage to Assisi, Part III

Santa Maria degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels) is the first church we visited in Assisi and it is only a walking distance from the railway station. Since we had few hours at the end of the journey before our departure train we also ended our pilgrimage to Assisi by visiting this beautiful Basilica which is venerated as the place of St. Francis’ death. Keeping the tradition of praying for all those who ask me to pray and all those whom I relate in different ways, I spent some time in praying at this Basilica. I tried to examine my own commitment and faithfulness in following Christ in light of the example St. Francis so elegantly portrayed.

The Baroque style Basilica was built between 1569 and 1679 to accommodate pilgrims who came from different parts of the world. It contains the chapels of the Porziuncola, Capella del Transito and the Rose Garden, as well as other places sacred to the memory of St. Francis.

The original design of Galeazzo Alessi (1512-72) portrayed the Franciscan ideal of poverty and simplicity. The 1832 earthquakes caused serious damage to the Basilica which warranted a complex restoration.   

The present building was completed on September 1840. Later the facade was restructured by placing a gilded bronze statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Church.

Inside the Basilica is the Capella del Transito, the humble cell where St. Francis died on October 3, 1226. This was the stone chamber of the infirmary for the sick of the community in the original convent.  Francis asked his friars to bring him to this place when he felt that he was near death. St. Francis laid there waiting for ‘Sister Death’ to come and dictated the last verses in his Cantle of the Sun giving us an idea on how he faced his death. Meditating on these words give comfort to those who are sick and near death and also give courage to those who fear death.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.
Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

The original chapel was situated in an area known as “Porziuncula”. This was left unused for some time but Francis restored it and began to use this area for prayer.  This chapel was given to him by the Benedictine monks and he made it the center of his activity. It was here that he came to understand his vocation clearly and here he also founded the Order of the Friars Minor in 1209, entrusting it to the protection of the Virgin Mother of Christ, to whom the little church is dedicated. St. Clare who was instrumental in establishing the Order of the Poor Ladies (the Poor Clares) , received her religious habit from St. Francis at this sacred place. St. Francis also had a vision while praying at this place where Jesus appeared to him and granted the “Pardon of Assisi” in 1216 which was approved by Pope Honorius III. Here he gathered all his friars for the general assembly to discuss the Franciscan Rule and also to renew their commitment to announce the gospel to the world. This place is still considered to be the main center of Fransicanism.

The original Franciscan austerity and simplicity are visible inside the Porzincula. The roughly hewn stones remind the pilgrim of the inexpert hand of Francis, the young restorer. But we have to remember that this small place echoes the incessant prayer reaching out to heaven from the time of St. Francis and is so sacred of a space for a believer. Millions of people from all over the world had come here to receive the blessing and got inspired from Francis’ life. The inscription inside this Church reminds the pilgrim of the necessity of praying with faith and of following the path of Christ like St. Francis -  hic locus sanctus est - this is a holy place, (because God descended here to meet Francis and whoever enters here in faith).

One night in 1216, when Francis was immersed in prayer, a radiant light spread through the little church and he saw above the altar Christ and mother Mary surrounded by the Angels.
They asked him what he wanted for the salvation of souls and he immediately responded: “I ask that all those persons who have repented and confessed their sins who will come to this church, may obtain a full and generous pardon, and a complete remission of all their faults”. This wish had been granted to him and a pilgrim who prays here, meeting this requirement receives the blessing.

The statue of St. Francis holding the Gospel and the Cross is situated at the center of the chapel. The gospel is the symbol of the fundamental laws of the Franciscan way of life and the cross expresses his desire to attain perfect likeness with Christ, most importantly of his suffering.

It is true that people can create stories and legends when saints like St. Francis are hard to find in the present age. But I believe all these stories related to Francis are true from the way he lived and the great influence he still has in the world. We are so accustomed to the modern way of living and giving up the comforts of life doesn’t make any sense. We want to hold on to our possessions, comforts, addictions and even sins and then believe that it is possible to achieve what these saints achieved which is absolutely an erroneous attitude  if we really want to have a God experience. God doesn’t work in vacuums but through simple, sinful people like us who are willing to bend their lives ready to do anything for the Kingdom of God. What is impossible for humans is possible for God and we can do everything through our God who strengthens and guides us.

My Pilgrimage to Assisi, Part II

St. Francis’ extra ordinary life of sanctity has fascinated many writers to create legendary novels and stories about him. It is impossible to compile the life story of such a saint in few words. In a sense, St. Francis embodied the qualities what the modern men and woman need – the love of nature, the love of animals, the sense of social compassion and the sense detachment to the material things of the world.   What I am trying here is to give a short summary of his early life with some of the well know incidents.      



The room where St. Francis was born

   Francis was born in 1182, the eldest son of one of the richest men of Assisi, Pietro de Bernardone. His mother Pica named him Giovanni (John) in his father’s absence at his baptism. But when his father returned from his commercial visit to France, he gave his son the new name Francis signifying his love for France. As a young boy he helped his father in his business of selling clothes. A remarkable incident happened when one day a beggar came to the store looking for help. Francis was preoccupied with his work and thus ignored the beggar. But later he was ashamed of his action and ran through the street searching for the beggar whom he eventually found and gave him everything he had. Then he promised God that he would never refuse help to a poor man. In this action we could see traces of his future life when he would run away from all worldly attractions to embrace poverty. In a way by embracing this beggar on the street he was embracing Christ who emptied himself to accept the form of a slave (Cf. Phil. 2: 7).




Statue of Francis' parents

  When the war broke between Assisi and the neighboring Perugia his youthful dream of becoming a Knight fulfilled. But he was captured as a prisoner in the very first skirmish. He was a prisoner for some time and later he decided to fight for the papal army especially to capture the Holy Land. But God had other plans for Francis. On his way to war he became ill and was bedridden for some time. As he fell asleep he heard a voice asking where he wanted to go: “To Apulia to be a knight” was his answer. The voice asked him: “Tell me, Francis, who can benefit you, the most: the Lord or the servant?” When he answered “the Lord”, the voice repeated: “Then why do you desert the Lord for the servant, and the Prince for his vassal?” The voice asked him to go back to his town where he would be given his new mission. Then he began to spend time in prayer in the nearby churches and caves.

In his earnestness to serve God and to identify with the poor he wanted to become poor. Francis decided to make pilgrimage to Rome, a place sanctified by the blood of the martyrs. In Rome, he stood with the beggars in front of St. Peter’s and began to beg and then eat the beggars’ meals. This gave him great joy and satisfaction. After some time he returned to Assisi. But now he had the great experience of what it was to be poor. When he overcame his aversion toward the poor beggars by living with them, he wanted to fight his greatest weakness – his aversion to the lepers. One day as he was riding on his horse he saw a leper in front of him. His first impulse was to flee as fast as he could but he wanted to follow Jesus’ way in its fullest sense. He got down from his horse, approached the leper, embraced him and kissed the fingers of the sick man which was covered with the awful sores from the disease. It was another radical experience for him. The next day he went to the place where the lepers lived in his town, embraced each one of them and gave them everything he had. Thus he won the greatest victory one could win – the victory over oneself. Unlike most of us who become victims to our own passions and become slaves to sin Francis became master of himself after the model of Christ.  

The Church of San Damiano was in such a ruin during Francis’ time. It had a crucifix over the high alter where Francis used to kneel down and recite a prayer he formulated which has been transmitted to us through his writings: “Great and glorious God, my Lord Jesus Christ! I implore you to enlighten me and to disperse the darkness of my soul! Grant me, O Lord, to know you so well that in all things I may act by your light, and in accordance with your holy will!” Then Francis heard God’s voice telling him: “Francis, go and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down!” Simple and literal as he was he began to rebuild the ruined Church of San Damiano.   He realized the way to build a church was using his own hands and sweat.  So he started gathering stones and doing the work himself. He also sold the clothes from his father’s store to collect money for the rebuilding of the Church.

Enraged with the mad behavior of his son in wasting his wealth by giving it to the poor and living with them, Francis father Pietro de Bernardone took the case to the bishop. To everyone’s astonishment it happened that Francis not only gave all the money he had but also his cloths, and declared: “I will not only give him the money cheerfully, but also the clothes I have received from him”.  The bishop, then, took his own outer garment and clothed the naked young man accepting the life of poverty he would be embracing. It was also a sign that he would be covered with God’s protection for the rest of his life. This happened in April 1207 - that Francis literally practiced the words of the gospel to forsake everything and decided to take up the Cross to follow Christ.

While attending Mass one day the priest read the following passage from the Gospel of Matthew (10:7-13): “Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.” In hearing  these words Francis determined that his mission was to go and evangelize. Thus a transformation happend from Francis the hermit and church builder to Francis the apostle and evangelist.

Many young men were attracted by Francis' way of life and the group continued to grow, and this caused Francis to want an official approval from the Pope. He and several of the brothers travelled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Innocent III.  He did have an audience with the pope  and presented the rule which he desired for his companions: to live in obedience, in chastity, and without property, and to follow the teachings of Christ.  He wanted the brothers to be set free from any worldly influence that would get in their way in trying to serve the poor and be obedient to God.  Pope Innocent III gave his approval to the group.  The group continued to grow by leaps and bounds.       

My Pilgrimage to Assisi

The small town of Assisi in Italy has been immortalized by the birth and life of one of the most admired saints of the Catholic Church – St. Francis of Assisi. I could not resist the temptation in responding to the invitation of one of my friend priests who was visiting Assisi for the second time after coming to Rome. More than from the beautiful sunny day (5 Feb. 2011) my mind has been illumined and my spiritual life has been enriched in experiencing the simple but profound life of this extra-ordinary saint.  

We started early morning after a light breakfast from the house to catch the train from Circo Massimo (Metro - seven minutes walk from the house) to Termini Central Railway station. The train took more than two hours to Assisi from Termini and the to and fro ticket costs less than twenty euro per passenger. It is a beautiful journey through the country side and I thought that a walking pilgrimage (like ancient times) would be spiritually enriching even though it would be more physically challenging to the present day pilgrim. If I have had the imagination and language of Chauser who wrote about the experience of the pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the tomb of St. Thomas a ‘Becket, I could have written an Assisi Tale describing the nature of this pilgrimage.

Every time I tried to capture the beauty of the outside nature with my newly bought camera, the train entered a tunnel. But I remembered the famous saying: “There is always light at the end of the tunnel”. This train journey took us to a place I found beautiful and sublime – Assisi - the city which is the source of light and inspiration for many Christians and non- Christians for centuries. Those who believe that their life through the tunnel never ends should also make a pilgrimage to Assisi to receive the rays of light emanating from St. Francis who reflected the light of Christ through his simple life.

When the Catholic Church is going through an age of re-evangelization I see St. Francis as a man of new evangelization who single handedly tried to “renovate” the Church which was in ruin. His enormous success came not from criticizing the “corrupt” customs of his time but from an earnest desire to restore the social, political and ecclesial structures to a higher realm inspired by the poverty of Christ Crucified. He offered his own shoulders to build up and restore a structure which was tearing itself down. In order to build up God’s Kingdom on earth he used his natural and supernatural charisms which was imprinted on him at his baptism. He related to God but he was attentive to the needs of his fellow human beings. His famous love for animals and nature show that he was attentive to the whole of creation. In his spirituality God, man and nature are harmoniously joined together: “Before Francis, the unity of the divine plan of creation loses the veil that hides it to other mortals. Francis contemplates nature with the stupefied and reverent eyes with the first man saw on that first radiant morning of the world…” (Omer Englebert)

Unlike many Churches in Rome, which are filled with tourists, many of whom have no idea of the spiritual and historical significance of the place, the Churches in Assisi successfully maintain a serene and quite atmosphere inviting the pilgrims to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, St. Francis tried to live. In spite of the grandeur and majesty of great architecture of these Churches, they still offer a simplicity St. Francis so ardently lived. The futility of modern day materialism is exposed by the fruitfulness of Franciscan spirituality which leaves an example to Christians and challenges us greatly than anyone else in this world.

In order to do justice to my readers I believe that a short summary of his life is needed before reflecting on my impression on what I have seen in Assisi….will continue…