Greetings from Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap.

November, 2008

Dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory

This month, we remember the souls in Triumph in God’s glory in Heaven, the souls in God’s Mercy in Purgatory, the souls in God’s Providence on Earth. Each day, we will reread a passage from the Testament of our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi.

All powerful, most holy, almighty and supreme God,

holy and just Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

we thank You for Yourself for through Your holy will

and through Your only Son with the Holy Spirit

You have created everything spiritual and corporal ....

Enlighten the darkness of my heart

and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity,

sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out

Your holy and true command.

The Lord gave me, brother Francis, thus to begin doing penance in this way: for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And thus the Lord Himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. - It is only when we face our ‘demons’, with the help of God’s grace, that we can overcome their influence in our life.

And when I left them (lepers), what seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body. And afterwards I delayed a little and left the world. - The best intentions often meet the barrier of procrastination, often because of the ‘cost’ to our false securities.

And the Lord gave me such faith in churches that I would pray with simplicity in this way and say: ‘We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your churches throughout the whole world and we bless You because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world’. - Accept the fact that You are who you are before God and nothing more, and your prayer will be more sincere, trusting, and effective; it will be according to God’s Will.

Afterwards the Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith in priests who live according to the rite of the holy Roman Church because of their orders that, were they to persecute me, I would still want to have recourse to them. - Our Holy Father and the Magisterium is the sign of our unity in faith and morals, in Jesus the True and Good Shepherd.

And if I had as much wisdom as Solomon and found impoverished priests of this world, I would not preach in their parishes against their will. And I desire to respect, love and honor them and all others as my lords. And I do not want to consider any sin in them because I discern in the Son of God in them and they are my lords. - We are not the ones who judge, for as we judge others so shall we be judged ourselves. Let us pray for those we would more quickly be prone to judge and condemn, or perhaps shun.

And I act in this way because, in this world, I see nothing corporally of the most high Son of God except His most holy Body and Blood which they receive and they alone administer to others. - The Eucharist is the heart of the Church and thus the ‘Heart’ of every Christian. Become ‘eucharist’ one to another; be thankful.

I want to have these most holy mysteries honored and venerated above all things and I want to reserve them in precious places. - Nothing is too good for all that is and/or leads us to God. The little we give of ourselves is multiplied a thousandfold by God.

Wherever I find our Lord’s most holy names and written words in unbecoming places, I want to gather them up and I beg that they be gathered up and placed in a becoming place. - Every word we say can be perceived as an expression of what we hold in the depths of the heart; you are as good as your word.

And we must honor all theologians and those who minister the most holy divine words and respect them as those who minister to us spirit and life. - Grow in the desire and knowledge of God’s Word; seek to reflect it in your life.

And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel. And I had this written down simply and in a few words and the Lord Pope confirmed it for me. - To live the Gospel Life is to ‘Live Jesus’ in all the moments of our life.

And those who came to receive life gave whatever they had to the poor and were content with one tunic, patched inside and out, with a cord and short trousers. We desired nothing more. - When we are happy with the necessities of life, and do not run after every mere desire, life becomes simpler and more peaceful.

We clerical brothers said the Office as other clerics did; the lay brothers said the Our Father; and we quite willingly remained in churches. And we were simple and subject to all. - Praying in, with, and for the Church is praying in a unity that strengthens the bond of the Spirit among us.

And I worked with my hands, and I still desire to work; and I earnestly desire all brothers to give themselves to honest work. - We are called to cooperate with God in the restoration of all creation, each one fulfilling his/her responsibility in life according to their own vocation.

Let those who do not know how to work learn, not from desire to earn wages, but for example and to avoid idleness. - Idleness deprives the mind and body of healthy activity that ultimately can affect the soul and the fruitfulness of the life of grace.

And when we are not paid for our work, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, begging alms from door to door. - The ‘table of the Lord’ encourages us to share the goods of life, when possible, with those who are less fortunate than we in the needs of life.

The Lord revealed a greeting to me that we should say: ‘May the Lord give you peace’. - Blessed are the feet of the messenger who brings peace. One at peace with him/herself has found and bears peace to all.

Let the brothers be careful not to receive in any way churches or poor dwellings or anything else built for them unless they are according to the holy poverty we have promised in the Rule. As pilgrims and strangers let them always be guests there. - Those who travel lightly travel fast and far. How fast and far do you want to travel to God on the road that leads to Life?

I strictly command all the brothers through obedience, wherever they may be, not to dare to ask any letter from the Roman Curia, either personally or through an intermediary, whether for the church or another place or under the pretext of preaching or the persecution of their bodies. - Your word must be your bond, anything else can compromise truth.

But, wherever they have not been received, let them flee into another country to do penance with the blessing of God. - Each person will answer for his/her own response to grace.

And I firmly wish to obey the general minister of this fraternity and the other guardian whom it pleases him to give me. And I so wish to be a captive in his hands that I cannot go anywhere or do anything beyond obedience and his will, for he is my master. - Obedience is not slavery but true freedom to allow God to speak to us through our legitimate superiors.

And although I may be simple and infirm, I nevertheless want to have a cleric always with me who will celebrate the Office for me as it is prescribed in the Rule. - ‘No man is an island’. Where two or more are gathered in His Name, He is there in the midst of them.

And let the brothers be bound in obedience to their guardians and to recite the Office according to the Rule. And if some might have been found who are not reciting the Office according to the Rule and want to change it is some way, or who are not Catholics, let all the brothers, wherever they may have found one of them, be bound through obedience to bring him before the custodian of that place nearest to where they found him. - Unity with the Church, is a sign our Franciscan Family has always expressed in ‘oneness’ in love, respect, obedience to the Church of Rome.

And the brothers may not say: ‘ This is another rule’. - Why try to ‘waterdown’ the beauty of the words of the Rule we should love as it is?. Live it and you’ll love it! Don’t ‘define’ and ‘dissect’ it away!

Because this is a remembrance, admonition, exhortation, and my testament, which I, little brother Francis, make for you, my blessed brothers, that we might observe the Rule we have promised in a more Catholic way. - We are ‘catholic’ in our foundation in Jesus, but we must be ‘Catholic’ in our historical (scriptural and theological) line from Jesus and the Apostles if we are to be ‘authentic’.

And let the general minister and all the other ministers and custodians be bound through obedience not to add or to take away from these words. - Everyone has the responsibility of living the Gospel and the Rule, not the authority to change it, and thus we are all called to accountability before one another and God.

And let them always have this writing with them together with the Rule. And in all the chapters which they hold, when they read the Rule, let them also read these words. - Do not ‘shortchange’ yourself on knowing all you can about who you are, so that you can be more what God called you to be.

And I strictly command all my cleric and lay brothers, through obedience, not to place any gloss upon the Rule or upon these words saying: ‘They should be understood in this way’. - Understanding and living the Gospel and the Rule belongs to everyone. Seek to ‘enflesh’ them in your life and you’ll see how easy and simple they are to live.

But as the Lord has given me to speak and write the Rule and these words simply and purely, may you understand them simply and without gloss and observe them with a holy activity until the end. - Open your mind and your heart to the words of the Gospel and the Rule. It takes less energy to live them than the time and energy it takes to explain our responsibility away without living them.

And whoever observes these things, let him be blessed in heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father, and on earth with the blessing of His Beloved Son with the Most Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, and all the powers of heaven and with all the saints. - So little is asked of us compared to what has been promised here in time and for eternity.

And, as far as I can, I, little brother Francis, your servant, confirm for you, both within and without, this most holy blessing. - Receive the blessing of our Seraphic Father each day you strive to live our life authentically, and be a blessing to all you meet.