Turn to the Lord with a pure heart

A reading from the letters of St Francis of Paola, Hermit (Letter AD 1486)

Dear subscribers,

I recognize it has been a short while since I have written anything of substance and I thank you kindly for your patience! A lot of amazing changes have happened within the last couple of months. I am happy to report that my wife and I are expecting our second child, a baby girl! As many of you who are fathers yourselves know, our house needed to be in order. We bought our first home (with room to grow). Things have been moving so fast I could hardly keep up. God really is good and He has blessed my little family beyond measure. Now, after a deep breath and some rest, I think it is time to get things back to working order here on Catholic Manhood with some wise words from Saint Francis of Paola.

---

Who is he?

Francis was born at Paola, Italy and was educated at the Franciscan friary of San Marco there, and when fifteen became a hermit near Paola. In 1436, he and two companions began a community that is considered the foundation of the Minim Friars. He built a monastery where he had led his eremitical life some fifteen years later and set a Rule for his followers emphasizing penance, charity, and humility, and added to the three monastic vows, one of fasting and abstinence from meat; he also wrote a rule for tertiaries and nuns. He was credited with many miracles and had the gifts of prophesy and insight into men's hearts.

The Order was approved by Pope Sixtus IV in 1474 with the name Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi (changed to Minim Friars in 1492). Francis established foundations in southern Italy and Sicily, and his fame was such that at the request of dying King Louis XI of France, Pope Sixtus II ordered him to France, as the King felt he could be cured by Francis. He was not, but was so comforted that Louis' son Charles VIII, became Francis' friend and endowed several monasteries for the Minims. Francis spent the rest of his life at the monastery of Plessis, France, which Charles built for him. Francis died there on April 2nd and was canonized in 1519. His feast day is April 2.

Turn to the Lord with a pure heart

A reading from the letters of St Francis of Paola, Hermit (Letter AD 1486)

"May our Lord Jesus Christ, who repays most generously, reward your labour. You must flee from evil, and drive away dangers. We and all our brothers, although unworthy, pray constantly to God the Father and to his Son Jesus Christ, as well as to Mary the Virgin Mother, to be with you as you seek the salvation of your souls and your bodies.

Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your souls with prudence and diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke. Therefore you must fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who so burned with love for us that he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sakes he suffered all the agonies of body and mind, and did not shrink from any torment. He gave us a perfect example of patience and love. For our part, we too must be patient when things go against us.

Put aside hatred and hostility. See to it that you refrain from harsh words. But if you do speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips that inflicted the wounds. In this way you will show each other mercy and not keep alive the memories of past wrongs. Remembering grievances works great damage. It is accompanied by anger, fosters sin, and brings a hatred for justice. It is a rusty arrow spreading poison in the soul. It destroys virtue and is a cancer in the mind. It thwarts prayer and mangles the petitions we make to God. It drives out love and is a nail driven into the soul, an evil that never sleeps, a sin that never fades away, a kind of daily death.

Be lovers of peace, the most precious treasure that anyone can desire. You are already aware that our sins drive God to anger, so you must repent of them, that God in his mercy may spare you. What men conceal is open to God. Turn to him with a sincere heart. Live in such a way that you bring upon yourselves the blessing of God, and that the peace of God our Father may be with you always."

The life of Saint Francis of Paola offers a profound message to today's busy world. Although he was deeply contemplative, he was called to an active ministry and undoubtedly experienced the challenge of balancing prayer and service. However, this tension proved fruitful in his life, as he harnessed the depth of his contemplative prayer in his ministry, which eventually influenced entire nations. His swift and effective responses to the Church's calls were rooted in his solid practices of prayer and self-denial. When he engaged with the world, it was not merely his own efforts at play, but rather Christ working through him, exemplifying his humility as "the least in the household of God."

---

Pax Vobis

Nick | Catholic Manhood