The Teacher of His Heart

Part Two. THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST

Part Two THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST "In this way the Lord is always with His faithful, as He Himself says: Behold I am with you until the end of the age." In Part I we have tried to discover Francis' image of Christ by examining the expressions and images he used when speaking of Him. But in speaking of Christ, Francis does not become lost in abstractions or in a distant past. He thinks at once of the Son of God who is present in the Eucharist, in the Gospel, in all people—especially the poor1—and finally in all creatures.2 We cannot adequately comprehend Francis' picture of Christ without at least exploring his view of the Eucharist and the Gospel—the two essential places of encounter with the Son of God. Since the writings contain too little testimony on Christ's presence in people and in other creatures, we limit ourselves in this study to the first two aspects. Part Two will consist of two chapters dealing with the sacrament of the Eucharist and the sacrament of the holy Words, respectively. 1One day, after rebuking a brother for showing contempt to a poor man, Francis said: "Whoever curses a poor man does an injury to Christ, whose noble image he wears, the image of Him who made Himself poor for us in this world" (See 1Cel 76; 2Cel 85; LMaior VIII 5). The theme of Christ's presence in other people, especially the poor, is not developed in the writings on account of their occasional, and hence partial, character. On the other hand, the theme of God's activity in every human being occurs often. Beginning from the notion that God alone is good, and that all that is good in us, be it words or deeds, must come from God the Supreme Good, Francis sees God speaking and acting in people at all times. See, for example, Adm II, VIII, XII, XVII, XXII, XXVIII; RegNB XVII 5-7. Here is another revealing statement: "Whoever envies his brother the good that the Lord says or does in him tends to a sin of blasphemy because he envies the Most High Himself Who says and does every good thing" (Adm VIII 3). 2Thomas of Celano says: "All things, especially those in which some allegorical similarity to the Son of God could be found, he would embrace more fondly and look upon more willingly." Among the animals, little lambs were his favorite, because our Lord Jesus Christ is compared to them (See 1Cel 77); and worms reminded him especially of Christ in His passion (See 1Cel 80, and Chapter One above). In the Office of the Passion, three times Francis addresses creatures personally, inviting them to praise God for His marvels. The verse that occurs most often is Ps 95:11-I2: "Let the heavens rejoice and earth exult * let the sea and all its fullness be moved * let the fields and all that is in them be glad" (OffPass VII 4; IX 7; XV 90). Since most of Francis' psalms are placed on the lips of Christ, it is Christ Himself who invites all creatures to praise the Father with Him. From this perspective it may be said that Francis regards creatures not so much as images of Christ but as co-worshippers of the Father with Him. 152 / Norbert Nguyên–Van–Khanh, O.F.M. ...