St. Francis of Assisi
Here is the link for Matthew Chapter 17. Verse five comes from Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration.
While He was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!“
Not long ago, I presented this passage from Romans in the post Faith and Prayer.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
In the second post on Matthew 16, I also talked about the depth and consistency of the message of God. These two passages, side by side, give a great example of that consistency.
Go ahead and place yourself in the scene. Imagine yourself on the mountain as the Transfiguration occurs. Understand that this is not a historical event. Your presence makes it current. Its happening right now.
Right now, God is imploring you to “Listen to him (Jesus)!“
Now, I would invite you into another scene. The time is the year 1206 (or so). The location is somewhere near Assisi, central Italy, a little north of Rome. You can choose a small, broken down church. Or perhaps a mountain path. Or maybe a leper colony well away from the heart of town.
When you look closely, you find a small man in his mid-twenties there. He’s not more than 5′ 2″ and thin. War wounds and imprisonment have taken their toll on him. You see the effects in his posture, and in his eyes.
His name is Francis Bernadone. He’s not yet famous. No one knows yet that he’s taking the first steps on a path that will lead to Sainthood.
He’s reading a Bible. In fact, he is reading one of these passages, or one of many other similar ones that contain the same message.
Over time, he has encountered the message “Listen to him!” over and over again as he has searched his soul for what to do with his life. The message has worked on him. He has internalized it, and it has transformed him.
As you watch, he reaches the final conclusion. He doesn’t understand the ramifications of what is happening to him, but he surrenders to the Will that is calling him.
He understands that he has no choice. He will immerse himself in the Gospels in a way that no one has done previously, and he will live the consequences of that decision.
One of the consequences is that, 800 years later, he is an example to thousands who follow the way of life he established.
He is my example.
And I’m grateful to him, and to a God that loves me enough to set Francis on that path, a God that loves me every bit as much as He did Francis.
Placing oneself at the scene of the Transfiguration or that little abandoned chapel of San Damiano where the message is the same “listen” is a powerful place to be. It opens us to the real possibility that God will speak to us as well proving once again that “the world will pass away, but my words will not pas away.” God is always ready to speak to us if we’re always ready to listen though His voice is but a whisper. It’s just so very important to BE there and to LISTEN!