Franciscan symbols

TAU, is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, which corresponds to T. Pope Innocent III, before an impoverished Church, saw the need for urgent reform, and convened in the year 1215 the IV Lateran Council. Francisco was there in the opening speech. Nine (9) years had elapsed since he chose evangelical life and he had never seen the path of his life as clear as when he heard the words of the Pontiff. Pope Innocent III, evoked the Prophet Ezekiel, messenger of God's forgiveness for those who were signed with the letter TAU, and invited all Christians to accept the TAU as a symbol of the urgent spiritual renewal that the Church was needing.

Pope Innocent III said: "The Tau is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, symbol of the humility on which the Gospel was founded and a sign of the children of Poverty. The Tau has exactly the same form of the cross in which it was nailed Christ ... " These words were a clear indication of the desire of the Church to regenerate itself and to absorb the reform movements of the time. Francis felt alluded to and since then made his own coat of arms of the TAU, proclaimed by the Pope as emblem of the reform. It is a true fact that St. Francis chose the TAU sign as a symbol of his vocation and that of his disciples.

TAU was its factory; with it he marked the places he inhabited and signed his letters. He wanted his friars to take her, and he himself was contemplated in vision by Fiar Pacifico with the TAU on his forehead. For all Franciscans it is part of the inheritance that St. Francis left us. Wearing the TAU means the effort to engrave it in the heart, living a life according to the Franciscan spirit, moving from the Gospel to life and from life to the Gospel. It is the habit of the Secular Franciscans.

The cord that the Franciscans wear, formerly used to tie the sackcloth, has three knots that represent the foundations of the Franciscan life that SAN FRANCISCO instituted when creating the Franciscan Order, which are named from the bottom up: OBEDIENCE, CHASTITY and POVERTY.

The Christ of San Damián. Byzantine table of anonymous painter from the 12th century Assisi, Church of Santa Clara from 126O. For a detailed description, ring on the image of the Crucifix.

This text is the commentary of an audio-visual assembly, not commercialized, on the Crucifix of San Damian.

The crucifix of St. Damien is an icon of the glorious Christ. It is the fruit of a quiet meditation, a careful contemplation, accompanied by a time of fasting.

The icon was painted on canvas, shortly after 1100, and then glued on wood. Work of an unknown artist from the Umbrian Valley, is inspired by the Romanesque style of the time and oriental iconography. This cross, 2'10 meters high and 1'30 wide, was made for the church of San Damian, of Assisi. Who painted it, did not suspect the importance that this cross was going to have today for us. It expresses all the faith of the Church. He wants to make the invisible visible. He wants to delve us, through and beyond the image, the colors, the beauty, into the mystery of God.

That of San Damián is, it is said, the most widespread crucifix in the world. It is a treasure for the Franciscan family.

Over the centuries and generations, brothers and sisters of the Franciscan family have prostrated themselves before this crucifix, imploring light to fulfill their mission in the Church.
Behind them, and following his example, let's join the eyes of Francisco and Clara. If this Christ also speaks to us today!

At the first glance, we immediately discover the central figure: Christ. He is the most dimensional important character. Cover much of the Cross. In addition, and above all, it stands out on the background: Christ, and only Him, is full of light. His whole body is bright. Highlight over the other characters, it's as before. Behind his arms and feet, the black color symbolizes the empty tomb: darkness is a sign of darkness.

The light that floods the body of Christ, springs from within his person. His body radiates clarity and comes to enlighten us. The words of Jesus come to our mind: «I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life ”(Jn 8,12). How right Francis was when he prayed: "High, glorious God, illuminate the darkness of my heart."

We are before a Christ inspired by the Gospel of Saint John. It is the Christ Light, and also the Glorious Christ. Without tensions or pain, he is standing on the Cross. It doesn't hang on her. His head is not touched with a crown of thorns; He wears a crown of glory.

We are on the other side of historical reality, the crown of thorns that existed for a few hours and the sufferings that earned him the crown of Glory. Looking at him, we think perhaps of his death, of his pains, of which several traces appear: the blood, the nails, the sore on the side; and yet we are beyond death. We contemplate the glorious, living Christ.

Shields
There are several Franciscan shields, among them we have the best known are the arms of Christ and Francisco with the Cross in the background, in this case a tau. Another is that of the bunches of grapes that represent the five Wounds of Christ.