04202009 Father Raniero Cantalamessa about the Franciscan Charism
April 20, 2009
Father Raniero Cantalamessa OFM cap, address to participants in the Chapter of the Mats in Assisi.
«We must above all put ourselves in the proper perspective. When Francis looked back, he saw Christ; When we look back, we see Francis. The difference between him and us is all here, but it is enormous. Question: what then does the Franciscan charism consist of? Answer: in looking at Christ with the eyes of Francis! The Franciscan charisma is not cultivated by looking at Francis, but by looking at Christ with the eyes of Francis.
Christ is everything for Francis: he is his only wisdom and his life. Before becoming a theological vision in Saint Bonaventure and Scotus, Christocentrism was a lived, existential and unreflective experience of Francis. There is no time or need to multiply appointments. At the end of his life, to a brother who exhorted him to have the Scriptures read to him, Francis responded: "(...) I am already so immersed in the Scriptures that it is enough for me, and very much, to meditate and contemplate. No "I need many things, son; I know Christ poor and crucified."
- Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap.
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