Mercy
As stated in St. Francis’ Letter to a Minister, the Pardon of Assisi embodies the proposal of unconditional, unlimited love that follows in the wake of every man and every woman, even the “worst” of them all, enlightening that person’s sins to spare him the shadow of death. Those words resonate still today: “Even if you felt contrite for not being able to understand your sins you could enter the light.” After 800 years, like a city on the mount, the radiating light of the Pardon of Assisi continues to shine, calling for conversion and inviting us to be satiated with Celestial joys!
After his suffered youth, Francis of Assisi felt that his life had been spared for no personal merit. Successes hadn’t brought him happiness, seeking redemption from failure had been to no avail… a life void of meaning found no justification: he was “alive” only by an act of mercy. He still felt the yearning to live a full life. His was the experience of contriteness that precedes us and allows us to continue being alive. And the Poor Man of Assisi clung to the experience of God’s mercy, allowing himself to be imbued with it until his thought and his gaze were reversed. Thus self-attachment and self-centredness were replaced by deep gratitude and veritable freedom, linked to the constant practice of acts of mercy and forgiveness granted in advance to his brothers, friends, or enemies alike. Then, the access to the reward bestowed upon good men: true, perfect felicity! This discovery triggered the desire: “May you all go to Heaven!” Francis exclaimed.
Thus originated the Pardon of Assisi, like
An ardent arrow directed at man’s heart.
Indeed, fully enjoying God’s all-embracing mercy requires a gleam in human soul, recognizing the limit and the need for forgiveness. In Assisi, as within the whole Church in this Year of Mercy, the sinner can acquire plenary indulgence that germinates in Mary’s womb, the Virgin Made Church. Like saying, with the tenderness of a mother: “Do you wish to be completely forgiven, please?” Yet there is more. As stated in St. Francis’ Letter to a Minister, the Pardon of Assisi embodies the proposal of unconditional, unlimited love that follows in the wake of every man and every woman, even the “worst” of them all, enlightening that person’s sin to spare him the shadow of death. Those words resonate still today: “Even if you felt contrite for not being able to understand your sins you could enter the light.” After 800 years, like a city on the mount, the radiating light of the Pardon of Assisi continues to shine, calling for conversion and inviting us to be satiated with Celestial joys!
(*) Custos, Sacred Convent of Assisi
