Quotations

Saint John of the Cross: “… one may hold it as a general rule that a soul goes astray only by following its own inclinations, its tastes, its reasonings, and its personal ideas… inclining it toward what is not fitting for the service of God.”

St. John of the Cross: “… the spiritual person must be convinced that visions, revelations, heavenly feelings, and all that one can imagine as highest in this order of things are not worth the smallest act of humility.”

St. John of the Cross: “The soul that desires to have revelations commits at least a venial sin; and those who encourage this desire or consent to it likewise sin…”

John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Matthew 7:2: “… you will be judged in the same way that you judge, and the same measure you use will be used toward you.”

James 3:8-9: “… the tongue, no man can tame; it is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God our Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the image of God.”

I believe that if we fail to give God credit for all good work, we risk two errors: thinking too highly of ourselves and growing envious of those who accomplish the good we were not given the grace to do.

Saint Bonaventure: “It is beneficial for a man beset by temptations, for a man who desires to grow richer more quickly and more effectively, to be separated, at least for a time, from his family and his homeland.”

Luke 18:14: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Saint Francis of Assisi: “Hold firmly, therefore, my brothers, that poverty is the supreme path to salvation; it is like the nurse of humility and the seed of perfection. Its fruits are many, though little known.”

St. Alphonsus of Liguori: “God gives to everyone his vocation, and chooses the state in which He wills him to be saved… How many will be found condemned on judgment day for not having followed their vocation!”

Conferences of John Cassian (5th century): “If we are disturbed by those who attack us, it is certain that humility has not yet laid firm foundations within us, and that the slightest storm can shake and ruin the structure of our soul.”

Saint John of the Cross: “If anyone were to suggest to you broad maxims, even if he performed miracles, do not believe him; rather, increase your penance and detachment from created things.”

Envy is a dark impulse that drives us to scrutinize every detail of our neighbor’s life until we can excuse our hostility.

St. Francis of Assisi: “Those who persecute you, become angry with you, and overwhelm you with insults bring goods of more than one kind to your spirit. All are therefore your friends, and no one should be called an enemy…”

Mary of Jesus of Agreda: “… they look for doctrines and opinions that broaden the paths to eternal life, without reflecting that my most holy Son taught them that these paths were very narrow.”

Saint John of the Cross: “The soul that is not humble is easily deceived by the devil, who makes it believe a thousand lies.”

St. John of the Cross: “The poor in spirit is content with the very substance of devotion itself, and without seeking anything beyond what suffices, finds in the multiplicity of visible things nothing but fatigue and disinterest.”

Leo was a close companion and the confessor of Saint Francis of Assisi. I don’t believe it is a coincidence that Antipope Leo XIV went with that name after Antipope Francis.

Saint Francis of Assisi: “The glory I await is such that every hardship, every illness, every humiliation, every persecution, every mortification becomes a cause of joy for me.”

2 Timothy 3:12: “… all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Saint Francis of Assisi: “Let us go away from here; we have nothing to gain where we are honored. Our gain is found in places where we are blamed and despised.”

A little-known yet important part of the history of the Order of St. Francis is the constant war waged against the friars who refused to give up the strict vow of poverty they had promised. Mainstream sources are full of misleading information in that regard.

A Catholic may receive special graces in one area without being given the same gifts in others. 1 Corinthians 12:4: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.”

Saint Francis of Assisi: “The more the brothers depart from poverty, the more the world will depart from them; they will seek, and they will not find. If they embrace poverty closely… the world will nourish them, because they have been given to the world to save it.”

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-5: “… when you come to the service of God, stand firm… and prepare your soul for trial… Bear the delays of God… and wait patiently… gold and silver are tested by fire, and those who are pleasing to God are tested in the furnace of humiliation…”

St. Francis of Assisi: “He [Jesus Christ] said to me: ‘I want you to be a new fool in the world, preaching by deed and by word the folly of my Cross.’ You, on the contrary, want to draw me toward your learning and your prudence; but your learning will end by confounding you.”

People are called to different paths in life. Those who don’t share yours may try to push you toward theirs. If you let them decide for you, you could end up on the wrong path and miss your vocation.

Matthew 7:12: “Therefore, all that you want people to do for you, do also the same for them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Saint Francis of Assisi: “This evangelical poverty is the foundation of our Order. Upon this first base rests the whole structure of our religious life, so that it remains unshaken if the foundation is firm, and collapses from top to bottom if it is overthrown.”

Matthew 6:31-32: “Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans are concerned with all these things…”

I believe envy is a major expression of the prophesied end-times lack of charity, rooted in failing to attribute all good to God. 1 Cor. 13:4: “… Love is not envious…”

Revelation of Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: “…suppose that in the whole Order there remain only three brothers: it will still be my Order, and I will never abandon it.”

A reminder to judge others cautiously, especially when believing the worst conveniently supports our resentment.

Blessed Giles of Assisi (d. 1262): “… a man is not saved merely by seeing, speaking, and hearing, but by practicing what he hears that is good; there is more distance between words and deeds than there is between heaven and earth.”

Saint Francis of Assisi: “My little children, God has entrusted me with sending you to the land of the Saracens to preach there and confess His faith, and to attack the law of Muhammad.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (d. 1262): “The world is so corrupt that we can neither speak well of what is good, nor speak ill of what is evil.”

A bent rod must be bent the other way to become straight. To be humble, make yourself small. To be charitable, love those who speak against you. To be patient, do hard tasks without complaining.

Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me… for this is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

St. Francis of Assisi, talking about Juniper of Assisi: “Not only am I not ashamed of this brother’s simplicity, but I fervently wish that God would give me many men like him.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “He [Jesus Christ] revealed to me that, desiring to lead us to a perfection unknown until now in the Church, we should concern ourselves with nothing except Himself, His most pious Mother, and the apostles.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “I tell you that my first and last intention and will is, if the brothers had believed me, that none of them should have anything other than the clothing allowed by the rule, a belt and trousers.”

Saint Dominic: “Yes, truly, God takes a very special care of his holy poor, and I did not know it; but from now on, I also promise to observe the holy poverty of the Gospel; and, on behalf of God, I curse all the brothers of my Order who would claim to keep any property.”

St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of the Foundations: “… what is the true life, if not the one where neither death nor the events of this world are feared…"

Rule of Saint Francis, Chapter 6: “Wherever the Brothers may be, and whenever they meet, let them treat one another as children of the same household, so that they may confidently make known their needs to one another.”

Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, Capuchin (d. 1594): “… according to the prophecies, this is the last Reform. It will continue in this way even to the universal reform of Holy Church… Then the holy Order will be reduced and limited to just a few good men…”

Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, Capuchin (d. 1594): “Truly the Capuchin Reform was an image of the original state of the Order at the beginning. The Capuchin Reform represented the life of the holy Apostles and of Saint Francis with his Companions.”

Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, Chap. 12: “Let all those Brothers who, by the inspiration of God, wish to go among the Saracens and other Infidels…”

St. Teresa of Avila: “… if, while striving in all things to please Him who is the sole love of your hearts, you were to die of hunger, I would say: Happy, and a thousand times happy, are the Carmelites of Saint Joseph of Ávila!”

St. John of the Cross, The Spiritual Canticle: “… the one who seeks God while continuing to enjoy his rest and his comforts seeks him in the night and will not find him.”

Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “… woe to that religious who takes pleasure in idle and empty words, and who, by them, provokes the laughter of men.”

Capuchin Constitutions, 1529, chap. 18: “… those who are appointed to this Office must remember that the principal quality of a Preacher is his virtuous life and his honest conduct.”

Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, Chap. 10: “I warn and exhort my Brothers in Our Lord Jesus Christ to be very careful of all kinds of pride, vanity, envy, greed, worldly cares and distractions, gossip, and murmuring.”

Saint Bernard: “The main reason that should keep us away from wealth is that one can never, or at least very hardly, possess it without love.”

Saint Bonaventure: “… they [the Friars Minor] do indeed make use of things that are destroyed through use, but not as masters; and in this they follow in the footsteps of the Lord…”

St. John of the Cross: “The truly spiritual person seeks bitterness rather than delights in God; he prefers suffering to consolation, the deprivation of every good to enjoyment, dryness and afflictions to the sweet communications of Heaven…”

Peter John Olivi (d. 1298), Friar Minor, some credit him with first formulation of papal infallibility: “…I do not intend… to deny that the opinions of the Doctors ought to be greatly respected, provided that they contain nothing that is manifestly contrary to the faith…”

St. Peter of Alcantara to St. Teresa: “If your zeal and fervor lead you to follow the counsels of Jesus Christ, observe them with the greatest perfection possible… If you prefer to follow the advice of learned men who do not have the Spirit of God, then seek great revenues…”

St. Francis of Assisi: “There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided…”

St. Francis of Assisi: “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.”

Revelation of Our Lord to John of Medina, 16th-Century Capuchin: “… those who place all their hope and thoughts in me, and who depend entirely on my Providence, will be especially dear to me. I love them, I sustain them, and I embrace them as my most beloved children.”

Saint Bonaventure, Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi: “Seeing the community grow, the servant of God [Saint Francis] set down on paper for his brothers and for himself a rule of life whose foundation was the observance of the evangelical counsels.”

St. Francis of Assisi died in 1226. The year 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of his death.

When the Council of Trent granted religious orders the right to own property collectively, a Capuchin friar stood up to renounce the privilege on behalf of his order. Inspired by his example, a friar of the Observants did the same.

St. Francis of Assisi: “Since I know that the demons envy me because of the benefits the Lord has granted me, and since I also see that, when they cannot harm me directly, they seek to harm me through my companions.”

Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, a Capuchin friar (d. 1594), reports that Jesus Christ said to St. Francis of Assisi: “… I want the life I and my Apostles led preserved in your Order until the day of Judgement.”

St. Francis of Assisi, Testament: “When the Lord entrusted me with the care of the Brothers, no one instructed me how I ought to conduct myself; but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the form prescribed in the Holy Gospel.”

St. Francis of Assisi said that if the servant of God strives to have and to preserve this inner and outer spiritual joy, which flows from purity of heart and is acquired through devotion to prayer, the demons cannot harm him.

Revelation of Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: “…suppose that in the whole Order there remain only three brothers: it will still be my Order, and I will never abandon it.”

Ideal Minister General according to St. Francis: “Let him regard every accusation as suspect at first, until the truth emerges through diligent examination. Let him not lend an ear to gossip; let him be especially cautious of accusers, and let him not believe them too quickly.”

St. Francis of Assisi did not promise obedience to Antipopes.

St. Francis of Assisi: “…those who have sought only to know and show the way of salvation, without personal works, will appear naked and empty before the tribunal of Christ.”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “Such is the excellence of this sublime poverty, my dearest Brothers, which has made you heirs and kings of the Kingdom of Heaven. It has stripped you of earthly goods but has made you great in virtue.”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 1: “The Rule and life of the Friars Minor consist in observing the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without property, and in chastity.”

Capuchin Const., 1925: “… we declare that we have in fact, whether individually or collectively, no temporal right, domain, ownership, possession, usufruct, or legal use of anything whatsoever, not even of what we are obliged to make use of, nor of the houses in which we live.”

Pope Nicholas III, 1279: “We declare that renouncing all forms of property, both individually and collectively, for the love of God, is meritorious and holy, that Jesus Christ taught it through His words and confirmed it by His example, when He showed the way of perfection…”

When some urged St. Francis of Assisi to allow common property, he turned to Christ in prayer. The Lord replied: “I will remove all possessions, both personal and shared; for I will always be ready to provide for this family, whatever its growth, and I will support it as long as it hopes in me.”

Matthew 5:44: “But I tell you: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and slander you.”

Capuchin Constitutions, Chapter 11: “… Saint Bernard assures that two things can defile and ruin religious persons: familiarity with women and the pursuit of special foods.”

St. Francis reprimanded the brothers for having prepared a table with too much abundance on Christmas Day

Proverbs 28: “Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Know, my Brethren, that Poverty is the straight road to salvation, the nurse of humility, the root of perfection ; its fruits are numerous, but hidden.”

The true test of the spiritual life is not the accumulation of books or intellectual mastery, but the practice of virtue.

May all true Catholics walk the path God has set for them.

Blessed Angela of Foligno: “True humility and true self-forgetting mean knowing honestly that we are not the source of any good. Anyone who truly feels this has the spirit of truth.”

Blessed Jacopone da Todi’s Stabat Mater, a poignant meditation on the Virgin Mary’s suffering at the foot of the Cross.

Pope Nicholas III, Exiit qui seminat, 1279: “We declare that renouncing all forms of property, both individually and collectively, for the love of God, is meritorious and holy, that Jesus Christ taught it through His words and confirmed it by His example…”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “The Brothers should have nothing of their own, no house, no place, nor any other possession, but should see themselves as travelers and strangers in this world.”

Jacopone of Todi, Friar Minor (d. 1306): True charity loves others just as much when they offend us.

Bl. Angela of Foligno: “Behold the God-Man suffering, for it is from Him that you must draw the model of all perfection.”

Psalm 33:20: “Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but God will deliver them from all these sufferings.”

According to the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, a plenary indulgence is associated with the day of entry into the Order and the day of first profession.

Bl. Angela of Foligno: “It is by contemplating the Cross through continual prayer that one receives full knowledge of one’s sins, as well as the sorrow and contrition one ought to have for them, together with the divine light that brings into the soul deep and genuine humility.”

I believe that true service to others begins with the pursuit of virtue. When people focus on serving others while neglecting their own growth, they fail to receive graces that would both aid their own salvation and enhance the good they can do.

St. Francis of Assisi: “I do not want my brothers to be passionate about knowledge or books; I want them to be rooted in holy humility, to imitate pure simplicity, sacred prayer, and the poverty of the Lord.”

Charity is so essential that Our Lord has made it the second most important Commandment. It is a virtue that St. Francis was particularly eager to see in his Brothers, and he dealt severely with any transgression of it.

St. Francis of Assisi: “Of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Christ has deigned to pour out upon His servants, the greatest is to conquer oneself and to willingly endure, for love of Jesus, hardships, insults, humiliations, and the most urgent needs…”

Jeremiah 6:16: “… Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Pope Pius IX, who proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. He was a Franciscan Tertiary.

St. Francis of Assisi communicated to his Order the love for the Immaculate Conception together with that of holy poverty

The Friars Minor Were Defenders of the Immaculate Conception as Early as the Middle Ages

Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854, Dogma of the Immaculate Conception: “… the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first instant of her Conception… was preserved free and exempt from all stain of original sin…”

Francis of Jesi, Friar Minor: “If we consider it carefully, the Order has never badly governed more nor ever relaxed more and given birth to more scandals in the world than when it was full of learned men.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “… those who allow themselves to be led by a frivolous love of knowledge will find their hands empty on the day of tribulation. That is why I would like to see all my brothers strengthen themselves in the practice of virtues…”

St. John of the Cross: “Oh! If people only knew what divine light they deprive themselves of through the darkness caused by their evil inclinations and disordered affections!”

Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “Members of the Third Order, in their clothing and grooming, shall set aside overly luxurious elegance and observe, according to each one’s condition, the rule of modesty.”

Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “They shall not allow into their home, nor permit to be read by those under their care, books and newspapers that could be harmful to virtue.”

Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi: “I have enough of the seashore to wash my feet, my hands, and my whole body; I consider as foolish the one who torments himself trying to know its depths. Let me have knowledge enough to order my life well; I do not seek to know what is above me.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi: “Do not be overly anxious to be useful to others, but rather be eager to be useful to yourself. We sometimes wish to know many things for others, and very little for ourselves.”

Blessed Angela of Foligno: “… all our perfection consists only in these two points, that is to say, in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of ourselves.”

Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “They will avoid foul language and buffoonish jokes. In the evening, they will examine their conscience to see whether they have committed any fault of this kind; if they have, they will make amends for their fault through penance.”

Capuchin Constitutions, Chap. 5: “The devout Saint Bernard says that nothing is more precious than time and nothing is less valued; he also warns us that we shall be severely examined on the use we have made of it.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi: “The more a man feels full of vices, the more he needs to speak of virtue; by often speaking of virtue, he returns to it more easily and embraces it more readily.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 : “Do not be deceived: bad conversations corrupt good morals.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Those who persecute you, become angry with you, and overwhelm you with insults bring goods of more than one kind to your spirit. All are therefore your friends, and no one should be called an enemy…”

St. Basil (d. 379): “All the actions and all the words of the Savior are a rule of piety and virtue, for He clothed Himself in our body so that we might imitate His life according to the measure of our strength.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi: “A man will know that he loves God perfectly if he shows great eagerness to turn away from vice and to grow day by day in good works.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Their study should not be so much about knowing what to say, but about knowing what to do, so that their actions precede their words and they teach only what they themselves practice.”

Bl. Angela of Foligno: “… there is no doubt that holy souls and true friends of God grow and are perfected in such a manner through humiliations when they come to them without being their fault, and when they suffer them with patience.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Know, my Brothers, that I have nothing sweeter or more delightful than the memory of the Passion of my Savior, which is the subject of my ordinary meditation, and if I were to live until the end of the world, I would need no other reading.”

Pope Leo XIII: “Apply yourselves, then, to making the Third Order known and appreciated at its true worth… teach what it is, how accessible it is to everyone, what privileges it enjoys for the salvation of souls…”