…Now few days afterwards, as St Francis was considering the formation of the mountain, and marvelling at the great fissures and openings in the solid rock, it was revealed to him by God in prayer that these strange caverns had been made miraculously at the hour of the Passion of Christ, when, according to the Evangelist’s words, the rocks were rent; and this was by the will of God, who manifested himself thus wonderfully upon Mount Alvernia, because there the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ was to be renewed in the soul of his servant by love and compassion, and in his body by the impression of the sacred, holy stigmata.

When St Francis had received this revelation, he forthwith shut himself up in his cell, and, in great recollection of soul, prepared himself for the mystery which was to be revealed to him; and from that time forth he began to taste more frequently the sweetness of divine contemplation, by which he was sometimes so absorbed in God, that he was seen by his companions to be raised corporally above the ground, and rapt in prayer; and in these raptures were revealed to St Francis not only things present and future, but even the secret thoughts and desires of the brethren, as was experienced by Brother Leo, his companion in those days.

Jesus on suffering in the Divine Will:

“My daughter, Adam in the state of innocence and my Celestial Mamma possessed the unity of light of my Will, not in their own virtue, but by the virtue communicated by God. On the other hand my Humanity possessed it by its own virtue, because in this Humanity there was not only the unity of the light of the Supreme Will, but there was the Eternal Word; and, since I am inseparable from the Father and the Holy Spirit, there followed the true and perfect bilocation, that while I remained in Heaven, I descended into the womb of my Mamma. And the Father and the Holy Spirit being inseparable from Me, descended together with Me; and I remained with them in the heavens; but the duty of satisfying, of suffering and of redeeming man was taken by Me!

I son of the Father, took the part of reconciling God with man. Our Divinity was intangible of being able to suffer the least pain. It was my Humanity which, united to the Three Divine Persons in an inseparable manner, giving itself into the mercy of the Divinity, suffered unheard-of-pains, satisfied in a divine manner. ”

Let us pray:
Jesus, I wish to love and thank you and praise you for the wonder of your grace working in the life of St. Francis.
I wish to love and thank you in a particular way for this holy life by redoing all his acts of love for You in your Divine Will.
Therefore, I place my “I love you, I thank You”, on all his prayers, his offerings and participations at Holy Mass, his receptions of Holy Communion and of all the other Sacraments.
I place my “I love You, I thank You” on all his crosses and suffering and voluntary sacrifices.
I particularly want to love and thank you for the good he did for others and his corporal works of Mercy.
I wish to especially thank you for the Franciscan orders he has established on earth; and in particular for giving us the order of Rule 1221.
I love and thank you for his prayers in heaven and the good example he left us which to continue to benefit the Church on earth.