*St. Frances of Rome is the only saint this week; we are in a patch of February-March that has less saints, perhaps because this is when Lent falls and we celebrate less in general. St. Frances is both a married mother and the patron of the Benedictine Oblates, a branch of laypeople living the Rule of St. Benedict in their daily lives.
“God not only tested the patience of Frances
with respect to her material wealth, but he also tested her especially through
long and serious illnesses which she had to undergo. And yet no one ever
observed in her a tendency toward impatience. She never exhibited any
displeasure when she complied with an order, no matter how foolish./With peace
of soul, she always reconciled herself to the will of God, and gave him thanks
for all that happened./God had not chosen her to be holy merely for her own
advantage. Rather the gifts he conferred upon her were to be for the spiritual
and physical advantage of her neighbor. For this reason he made her so lovable
that anyone with whom she spoke would immediately feel captivated by love for
her and ready to help her in everything she wanted. She seemed able to subdue
the passions of every type of person with a single word and lead them to do
whatever she asked.
“For this reason people flocked to Frances from all directions, as to
a safe refuge. No one left her without being consoled, although she openly
rebuked them for their sins and fearlessly reproved them for what was evil and
displeasing to God.
“Many different diseases were rampant in Rome. Fatal diseases and
plagues were everywhere, but the saint ignored the risk of contagion and
displayed the deepest kindness toward the poor and the needy. Her empathy would
first bring them to atone for their sins. Then she would help them by her eager
care, and urge them lovingly to accept their trials, however, difficult, from
the hand of God. She would encourage them to endure their sufferings for love
of Christ, since he had previously endured so much for them.
”For thirty years Frances continued this service to
the sick and the stranger. During epidemics like this it was not only difficult
to find doctors to care for the body but even priests to provide remedies for
the soul. She herself would seek them out and bring them to those who were
disposed to receive the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist.”--from the Life of Saint Frances of Rome by a contemporary
(Picture on Pinterest: "The Vision of Saint Francesca Romana by Orazio Gentileschi c.1619 via museumsyndicate.org)
