Brother Rufino

     My dear brothers and sisters, St. Francis could be stern as well as compassionate. During lent, a time of penance, a story from which I am about to tell you, brings out the beautiful simplicity, childlike qualities and desire for penance of St. Francis.

    This story concerns Brother Rufino. Rufino was so absorbed in heavenly things that he hardly noticed anything that went on around him. He was not much of a preacher, so when St. Francis one day said to him, “I want you to go to a church in Assisi and preach to the people,” Brother Rufino was taken aback and in a most humble way asked to be excused because he had no talent in that direction. St. Francis, in his impetuous way, instantly rebuked him and said sternly, “Since you did not obey me when I asked you, I now command you to go, and to go naked except for your underwear, and preach in some church in Assisi.” Brother Rufino gulped and paled, but without a word he started off. On the way he was accosted buy jeering boys who tagged at his heels and cried out, “These brothers are so wrapped up in penance that they have gone crazy.” Brother Rufino kept going straight into a church and up into the pulpit where he did indeed start to preach.

     In the meantime, Francis, back at the monastery, was struck with remorse. “Here is this man of high noble birth,” he accused himself, “whom you, a nobody, have sent off on this humiliating task. Now,” he told himself sternly, “you can just go and do this same thing yourself that you made him do.” He disrobed and called brother Leo, “I’d like you to accompany me.” 

     Brother Leo stared at him, shook his head and hurried out of the room, calling back, “I’ll be right with you.” Soon he was back with a mysterious knapsack slung over his shoulder. Off they went and when they were trudging into Assisi they, too, were greeted with jeers and hoots of laughter. St. Francis held his peace, but was humiliated. He, with a red faced Brother Leo trudging along beside him, hastened on into the church where Brother Rufino was preaching, and doing a creditable job of it.

     Looking up at the pulpit, Francis stopped, aghast; there high above him in the pulpit was Brother Rufino looking for all the world like a great featherless bird. 

     “Is that the way I look?” Francis gasped with a quick glance down at his own nakedness. Shaking his head, he strode forward and joined Brother Rufino in the pulpit. He motioned Brother Rufino back, swallowing hard and cleared his throat loudly, which helped steady him. Quavering, he began to preach. Laughter came up at him. His voice grew louder. Soon it’s beauty was going out like a great bell until it’s sonorous tones filled the length and breadth of the church. The silly grins on the faces below began to fade. He preached eloquently, of poverty, humility, and penance. A hush fell over the assembly when he depicted Christ’s humiliation, aloneness, and nakedness, as He hung on the Cross. Sobs shook many a hardened sinner and tears splashed down many a weather-beaten face. Gone was any vestige of contempt; in its place were sorrow, repentance, deep reverence, and a great swelling of conversion in the hearts of the people.

    He finished and stepped back and Brother Leo hurried forward and opened his knapsack and out of it he took the two habits for the naked duo. Without a word he handed one to each and each man gratefully took the habit and put it on. Then, with sheepish grins all around, they left the church and marched homeward, not abjectly though; but, in triumph because their hearts were high in the glory of God and because they knew there were many people converted in Assisi that day. As a matter off fact, there were many who were so struck with the holiness of these men that they desired nothing better than the privilege of just touching their garments with the utmost reverence.

REFLECTIONS

   A thought for us to take home might be to strip ourselves of the inner garment of pride and put on the inner garment that Christ is taking out of His knapsack and handing to each one of us. The garment is humility, which could lead to self-accusation, self-denial, repentance and heartfelt sorrow for even our venial sins and a firm resolution to “go and sin no more.” In particular, to overcome the same old sins, confession after confession.

    To the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.