72 Disciples

The need for a friend

We can’t do this alone.

God has seen fit to give me brothers!

Perhaps his former friends and companions only saw the lost soul, a rich boy playing at conventional forms of medieval piety. There are accounts of Francis being insulted by citizens of Assisi and occasionally physically abusing him as he went about the town seeking work – and when unable to secure work, begging for funds to complete the work at San Damiano. But it is also clear that despite his outward appearance as a pious church hanger-on, others people were watching and his way of daily life and his now joyful demeanor were becoming attractive.

At the end of his life he rather dryly recounts the events of the spring of 1208: “And after the Lord gave me some brothers…

Francis and his two brothers went and found the parish priest. The three asked the priest to reveal the Lord’s will for them by performing a sortes biblicae – the opening of the Bible at random three times to find verses that would reveal God’s will. … The parish priest used the altar missal to guide the brothers. …The random opening of the missal revealed the following passages:

Mark 10:17-21: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Luke 9:1-6: “Take nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.”

Matthew 16:24-28: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me.”

“…no one showed my what I had to do, but Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel.” These texts would become the basic form of Franciscan life.

https://friarmusings.com/2012/11/23/francis-of-assisi-and-the-lord-gave-me-brothers/

St. Paul too saw only Christ.

“The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

“Circumcision doesn’t mean anything anymore…but only to be a new creation.”

“I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.” - Galatians 6:14-18

Galatians 6:14–18 NABRE

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Because this is the whole point, the new creation, seeing everything as under the dominion of Christ the King and “crucifying the whole world.”

Back to St. Francis, the Franciscan cross is the Tau… why?! Because…

Ezekiel 9:4 (NABRE)

and the Lord said to him: Pass through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark an X (Tau) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced within it.

You don’t get into salvation without the mark of the cross on your body.

New American Bible: Revised Edition

Ex 12:7–14 - marked on the doorposts with the Blood

Ez 9:4

; 2 Corinthians 1:22“he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.”

Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,”

, Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

We are trying to mark people with the love of Christ! I wonder if when we interact with people we leave them with this mark, “They love Jesus…they love…they love me!…I want to be that!”

The devil marks us with his own mark, The mark of the beast

Revelation 13:16 NABRE

It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads,

And so our job is to go into the whole world to bring the good news. We can think of these guys as going out to all the nations and isn’t that the Psalm for today:

“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you, sing praise to your name!”

A universal and united proclamation of God!

Conclusion

And so we go to the world to tell everyone about Jesus and His Kingdom, the Church, and there is no separation between Christ and His Church.

We believe that the tribulation will come, and to those who reject Christ “It will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

The 72 rejoice! The demons are subject to us because of your name!

“I have observed Satan fall like lighting from the sky.”

You too have power, but rejoice because your names are being written in heaven!

Christ saw Satan fall... As if to say, he fell, you don't think you could fall too? Rejoice correctly, I am giving you power. But you must stay in me. I give you a brother so you don't try and do this on your own.

You are rejoicing that the demons are subject to my name, yes, praise my Name, but also know that Satan falling was the tragic even that kicked off this salvation story. He was my most beautiful creature, and because of Him, I come, because of sin, I will be crucified for you. You will have peace, and in this life, universal peace will only come through me. Money bag, car, shoes…. these will not bring you peace. People will reject me and my Gospel, it will happen and this is terribly sad, because I will lose them forever. Please ask the master of the harvest, to send out laborers, to save souls from something even worse than Sodom.

John 15:4–5 NABRE

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

Pope Innocent addressed the little group and said something to this effect:

“Go with the Lord, brothers, and, as the Lord will see fit to inspire you, preach penance to all. When the almighty Lord increases you in number and grace, come back to me with joy, and I will grant you more things than these and, with greater confidence, I will entrust you with greater things.” (cf 1C31-32; AP 32-36).