(gong)
Angelo--I am the troubadour and I
wander from city to town; now that I am here, before I leave, let me sing. This
is the story of Giovanni, son of Pietro Bernardone and Madonna Pica, and of how
it was that he became Saint Francis of
Polorum Regina (violin)
It was here, the Porziuncola, the little
Francesco--One stone! And God will
reward you! Two stones--and God will reward you twice! Three stones--and thrice
will God reward you! Passers by stared at him, amazed--they remembered a
well-dressed young man, a lover of the good life and its pleasures. And now they
found themselves faced with a ragged, pallid, emaciated beggar who, with an air
of ecstasy, went about begging...stones.
But Francesco had a certain success with crowds. He had his own particular way
of speaking to the people: he preached in the Vulgate in a simple and
spontaneous fashion; he used gestures, music, and songs. Instead of a priest,
boring and difficult to follow, it seemed to the people to hear one of their own.
Francesco became a great actor when in the squares he recounted his fabulous
tales of knights and paladins...it was like listening to a play.
Divina Commedia, Paradiso,
Canto XI
Boy--And Francesco who had been a
knight, to the great scandal of all, caused himself to be repudiated by his
father. He became a beggar. He lived in a church and took care of lepers. But
his eager soul was not satisfied by all this.
Girl--and then on a Spring morning,
at Mass, he heard these words read by the priest, an old friend of his:
Angelo --Provide neither gold, nor
silver, nor brass in your purses... nor scrip for your journey, neither two
coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves.... But go and preach the
Girl--This was the answer that
Francesco awaited--this was what he had asked--this was what he desired--this
was what he wanted to do.
Boy--Outside of the church, he took
off his shoes and threw away his staff.
Girl--He left his cloak on the ground,
and dressed only in a simple grey tunic, barefoot, he travelled the world to
bring peace to whomever desired it: be they men or animals, brigands or wolves.
Boy--For more fearsome than wolves,
are the fires of Hell.
Il lupo di Gubbio
Angelo--The time was now ripe; and
Francesco received a great joy: the Lord in His love, sent him the companion of
which he had need, as do all of us--Bernardo da Quintavalle, his first
companion--and then more, and still more. Poor and rich, nobles and peasants,
following Francesco, all equal. But also sinners--thieves--brigands--because, as
Francesco said often, God often chooses the worst among us.
Bernardo--After so many hard times,
it seems that people are beginning to trust us.
Boy--It is because of Francesco's
eloquence in preaching.
Bernardo--And ours as well, Brother.
For many years now we have been preaching, all over
Bernardo--Yes--we've grown—I
remember the first time I saw Francesco; and above all what he said to me:
"Brother, I have faith in you; I’m looking for the good qualities God
gave you. Would you like to show them?"
Bernardo --"Put good in the
place of evil, and see how the evil disappears.” Francesco repeats that
continuously.
Bernardo --I remember most of all the
first period we went preaching two at a time;Francesco was with Egidio; I was
with Pietro. Francesco and Egidio went to Marca d'Ancona; Pietro and I went into
So Francesco could travel with Papal permission. And he taught the people. They
were doubtful, even frightened, seeing us dressed this way: they took us for
savages! And then when we began to tell them about following the teaching of the
Gospels, and embracing Sister Poverty--then they thought we were truly mad--or
heretics. But then some of them began to join us--and not only a few! Masseo,
for example. Come here, come here, Masseo, don't be afraid, come here. Look into
his eyes--look--he came from far away to live with us, to pray and to work, a
brother among brothers, always ready to journey, in obedience and poverty.
Because this is our Rule.
La Regola
Bernardo --Francesco! Francesco, what
are you doing?
Francesco--I was praying, Bernardo.
Bernardo --Ah !Yes! Have you seen how
many followers are with us now? Who would have thought it? Right, Masseo? I was
just telling Masseo about the time they stole our tunics and left us shivering
in the cold in our underpants. And we couldn't stop laughing, thinking about
Pietro, the most learned among us, having to walk back to the Porziuncola
dressed only in his underpants! They gave us back our tunics, Masseo, and with
many an apology too! But I've been thinking...they throw stones at us--we eat
little and badly--we dress like beggars--the village girls see us coming from a
far and run away screaming. But we try not to mind--to be tolerant, and
joyous--and so the people listen to us; and some of them follow us. I wish we
were many more--it’s important for us to be many!
Francesco--We will be. Patience,
Bernardo, we will be. You above all, who were the first to follow this
madman--you should have no doubt, no fear that we will lack followers. Let us
continue to travel, my Brother. Our Father has asked us to travel the roads of
this world. He has blessed us by sending us our Sister, Chiara.
Bernardo --She's only eighteen.
She’s always been so loved, so protected--and yet she
found the courage to run away from home--in the night, from her father's house.
Do you remember? It was Palm Sunday and here at the Porziuncola we lit all our
candles to guide her way to us. She came with her heart in her throat, running
in the dark.
Chiara--Yes, with my heart in my
throat.
Francesco--Chiara was betrothed. But
in her heart she had already promised herself to Another, body and soul. She
shed her robes for this habit, and I cut her hair, that she might never be of
another--that she might belong only to herself and to God.
Chiara--Francesco, what a joy to see
you
again!
Francesco--How wonderful to see that
you are no longer alone! Come--come here, Chiara. Look what a wonder! There is
still so much to be done here, but this place becomes every day more
beautiful--and in this place the Lord speaks to us constantly.
Chiara--But tell us, what can we do
here?
Francesco-- Pray; work and live in
absolute simplicity. I have rebuilt San Damiano for you. San Damiano will be
your home: the kingdom of the poor ladies!
You will be my little plant, you will give this place a soul, and God will watch
over you even when I am far away.
Chiara--We will pray Francesco.
But you must promise to come to visit us every time you return from your travels.
Where will you go this time?
Francesco--Where did we say?
Bernardo
--In northern
Francesco--In northern
Bernardo --Let us go about the world!
We’re not alone, let us depart--and why not now? Let’s go north this
time--do you like the idea?
It is only an idea, of course...more or less. I'll go tell the other brothers.
We’ll leave this same evening!
Francesco--Chiara, forgive me--you
made such a long trip to reach us here--but Bernardo is right. We must go right
away. this evening. I will return to you soon; but continue to pray
for all of us.
Chiara--I will pray that you find no
obstacles on your way.
Francesco--It is only my own weakness
that frightens me...often I feel lost, I
feel helpless at the sight of so much suffering.
Chiara--Francesco, why do you doubt?
Francesco--I do not doubt! But I--I
want to be where no one dares to
be.
Chiara--But Francesco, you already do
that!
Francesco--But it's not enough--not
enough. I don't want to be the one who passes by and throws a coin to the
beggar--I want to BE the beggar--dirty--in rags--angry. I want to be
the leper whose wounds must be tended, wounds of the body and of the soul-.I
want to feel the pain of the Holy Passion--that excessive love.
Who are you, my most sweet Lord? Who am I,? Your useless servant-- abandoned,
confused, humiliated. For how long will you forget me? For how long will you
turn your face from me? Father, hear me! Listen to me, Father! Illuminate my
face!
See my tears, Father--speak to me--speak to me....
Salmo
Chiara--Francesco, where are you?
Francesco--Travelling towards the
west with my Brothers.
Chiara--Here we all miss you. There
are so many of us who await your return.
Francesco--We will see each other
soon...continue to watch over everyone, Chiara, and above all cultivate your
faith.
Chiara--But tell me--are you well?
Francesco--That is not important,
Chiara. What is important, are the people we meet on our journey.
Chiara--Agnese,
Agnese--It's lavender from our
garden--we just picked it!
Chiara-- The breeze today is so fresh!
Hang the wash well, that the sun may warm it.
Agnese--Ask
her!
Agnese--Sister Chiara--so many days
have passed and yet no sign of Francesco! He should have been back by now....
Chiara--He'll return, he’ll return!
Francesco is taking the Lord's word to all the world.
Isn't he tired, don’t you think? Doesn’t he want to come home?
Chiara--When Francesco was a boy he
used to dream of being a prince--he was courageous and ready to face any danger;
brave in facing pain and wounds as well. Now he calls his body Brother Donkey,
and he treats it with little regard; he mortifies it in penitence--it will
certainly not be weariness that will stop him!
Agnese--But what if he decides to
keep travelling and never comes home?
Chiara--I doubt that, Sister.
Francesco has always departed from, and returned to here, the Porziuncola. He
has done it so many times. Every year he comes back to visit his Brothers. And
Francesco always says, every journey must return to its origins. He has never
forgotten us.
Agnese--But what if....
Chiara--Enough questions, Sister
Agnese! You wouldn't want Francesco to return and find these women doing nothing
but gossiping, would you?
A l'entrada
Chiara--You've come back!
Francesco----We can give up
anything--but not joy!
Chiara--You must be hungry!
What can we offer you? Water! Hurry!
Bernardo --These puppets were a gift,
Chiara. They were given to Francesco in thanks for his talent in storytelling.
Call the other Sisters and make yourselves comfortable. So many journeys, so
many stories!
Chiara--You must tell us
everything--the people you met--the places you saw...we heard of your
success--and you, Francesco, everyone now thinks of you as a saint.
Francesco--I did only what was asked
of me.
Sister-- Tell us everything! Some of
us haven't met you; we want to get to know you.
Bernardo --Let me tell the story! May
I? May I, Francesco? So then: listen well! We left here and went to
Chiara--
Francesco--My suffering, Chiara--my
suffering is as nothing compared to the suffering I have seen in the eyes of
mankind.
Bernardo --However! During that first
journey we were received everywhere with great affection.
Brother--From the very beginning,
right here in
Sister--But what happened exactly?
You have many followers now--there are brothers all over the world.
Bernardo --You're right, Sister--I
must tell things in order! But listen well! We left here and
We went to
been, actually....What! Where are you going? There are all these things to put
away....
Il trattato dei Miracoli
Francesco--More...more! Bernardo--do
you remember, how many journeys? How many people we met? How many departures!
What suffering in the eyes of men?
Chiara--You brought comfort and hope—you
must be glad of that.
Francesco--I pray that the future may
bring joy and serenity to all who follow us.
Bernardo--But Francesco--we are doing
our part, no?....More--we must do more....
Francesco--Then we went to
Chiara--Peace must be pursued...conquered.
Francesco--If only men would draw
nearer to each other--their shared knowledge would drive
away fear.
Agnese--Evil is won over by good;
violence, by non-violence; error, by the truth; hate, with love.
Francesco--The infidel Saracens
attacked our brothers in Marocco, and many of them died.
Chiara--The Lord held out his hand to
them.
Francesco--Yes, as he did to us,
freeing us from the Sultan's chains.
Chiara--Don't tell me you were made
prisoner!
Bernardo--We were--but the words of
Francesco won over even the Sultan!
Agnese--Three times Francesco set out
for the lands of the Infidel, impassioned by the desire to offer himself as a
living host in the flames of martyrdom. Twice God stopped him. The third time,
having arrived in
speak, that the Sultan--against his own laws--invited them to remain in his
lands and gave orders that he and his Brothers might freely go to
Francesco--Yes, it was the Lord who
led us here. He guided our footsteps to you, Sultan. With humility, with
profound respect we have come here to your immense palace that speaks to us of
you, of your culture. Hear us! Such a long time have we travelled, to share with
you love for life! hear us! Such a long time have we travelled to search with
you for peace on this earth. Hear us! Hear us, humble beggars--dressed in
nothing--hear us, because we are all brothers under this one sky--our names are
different--our languages are different--the names we give to God are
different--but our love for Him is the same-- the content of our prayers is the
same--the same. Our fears are the same, my Brothers; our needs are the same. Our
love and our souls are the same before God. The same. Let us hear each other,
Brothers. Let us speak
without fear of that which seems to separate us--because together we will find
ourselves equals, together we will find that no war may ever call itself” holy"
Il sultano di Babilonia e la prostituta
Agnese--Finally, the Sultan, who
greatly loved the stories of Francesco, consented that he
return home. And Francesco made him a promise: at the moment of death, he would
return and remain beside him. In thanks, the Sultan gave to Francesco, Oliphante,
horn of ebony and silver--that instrument had a beautiful voice; Francesco
played it often and kept it by his side as long as he lived. Travelling through
the centuries, Oliphante arrived at the sacred Convent of Assisi, where it still
resides. And there I saw it...I saw it.
Francesco--And then, with the
safe-conduct of the Sultan, we reached
Bernardo--We saw
Francesco--Our hands Brothers, our
hands will gather miracles everywhere.. Bernardo....
Bernardo--This is a rose of the
desert, Chiara. We found it near the battleground of
Chiara--Stone, teach us
silence--because it is in silence that God speaks to us.
Miserere
Francesco--Then we decided to come
home--because every journey must
return to its origins....
Chiara--You left in so many for the
lands of the Saracen--and some of you did not come back. You have seen the stars
over
Nelle paludi di Venezia Francesco si fermò
per pregare e tutto tacque
Chorus--Francesco has returned--this
year again, he has returned--it's incredible, how many things he has done--many
years have passed--from the beginning of this adventure--and to think we were so
few--and we began our journeys--and Francesco continued his journeys--many of
the Brothers were attacked--but Francesco continued his mission--it's inspiring,
how a simple man could found a movement based on love so vast--now it is the
people who journey to find Francesco--he could have remained at the
Porziuncola--but he continued to travel--and each time he returns, there are new
Brothers to speak of.
Chiara--Francesco, there are people
from all the villages....
Chorus--To use one's own light to
find clarity...to be able to choose one's own path, and to follow it all the way
to the end. Freedom: to be able to accept one's own destiny, this is freedom.
Francesco--Guide us....
Chiara--Of reality, one may
understand only what one is prepared to understand.
Francesco--Lord, may it be that these
people are prepared to understand the happiness that they will find in their own
souls.
La predica della Perfetta Letizia
Bernardo--Francesco travelled until
the last. But now he is ill,
and he can no longer do what he loved so well. His eyes cannot stand the
sunlight in daytime, nor the fire glow at night, and he is forced to stay in the
shadows of his cell. The pain in his eyes is so great that he can neither rest
nor sleep. But we must not be sad! To everyone, now, he is a saint. And even now,
in the last months of his life, he is leaving us his greatest teachings. It is
inspiring how a
man of such simplicity is able to find words of such greatness--to write songs
of such beauty--they are songs of life.
Polorum
Bernardo--He has done so much for all
of us--now it is better that he stay with Chiara and her sisters.
Chiara--You are tired, and sick. Let
us return to your cell.
Francesco--Look at the wonders. Look
at all the wonders which surround us.
Chiara--Why do you not want to stop?
For years you have travelled--let us now ease your suffering.
Francesco--You...look for me now. You
will be my eyes. I can no longer look at the light. I can only remember the joy
of seeing it. The sun--the most beautiful of God's creatures--the nearest to him.
Sisters, every morning, every man should give thanks to the sun, which
illuminates our eyes by day; and every evening, every man should give thanks to
the fire, which illuminates our eyes by night.
Chiara--All creatures are brothers
and sisters and sing to the Lord--because in living we find infinite happiness.
Il cantico delle creature
Chiara--Francesco, do not speak of
death.
Francesco--I have no fear to embrace
my Lord once more. Chiara, you also--have no fear. I will always be with you.
Chiara--Stay with me. Do not leave
me. When I felt that I was alone, you were with me. When I fell, you helped me
to rise. And now...stay with me, Francesco, stay with me!--I will shine with
reflected light, I, your little plant. I will serve our Brothers. I will be an
instrument of the Lord, to bring peace, as you have taught me. I will sow love
where there is hate; truth,
where there is error; faith, where there is doubt. I do not want to be comforted,
but to comfort--not to be understood, but to understand. Sisters, we will live
in the privilege of poverty and humility. We will work with our hands. We will
learn to be kind always. We will accept all with lightness--because lightness is
a sign of the presence of God. We will be the brides of the Lord. We--women who
are a sign of peace, and who hear the weeping of all things--we--women, sisters
of Mother Earth and wind of hope. We, women--the fires of love.
Audite poverelle
Agnese--Now, Francesco was very
ill--tired from so many journeys--his sight weak and his muscles exhausted. The
wounds given him by God did not allow him to walk. Every Holy Mystery was now
complete in him. He asked to be taken to the Porziuncola; to be laid upon the
naked earth and covered with ashes; to have sung to him the Canticle of Brother
Sun and read to him the Passion of Christ from the Gospel of John; and that from
Rome might come Madonna Jacopa dei Sette Soli, to bring him for the last time,
mostaccioli, his favourite sweets, and the grey cloth in which he was buried. It
was the third of October,1226.He was forty-six years old.
La morte di Francesco
This, one may say of him...Francesco...who was a man, and was a saint.