Assisi in October, 2018

Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

We arrived in Assisi about 3:30 pm  at the train station with the sun shining and our hearts set on spending some time in peace and quiet in the beautiful basilica of St. Francis. Our cab driver had very efficiently brought us to the Istituto Beata Angelina  directly across from the basilica. It is a convent run by the Sisters of the Third Order of Blessed Angelina. Our room looks directly onto the church and the beautiful sweeping landscape to the right and the left of it. The sight fills the soul with beauty and great hope.

A short while after resting we walked to the basilica to take in the sights. We were there with hundreds of others who wish to see this magnificent church and pray to St. Francis. For us it was too busy, too distracting. Somewhere I had read that between 9 and 10 in the evening, there would be silent prayer in the chapel of St. Francis' tomb in the crypt church. It sounded almost too good to be true. I confirmed it with one of the information friars who staff the basilica.

Chapel and tomb of St. Francis

Later that evening, we descended the steep walkway to the lower church and then to St. Francis' tomb. There were, perhaps 40 pilgrims like ourselves who were looking for peace and quiet, to pray in silence at this most magnificent and spiritually significant location. A location which honors a disciple of the Lord's who at His request began repairing His Church which had all too sadly fallen into disrepair. It was a grace-filled time of quiet prayer. All the large groups of pilgrims had left the basilica, only a handful of us were there in the silence. One beautiful family with six children from about a few months old to 14 years prayed quietly - except the baby who gurgled and giggled a bit. The rest of us represented young, middle age and old - couples, religious sisters, priests, and singles - praying quietly, experiencing the gift of being in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord and honoring his faithful disciple, St. Francis.

St. Faustina and 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy

October 5 is the feast day of St. Faustina, the Polish religious sister who Jesus appeared to with the message of Divine Mercy. These private revelations were made over a number of years in the 1920s and 30s and are recorded in the Diary of Sister Faustina. The revelations are approved by the Church. They are powerful words by Jesus of His great and merciful love of the human race and His desire to offer each and every soul the means to save their souls. St. Faustina was the Lord's messenger of the Divine Mercy message. She is called the Apostle of Divine Mercy.

Vinny Flynn is the author of the 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy. Flynn is a writer, teacher, and musician who has given many talks and written numerous books as he traveled throughout the U.S. and Ireland sharing the message of Divine Mercy.  His book, 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy, is a reflection on the divine mercy message which draws on Flynn's many years of teaching and sharing the message with others. I have written a review of this book which you can find here, https://www.hprweb.com/2018/06/early-summer-book-reviews/

The message given to St. Faustina is one which Our Lord said would bring the world peace when we learn to trust in His Divine Mercy. St. Faustina was given to us as a messenger and now as an intercessor. Let us pray to her that we may trust in the Divine Mercy of Jesus and bring our sad and chaotic world the peace it needs. "Jesus I trust in you."