“The Community shall also celebrate, in a particularly solemn way, the feasts and solemnities of Pentecost, the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart, Our Lady and Saint Joseph and the memory of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. Especially during the main liturgical dates of the particular Church where the Community is located, the Community shall participate in the celebrations around the Pastors of the Church, showing their spirit of loyalty and communion.” Statutes of Shalom Catholic Community, 46.
On this feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, we are invited to immerse ourselves in the profound simplicity and radical love that defined his life. Through his Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon (Canticle of Creation), St. Francis saw all of creation as a reflection of God’s beauty and goodness.
He recognized the hand of a loving Creator in every element of nature — the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, and even death. His heart overflowed with praise, and his life became a living hymn of gratitude and humility. Today, we too are called to open our eyes and hearts, to recognize God’s hand at work in our lives, and to offer Him our praise.
In the Shalom Catholic Community, St. Francis holds a special place. His radical response to God’s call, abandoning all worldly attachments to embrace a life of poverty, prayer, and service, resonates deeply with our vocation.
Just as St. Francis heard the call to rebuild the Church in his time, so too are we called to be instruments of renewal in the Church today. As Moyses Azevedo (Founder of Shalom Catholic Community) reminds us, we are heirs to the same spirit of despojo (self-abandonment), called to detach even from good and licit things in order to love and serve God more fully. This path of holiness challenges us to surrender completely to God’s will and to place Him at the center of everything.
As we pray today, let us reflect on the example of St. Francis and allow his life to inspire a deeper commitment to our personal vocation. May we, like him, seek to live in harmony with God, one another, and all creation. Let us remember that our mission is to bring God’s Shalom — His peace, His love, His salvation — to the world. With the Tau as our symbol, we carry this divine election not only externally but also in our hearts. We are called to be living witnesses of God’s peace, to go forth and evangelize, and to be signs of hope and renewal.
As St. Francis once prayed, so we too ask today: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.” May this peace reign in our hearts and overflow into the world, renewing our desire to be holy, to be close to God, and to bring His light into every corner of our lives.
St. Francis, pray for us.
Higor Fontoura. Missionary of Shalom Catholic community as Covenant Community.
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