Approaching Assisi, you cannot avoid seeing the majestic basilica dedicated to St. Francis that dominates all of the space below with its ramparts made of stone. And yet, looking more closely, you begin to see that it is not the highest part of the city. Francis, in fact, had desired to be laid to rest in the lowest part, destined for the burial of those condemned by the law, which at the time was called “Hill of Hell.”
This is rather ironic because Francis broke every record in being proclaimed a saint: only two years after his death, the Church canonized him and the day after, the first stone was placed of the current basilica. From that day, in Hell has been raised a piece of Paradise which changed it into the splendor that you find today.
The last time that I went to Assisi with our seminarians, entering into the lower basilica, I was struck by the splendid fresco above the main altar, which depicts St. Francis in glory. Giotto wanted to place Francis triumphant, seated on a throne, with a golden background, surrounded by angels and saints. That’s a bit exaggerated, I found myself thinking, It’s not like he is Christ!
And yet, looking at everything that God has done through his man, what comes to mind is the appellative Alter Christus with which Francis is today remembered in works of Assisian art but not only.
And what is holiness if not sharing in God’s glory by virtue of Christ’s merits?
If thinking that God has reserved the same throne for us as Francis fills us with shame, with a feeling of unworthiness, it remains true that we were created to be holy, to be an alter Christus as well. And what is holiness if not sharing in God’s glory by virtue of Christ’s merits? This is what St. Paul says to the community at Rome: Those whom he has called, he has also justified; those whom he has justified, he has also glorified (Rom 8:30).
As we continued walking toward the altar, we slowly caught sight of three more frescoes in which the saint is depicted in relation to the three evangelical counsels: Francis betrothed to poverty, submitting to obedience, and living chastity.
These depictions are also glorious, with the golden background, replete with angels and saints. The roads that bring us to Paradise, to sanctity, are already the beginning of the experience of glory because they are already the beginning of our sharing in the life of Christ. Every baptized person is called to live this life, through different vocational paths. And for this reason, Lent is a precious occasion to rediscover its greatness.
The Church, in fact, accompanies us in living this penitential season in preparation for Easter centered around three pillars: almsgiving, fasting.
Lent is therefore a time of glory, in which we can let ourselves be attracted by the beauty of Christ
The first helps us rediscover the fullness of poverty. In the mosaic, Francis marries her, and it is Jesus himself who unites them in marriage, thus making himself present in their union. Fasting, on the other hand, helps us to live a chaste life, that is, free and open to the other. It is beautiful that Francis is depicted welcoming a friar, a nun and a lay person into this new life. Finally, prayer helps us to live the peace and lightness that come from obedience to the Father. Francis here submits himself to the yoke of obedience that is, however, secretly upheld by the Father.
Fr. Giussani affirms that “the liturgy of Lent is a sovereign affirmation of this salvation which has come, Jesus Christ […] The figure of Jesus Christ, this new man, is revealed according to all the force of its newness. A new measure has entered into the world, a new proposal was entered into life, a measure and a proposal that are so new that the stakes of life now lie entirely in accepting this new measure or in floundering as slaves of the old.”
Lent is therefore a time of glory, in which we can let ourselves be attracted by the beauty of Christ, reflected in the many Alteri Christi who have done so before us. It is a time to become young again, that is, completely tensed toward the Ideal that captivated our life and that we want to witness to the world.
