Course V - Teaching 16: Saint Francesca Romana
After a Holy Retreat, it is indispensable to consider the blissful Eternity, source of Message, assistance and consolation; we must cross this bridge to achieve our ideal –which leads from this miserable life to Eternal Life– remembering those Patrons, Holy Masters, spiritual guides and companions that have preceded us and constantly extend their hands to the Sons to cross quickly the bridge. We must remember our Patron, Saint Francesca Romana, so that the Sons, by the image of her virtues on earth, may ever deserve to be Her companions on the invisible heavenly Tables.
Of the souls that lived a life of renunciation and purity, and were not only worthy of imitation, but also irradiated a magnetic power, one of them was Saint Francesca Romana.
In biographies of saints, heroes and great men, sometimes their authors neglect a basic question in these beings, digress and explain their lives and doings, and do not come to the point, that is, to their souls to observe therein their wonderful substance.
So, in Saint Francesca Romana we must observe her virtue: her basic treasure. A virtue acquired on the earth is a fundamental good, something inborn that grows along with virtues. This central virtue, this essential quality of the soul, gives power and is like a center of projection irradiating and vivifying every soul. Francesca’s virtue is her absolute chastity: mental, moral and physical. It is a gift that she brings from the Eternity and keeps with her. Her living and doings become transcendent round this virtue.
She is really Daughter of Cafh! She possesses all elements for a perfect renunciation projected on future centuries. This power emanates from her chastity, from her absolutely desired purity.
May you imagine the torment of a soul born for purity, forced to be married by the law?
At the age of nine, she looks at the sky and says to her mother: “I am the wife of God”. But what do parents know about these things? Everybody says these are things of children. And some awful day, her parents personally arrange her marriage with an old man who not only ignores what is spiritual life in depth, but also entirely knows the science of the worldly evil.
Here is a current of chastity and purity covered in mud, not in that of vice but in human mud. Perchance is not this the first Francesca’s martyrdom? It is as if they had thrown her to the street.
Her parents do not understand. In her infancy, she cried when someone touched her, an old maid says after the saint passed away. But her parents laugh at it and do not realize that her soul has been called to purity.
But the divine design is behind all this: “You will attain full renunciation through this path”.
Not surprisingly, this horror-stricken innocent youngster, at the age of twelve or thirteen, falls seriously ill. She is about to die; it is impossible that she may survive. Her most pure soul rejects carnal miseries. Death will be a blessing for this soul for the mere presence of her husband is as if she were dying. But God always grants to a soul another soul to understand her: her sister-in-law, a companion in her spiritual life. Her sister-in-law says to that man not to come to Francesca’s room if he wants her recovery. Then, far from this conjugal dilemma, she feels better. But she cannot get totally better, and a fever consumes her: it is a divine fever, of desired sanctity. And one night, Saint Alexis appears and talks to her about self-sacrifice: “Gods wants for you to become mother. Come and thank God. You will begin being a family mother, carrying a heavy cross”. Next morning she says to her sister-in-law: “Come, I want to get up and thank Alexis, because he says I am healed”. She gets up and the two run to thank God. Then God grants the first child to her.
Motherhood purifies her feeling. She sees her own purification through motherhood. Despite her sanctified marriage and despite her Spiritual Director’s words in the sense that this is always her duty and her sacrifice, she will continue to spit blood every time his husband comes near, but she will go forward and will fulfill her mission.
This pain grants children to her.
She is a flower of sanctity, even in conjugal life, because however conjugal it may be, it is always sin. And from this continuous martyrdom, during his entire life, she gets strength to become mother of all beings. She protects all those women that will become mothers, and feels this love for all distressed Christ’s members and for those who are sick and bear deadly pains.
Here are her words: “Since I could not devote to God in an isolated place, I want heal Humanity. God grants me strength to do some good in the world”.
For years, Romana will be an angel for all helpless and sick people; oil of her lamp will heal the latter with no exception.
But she has to be an exemplar of living martyrdom for chastity. Anxiously she will hanker during her entire life for returning to the purity of her childhood. The Lord has given her the mission of being a mother and by the burden of conjugal sin she will pay for sins of all beings. Christ says to her: “You should pay for those who do wrong. I wished for you to be my wife, so you must be mother of all beings of mine”.
Two of her three children die, and the other is taken hostage by political enemies of his husband, who belonged to one of the main families in the city. Everything comes down round her. She bears every possible sorrow in a family mother, but her inner strength remains entirely live.
Instead of her children, God provides her with an angel that will be ever with her. Finally God gives her back Battista, her only son alive, and also her husband, battered, distressed and ruined, and she continues her sanctifying work for the souls.
According to an author of her time, the poor kissed her footsteps and even went down in their knees and kiss her. They called her Angel of God.
During her ecstasy, Christ says: “You are mother of your children and wife, but here above you will be my wife, for you fulfilled the will that I imposed on you”.
During her long ecstasies, her body is like that of a virgin. “Seemingly she is a virgin of the Lord”, her companions say.
Years and years of martyrdom pass by. His husband is old and sick, and she cares of him lovingly. He asks to stay in her room: she has fulfilled her human mission, but this stubborn man says: “I want the wife that God gave to me”, and the confessor says this is her duty.
Whenever his husband touches her, she vomits blood. They feel that he will die, but God keeps her on earth. Francesca has to be an exemplar of great renunciation, chastity and fulfillment of the duty. Finally, one day her husband looks at her and says: “How could God give me such a useless mate! You would better go with God!” At the end, he understands her sanctity. From that day on, in ecstasy, none can interfere between her living flesh and her flesh that resists.
Oh splendid chaste daughter, oh Patron of the Daughters! Over all, she is a really chaste soul, who could have said: “I suffered much. All my life I dreamt of reuniting virgins round me, and I achieved it. I do not want for you my past suffering. I want for you to be protected here by the splendid flower given by the Lord. Beautify it through inner and detached life, observance and, over all, renunciation, which is chastity, divinity and crown of virtues: a supernatural chastity.
Sons, look many times at your Protector, not when there are temptations, since temptations are non-existent in Mother’s House, but when there is carnal temptation like wrath, gluttony, sloth and indolence. Look at Francesca and her angel: she is a really chaste expression of pure and holy living, and at once her power will come to them, will communicate with your beings and grant new strength to you.
Sons, believe that God granted many gifts to her but there is one that is greater than all: that of being able to remain pure and say: “Ego sum sponsa tua”.
No good is so great or lofty, because even those beings that stay in the mud recognize that good. May this gift become a sure offering of your total renunciation and triumph. May this divine gift be the holy hand of Francesca extended to them and inviting them to cross the bridge from life to Eternity.
Wives of Christ, take care of your crown –your chastity– and keep this treasure granted by God to you because you will travel through the Way carrying this gift.
