"With joy-filled devotion, Francis dwelt in the heavenly mansions and in complete self-emptying, he remained hidden for long hours in the wounds of our Savior. He sought out the solitary places where he could cast his soul entirely upon God." #Lent #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Francis, Christ's bravest soldier traveled around proclaiming the kingdom of God and preaching #peace and #penance...not in the persuasive words of human wisdom but in the learning and wisdom of the Holy Spirit." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi #LiveTheGospel #ShareGodsLove #RebuildMyChurch

"The woods rang with voices. The rocks echoed a festive chorus. The brothers sang praises to the Lord. The whole night seemed to leap with joy. Then the saint of God stood before the manger. His spirit trembled with love and compassion beyond words." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi #MerryChristmas.

"The day of joy drew near, a time of great rejoicing...And when Blessed Francis arrived and found all things prepared, he was filled with gladness." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi #LiveTheGospel #Christmas

One Leg and a Cup Terry Celano https://amzn.to/3WRsO0r This is the true story of how Terry Celano overcame fears that lingered for over 30 years, stemming from an unfortunate experience involving a homeless person. As a result, he went on a quest to find and interview people that are living day by day with no place to go, most of which have to panhandle for their very survival. Their stories are compelling, sometimes shocking, and always heartbreaking. To answer questions that remained, Terry takes to the streets experiencing what it is like to beg for money.

📣 New Podcast! "One Leg and a Cup Terry Celano" on @Spreaker #a #and #celano #cup #leg #one #terry

"Francis was not so much a man who prayed, but a man who became a living prayer." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Without moving his lips, Francis meditated for long periods, and by centering and concentrating his external powers, he rose in spirit to heaven." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"When Francis prayed in wild and solitary places, he filled the forests with sighs, watered the earth with tears, beat his breast with his hand, and making the most of an intimate and secluded place, he spoke aloud with the Lord." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Francis periodically retreated to a place of solitude and silence...He invited just a few companions from among the many friends who appreciated his spiritual life, so that they could keep people from disturbing him and lovingly keep watch over his quiet times." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Francis wanted only to be taken up with God and to purify his spirit from the dust of the world which eventually clings to us due to our daily association with others." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Francis's safe haven was prayer, not prayer of a few minutes or empty, presumptuous prayer, but prolonged prayer, full of devotion and the serenity that comes with humility." #Celano #Prayer #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

RELIEF OF A CITYSCAPE, C2 СЕ. CELANO, CASTELLO PICCOLOMINI Alessandro Torlonia, in 1862-1878, succeded in doing what ancients Romans from Julius Caesar to the emperor Claudius could not. Through the work of an international group of engineers, he managed to drain the Fucine Lake, in western Abruzzo. It started as a basin of water of about 140 sq.km, Claudius reduced it to about 90 sq.km, and Hadrian's work deepening the drainage tunnels brought it down to about 57 sq.km. However, after the fall of the empire, earthquakes and landslides blocked the tunnels and the lake gradually returned to its original size. When Prince Torlonia drained the lake for good, his excavators discovered a number of ancient sculptures, including a long relief in five sections of limestone, of which this piece, showing a cityscape and its environs, is perhaps the most important. The cityscape at left shows a fortified town with a huge gate and a street leading back from it, with a densely built-up city vividly evoked, with city blocks of buildings carved in amazing detail. At right, the countryside is full of forests, with a farm/villa at bottom and a few buildings, probably temples, on the heights.

#ReliefWednesday leads us to the #CastelloPiccolomini in #Celano in western #Abruzzo, where the enormous #Torlonia fiefdom of #Fucino occupies the drained bed of the Fucine Lake. One of the finds from the draining is this amazing C2 #relief of a city and its surrounding land. #AncientBluesky 🏺

"With joyful devotion, Francis dwelt in the heavenly mansions, and in complete self-emptying, he remained for long periods hidden, as it were, in the wounds of the Savior. Here therefore sought out solitary place where he could cast his soul entirely upon God." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

Art by Jody Cole - jcoleicons.com

"While he lived in this valley of tears, the Blessed Francis spurned the poor riches of this world, and longing for what is higher, he yearned with his whole heart for Lady Poverty." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi #LadyPoverty

"When Francis was on a journey, singing or praying about Jesus, he often would leave the road and invite all creatures to praise the Lord." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"Francis was intimately united with Jesus. Jesus always in his heart, Jesus on his lips, Jesus in his ears, Jesus in his eyes, Jesus in his hands, Jesus in his entire person." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

"It is easier to get to heaven from a hut than from a palace." #SaintFrancisOfAssisi #Celano #LiveTheGospel