Reflections by: Aaron Dharanan, Eden Leow, Ashwin Pandiyan, Jonah Kwek
Le Celle Hermitage
Our first stop of the day was a hermitage. Known as Le Celle, this Franciscan hermitage is just five kilometres from Cortona at the feet of Mount Sant’Egidio. In 1211, St Francis along with a few of his followers built the first nine cells of the hermitage, and the place has taken the name of Celle ever since. Here, we were only able to see the cell of St Francis but there are 8 other similar cells that used to be inhabited by Saints such as St Bonaventure. Currently the hermitage is inhabited by six Capuchin friars who continue to practise the preachings of St Francis.
The hermitage, as with the other hermitages we have seen, is located in a place full of greenery and life, in a place overlooking the vastness of God’s creation below. It is a simple place, a place so serene that people come here for retreats to pray and reflect. The dreary rain and cold drove most of us indoors, and I was able to really appreciate just how small, simple and confined the space was, definitely a stark contrast to the amount of space many houses have nowadays, that we take for granted.
Thinking about how the Friars retreated to places like this to pray and meditate made me marvel at their single-minded pursuit of Christ, and their ability to recognise Christ’s call in each and every of their lives, claiming joy even amidst challenging conditions. The size of the cells themselves were almost too small to believe. I found myself wondering, what does it take for a person to not just willingly choose to experience such an environment, but to find joy in the process of doing so? For me, it may take a lifetime, but I know that in His perfect time, the Lord will help me to understand and see His face and voice in this simple poverty. In that cell, I saw poverty and love displayed full, and saw the sheer joy of the Gospel, and how it moved St. Francis. When I am able to open my heart to the Lord in His time, may I understand a joy that doesn’t need anything but following my Father’s will for me, a joy that does not involve me toe-ing the lines of the ‘laws’ to avoid sin, but a joy that sets me utterly and truly free, to live in the light of Christ.
Sanctuary of St Margaret of Cortona
We had a nice lunch at a local Japanese restaurant where we had our pick from a wide spread of Japanese and Chinese food. We had various types of maki and chirashi dons, and on the other extreme some of us had dim sum and fried rice. It was a nice familiarity of Asian cuisine after more than a week of amazing Italian food.
After lunch, we then made our way to the Sanctuary of St. Margaret of Cortona, which is a church dedicated to her. St. Margaret is said to have had a difficult relationship with her stepmother. At a young age, she eloped with a young reputable man, but due to social convention ended up becoming his mistress rather than his wife and bore him a son. After her partner had died, she left the home that she was in and tried to go back to her own home, but was unable to do so because of her stepmother. As such, she went to the Franciscan friars at Cortona and eventually joined the 3rd Order. There she experienced the eternal joy and love that Christ gave to all of us, and experienced many visions and ecstasies with Him. She conformed to Him in many ways, and He sanctified her life. She proceeded to set up a hospital for the sick and eventually died at a room located presently at the church.
Several features of the church stood out to me. In the middle of the church lay her incorrupt body which was still incredibly preserved over the centuries. Using her incorrupt body, the church was able to refashion her face into the bust which also marked the exact location at which she died. On the right of the Church was a Cross which was reputed to be the cross in the Church of St Francis that St Margaret used to pray and receive her many ecstasies in front of. It was however brought over to its present location to be placed with her body at the church.
This was striking to me as it showed how accessible the Franciscan spirituality was – even to the lay people, and it can inspire anyone to lead a virtuous, free and joyful life in the freedom of the Lord. It enables one to connect one’s head and heart, to conform both to Christ. This is why there was a board with photographs of many people asking St. Margaret to pray for them – because many people could relate to her more intimately with her ordinary life, sanctified truly by the Lord, showing that God can work through anyone, if we just keep our hearts open to receiving His love.
Additionally, while we may at times view the Saints as being un-relatable due to their extreme acts of penance and healing, the simple example of an ordinary woman like St. Margaret exemplified that despite her human failings, God gives second chances in life. Using her as an example, I hope to be ever reminded that we can never be unforgivable enough to receive the grace and salvation of God. The only one who is unable to forgive myself when I sin, is myself and my own worries, and I hope to continuously be able to claim that the Lord is ever patient and ever kind, and never tires of forgiving, as I continue to strive to live in the light of His face.
Fun fact: By virtue of it being a Franciscan church, Friar Derrick used to conduct confession here in one of the many booths hehe ☺️
Today was a blessed day, and I am looking forward to the last leg of the pilgrimage, where we will explore Siena, and head off to La Verna for a quiet retreat, to recognise the Lord in the quietness in our lives.