On Tuesday 1st August, in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi (Italy), Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, Minister General, presided at the Holy Mass for the official opening of the Pardon of Assisi. Br Massimo Travascio, OFM, Custos of the Convent of the Portiuncula, welcomed and greeted the Minister, the concelebrants, the Poor Clare Sisters and the pilgrims.
The Minister General began his homily by speaking of doors, closed doors "that do not open, that are heavy, that are locked with visible and invisible bolts", and added that of the Portiuncula, "for which the touch of a hand is enough to open it wide. It seems too easy, it is not real".
There are three secrets to opening the door of the little church, Br. Massimo explained. The first is to set out on a journey: "Only when we set out on a journey does something begin to change in us, because on a journey we see things differently, the horizon changes, the perspective changes, we ourselves begin to change". For Christians, the Minister said, this journey has a name, it is called conversion, "a change that comes to us because we do not bring it about on our own".
The second secret, continued Br. Massimo, is to knock "hard and gently. Let us trust. There is someone who wants to open up to us, who has already opened up, but is asking for the gesture of our availability and openness".
The third and final secret that the Minister shared with the pilgrims was that of crossing the threshold of the open door and entering a new home: "Looking for the threshold is another powerful symbol. It means that I can trust, that there is someone waiting for me, that I can feel welcome". And he said that the Portiuncula is "a sign of Mary's womb that accompanies us to rediscover the tenderness and mercy of the Father. We can enter this house and finally feel at home".
Br. Massimo concluded his homily by wishing "a happy Pardon of Assisi to all, especially to those who are afraid to see this door open and do not believe that it is possible for them".
At the end of the celebration, the procession "Opening of the Pardon" took place, with the recitation of the Creed and the intentions of the Holy Father. Before the final blessing, the Minister greeted H.B. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was present at the celebration, and invited the pilgrims to pray a Hail Mary for the Christians living in the Holy Land: Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
With the "Opening of the Pardon", so called because from that moment on, from 12 noon on 1 August to midnight on 2 August, the Plenary Indulgence is granted at the Portiuncula and extended to all parish churches and to all Franciscan churches throughout the world.
Photo: Fr. Baptist D'Souza, OFM, e OFM Assisi
