Brother Juniper (Serra took the name "Junipero" in honor of this early Franciscan!)
d.1258
January 28
“Would to
God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers,” said Francis of this
holy friar.
We don’t know much about Juniper before
he joined the friars in 1210. Francis sent him to establish “places” for the
friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. When St. Clare was dying, Juniper consoled
her. He was very devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his
simplicity.
Several stories about Juniper in the
Little Flowers of St. Francis illustrate his exasperating generosity.
Once Juniper was taking care of a sick man who had a craving to eat pig’s feet.
This helpful friar want to a nearby field, captured a pig and cut off one foot,
and then served this meal to the sick man. The owner of the pig was furious and
immediately went to Juniper’s superior. When Juniper saw his mistake, he
apologized profusely. He also ended up talking this angry man into donating the
rest of the pig to the friars!
Another time Juniper had been
commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met
on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need
that he couldn’t give the man his tunic, but he wouldn’t prevent the man from
taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying
around, for Juniper would probably give it away.
He died in 1258 and is buried at Ara
Coeli church in Rome.
QUOTE: It
is said that St. Francis once described the perfect friar by citing “the
patience of Brother Juniper, who attained the state of perfect patience because
he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, whose supreme desire
was to follow Christ on the way of the cross.” (Mirror of Perfection,
#85)
COMMENT: What
can we make of Juniper? He certainly seems to be the first of many Franciscan
“characters.” No doubt some of the stories about him have improved considerably
in the retelling. But while the stories about Juniper may seem a little quaint,
his virtues were not. He was humble because he knew the truth about God,
himself and others. He was patient because he was willing to suffer (“patience”
come from patior meaning “to suffer”) in his following of Jesus.
by McCloskey, Patrick. Franciscan Saint of the Day. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1981.
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