October 15
Vigil of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Moses was rescued from the river, and he had to flee from Pharaoh, that is to say, he was poor. The Lord gave him nothing other than a staff; no riches, just a staff with which to make his way in the desert. Later, Moses came to be on such intimate terms with the Lord that he spoke with him as a friend. What we read of Moses can be said of St. Francis – the Lord spoke with him as a friend. As Moses was rescued from the river, so St. Francis was saved from the dangerous currents of a worldly life. God gave him the staff of the Cross to lead the people out of the Egypt of vice into the desert of the Order of Friars Minor. He carried in his hand, nothing other than the staff.

-St. Bonaventure