Servant of God Brother Juniper (1210-1258) is remembered by St. Francis of Assisi with the words, “Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers.”
Little is known about Juniper’s life before he joined the Franciscan friars in 1210. Under the direction of St. Francis, he was instrumental in founding friar communities in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. Brother Juniper also played a comforting role during St. Clare’s final moments. His devotion to the Passion of Christ and his notable simplicity were central to his character.
The “Little Flowers of St. Francis,” a collection of anecdotes, vividly portrays Brother Juniper’s boundless generosity, albeit sometimes resulting in humorous or challenging situations. In one such instance, Brother Juniper, eager to satisfy a sick man’s craving, fetched a pig’s foot, inadvertently igniting the ire of the pig’s owner. However, with his sincere apologies and unique persuasion, he managed to turn the owner’s anger into generosity, convincing him to donate the entire pig to the friary.
Another tale recounts Brother Juniper’s clever adherence to an order forbidding him from giving his clothes to the needy. When approached by a man in need of clothing, Juniper stated that while he couldn’t give his tunic away, he wouldn’t stop the man from taking it. This and similar acts of kindness taught the friars to secure their belongings, as Juniper was likely to give them away in acts of charity. Brother Juniper’s death came in 1258, and he was laid to rest at the Ara Coeli Church in Rome, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and devout faith.
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
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