The Third Reflection on the Apotheosis of Saint Francis in the Church of the Conventual Franciscan Friars, Valletta

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of the house of our God.

Psalm 92:12–13

At the very bottom of the magnificent scene of the Apotheosis of Saint Francis, we find an architectural structure which seems almost to serve as the foundation upon which the entire scene rests. Seated upon this structure are four female figures representing four virtues that stood out in the life of this saint:

• Caritas, charity, represented by a maternal figure—a mother with two children;
• Fortitudo, fortitude, depicted as a female warrior figure;
• Religionis Amor, the love of religion, clothed both with a veil and a priestly mantle, holding incense in her right hand and the cross in her left;
• Humilitas, humility, represented as a woman almost entirely covered by a garment of the same colour as the wall against which she rests, with her head bowed and her hands crossed upon her breast.

At the centre of the architectural structure upon which the four virtues rest, there is a small shield carved with the papal tiara above it and the word Pax—peace. This is a word so closely associated with Franciscan spirituality that, here, it seems to suggest that peace is attained through the balance of these complementary virtues.

A little higher up, we also see an angel descending from heaven, about to present the virtue of Fortitude with a palm. In iconography, the palm is generally a symbol of martyrdom. Yet, although Saint Francis did not die a martyr, what he endured throughout his life, together with the wounds of the stigmata and the many illnesses he suffered, meant that the strength he displayed nevertheless merited for him the palm of victory, enabling him to join those who “stand before the throne and before the Lamb” (see Rev 7:9).

The Latin proverb says: in medio stat virtus—virtue lies in the middle. Which of these virtues do you feel is strongest within you? In which do you recognise that you are lacking? Pray for the grace of balance, so that you may truly possess peace and attain the victory.