The Little
Flowers
of
Saint Francis of Assisi
|
HERE
BEGIN THE LITTLE FLOWERS
OF SAINT FRANCIS
OF ASSISI
CHAPTER I
IN THE
NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OUR CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR, AND OF MARY HIS
VIRGIN MOTHER. IN THIS BOOK ARE CONTAINED CERTAIN LITTLE FLOWERS - TO
WIT, MIRACLES AND PIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE GLORIOUS SERVANT OF CHRIST ST
FRANCIS, AND OF SOME OF HIS HOLY COMPANIONS; TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF
JESUS CHRIST, AMEN.
First let us
consider how the life of the glorious St Francis was
conformed in every act with that of our Blessed Lord. For as Christ,
before he began to preach, made choice of twelve Apostles, teaching
them to despise all the things of this world, to follow him in poverty
and in the practice of all other virtues, so St Francis, on the first
founding of his Order, chose twelve companions, all lovers of poverty.
And even as one of the twelve Apostles, being reproved by Christ,
hanged himself by the neck, so among the twelve companions of St
Francis was one, called Brother John della Capella, who apostatised,
and finally hanged himself by the neck. This should be for the elect a
great example and cause of humility and fear, when they consider how no
one is certain of persevering in the grace of God to the end. As the
holy Apostles, being filled with the Spirit of God, shone forth
mightily before the world in holiness and humility, so too did the
companions of St Francis; for from the time of the Apostles till this
present day the world had never seen men so wonderful and so holy.
One of them,
Brother Giles, like St Paul, was raised to the third
heaven; another, Brother Philip the Tall, like the prophet Isaiah, was
touched upon the lips with a burning coal by an angel. Brother
Silvester held converse with God, like one friend with another, as did
Moses of old. Another, the most humble Brother Bernard, through the
penetration of his intellect, reached the light of divine science, like
the eagle - the emblem of St John the Evangelist - and explained all
the deepest mysteries of Holy Scripture. One there was who was
sanctified and canonised in heaven, whilst still living on earth; this
was Brother Ruffino, a nobleman of Assisi. And thus all bore singular
marks of sanctity, as we shall see hereafter.
CHAPTER
II
OF
BROTHER BERNARD OF QUINTAVALLE, THE FIRST COMPANION OF ST FRANCIS
The first
companion of St Francis was Brother Bernard of Assisi, who
was converted in the following way: St Francis had not yet taken the
religious habit, though he had renounced the world, and had so given
himself to penance and mortification that many looked upon him as one
out of his mind. He was scoffed at as a madman, was rejected and
despised by his relations and by strangers, who threw stones and mud at
him when he passed; yet he went on his way, accepting these insults as
patiently as if he had been deaf and dumb. Then Bernard of Assisi, one
of the richest and most learned nobles of the city, began to consider
deeply the conduct of St Francis; how utterly he despised the world,
how patiently he suffered injuries, and how his faith remained firm,
though he had been for two years an object of contempt and rejected by
all. He began to think and say within himself, "It is evident that this
brother must have received great graces from God"; and so resolved to
invite him to sup and to sleep in his house. St Francis having accepted
the invitation, Bernard, who was resolved to contemplate the sanctity
of his guest, ordered a bed to be prepared for him in his own room,
where a lamp burned all night. Now St Francis, in order to conceal his
sanctity, so soon as he entered the room, threw himself upon the bed,
pretending to fall asleep. Bernard likewise soon after went to bed, and
began to snore as if sleeping soundly. On this, St Francis, thinking
that Bernard was really fast asleep, got up and began to pray. Raising
his hands and eyes to heaven, he exclaimed with great devotion and
fervour, "My God! my God!" at the same time weeping bitterly; and thus
he remained on his knees all night, repeating with great love and
fervour the words, "My God! my God!" and none others.
And this he did
because, being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he
contemplated and admired the divine majesty of God, who deigned to take
pity on the perishing world, and to save not only the soul of Francis,
his poor little one, but those of many others also through his means.
For, being enlightened by the Holy Ghost, he foresaw the great things
which God would deign to accomplish through him and through his Order;
and considering his insufficiency and unworthiness, he prayed and
called upon the Lord, through his power and wisdom, to supply, help and
accomplish that which of himself he could not do.
Then Bernard,
seeing by the light of the lamp the devout actions of St
Francis and the expression of his countenance, and devoutly considering
the words he uttered, was touched by the Holy Spirit, and resolved to
change his life. Next morning, therefore, he called St Francis, and
thus addressed him: "Brother Francis, I am disposed in heart wholly to
leave the world, and to obey thee in all things as thou shalt command
me." At these words, St Francis rejoiced in spirit and said, "Bernard,
a resolution such as thou speakest of is so difficult and so great an
act, that we must take counsel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and pray to
him that he may be pleased to show us what is his will, and may teach
us to follow it. Let us then go together to the Bishop's palace, where
we shall find a good priest who will say Mass for us. We will then
remain in prayer till the third hour, imploring the Lord to point out
to us the way he wishes us to select, and to this intent we will open
the Missal three times." And when Bernard answered that he was well
pleased with this proposal, they set out together, heard Mass, and
after they had remained in prayer till the time fixed, the priest, at
the request of St Francis, took up Missal, then, having made the sign
of the holy cross, he opened it three times, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The first place
which he lit upon was at the answer of Christ to the
young man who asked of him the way to perfection: If thou wilt be
perfect, go, sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, and come,
follow me. The second time he opened at the words which the Saviour
addressed to the Apostles when he sent them forth to preach the Word of
Truth: Take nothing with you for your journey: neither staff, nor
scrip, nor bread, nor money; wishing to teach them thereby to commit
the care of their lives to him, and give all their thoughts to the
preaching of the Holy Gospel. When the Missal was opened a third time
they came upon these words: If any one will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Then St Francis,
turning to Bernard, said: "This is the advice that the
Lord has given us; go and do as thou hast heard; and blessed be the
Lord Jesus Christ who has pointed out to thee the way of his angelic
life." Upon this, Bernard went and sold all that he had. Now he was
very rich, and with great joy he distributed his wealth to widows, to
orphans, to prisoners, to monasteries, to hospitals, and to pilgrims,
in all which St Francis assisted him with prudence and fidelity.
Now it happened
that a man of the name of Silvester, seeing how St
Francis gave so much money to the poor, being urged on by avarice, went
to him and said: "Thou didst not pay me enough for the stones I sold
thee to repair the church; now that thou hast money, pay me what thou
owest." St Francis, much surprised at such a demand, but, according to
the precepts of the Scriptures, not wishing to dispute with him, gave
it to Silvester, saying that, if he wanted more, he would give it to
him. Silvester, being satisfied, returned home; but in the evening of
the same day he reflected on his avarice, and on the holiness and the
fervour of St Francis. That night also he saw St Francis in a vision,
and it seemed to him as if a golden cross came out of his mouth, which
reached up to heaven and extended to the extreme east and west. After
this vision he gave all he possessed to the poor, for the love of God,
and made himself a Brother Minor. He became so holy, and was favoured
with such special graces, that he spake with the Lord as a friend
speaks with a friend, of which St Francis was often a witness, as we
shall see further on. Bernard likewise received from God many graces -
he was ravished in contemplation, and St Francis said he was worthy of
all reverence, and that he had founded the Order, because he was the
first who had abandoned the world, giving all he possessed to the poor
of Christ, keeping back nothing for himself; and practising evangelical
poverty, placing himself naked in the arms of the Crucified, whom may
we all bless eternally. Amen.
CHAPTER
III
HOW ST
FRANCIS, HAVING ALLOWED AN EVIL THOUGHT TO ARISE IN HIS MIND
AGAINST BROTHER BERNARD, ORDERED HIM TO PLACE HIS FOOT THREE TIMES UPON
HIS NECK AND HIS MOUTH.
St Francis, the
devoted servant of the crucified Jesus, through
constant weeping and penance, had become nearly blind, so that he could
scarcely see. Wishing one day to speak with Brother Bernard on things
divine, he left the place where he was and went to join him. Being
told, upon arrival, that he was in the forest praying, St Francis
proceeded thither, and, calling out, said; "Come, O Brother Bernard,
and speak with this blind man." But Brother Bernard did not make
answer; for, his soul being rapt in divine contemplation, he did not
hear him call; one of the special graces of Brother Bernard being that
of holding converse with God Almighty, of which St Francis had often
been a witness. The saint, therefore, since he wished specially to
speak with him at that hour, called him again a second time and a
third. Brother Bernard, not having heard him, neither answered nor went
to him; at which St Francis went away somewhat saddened, and wondering
in himself how it was that, having called him three times, Brother
Bernard had not come to him. With this thought on his mind, when he had
proceeded a little way, he bade his companion wait for him, and
retiring to a solitary spot, fell on his knees, praying that God would
reveal to him why Brother Bernard had not answered his call. As he
prayed, a voice came from God, which said, "O poor little man, why art
thou troubled? Is it meet for man to leave God for the creature? When
thou didst call Brother Bernard he was with me, and could neither hear
thee, nor go to thee; be not then surprised if he answered thee not,
for he was rapt out of himself, nor did he hear aught of all thou
saidst." St Francis, having received this answer from God, went back
with great haste to Brother Bernard, to accuse himself humbly of the
thought he had allowed to enter his mind against him. Brother Bernard,
seeing St Francis coming towards him, went to meet him, and threw
himself at his feet. Then St Francis bade him rise, confessing most
humbly what his thoughts has been and the answer which God had made
him; and with these words he concluded: "I command thee, by virtue of
holy obedience, to do whatsoever I shall order thee." Brother Bernard,
fearing St Francis would oblige him to inflict upon him some great
punishment, as was his custom, would most willingly have avoided
obeying him. "I am ready," he answered, "to obey thee, father, if thou
also wilt promise me to do whatsoever I shall command thee." To this St
Francis consented; and Brother Bernard then asked him what he wished
him to do. "I command thee," said St Francis, "under holy obedience, in
order to punish my presumption and the evil thought of my heart, when I
lie down on the ground to place one of thy feet on my neck, and the
other on my mouth. And this shalt thou do thee! Be humbled, thou son of
Peter Bernardoni, for thou art but a vile wretch; how camest thou to be
so proud, thou miserable servant of sin!" On hearing this Brother
Bernard was much grieved, but out of holy obedience he did what St
Francis had ordered him, striving withal to acquit himself thereof as
lightly as possible. Then St Francis, having promised obedience to
Brother Bernard, asked what he wished him to do, whereto the latter
answered: "I command thee, in virtue of holy obedience, that whenever
we are together thou reprove and correct with great severity all my
defects." This order much surprised St Francis, for Brother Bernard was
so holy that he held him in great reverence, and did not believe it
possible to find in him any fault. From that time, therefore, the saint
avoided being much with Brother Bernard, fearing lest, out of holy
obedience, he might be obliged to reprove him; and when he was obliged
to see or to speak with him, he parted from him as soon as possible.
Most edifying it was to hear with what charity, what admiration and
humility, St Francis, who was his superior, spoke of Brother Bernard,
who was his first son in God - to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ
and his poor servant Francis. Amen.
CHAPTER
IV
HOW THE
ANGEL OF GOD PUT A QUESTION TO BROTHER ELIAS, GUARDIAN OF VAL
DI SPOLETO, AND HOW, WHEN BROTHER ELIAS ANSWERED PROUDLY, THE ANGEL
DEPARTED FROM HIM, AND TOOK THE ROAD TO SAN GIACOMO, WHERE HE MET
BROTHER BERNARD AND TOLD HIM WHAT FOLLOWS
In the first
beginning of the Order, when there was as yet but few
brothers and no convents established, St Francis went, out of devotion,
to San Giacomo di Galicia, taking with him Brother Bernard and one or
two other brothers. As they travelled on together, they met by the way
a poor sick man. St Francis, moved with compassion at the sight of his
sufferings, said to Brother Bernard: "My son, I will that thou stay
here, and take care of this sick man." And Brother Bernard, meekly
falling on his knees, received the order of his revered father and
remained behind, whilst St Francis and the others proceeded to San
Giacomo. On arriving there, they spent the night in prayer in the
Church of St James, and God revealed to St Francis how he would found
many convents all over the world, and how his Order would increase and
multiply into a great multitude of brethren. After this revelation St
Francis began to found convents in that country. Then returning by the
way he had come, and finding Brother Bernard with the sick man, who had
quite recovered, he allowed him to go the following year to San
Giacomo, whilst he himself returned to Val di Spoleto, and took up his
abode in a desert place with Brother Masseo, Brother Elias, and others.
All these were very careful never to interrupt St Francis in his
devotions; and this they did out of the great reverence they bore him,
and because they knew that God revealed to him great things in prayer.
Now it chanced one day, as St Francis was praying in the forest, that a
handsome young man, dressed for traveling, presented himself at the
convent-gate, knocking thereat so loudly, so quickly, and so long, that
the brothers marvelled greatly at a way of knocking so strange and
unusual. Brother Masseo, who went and opened the gate, thus addressed
the young man: "Whence comest thou, my son? for the strange manner in
which thou knockest makes me to think thou hast never been here
before." At this the young man asked: "How then ought I to knock?"
Brother Masseo answered: "Thou shouldst give three knocks, one after
the other, and then wait time enough for a brother to say an Our
Father,' and come and open to thee; should he not arrive by that time,
then thou mayest knock again." "I was in great haste," replied the
stranger; "for I have made a long journey, and am come to speak with St
Francis, who at this hour is praying in the forest, wherefore I would
not interrupt him. I pray thee; then, to call Brother Elias; for I wish
to put a question to him, having heard that he is full of wisdom." Then
Brother Masseo going, called Brother Elias; but he, being angry,
refused to go, so that Brother Masseo was at a loss what answer to make
the stranger. For if he told him Brother Elias could not wait on him,
he would say an untruth; while if he told how he spoke in anger, he
feared to give scandal. Whilst Brother Masseo was hesitating how he
should act, whether or no he should return with the message, the
stranger knocked again as he had knocked before. On this Brother Masseo
hastened back to the convent-gate, and said reproachfully: "Thou hast
not observed what I said to thee as to how thou shouldst knock." To
this the young man made answer: "Since Brother Elias will not come to
me, go, tell Brother Francis that I came here to speak with him; but,
not wishing to interrupt his prayers, I beg him to order Brother Elias
to come to me." Then Brother Masseo went to St Francis, who was praying
in the forest with his eyes lifted up to heaven, and gave him the
message of the young man, with the answer of Brother Elias. Now the
young man was the angel of God, under the form of a traveller. St
Francis, without moving and still looking up to heaven, said to Brother
Masseo: "Go, tell Brother Elias, in virtue of holy obedience, to go and
speak with that young man." So Brother Elias, having received the order
of St Francis, went to the convent-gate in an angry mood, and opening
it with violence, asked of the young man what he wanted with Him. The
latter answered: "Beware of being angry, as thou appearest to be; for
anger woundeth the soul, preventing it from discerning the truth."
Brother Elias said again: "Tell me what thou wantest with me." "I wish
to know," answered the stranger, "if it be permitted to such as follow
the Holy Gospel to eat whatever is served before them, according to the
words of Christ to his disciples; and I wish to ask thee, likewise, if
it be lawful for any man to teach a doctrine contrary to the liberty
preached in the Gospel." On this Brother Elias answered proudly: "I
know what answer to make thee, but I am not inclined to give thee one.
Be gone about thy business." The young man replied: "I know better than
thou dost what answer to make to these questions." Then was Brother
Elias much troubled; and, being very angry, he slammed the door, and
went his way. But afterwards, considering the questions which had been
put to him, he doubted within himself whether he could answer them; for
being Vicar of the Order, he had made a law which went beyond that of
the Gospel, and passed the Rule of St Francis: to wit, that none of the
brethren should eat flesh; so that the question was put expressly
against himself. Not knowing in what way to clear his doubts, and being
struck by the modest appearance of the young stranger, remembering also
how he had said that he could answer the questions better than himself,
he hurried back to the convent-gate in hopes of finding him. But he had
disappeared, for the pride of Brother Elias made him unworthy to
converse with an angel. In the meantime St Francis, to whom all had
been revealed by God, returning from the forest, addressed himself
reproachfully to Brother Elias, saying: "Thou doest wrong, proud
Brother Elias; for thou hast sent away the holy angel of God, who came
to instruct us. I tell thee that I greatly fear lest thy pride will
make thee end thy days out of the Order." And so it happened even as St
Francis said, for he died out of the Order. The same day and the same
hour at which the angel had disappeared from the convent-gate, he
appeared to Brother Bernard, who was making his way homewards from San
Giacomo, along the bank of a great river. The angel, clad in the same
guise as a traveller, greeted him with the words, "God give thee peace,
good brother." Now Brother Bernard, considering the beauty of the young
man, who with so sweet a look pronounced the salutation of peace,
according to the custom of his own country, asked of him whence he
came. "I come," answered the angel, "from the convent where dwells St
Francis. I went thither to speak with him, but to do so I was not able,
for he was in the forest contemplating divine things, and I would not
disturb him. In the same convent were Brother Giles, and Brother Elias,
with Brother Masseo, who taught me how to knock at the convent-gate
according to the custom of the brethren. Brother Elias would not answer
the questions I put to him; but afterwards he repented, seeking to see
and hear me; but it was too late." After these words, the angel asked
Brother Bernard why he did not cross the river. "Because," answered
Brother Bernard, "I fear to perish in the waters, which are very deep."
The angel said to him, "Let us cross together; fear naught." And,
taking him by the hand, in an instant they were both on the other side
of the river. Then Brother Bernard knew him for the angel of God, and
with great joy and great reverence he exclaimed: "Blessed angel of God,
tell me thy name." The angel answered: "Why dost thou ask my name,
which is Wonderful?" Having said these words, he disappeared, leaving
Brother Bernard greatly comforted; so that he ended his journey with
much joy, noting the day and the hour when the angel had appeared. On
arriving at the convent, where St Francis was with his favorite
companions, he related to them word for word his adventure; and they
knew with a certainty that it was the very angel who, on the same day
and at the same hour, had appeared to them also.
CHAPTER
V
HOW THE
HOLY BROTHER BERNARD OF ASSISI WAS SENT BY ST FRANCIS TO
BOLOGNA AND HOW HE FOUNDED A CONVENT THERE
St Francis and his
companions, being called by God to carry the cross
of Christ in their hearts, to practise it in their lives, and to preach
it by their words, were truly crucified men both in their actions and
in their works. They sought after shame and contempt, out of love for
Christ, rather than the honours of the world, the respect and praise of
men. They rejoiced to be despised, and were grieved when honoured. Thus
they went about the world as pilgrims and strangers, carrying nothing
with them but Christ crucified; and because they were of the true Vine,
which is Christ, they produced great and good fruits in many souls
which they gained to God. It happened that, in the beginning of the
Order, St Francis sent Brother Bernard to Bologna, there to accomplish
many good works, according to the grace which God had given him. So
Brother Bernard, making the holy sign of the cross, in the name of holy
obedience, set out for Bologna; but when he arrived in that city, the
little children in the streets, seeing him dressed so strangely and so
poorly, laughed and scoffed at him, taking him for a madman. All these
trials Brother Bernard accepted for the love of Christ, with great
patience and with great joy, and seeking to be despised yet more, he
went to the market-place, where, having seated himself, a great number
of children and men gathered round him, and taking hold of his hood
pushed him here and there, some throwing stones at him and others dust.
To all this Brother Bernard submitted in silence, his countenance
bearing an expression of holy joy, and for several days he returned to
the same spot to receive the same insults. Now, patience being a work
of perfection and a proof of virtue, a learned doctor of the law,
seeing such virtue and constancy in Brother Bernard, who had endured
for so many days such contempt and such injuries without losing his
temper, said within himself: "Without doubt this man must be a great
saint"; and going up to him, he asked him who he was, and whence he
came. Brother Bernard put his hand into his bosom, and taking out the
Rule of St Francis, gave it to him to read. The doctor, having read the
Rule, was struck with wonder and admiration at the sublime perfection
therein prescribed, and turning to his friends, he said: "Truly this is
the most perfect state of Religion I have ever heard of, and this man
and his companions are the holiest men I have met with in all the
world; guilty indeed are those who insult him; we ought, on the
contrary, to honour him as a true friend of God." And addressing
Brother Bernard, he said to him: "If it is thy wish to found a convent
in this town, in which thou mayest serve God according to thy heart's
desires, I will help thee most willingly, for the salvation of my
soul." Brother Bernard answered: "I believe that our Saviour Jesus
Christ has inspired thee with this good intention, and most willingly
do I accept thy offer, to the honour of Christ." Then the doctor, with
much joy and great charity, conducted Brother Bernard to his house, and
soon after gave to him a place as he had promised, which he arranged
and furnished at his own expense, and from that moment he became a
father to Brother Bernard, and the special defender of the Friars
Minor. Brother Bernard, through his holy conduct, began to be much
honoured by the people, so much so that those who could see and touch
him accounted themselves as most blessed; but he, like a true disciple
of Christ and a son of the humble Francis, fearing lest the honours of
the world should disturb his peace and endanger the salvation of his
soul, set out one day and returned to St Francis, whom he thus
addressed: "Father, the convent is founded at Bologna, send other
brothers there to keep it up and reside there, as I can no longer be of
any use; indeed, I fear that the too great honours I receive might make
me lose more than I could gain." Now St Francis, having heard, one
after another, all the things which the Lord had wrought through
Brother Bernard, rendered thanks to God, who thus began to spread
abroad the poor disciples of the Cross; then sent he others of the
brethren to Bologna, and to Lombardy, and these founded many convents
in divers countries.
CHAPTER
VI
HOW ST
FRANCIS, WHEN ABOUT TO DIE, BLESSED THE HOLY BROTHER BERNARD,
NAMING HIM VICAR OF THE ORDER
The holiness of
Brother Bernard shone forth so brightly, that St
Francis held him in great reverence, and often was heard to praise him.
One day, as St Francis was in prayer, it was revealed to him by God
that Brother Bernard, by divine permission, would sustain many painful
combats with the devil. Now St Francis felt great compassion for
Brother Bernard, whom he loved as a son; wherefore he wept for prayed
for many days, imploring the Lord Jesus Christ to give him the victory
over the evil one. As he was praying thus devoutly, the Lord answered
his prayer, and said to him: "Fear not, Francis, for all the
temptations which will assail Brother Bernard are permitted by God, to
increase his virtue and win for him a crown of merit; for at length he
will gain the victory over all his enemies, because he is one of the
ministers of the kingdom of heaven." This answer to prayer filled St
Francis with joy; he thanked God; and from that moment, Brother Bernard
became even dearer to St Francis than before, and many proofs of
affection did he give him, not only during his life but more especially
at the hour of his death. For when St Francis was about to leave this
world, being surrounded like the holy prophet Jacob by his devoted
sons, all grieving at the departure of so beloved a Father, he thus
addressed them: "Where is my first-born son? let him come to me, that
my soul may bless him before I die." Then Brother Bernard said in a
whisper to Brother Elias, who at that time was vicar of the Order: "Go
to the right hand of the saint, that he may bless thee." On this
Brother Elias placed himself on the right side of St Francis - who had
lost his sight through much weeping - and the saint, putting his right
hand on the head of Brother Elias, said: "This is not the head of my
first-born, Brother Bernard." Then Brother Bernard placed himself on
the left side of St Francis, who, crossing his arms in the form of a
cross, put his right hand on the head of Brother Bernard and his left
on that of Brother Elias. Then said he to Brother Bernard: "May God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, bless thee with every blessing,
spiritual and celestial; for thou art my first-born son in God, chosen
in this Order to set an example of every virtue, and to follow Christ
in evangelical poverty; for not only didst thou give all thy
possessions and distribute them freely and liberally to the poor, but
thou didst likewise offer thyself to God in this Order as a sacrifice
of love; blessed be thou, then, by our Saviour Jesus Christ and by me,
his poor servant, with eternal blessings, when thou goest out and when
thou comest in, when thou wakest and when thou sleepest, both living
and dying; he that blesseth thee shall be blessed, he that curseth thee
shall not remain unpunished. Thou shalt be at the head of all thy
brethren, and all thy commands the brethren shall obey. I give thee
power to receive into this Order whomsoever thou willest; no brother
shall rule over thee. Thou art free to go where thou wilt, and to
remain where it pleaseth thee best." So, after the death of St Francis,
the brethren loved and revered Brother Bernard as their father, and
when it was his turn to die, many brethren came from all parts of the
world to take leave of him; amongst them the angelic Brother Giles, who
when he saw Brother Bernard exclaimed, with great joy, "Sursum corda!
Brother Bernard, Sursum corda!" and Brother Bernard ordered secretly
one of the brothers to prepare for Brother Giles a place meet for
contemplation, which was done even as he ordered. Now when the last
hour of Brother Bernard arrived, he begged to be raised in his bed, and
thus addressed the brethren who surrounded him: "Beloved brethren, I
have not many words to say to you; but I wish you to consider that, as
the religious order which has been my choice has been yours also, the
hour which is now come for me will also come for you; and this I find
in my soul to tell you, that for a thousand worlds I would not have
served another Lord than our Saviour Jesus Christ. Now I accuse myself
before my Saviour and before you all of every offence I have committed;
and I pray you, my dear brethren, to love one another." And having said
these words, and given other good advice, he lay down on his bed, his
face radiant with joy and shining with celestial brightness, of which
all the brethren were witnesses; and in that ecstasy of joy his holy
soul, crowned with glory, passed from this present life to the blessed
life of the angels.
CHAPTER
VII
HOW ST
FRANCIS PASSED THE TIME OF LENT IN AN ISLAND, ON THE LAKE OF
PERUGIA, WHERE HE FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, EATING NO MORE
THAN HALF OF ONE LOAF
The true servant
of Christ, St Francis, was in certain things like unto
a second Christ given to the world for the salvation of souls.
Wherefore God the Father willed that in many points he should be
conformed to his Son, Jesus Christ, as we have already explained in the
calling of his twelve companions, as also in the mystery of the holy
stigmata, and in a fast of forty days which he made in the manner
following:
St Francis, one
day of the Carnival, was near the Lake of Perugia, in
the house of one of his devout children, with whom he had spent the
night, when he was inspired by God to go and pass the time of Lent in
an island on the lake. Wherefore St Francis begged his friend, for the
love of God, to convey him in his boat to an island uninhabited by man:
the which he should do during the night of Ash-Wednesday, so that none
might know where he was; and the friend, because of the great devotion
he bore to St Francis, agreed to his request, and conveyed him to the
said island, St Francis taking with him naught but two small loaves.
When they had reached the island, his friend left him and returned
home; the saint earnestly entreating him to reveal to no one where he
was, and not to come and fetch him before Holy Thursday; to which he
consented. St Francis being left alone, and there being no dwelling in
the island in which he could take shelter, entered into a thick part of
the wood all overgrown with brambles and other creeping plants, and
forming as it were a kind of hut, there he began to pray and enter into
the contemplation of divine things. And there he passed the whole of
Lent without drinking or eating save half of one of the small loaves he
had taken with him, as we learned from his friend who, going to fetch
him on Holy Thursday, found one of the loaves untouched and the other
only half consumed. It is believed that St Francis ate this half out of
reverence for our Blessed Lord, who fasted forty days and forty nights
without taking any material food; for by eating this bit of bread he
put aside the temptation to vainglory, and yet fasted forty days and
forty nights in imitation of the Saviour. In later times God worked
many miracles, through the merits of the saint, on the spot where St
Francis had fasted so wonderfully, on which account people began to
build houses and dwell there, and little by little a town rose up, with
a convent called the Convent of the Isle; and to this day the
inhabitants of that town hold in great respect and great devotion the
spot in which St Francis passed the time of Lent.
CHAPTER
VIII
HOW ST
FRANCIS, WALKING ONE DAY WITH BROTHER LEO, EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT
THINGS ARE PERFECT JOY
One day in winter,
as St Francis was going with Brother Leo from
Perugia to St Mary of the Angels, and was suffering greatly from the
cold, he called to Brother Leo, who was walking on before him, and said
to him: "Brother Leo, if it were to please God that the Friars Minor
should give, in all lands, a great example of holiness and edification,
write down, and note carefully, that this would not be perfect joy." A
little further on, St Francis called to him a second time: "O Brother
Leo, if the Friars Minor were to make the lame to walk, if they should
make straight the crooked, chase away demons, give sight to the blind,
hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and, what is even a far
greater work, if they should raise the dead after four days, write that
this would not be perfect joy." Shortly after, he cried out again: "O
Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor knew all languages; if they were
versed in all science; if they could explain all Scripture; if they had
the gift of prophecy, and could reveal, not only all future things, but
likewise the secrets of all consciences and all souls, write that this
would not be perfect joy." After proceeding a few steps farther, he
cried out again with a loud voice: "O Brother Leo, thou little lamb of
God! if the Friars Minor could speak with the tongues of angels; if
they could explain the course of the stars; if they knew the virtues of
all plants; if all the treasures of the earth were revealed to them; if
they were acquainted with the various qualities of all birds, of all
fish, of all animals, of men, of trees, of stones, of roots, and of
waters - write that this would not be perfect joy." Shortly after, he
cried out again: "O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor had the gift of
preaching so as to convert all infidels to the faith of Christ, write
that this would not be perfect joy." Now when this manner of discourse
had lasted for the space of two miles, Brother Leo wondered much within
himself; and, questioning the saint, he said: "Father, I pray thee
teach me wherein is perfect joy." St Francis answered: "If, when we
shall arrive at St Mary of the Angels, all drenched with rain and
trembling with cold, all covered with mud and exhausted from hunger;
if, when we knock at the convent-gate, the porter should come angrily
and ask us who we are; if, after we have told him, We are two of the
brethren', he should answer angrily, What ye say is not the truth; ye
are but two impostors going about to deceive the world, and take away
the alms of the poor; begone I say'; if then he refuse to open to us,
and leave us outside, exposed to the snow and rain, suffering from cold
and hunger till nightfall - then, if we accept such injustice, such
cruelty and such contempt with patience, without being ruffled and
without murmuring, believing with humility and charity that the porter
really knows us, and that it is God who maketh him to speak thus
against us, write down, O Brother Leo, that this is perfect joy. And if
we knock again, and the porter come out in anger to drive us away with
oaths and blows, as if we were vile impostors, saying, Begone,
miserable robbers! to the hospital, for here you shall neither eat nor
sleep!' - and if we accept all this with patience, with joy, and with
charity, O Brother Leo, write that this indeed is perfect joy. And if,
urged by cold and hunger, we knock again, calling to the porter and
entreating him with many tears to open to us and give us shelter, for
the love of God, and if he come out more angry than before, exclaiming,
These are but importunate rascals, I will deal with them as they
deserve'; and taking a knotted stick, he seize us by the hood, throwing
us on the ground, rolling us in the snow, and shall beat and wound us
with the knots in the stick - if we bear all these injuries with
patience and joy, thinking of the sufferings of our Blessed Lord, which
we would share out of love for him, write, O Brother Leo, that here,
finally, is perfect joy. And now, brother, listen to the conclusion.
Above all the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ
grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and
accepting willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury,
discomfort and contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory,
seeing they proceed not from ourselves but from God, according to the
words of the Apostle, What hast thou that thou hast not received from
God? and if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst
not received it?' But in the cross of tribulation and affliction we may
glory, because, as the Apostle says again, I will not glory save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Amen."
CHAPTER
IX
HOW ST
FRANCIS WOULD TEACH BROTHER LEO WHAT TO ANSWER, AND HOW THE
LATTER COULD NEVER SAY AUGHT BUT THE CONTRARY TO WHAT ST FRANCIS WISHED
Once, as the
beginning of the Order, St Francis was with Brother Leo in
a convent where they had no books wherewith to say divine office. So,
when the hour of Matins arrived, St Francis said to Brother Leo: "My
beloved brother, we have no Breviary wherewith to say Matins, but in
order to employ the time in praising God, I will speak, and thou shalt
answer me as I shall teach thee; and beware thou change not the words I
shall bid thee say. Thus will I begin: O Brother Francis, thou hast
done so much evil, and hast committed so many sins in the world, that
thou art only worthy of hell'; and thou, Brother Leo, shalt answer: It
is very true thou art worthy of the nethermost hell.'" And Brother Leo
said, with the simplicity of a dove, "Right willingly, Father; begin,
then, in the name of God." St Francis therefore began thus: O Brother
Francis, thou hast done so much evil, and hast committed so many sins
in the world, that thou art worthy of hell." And Brother Leo made
answer: "God will work so much good through thee, that thou wilt
certainly go to heaven". Do not speak thus, "Brother Leo," said St
Francis; "but when I say, Brother Francis, thou hast committed so many
iniquities against God, that thou art worthy to be cursed by him,' thou
shalt make answer: Yes, indeed, thou art worthy to be numbered among
the cursed.'" And Brother Leo answered: "Most willingly, O my Father."
Then St Francis, with many tears and sighs, striking his breast, cried
with a loud voice: "O Lord of heaven and earth, I have committed
against thee so many sins and so great iniquities, that I deserve to be
cursed by thee." And Brother Leo answered: "O Brother Francis, among
all the blessed the Lord will cause thee to be singularly blessed." And
St Francis, much surprised that Brother Leo answered quite the contrary
to what he had ordered him, reproved him for it, saying: "Why answereth
thou not as I taught thee? I command thee, under holy obedience, so to
do. When I say, O wicked Brother Francis, dost thou think God will have
mercy on thee, when thou hast so sinned against the Father of mercies
that thou art not worthy of finding mercy,' then thou, Brother Leo, my
little lamb, shalt answer: Thou art not worthy of finding mercy.'" But
when St Francis began to repeat, "O wicked Brother Francis," and so on,
Brother Leo answered: "God the Father, whose mercy is infinitely
greater than thy sin, will show great mercy upon thee, and will grant
thee likewise many graces." At this answer St Francis, being meekly
angry, and patiently impatient, said to Brother Leo: "How canst thou
presume to act against obedience? Why hast thou so often answered the
contrary to what I ordered thee?" With great humility and respect
Brother Leo answered: "God knows, my Father, that I had resolved in my
heart each time to answer as thou didst command me, but the Lord made
me to speak as it pleased him, and not as it pleased me." Then St
Francis, being greatly astonished, said to Brother Leo: "I entreat
thee, beloved, this time to answer as I command thee." And Brother Leo
said: "Speak, in the name of God; for this time most certainly I will
answer thee as thou desirest." And St Francis, weeping, said: "O wicked
Brother Francis, dost thou think that God will have mercy on thee?" And
Brother Leo answered: "Not only will he have mercy on thee, but thou
shalt receive from him especial graces: he will exalt thee and glorify
thee to all eternity, for he that humbleth himself shall be exalted;
and I cannot speak otherwise, because it is God that speaketh by my
lips." After this in humble contest, they watched till morning in many
tears and much spiritual consolation.
CHAPTER
X
HOW
BROTHER MASSEO TOLD ST FRANCIS, AS IN JEST, THAT THE WORLD WAS GONE
AFTER HIM; AND HOW ST FRANCIS ANSWERED THAT IT WAS INDEED SO, TO THE
CONFUSION OF THE WORLD AND THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD
St Francis once
was living at the Convent of the Portiuncula, with
Brother Masseo of Marignano, a man of great sanctity and great
discernment, who held frequent converse with God; for which reason St
Francis loved him much. One day, as St Francis was returning from the
forest, where he had been in prayer, the said Brother Masseo, wishing
to test the humility of the saint, went forth to meet him exclaiming:
"Why after thee? Why after thee?" To which St Francis made answer:
"What is this? What meanest thou?" Brother Masseo answered: "I mean,
why is it that all the world goeth after thee; why do all men wish to
see thee, to hear thee, and to obey thy word? For thou art neither
comely nor learned, nor art thou of noble birth. How is it, then, that
all the world goeth after thee?" St Francis, hearing these words,
rejoiced greatly in spirit, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, remained
for a long space with his mind rapt in God; then, coming to himself, he
knelt down, returning thanks to God with great fervour of spirit, and
addressing Brother Messeo, said to him: "Wouldst thou know why all men
come after me? Know that it is because the Lord, who is in heaven, who
sees the evil and the good in all places - because, I say, his holy
eyes have found among men no one more wicked, more imperfect, or a
greater sinner than I am; and to accomplish the wonderful work which he
intends to do, he has found no creature more vile than I am on earth;
for which reason he has chosen me, to confound all strength, beauty,
greatness, noble birth, and all the science of the world, that men may
learn that every virtue and every good gift cometh from him, and not
from any creature, that none may glory before him; but if any one
glory, let him glory in the Lord, to whom belongeth all glory in
eternity." Then Brother Masseo, at such a humble answer, given with so
much fervour, was greatly impressed, and learned of a certainty that St
Francis was well grounded in humility.
CHAPTER
XI
HOW ST
FRANCIS MADE BROTHER MASSEO TURNROUND AND ROUND LIKE A CHILD,
AND THEN TO GO TO SIENA
One day, as St
Francis was travelling with Brother Masseo, who was
walking in front, they arrived at a spot where three roads met, one
leading to Florence, one to Siena, and one to Arezzo, and Brother
Masseo asked of St Francis which road they should take. "The one which
God wills," answered St Francis. Said brother Masseo: "And how are we
to know the will of God?" "By the sign I shall show thee," answered St
Francis; "I order thee, by the merit of holy obedience, on the spot
where now thou art, to turn round and round, as children do in play,
and not to stop or rest until I bid thee." On this Brother Masseo began
to turn round and round, until his head became dizzy, as is wont to
happen from such turning, and he fell down several times. But, as St
Francis did not bid him to stop, he went on, out of obedience, till at
last St Francis said: "Stand still, and move not; but tell me towards
which of the three roads thou art turned?" "Towards that which leadeth
to Siena," answered Brother Masseo. "That is the road," said St
Francis, "which it pleaseth God we should take." As he went on his way,
Brother Masseo wondered to himself why St Francis had made him turn
round like a child, in the presence of all those who passed that way,
but out of reverence to the saint he did not dare ask him. As they
reached Siena, the people of that city, having heard that the saint was
approaching, went, out of devotion, to meet him, and taking him and
Brother Masseo on their shoulders, carried them to the Bishop's palace,
so that their feet touched not the ground. In that same hour some of
the inhabitants of Siena were fighting among themselves, and two of
them had been killed. Then St Francis, hurrying to the spot, spoke to
them so devoutly and in such holy words, that he constrained them all
to make peace and give over quarrelling. The Bishop, having heard tell
of the holy action of St Francis, invited him to his house, and
received him with great honour, retaining him with him all that day and
the following night. The next morning, St Francis, who in all his acts
sought only the glory of God, rose very early with his companion, and
went his way, without even taking leave of the Bishop; at which Brother
Masseo murmured within himself, saying, as he went, "What is this that
this good man has done? He has made me turn round and round like a
child, and he leaves the Bishop, who has received him with such honour,
without saying a word, or even thanking him"; for it seemed to Brother
Masseo that St Francis had acted indiscreetly; but, inwardly checked by
a divine inspiration, he thus reproached himself for indulging in such
thoughts: "Thou art too proud who darest to judge the operation of
divine grace; thine indiscreet pride makes thee worthy of hell; for
Brother Francis yesterday performed such holy actions, that they could
not be more wonderful had they been accomplished by an angel of God: so
that even were he to order thee to throw stones, thou shouldst do so
out of obedience; for that which he has done at Siena is the work of
God, as the result proveth, for had he not pacified the men who were
fighting together, not only would many have fallen victims, but the
devil would have drawn many souls to hell. It is thy folly and thy
pride which make thee to murmur at that which preceeds so manifestly
from the will of God." Now all these things which Brother Masseo said
in his heart were revealed to St Francis, who, coming up to him, said:
"Hold fast the things which thou art thinking of at this moment, for
they are good and useful, and inspired by God; but thy murmurings,
which preceded them, were blind and vain and full of pride, being sent
into thy soul by the devil." Then Brother Masseo clearly saw that St
Francis knew the secrets of his heart, and understood of a certainty
how the spirit of divine wisdom directed all the actions of his holy
father.
CHAPTER
XII
HOW ST
FRANCIS GAVE TO BROTHER MASSEO THE OFFICE OF PORTER, OF ALMONER
AND OF COOK; AND HOW, AT THE REQUEST OF THE OTHER BRETHREN, HE
AFTERWARDS TOOK THESE DUTIES FROM HIM
St Francis,
wishing to mortify Brother Masseo, that pride should not
enter his soul, because of the many graces and gifts he had received
from God, and also that, through the grace of humility, he should
advance from virtue to virtue, once when he was residing in a solitary
convent with his first companions, who were all examples of holiness,
of which number Brother Masseo was one, he said unto the latter, before
all the brethren: "O Brother Messeo, all these thy companions have the
grace of contemplation and of prayer; but thou hast the grace of
preaching the word of God and of pleasing the people. I will therefore,
in order that they may give themselves to contemplation, that thou fill
the office of porter, of almoner and of cook, and that, when the other
monks shall be at their meals, thou alone shalt eat outside the
convent-gate, so as to be ready to say a few godly words to such as
come to the convent, before they knock at the gate, and so that none
other shall be obliged to go out but thee; this thou shalt accomplish,
through the virtue of holy obedience." Then Brother Masseo put down his
hood, bowed his head, and meekly received and executed this order;
filling for some days the offices of porter, of almoner and of cook. At
this his companions, who were all men enlightened by the Spirit of God,
seeing him thus employed, began to feel in their hearts great remorse,
considering how Brother Masseo had reached a greater state of
perfection than any of them, and how all the work of the convent fell
to his share, and none to theirs. Then went they all to St Francis,
begging him to divide among them those charges, since they could not in
conscience allow Brother Masseo to bear all the burden of the convent.
At this St Francis, heeding their request, granted what they asked, and
calling Brother Masseo, said unto him: "Brother Masseo, thy brethren
wish to share the charges I have given thee, wherefore I will that the
charges be divided among you all." Said Brother Masseo, with great
humility and patience: "Father, whatever charge thou puttest upon me,
be it small or be it great, I accept it as ordained by the Lord." Then
St Francis, seeing the charity of the brethren and the humility of
Brother Masseo, made them a most wonderful sermon on holy humility,
teaching them that, the greater the gifts and graces we receive from
God, so much greater must be our humility; for without humility no
virtue can be acceptable to him. Then, having finished his sermon, he
distributed the charges among them with great charity.
CHAPTER
XIII
HOW ST
FRANCIS AND BROTHER MASSEO PLACED THE BREAD THEY HAD BEGGED UPON
A STONE NEAR A FOUNTAIN, AND HOW ST FRANCIS PRAISED THE VIRTUE OF HOLY
POVERTY, PRAYING ST PETER AND ST PAUL TO MAKE HIM LOVE HOLY POVERTY
GREATLY, AND HOW ST PETER AND ST PAUL APPEARED TO HIM
The wonderful
servant and follower of Christ, St Francis, wishing to be
in all things conformed to his Master - who, as the Gospel tells, sent
his disciples two by two into all the cities and lands whither he
intended to go to prepare the way for him - after he had assembled his
twelve companions, sent them forth two by two into the world to preach.
In order to set them an example of holy obedience, he first began to
act himself like the Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore, having sent his
companions to divers parts of the world, he took with him Brother
Masseo, and set out towards the province of France. On arriving in a
certain town, being very hungry, they went, according to the Rule,
begging their bread for the love of God. St Francis took one street,
and Brother Masseo the other. St Francis, being a little man, with a
mean exterior, did not attract much attention, and gathered only a few
bits of dry bread, whereas Brother Masseo, being tall and good-looking,
received many large pieces of bread, with several whole loaves. When
they had ended their task of begging, they met on a spot outside the
city where there was a beautiful fountain and a large stone, on which
each placed what he had collected. St Francis, seeing that the pieces
of bread which Brother Messeo had collected were much larger and better
than those he had received, rejoiced greatly, and said: "O Brother
Masseo, we are not worthy of this great treasure"; and he repeated
these words several times. At this Brother Masseo answered: "Father,
how canst thou talk of a treasure where there is so much poverty, and
indeed a lack of all things? for we have neither cloth, nor knife, nor
dish, nor table, nor house to eat in, nor servant or maid to wait upon
us." St Francis answered: "This is indeed the reason why I account it a
great treasure, because man has had no hand in it, but all has been
given to us by divine Providence, as we clearly see in this bread of
charity, this beautiful table of stone, and this so clear fountain.
Wherefore let us beg of God to make us love with all our hearts the
treasure of holy poverty." Having spoken thus, they returned thanks;
and when they had refreshed themselves with the bread and water, they
rose and went on their way to France. And meeting with a church on the
road, St Francis said to his companion, "Let us enter this church and
pray." And entering in, St Francis cast himself down in prayer before
the altar, and during his prayer the Lord visited him with a great
increase of fervour, which so inflamed his soul with affection for holy
poverty, that it seemed as if flames played around his head, and
preceeded from his mouth; and going thus, all shining and burning with
divine love, to his companion, he said to him, "Ah! ah! ah! Brother
Masseo, give thyself to me"; and these words he repeated three times.
At the third time he breathed on Brother Masseo, who, to his great
surprise, was raised above the earth, and fell at some distance before
the saint. He told his companion afterwards that, while thus raised in
the air, he had felt such a sweet sensation in his soul, and had
received such consolations from the Holy Spirit, as he had never before
experienced. After this St Francis said to his companion: "Let us go to
St Peter and St Paul, and let us pray them together that they may teach
us and help us to possess the unbounded treasure of holy poverty, for
it is a treasure so great and so divine, that we are not worthy to
possess it in these vile bodies of ours. It is this celestial virtue
which teaches us to despise all earthly and transitory things, and
through it every hindrance is removed from the soul, so that it can
freely commune with God. Through this virtue it is that the soul, while
still on earth, is able to converse with the angels in heaven. This
virtue it is which remained with Christ upon the Cross, was buried with
Christ, rose again with Christ, and with Christ went up into heaven.
This virtue it is which even in this world enables the souls who are
inflamed with love of him to fly up to heaven; it is also the guardian
of true charity and humility. Let us then pray the holy Apostles of
Christ, who were perfect lovers of this evangelical pearl, to obtain
for us from the Saviour Jesus the grace, through his great mercy, to
become true lovers, strict observers, and humble disciples of this most
precious, most beloved, and most evangelical grace of poverty." And
thus conversing they arrived at Rome, and entered the church of St
Peter, where St Francis knelt in prayer in one corner and Brother
Masseo in another. After praying for some time with great devotion and
many tears, the most holy Apostles Peter and Paul appeared to St
Francis in much splendour, and thus addressed him: "As thy prayer and
thy wish is to observe that which Christ and his holy Apostles
observed, the Lord Jesus sends us to thee, to tell thee that thy prayer
has been heard, and that it is granted to thee and to all thy followers
to possess the treasure of holy poverty. We tell thee also from him,
that whosoever, after thy example, shall embrace this holy virtue,
shall most certainly enjoy perfect happiness in heaven; for thou and
all thy followers shall be blessed by God." Having said these words
they disappeared, leaving St Francis full of consolation. Then rising
from prayer, and returning to Brother Masseo, he asked him if God had
revealed anything to him in prayer. He answered, "No." Then St Francis
told him how the holy Apostles had appeared to him, and what they had
said. And both being filled with joy, they resolved to return to the
Valley of Spoleto, giving up the journey into France.
CHAPTER
XIV
HOW THE
LORD APPEARED TO ST FRANCIS AND TO HIS BRETHREN AS HE WAS
SPEAKING WITH THEM
In the beginning
of the Order, St Francis, having assembled his
companions to speak to them of Christ, in a moment of great fervour of
spirit commanded one of them, in the name of God, to open his mouth and
speak as the Holy Spirit should inspire him. The brother, doing as he
was ordered, spoke most wonderfully of God. Then St Francis bade him to
be silent, and ordered another brother to speak in the same way, which
having done with much penetration, St Francis ordered him likewise to
be silent, and commanded a third brother to do the same. This one began
to speak so deeply of the things of God, that St Francis was convinced
that both he and his companion had spoken through the Holy Spirit. Of
which also he received a manifest proof; for whilst they were thus
speaking together, our Blessed Lord appeared in the midst of them,
under the form of a beautiful young man, and blessed them all. And
they, being ravished out of themselves, fell to the ground as if they
had been dead, and were all unconscious of things external. And when
they recovered from their trance, St Francis said to them: "My beloved
brothers, let us thank God, who has deigned to reveal to the world,
through his humble servants, the treasures of divine wisdom. For the
Lord it is who openeth the mouth of the dumb, and maketh the tongues of
the simple to speak wisdom."
CHAPTER
XV
HOW ST
CLARE ATE WITH ST FRANCIS AND HIS COMPANIONS AT ST MARY OF THE
ANGELS
St Francis, when
residing at Assisi, often visited St Clare, to give
her holy counsel. And she, having a great desire to eat once with him,
often begged him to grant her this request; but the saint would never
allow her this consolation. His companions, therefore, being aware of
the refusal of St Francis, and knowing how great was the wish of Sister
Clare to eat with him, went to seek him, and thus addressed him:
"Father, it seems to us that this severity on thy part in not granting
so small a thing to Sister Clare, a virgin so holy and so dear to God,
who merely asks for once to eat with thee, is not according to holy
charity, especially if we consider how it was at thy preaching that she
abandoned the riches and pomps of this words. Of a truth, if she were
to ask of thee even a greater grace than this, thou shouldst grant it
to thy spiritual daughter." St Francis answered: "It seems to you,
then, that I ought to grant her this request?" His companions made
answer: "Yea, father, it is meet that thou grant her this favour and
this consolation." St Francis answered: "As you think so, let it be so,
then; but, in order that she may be the more consoled, I will that the
meal do take place in front of St Mary of the Angels, because, having
been for so long time shut up in San Damiano, it will do her good to
see the church of St Mary, wherein she took the veil, and was made a
spouse of Christ. There, then, we will eat together in the name of
God." When the appointed day arrived, St Clare left her convent with
great joy, taking with her one of her sisters, and followed by the
companions of St Francis. She arrived at St Mary of the Angels, and
having devoutly saluted the Virgin Mary, before whose altar her hair
had been cut off, and she had received the veil, they conducted her to
the convent, and showed her all over it. In the meantime St Francis
prepared the meal on the bare ground, as was his custom. The hour of
dinner being arrived, St Francis and St Clare, with one of the brethren
of St Francis and the sister who had accompanied the saint, sat down
together, all the other companions of St Francis seated humbly round
them. When the first dish was served, St Francis began to speak of God
so sweetly, so sublimely, and in a manner so wonderful, that the grace
of God visited them abundantly, and all were rapt in Christ. Whilst
they were thus rapt, with eyes and hearts raised to heaven, the people
of Assisi and of Bettona, and all the country round about, saw St Mary
of the Angels as it were on fire, with the convent and the woods
adjoining. It seemed to them as if the church, the convent, and the
woods were all enveloped in flames; and the inhabitants of Assisi
hastened with great speed to put out the fire. On arriving at the
convent, they found no fire; and entering within the gates they saw St
Francis, St Clare, with all their companions, sitting round their
humble meal, absorbed in contemplation; then knew they of a certainty,
that what they had seen was a celestial fire, not a material one, which
God miraculously had sent to bear witness to the divine flame of love
which consumed the souls of those holy brethren and nuns; and they
returned home with great consolation in their hearts, and much holy
edification. After a long lapse of time, St Francis, St Clare, and
their companions came back to themselves; and, being fully restored by
the spiritual food, cared not to eat that which had been prepared for
them; so that, the holy meal being finished, St Clare, well
accompanied, returned to San Damiano, where the sisters received her
with great joy, as they had feared that St Francis might have sent her
to rule some other convent, as he had already sent St Agnes, the sister
of the saint, to be Abbess of the Convent of Monticelli, at Florence.
For St Francis had often said to St Clare, "Be ready, in case I send
thee to some other convent"; and she, like a daughter of holy
obedience, had answered, "Father, I am always ready to go whithersoever
thou shalt send me." For which reason the sisters greatly rejoiced when
she returned to them, and St Clare was from that time much consoled.
CHAPTER
XVI
HOW ST
FRANCIS, HAVING BEEN TOLD BY ST CLARE AND THE HOLY BROTHER
SILVESTER THAT HE SHOULD PREACH AND CONVERT MANY TO THE FAITH, FOUNDED
THE THIRD ORDER, PREACHED TO THE BIRDS, AND REDUCED TO SILENCE THE
SWALLOWS
The humble servant
of Christ, St Francis, a short time after his
conversion, having already assembled and received many brothers into
the Order, was much troubled and perplexed in mind as to what he ought
to do; whether to give himself entirely to prayer, or now and then to
preach the Word. Through his great humility, he had no opinion of
himself or of the virtue of his prayers; and, wishing to know the will
of God, he sought to learn it through the prayers of others. Wherefore
he called to him Brother Masseo, and thus addressed him: "Go to Sister
Clare, and bid her from me to set herself with some of the holiest of
her sisters to pray the Lord that he may show me clearly whether he
wills that I should preach or only keep to prayer. Then go to Brother
Silvester, and ask of him the same favour." Now Brother Silvester had
been in the world, and was the same who had seen in vision a golden
cross come out of St Francis's mouth, whose height reached up to heaven
and its breadth to the farthest extremities of the world. Brother
Silvester was so holy, that whatever he asked of God was granted to his
prayer, and very often he held converse with the Lord; so that St
Francis revered him greatly. Then Brother Masseo did as St Francis had
commanded him; carrying the message first to St Clare, and then to
Brother Silvester, who set about praying immediately; and, having
received the answer from the Lord, returned to Brother Masseo, and said
to him: "The Lord says, go and tell Brother Francis that he has called
him to this state not to save merely his own soul but that he may
produce fruits in those of others, and that through him many souls be
saved." Having received this answer, Brother Messeo returned to Sister
Clare, to ask what she had learnt from God; and she told him that she
and all her companions had received from God the same answer as the
Lord had given to Brother Silvester. Then Brother Masseo hastened to St
Francis to bring him these answers; and St Francis received him with
great charity, washing his feet, and serving him at dinner. When the
repast was over, he called Brother Masseo into the forest, and,
kneeling down before him, put back his hood; and crossing his arms on
his breast, he said to him: "What answer dost thou bring me? what does
my Lord Jesus Christ order me to do?" Brother Masseo answered: "The
Lord Jesus Christ has revealed both to Brother Silvester and to Sister
Clare, that it is his will thou shouldest go about the world to preach;
for thou hast not been called for thyself alone, but the the salvation
of others." Then St Francis, having received the answer, and knowing it
to be the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, arose with fervour, saying,
"Let us go in the name of God"; and taking with him Brother Masseo and
Brother Agnolo, both holy men, he let himself be guided by the Spirit
of God, without considering the road he took. They soon arrived at a
town called Savurniano, where St Francis began to preach, first
ordering the swallows, who were calling, to keep silence until he had
finished; and the swallows obeyed his voice. He preached with such
fervour, that the inhabitants of the town wished to follow him out of
devotion; but St Francis would not allow them, saying: "Be not in such
haste, and leave not your homes. I will tell you what you must do to
save your souls." Thereupon he founded the Third Order for the
salvation of all; and leaving them much consoled and well disposed to
do penance, he departed thence, and reached a spot between Cannaio and
Bevagno. And as he went on his way, with great fervour, St Francis
lifted up his eyes, and saw on some trees by the wayside a great
multitude of birds; and being much surprised, he said to his
companions, "Wait for me here by the way, whilst I go and preach to my
little sisters the birds"; and entering into the field, he began to
preach to the birds which were on the ground, and suddenly all those
also on the trees came round him, and all listened while St Francis
preached to them, and did not fly away until he had given them his
blessing. And Brother Masseo related afterwards to Brother James of
Massa how St Francis went among them and even touched them with his
garments, and how none of them moved. Now the substance of the sermon
was this: "My little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your
Creator, and ye ought to sing his praise at all times and in all
places, because he has given you liberty to fly about into all places;
and though ye neither spin nor sew, he has given you a twofold and a
threefold clothing for yourselves and for your offspring. Two of all
your species he sent into the Ark with Noe that you might not be lost
to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither sow nor
reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst,
mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to
build your nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus
favoured you with such bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin
of ingratitude, and study always to give praise to God." As he said
these words, all the birds began to open their beaks, to stretch their
necks, to spread their wings and reverently to bow their heads to the
ground, endeavouring by their motions and by their songs to manifest
their joy to St Francis. And the saint rejoiced with them. He wondered
to see such a multitude of birds, and was charmed with their beautiful
variety, with their attention and familiarity, for all which he
devoutly gave thanks to the Creator. Having finished his sermon, St
Francis made the sign of the cross, and gave them leave to fly away.
Then all those birds rose up into the air, singing most sweetly; and,
following the sign of the cross, which St Francis had made, they
divided themselves into four companies. One company flew towards the
east, another towards the west, one towards the south, and one towards
the north; each company as it went singing most wonderfully; signifying
thereby, that as St Francis, the bearer of the Cross of Christ, had
preached to them and made upon them the sign of the cross, after which
they had divided among themselves the four parts of the world, so the
preaching of the Cross of Christ, renewed by St Francis, would be
carried by him and by his brethren over all the world, and that the
humble friars, like little birds, should posses nothing in this world,
but should cast all the care of their lives on the providence of God.
CHAPTER
XVII
HOW A
LITTLE CHILD WHO HAD ENTERED THE ORDER SAW ST FRANCIS IN PRAYER
ONE NIGHT, AND SAW ALSO THE SAVIOUR, THE VIRGIN MARY, AND MANY OTHER
SAINTS TALK WITH HIM
A certain pure and
innocent child was received into the Order during
the lifetime of St Francis, and the convent in which he lived was so
small that the monks were obliged to sleep on mats. It chanced that St
Francis came one day to that convent, and in the evening, after
Compline, he went to rest, so as to rise up early to pray, as was his
custom, when all the other friars were still asleep. The said little
child had made up his mind carefully to watch St Francis, to learn
something of his sanctity, and find out more especially what he did in
the night when he got up; and in order that he might not be overtaken
by sleep, he laid him down by St Francis, tying the end of the cord he
wore round his waist to the one which the saint wore, so that he was
sure of being awakened when the latter got up in the night; and this he
did so gently, that St Francis was not aware of his contrivance. When
all the other friars were fast asleep, St Francis rose from sleep, and
finding the child's cord tied to his own, he carefully untied it so as
not to awake him and went alone into the wood which was near the
convent. Entering into a little cell which was there, he began to pray.
Shortly after, the child awoke, and finding St Francis gone, and the
cord untied, he rose up quickly and went to seek him. Perceiving the
door open which led to the wood, he thought St Francis had gone that
way; and entering into the wood, and hurrying on to the little cell, he
heard the sound of many voices. Approaching near to hear and see whence
they came, he saw a great and wonderful light all round the saint, and
in the light was Jesus Christ, with the Virgin Mary, St John the
Baptist, St John the Evangelist, and a great multitude of angels, all
talking with St Francis. On seeing this the child fell to the ground as
if he had been dead. The miracle of this holy vision being ended, St
Francis rose to return to the convent, and stumbling in the way against
the child, who appeared to be dead, with great compassion he took him
up in his arms and carried him in his bosom, as the good shepherd is
wont to carry his lambs. Having learned from him how he had seen the
vision, he forbade him to tell any man thereof so long as he, St
Francis, lived. The little child grew up in the grace of God, and had a
great devotion to St Francis. He became one of the most distinguished
men of the Order. After the death of St Francis, he related the vision
to the brethren.
CHAPTER
XVIII
OF THE
WONDERFUL CHAPTER HELD BY ST FRANCIS AT ST MARY OF THE ANGELS,
AT WHICH MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND FRIARS WERE PRESENT
The faithful
servant of Christ, St Francis, once held a general chapter
at St Mary of the Angels, at which chapter more than five thousand
friars were present. Amongst them also was St Dominic, the head and
founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, who chanced to be on his way
from Bologna to Rome: for having heard of the chapter which St Francis
had called together in the plain of St Mary of the Angels, he went
there with seven friars of his Order. A certain Cardinal also, much
devoted to St Francis, to whom the saint had foretold that he would one
day be Pope, came expressly from Perugia to Assisi, and everyday he
went to visit St Francis and his brethren. Sometimes he sang Mass and
preached to them; and each time the said Cardinal visited the holy
company he experienced much pleasure and devotion. Seeing the friars
all seated in the plain round St Mary of the Angels, in groups - here
forty, there a hundred, and elsewhere eighty, all occupied in
conversing about God, or in prayer, or in works of charity - seeing
them all so silent and so grave, and wondering how such a multitude
could be so orderly, he was moved to tears, and exclaimed, with great
devotion, "Truly this is the field of God; this is the army, and these
are the knights of the Lord." No vain or useless word was to be heard
in all that multitude; each group of friars was engaged either in
prayer, or saying their office, in weeping over their sins and those of
their benefactors, or in reasoning on the salvation of souls. Many
tents made of mats had been pitched in that field, divided in groups,
according to the different provinces from whence the friars came; so
that this Chapter was called the "Chapter of mats".
The friars had no
other beds but the bare ground, with here and there a
little straw; for pillows they had stones or pieces of wood. For which
reasons they were held in much devotion; and so great was the fame of
their sanctity, that many came to see and hear them from the court of
the Pope which was at Perugia, and from other parts of the Valley of
Spoleto. Many counts and barons, many knights and other gentlemen, many
Cardinals, Bishops and Abbots, many priests and much people, came to
see this great and holy and humble congregation; for the world had
never yet witnessed so many holy men assembled together; and most
especially they went thither to see the saintly founder; and father of
the Order, who had taken from the world so many gifted men, and had
formed so beautiful and devout a flock to follow the steps of the true
Pastor, Jesus Christ. The chapter being assembled, St Francis, the
father of all those holy men, expounded with great fervour of spirit
the Word of God, speaking to them in a loud voice that which the Holy
Spirit dictated. Now the subject he took for his sermon was this: "My
children, we have promised great things to God, and God has promised
even greater things to us. If we observe what we have promised him, we
shall certainly receive what he has promised to us. The pleasures of
this world pass quickly away, but the punishment which follows them is
eternal. The sufferings of this world are trifling, but the glory of
the life to come is without bounds." And, preaching on these words most
devoutly, he comforted the brethren, encouraging them to holy
obedience, to reverence for holy Mother Church, to charity among
themselves, to pray God for all people, to bear with patience the
adversities of life, to be temperate in prosperity, to keep angelic
purity and chastity, to be at peace with God, with men and with their
own conscience, to love, to observe, and to practise holy poverty. He
then added: "I command you all here present, through holy obedience, to
take no thought what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or of aught
else that is necessary to the body, but only to meditate, to pray, and
to praise God, casting on him the thought of all the rest, for he has
you all in his especial care; and let each of you receive this command
with a happy heart and a joyful countenance." St Francis having
finished his sermon, all the friars began to pray. Yet St Dominic, who
was present, wondered much at this order of St Francis, considering it
as indiscreet, for he could not understand how such a great multitude
could exist without taking thought for the body. But the heavenly
Pastor, our Blessed Saviour, wishing to show the care he takes of his
lambs, and with what singular love he loves his poor servants, put into
the hearts of all the people of Perugia, of Spoleto, of Foligno, of
Spello, of Assisi, and of all the neighbouring country, to take meat
and drink to that holy congregation; and presently men came from all
these places with horses, and asses, and carts laden with bread and
wine, with beans and cheese, and other good things of which the poor of
Christ had need. Besides all this, they brought napkins and knives,
jugs and glasses, and all that was needed for such a multitude; and
those who could carry most and serve the best rejoiced greatly, and the
knights, barons, and other noblemen, who were present, waited on the
brethren with great devotion and humility. St Dominic, seeing this, and
knowing of a certainty that it was the divine providence of God which
had provided for them thus, acknowledged most humbly that he had
unjustly accused St Francis of giving indiscreet orders; and going to
him, he knelt humbly before him and confessed his fault, adding: "The
Lord truly hath especial care of all these holy servants of poverty. I
knew it not till now, and henceforth I promise to observe holy
evangelical poverty; and, in the name of God, I condemn all friars of
my Order who shall seek to have possessions of their own." And St
Dominic was greatly edified by the faith of the most holy Francis, by
the obedience and poverty of so large and well-ordered a chapter, and
he blessed the providence of God, who had given them every grace in
such abundance. In that same chapter also it was revealed to St Francis
that many brethren wore on their flesh small hearts and bands of iron,
for which reason many were ill and hindered in their prayers; and St
Francis, like a discreet father, gave order, under holy obedience, that
all who wore such things should take them off and place them before him
- and more than five hundred little hearts and bands of iron were
placed before him - some destined to be worn round the arms, and others
round the waist - and all together formed a large heap, which St
Francis ordered to be left in that field. The chapter being ended, he
encouraged them all in well-doing, warning them to avoid sin in this
wicked world, and sent them to their divers provinces, with his
blessing and that of God, filled with spiritual joy and consolation.
CHAPTER
XIX
HOW THE
VINE OF THE PRIEST OF RIETI, WHOSE HOUSE ST FRANCIS ENTERED TO
PRAY, WAS TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT BY THE GREAT NUMBERS WHO CAME TO SEE HIM,
AND HOW IT YET PRODUCED A GREATER QUANTITY OF WINE THAN USUAL, AS ST
FRANCIS HAD PROMISED; AND HOW THE LORD REVEALED TO THE SAINT THAT
HEAVEN WOULD BE HIS PORTION WHEN HE LEFT THIS WORLD
St Francis at one
time being grievously tormented with a disease in his
eyes, the Cardinal Ugolino, protector of his Order, who loved him
dearly, wrote to him to come to Rieti, where there were excellent
oculists. St Francis, having received the Cardinal's letter, set off
first to San Damiano, where was Sister Clare, the devout spouse of
Christ, to give her some spiritual consolation, intending afterwards to
go on to the Cardinal. On arriving at San Damiano, the following night
his eyes grew so much worse that he could not see the light, and was
obliged to give up going any further. Then Sister Clare made him a
little cell of reeds, in order that he might repose the better; but St
Francis, owing partly to the pain he suffered, and partly to the
multitude of rats, which much annoyed him, could rest neither day or
night. After suffering for several days this pain and tribulation, he
began to think that it was sent to him by God as a punishment for his
sins, and he thanked the Lord in his heart and with his lips, crying
out with a loud voice: "My God, I am worthy of this, and even worse. My
Lord Jesus Christ, thou Good Shepherd, who hast shown thy mercy to us
poor sinners in the various bodily pains and sufferings it pleaseth
thee to send us; grant to me, thy little lamb, that no pain, however
great, no infirmity nor anguish, shall ever separate me from thee."
Having made this prayer, a voice came from heaven, which said:
"Francis, if all the earth were of gold, if all the seas and all the
fountains and all the rivers were of balm, if all mountains, all hills,
and all rocks were made of precious stones, and if thou couldst find a
treasure as much more precious again as gold is more precious than
earth, and balm than water, and gems than mountains and rocks, if that
precious treasure were offered to thee in the place of thy infirmity,
wouldst thou not rejoice and be content?" St Francis answered: "Lord, I
am unworthy of such a treasure." And the voice of God said again:
"Rejoice with all thy heart, Francis, for such a treasure is life
eternal, which I have in keeping for thee, and even now promise to
thee; and this thine infirmity and affliction is a pledge of that
blessed treasure." Then was St Francis filled with joy at so glorious a
promise; and calling his companion, he said to him: "Let us go to the
Cardinal." He humbly took leave of Sister Clare, after having comforted
her with holy words, and took the road to Rieti. When he approached the
town, such a multitude came out to meet him, that he would not go into
the city, but went to a church which was about two miles off. But the
people, hearing where he was gone, went thither to see him; so that the
vine which surrounded the church was greatly injured, and all the
grapes were gathered; at which the priest, to whom it belonged, was
very grieved in his heart, and repented of having received St Francis
in his church. The thought of the priest being revealed to the saint,
he called him to him and said: "Dearest father, tell me, how many
measures of wine does this vine produce when the year is a fertile
one?" He answered: "Twelve measures." Then said St Francis: "I pray
thee, father, have patience and endure my presence here a few days
longer, as I find great rest in this church; and, for the love of God
and of me his poor servant, let the people gather the grapes off thy
vine; for I promise thee, in the name of my Saviour Jesus Christ, that
it shall produce every year twenty measures of wine." And St Francis
remained there for the benefit of the souls of all who went to see him,
for many went away filled with divine love, and gave up the world. The
priest, having faith in the promise of St Francis, left the vineyard
open to all those who came to see him. And, wonder of wonders! although
the vine was entirely ruined, so that there scarcely remained, here and
there, a few small bunches of grapes, when the time of vintage arrived,
the priest gathered the few bunches which were left, and put them into
the winepress; and according to the promise of St Francis, these few
little bunches did not fail to produce twenty measures of excellent
wine. This miracle teaches us that as, in consequence of the merits of
St Francis, the vine, though despoiled of its grapes, produced an
abundance of wine, so in the same way many Christians, whose sins had
made them barren of virtue, through the saint's preaching and merits,
have often come to abound in the good fruit of repentance.
CHAPTER
XX
OF A
BEAUTIFUL VISION WHICH APPEARED TO A YOUNG MAN WHO HATED THE HABIT
OF ST FRANCIS SO GREATLY, THAT HE WAS ON THE POINT OF LEAVING THE ORDER
A young man, of
noble birth, and of delicate habits, who had entered
the Order of St Francis, was seized after a few days, through the
devil's suggestions, with a violent dislike of the habit that he wore:
he hated the shape of the sleeves; he felt a horror for the hood, for
the length of the dress, and the coarseness of the material; so that it
seemed to him as if he carried about him an insupportable weight; and,
disliking the Order more and more, he determined to leave it and return
to the world. It was the custom of this young man, at whatever hour he
passed before the altar in the convent at which the Blessed Sacrament
was reserved, to kneel down with great respect and, covering his head
with his hood and crossing his arms on his breast, to prostrate
himself, as he had been taught to do by the master of novices. It so
happened, that the night when he had made up his mind to leave the
convent, he passed before the altar, and, kneeling down as he was wont
to do, he prostrated himself to the ground, and, being ravished in
spirit, the Lord sent him a most wonderful vision. He saw before him a
great multitude of saints ranged in procession, two by two, clothed in
vestments made of precious material: their faces and their hands shone
like the sun; they sang, as they walked, to the sound of celestial
music. Two of them were more nobly and more richly dressed than the
rest, and surrounded by such a blaze of light that none could look on
them without being dazzled. At the end of the procession was one so
gloriously adorned, that he seemed, like a new knight, to be more
favoured than the others. Now the young man, seeing such a beautiful
procession, was struck with wonder; but although he could not guess the
meaning of the vision, he dared not ask, and seemed struck dumb with
amazement. When the procession had almost passed away, he took courage,
and addressing himself to those who were in the rear, he said: "O
beloved, I pray you tell me who are those wonderful beings who form
this venerable procession." They answered: "Know, my son, that we are
all Friars Minor, who are come from the glories of Paradise; and those
two who shine forth brighter than the rest, are St Francis and St
Anthony; and the last one you saw so especially honoured is a holy
friar, lately dead, who having fought with courage against temptation
and having preserved to the end, we lead in triumph to the glories of
Paradise; and these splendid vestments which adorn us have been given
to us by God, in exchange for the coarse tunic we wore with so much
patience in religion; and the glorious light which shines upon us has
been given in reward for the humility, the holy poverty, the obedience,
and chastity that we observed to the end of our lives. Now, my son, do
not find the robe of religion too rough to wear; for if, clothed in the
sackcloth of St Francis, and out of love to Christ, thou dost despise
the world, mortifying thy flesh, and fighting valiantly against the
devil, thou too shalt receive these splendid vestments, and shine with
this glorious light." On hearing these words the young man came to his
senses, and feeling himself much strengthened, he put far from him all
temptation to leave the Order, confessed his sin to the guardian and to
the brethren, and from that moment dearly loved the course vestment of
St Francis and the severity of penance, and at length ended his life in
the Order in a state of great sanctity.
CHAPTER
XXI
OF THE
MOST HOLY MIRACLE OF ST FRANCIS IN TAMING THE FIERCE WOLF OF
GUBBIO
At the time when
St Francis was living in the city of Gubbio, a large
wolf appeared in the neighbourhood, so terrible and so fierce, that he
not only devoured other animals, but made a prey of men also; and since
he often approached the town, all the people were in great alarm, and
used to go about armed, as if going to battle. Notwithstanding these
precautions, if any of the inhabitants ever met him alone, he was sure
to be devoured, as all defence was useless: and, through fear of the
wolf, they dared not go beyond the city walls. St Francis, feeling
great compassion for the people of Gubbio, resolved to go and meet the
wolf, though all advised him not to do so. Making the sign of the holy
cross, and putting all his confidence in God, he went forth from the
city, taking his brethren with him; but these fearing to go any
further, St Francis bent his steps alone toward the spot where the wolf
was known to be, while many people followed at a distance, and
witnessed the miracle. The wolf, seeing all this multitude, ran towards
St Francis with his jaws wide open. As he approached, the saint, making
the sign of the cross, cried out: "Come hither, brother wolf; I command
thee, in the name of Christ, neither to harm me nor anybody else."
Marvellous to tell, no sooner had St Francis made the sign of the
cross, than the terrible wolf, closing his jaws, stopped running, and
coming up to St Francis, lay down at his feet as meekly as a lamb. And
the saint thus addressed him: "Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil
in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without his
permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast
even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing
thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer. All men
cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of
this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee,
O brother wolf, is so be thou no more offend them, and they shall
forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall
pursue thee any more." Having listened to these words, the wolf bowed
his head, and, by the movements of his body, his tail, and his eyes,
made signs that he agreed to what St Francis said. On this St Francis
added: "As thou art willing to make this peace, I promise thee that
thou shalt be fed every day by the inhabitants of this land so long as
thou shalt live among them; thou shalt no longer suffer hunger, as it
is hunger which has made thee do so much evil; but if I obtain all this
for thee, thou must promise, on thy side, never again to attack any
animal or any human being; dost thou make this promise?" Then the wolf,
bowing his head, made a sign that he consented. Said St Francis again:
"Brother wolf, wilt thou pledge thy faith that I may trust to this thy
promise?" and putting out his hand he received the pledge of the wolf;
for the latter lifted up his paw and placed it familiarly in the hand
of St Francis, giving him thereby the only pledge which was in his
power. Then said St Francis, addressing him again: "Brother wolf, I
command thee, in the name of Christ, to follow me immediately, without
hesitation or doubting, that we may go together to ratify this peace
which we have concluded in the name of God"; and the wolf, obeying him,
walked by his side as meekly as a lamb, to the great astonishment of
all the people. Now, the news of this most wonderful miracle spreading
quickly through the town, all the inhabitants, both men and women,
small and great, young and old, flocked to the market-place to see St
Francis and the wolf. All the people being assembled, the saint got up
to preach, saying, amongst other things, how for our sins God permits
such calamities, and how much greater and more dangerous are the flames
of hell, which last for ever, than the rage of a wolf, which can kill
the body only; and how much we ought to dread the jaws of hell, if the
jaws of so small an animal as a wolf can make a whole city tremble
through fear. The sermon being ended, St Francis added these words:
"Listen my brethren: the wolf who is here before you has promised and
pledged his faith that he consents to make peace with you all, and no
more to offend you in aught, and you must promise to give him each day
his necessary food; to which, if you consent, I promise in his name
that he will most faithfully observe the compact." Then all the people
promised with one voice to feed the wolf to the end of his days; and St
Francis, addressing the latter, said again: "And thou, brother wolf,
dost thou promise to keep the compact, and never again to offend either
man or beast, or any other creature?" And the wolf knelt down, bowing
his head, and, by the motions of his tail and of his ears, endeavoured
to show that he was willing, so far as was in his power, to hold to the
compact. Then St Francis continued: "Brother wolf, as thou gavest me a
pledge of this thy promise when we were outside the town, so now I will
that thou renew it in the sight of all this people, and assure me that
I have done well to promise in thy name"; and the wolf lifting up his
paw placed it in the hand of St Francis. Now this event caused great
joy in all the people, and a great devotion towards St Francis, both
because of the novelty of the miracle, and because of the peace which
had been concluded with the wolf; and they lifted up their voices to
heaven, praising and blessing God, who had sent them St Francis,
through whose merits they had been delivered from such a savage beast.
The wolf lived two years at Gubbio; he went familiarly from door to
door without harming anyone, and all the people received him
courteously, feeding him with great pleasure, and no dog barked at him
as he went about. At last, after two years, he died of old age, and the
people of Gubbio mourned his loss greatly; for when they saw him going
about so gently amongst them all, he reminded them of the virtue and
sanctity of St Francis.
CHAPTER
XXII
HOW ST FRANCIS TAMED
THE WILD DOVES
A certain young
man having caught one day a great number of doves, as
he was to sell them he met St Francis, who always felt a great
compassion for such gentle animals; and, looking at the doves with eyes
of pity, he said to the young man: "O good man, I entreat thee to give
me those harmless birds, emblems in Scripture of humble, pure, and
faithful souls, so that they may not fall into cruel hands, which would
put them to death." And the young man, inspired by God, immediately
gave them to St Francis, who, placing them in his bosom, addressed them
thus sweetly: "O my little sisters the doves, so simple, so innocent,
and so chaste, why did you allow yourselves to be caught? I will save
you from death, and make your nests, that you may increase and
multiply, according to the command of God." Then St Francis made nests
for them all, and they began to lay their eggs and hatch them in
presence of the brethren, and were as familiar and as tame with St
Francis and the friars as if they had been hens brought up amongst
them, nor did they ever go away until St Francis had given them his
blessing. Then said St Francis to the young man who had given them to
him: "My son, thou shalt become a friar in this Order; and shalt serve
most fervently the Lord Jesus Christ"; and so it came to pass, for the
young man became a friar, and lived in the Order in great holiness.
CHAPTER
XXIII
HOW ST
FRANCIS DELIVERED THE BROTHER WHO, BEING IN SIN, HAD FALLEN INTO
THE POWER OF THE DEVIL
St Francis, being
one day in prayer in the Convent of the Portiuncula,
saw, by the revelation of God, that all the convent was surrounded and
besieged by devils, as by a great army; but none could penetrate into
the convent, because the brothers were so holy that the demons could
not enter into any of them. They remained, however, on the watch, until
one day a certain brother being offended by another, thought in his
heart how he could accuse and do him harm. Having yielded to this evil
thought, the devil, seeing a way open to him, entered the convent and
took possession of the brother. On this St Francis, like a vigilant
pastor, ever watching over his flock, seeing the brother, and commanded
him to confess immediately the hatred he had nourished in his heart
towards his neighbour, which had caused him to fall into the power of
the enemy. The brother, much alarmed, and seeing that his saintly
father had penetrated into his deepest thoughts, confessed the evil
feeling which had entered into his heart, and humbly asked pardon and
penance. When he had done this, and being absolved of his sin had
accepted his penance, St Francis beheld the devil to flee away; and the
brother, being freed from such a cruel monster through the charity of
his good shepherd, thanked God, and returned to the little flock of the
saintly pastor corrected and strengthened, and lived afterwards in
great sanctity.
CHAPTER
XXIV
HOW ST
FRANCIS CONVERTED TO THE FAITH THE SULTAN OF BABYLON
St Francis, urged
by zeal for the faith of Christ and by a wish to
suffer martyrdom, took with him one day twelve of his most holy
brethren, and went beyond the sea with the intention of going straight
to the Sultan of Babylon. They arrived in a province belonging to the
Saracens, where all the passes were guarded by men so cruel, that no
Christian who passed that way could escape being put to death. Now it
pleased God that St Francis and his companions should not meet with the
same fate; but they were taken prisoners, and after being bound and
ill-treated, were led before the Sultan. Then St Francis standing
before him, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached most divinely the
faith of Christ; and to prove the truth of what he said, professed
himself ready to enter into the fire. Now the Sultan began to feel a
great devotion towards him, both because of the constancy of his faith,
and because he despised the things of this world (for he had refused to
accept any of the presents which he had offered to him), and also
because of his ardent wish to suffer martyrdom. From that moment he
listened to him willingly, and begged him to come back often, giving
both him and his companions leave to preach wheresoever they pleased;
he likewise gave them a token of his protection, which would preserve
them from all molestation.
At length St
Francis, seeing he could do no more good in those parts,
was warned by God to return with his brethren to the land of the
faithful. Having assembled his companions, they went together to the
Sultan to take leave of him. The Sultan said to him: "Brother Francis,
most willingly would I be converted to the faith of Christ; but I fear
to do so now, for if the people knew it, they would kill both me and
thee and all thy companions. As thou mayest still do much good, and I
have certain affairs of great importance to conclude, I will not at
present be the cause of thy death and of mine. But teach me how I can
be saved, and I am ready to do as thou shalt order." On this St Francis
made answer: "My lord, I will take leave of thee for the present; but
after I have returned to my own country, when I shall be dead and gone
to heaven, by the grace of God, I will send thee two of my friars, who
will administer to thee the holy baptism of Christ, and thou shalt be
saved, as the Lord Jesus has revealed to me; and thou in the meantime
shalt free thyself from every hindrance, so that, when the grace of God
arrives, thou mayest be found well disposed to faith and devotion." The
Sultan promised so to do; and did as he had promised. Then St Francis
returned with his company of venerable and saintly brethren, and after
a few years ending his mortal life, he gave up his soul to God. The
Sultan, having fallen ill, awaited the fulfillment of the promise of St
Francis, and placed guards in all the passes, ordering them if they met
two brothers in the habit of St Francis to conduct them immediately to
him. At the same time St Francis appeared to two of his friars, and
ordered them without delay to go to the Sultan and save his soul,
according to the promise he had made him. The two set out, and having
crossed the sea, were conducted to the Sultan by the guards he had sent
out to meet them. The Sultan, when he saw them arrive, rejoiced
greatly, and exclaimed: "Now I know of a truth that God has sent his
servants to save my soul, according to the promise which St Francis
made me through divine revelation." Having received the faith of Christ
and holy baptism from the said friars, he was regenerated in the Lord
Jesus Christ; and having died of his disease, his soul was saved,
through the merits and prayers of St Francis.
CHAPTER
XXV
HOW ST
FRANCIS HEALED MIRACULOUSLY A LEPER BOTH IN HIS BODY AND IN HIS
SOUL, AND WHAT THE SOUL SAID TO HIM ON GOING UP TO HEAVEN
The true disciple
of Christ, St Francis, as long as he lived in this
miserable life, endeavoured with all his might to follow the example of
Christ the perfect Master; whence it happened often, through the
operation of grace, that he healed the soul at the same time as the
body, as we read of Jesus Christ himself; and not only did he willingly
serve the lepers himself, but he willed that all the brethren of his
Order, both when they were travelling about the world and when they
were halting on their way, should serve the lepers for the love of
Christ, who for our sake was willing to be treated as a leper. It
happened once, that in a convent near the one in which St Francis then
resided there was a hospital for leprosy and other infirmities, served
by the brethren; and one of the patients was a leper so impatient, so
insupportable, and so insolent, that many believed of a certainty that
he was possessed of the devil (as indeed he was) for he ill-treated
with blows and words all those who served him; and, what was worse, he
blasphemed so dreadfully our Blessed Lord and his most holy Mother the
Blessed Virgin Mary, that none was found who could or would serve him.
The brethren, indeed, to gain merit, endeavoured to accept with
patience the injuries and violences committed against themselves, but
their consciences would not allow them to submit to those addressed to
Christ and to his Mother, wherefore they determined to abandon this
leper, but this they would not do until they had signified their
intention to St Francis, according to the Rule. On learning this, St
Francis, who was not far distant, himself visited this perverse leper,
and said to him: "May God give thee peace, my beloved brother!" To this
the leper answered: "What peace can I look for from God, who has taken
from me peace and every other blessing, and made me a putrid and
disgusting object?" St Francis answered: "My son, be patient; for the
infirmities of the body are given by God in this world for the
salvation of the soul in the next; there is great merit in them when
they are patiently endured." The sick man answered: "How can I bear
patiently the pain which afflicts me night and day? For not only am I
greatly afflicted by my infirmity, but the friars thou hast sent to
serve me make it even worse, for they do not serve me as they ought."
Then St Francis, knowing through divine revelation that the leper was
possessed by the malignant spirit, began to pray, interceding most
earnestly for him. Having finished his prayer, he returned to the leper
and said to him: "My son, I myself will serve thee, seeing thou art not
satisfied with the others." "Willingly," answered the leper; "but what
canst thou do more than they have done?" "Whatsoever thou wishest I
will do for thee," answered St Francis. "I will then," said he, "that
thou wash me all over; for I am so disgusting that I cannot bear
myself." Then St Francis heated some water, putting therein many
odoriferous herbs; he then undressed him, and began to wash him with
his own hands, whilst another brother threw the water upon him, and, by
a divine miracle, wherever St Francis touched him with his holy hands
the leprosy disappeared, and his flesh was perfectly healed also. On
this the leper, seeing his leprosy beginning to vanish, felt great
sorrow and repentance for his sins, and began to weep bitterly. While
his body was being purified externally of the leprosy through the
cleansing of the water, so his soul internally was purified from sin by
the washing of tears and repentance; and feeling himself completely
healed both in his body and his soul, he humbly confessed his sins,
crying out in a loud voice, with many tears: "Unhappy me! I am worthy
of hell for the wickedness of my conduct to the brethren, and the
impatience and blasphemy I have uttered against the Lord"; and for
fifteen days he ceased not to weep bitterly for his sins, imploring the
Lord to have mercy on him, and them made a general confession to a
priest. St Francis, perceiving this evident miracle which the Lord had
enabled him to work, returned thanks to God, and set out for a distant
country; for out of humility he wished to avoid all glory, and in all
his actions he sought only the glory of God, and not his own. It
pleased God that the leper, who had been healed both in his body and in
his soul, after having done penance for fifteen days, should fall ill
of another infirmity; and having received the sacraments of the Church,
he died a most holy death. His soul on its way to heaven appeared in
the air to St Francis, who was praying in a forest, and said to him:
"Dost thou know me?" "Who art thou?" asked the saint. Said he: "I am
that leper whom our Blessed Lord healed through thy merits, and to-day
I am going to life eternal, for which I return thanks to God and to
thee. Blessed by thy soul and thy body, blessed by thy holy words and
works, for through thee many souls are saved in the world; and know
that there is not a single day in which the angels and other saints do
not return thanks to God for the holy fruits of thy preaching and that
of thy Order in various parts of the world. Be comforted, then, and
thank the Lord, and may his blessing rest on thee." Having said these
words, he went up to heaven, leaving St Francis much consoled.
CHAPTER
XXVI
HOW ST
FRANCIS CONVERTED CERTAIN ROBBERS AND ASSASSINS, WHO BECAME
FRIARS; AND OF A WONDERFUL VISION WHICH APPEARED TO ONE OF THEM WHO WAS
A MOST HOLY BROTHER
As St Francis went
one day through the desert of Borgo di San Sepolcro,
and was passing by a castle called Monte Casale, he saw a young man of
noble mien, and elegant in appearance, coming towards him, who thus
addressed him: "Father, I would willingly be one of thy monks." St
Francis answered: "My son, thou art young, noble, and delicate; perhaps
thou wouldst not be able to endure poverty and hardships." The young
man said again: "Father, are you not men, like me? If you, then, can
support these things, through the grace of God I shall be able to do so
likewise." This answer greatly pleased St Francis, and giving the young
man his blessing, he received him immediately into the Order, and gave
him the name of Brother Angelo. And this young man was so remarkable
and so distinguished, that shortly after he was named Guardian of the
Convent of Monte Casale. At that time there were three famous robbers
in that part of the country, who did much evil in all the
neighbourhood. Coming one day to the said convent, they asked Brother
Angelo, the guardian, to give them something to eat. The guardian,
reproving them harshly, answered thus: "Cruel robbers and murderers,
you are not ashamed to deprive others of the fruits of their labours,
and you have the audacity to come here and devour that which is given
in charity to the servants of God - you who are not worthy of the earth
which bears you, for you neither respect man nor the Lord who made you.
Go about your business, and do not appear here again." Then the robbers
went away in anger, much troubled by these words. Shortly after, St
Francis arrived at the convent with a sack of bread and a little vessel
of wine, which he and his companion had begged; and the guardian
related to him how he had sent away the robbers. On this St Francis
reproved him sharply, saying that he had behaved most cruelly, for
sinners are brought back to God more easily by kindness than by harsh
words. "Wherefore," said he, "our Master Jesus Christ, whose Word we
have promised to observe, says that the whole need not a physician, but
they that are sick, and that he came not to call the just, but sinners,
to repentance; for which reason he often sat down to meat with them.
As, then, thou hast acted against charity, and against the Gospel of
Christ, I command thee, in the name of holy obedience, to take with
thee this sack of bread, which I have begged, and this little vessel of
wine, and go after the robbers, over the hills and across the valleys,
until thou meet with them. And when thou hast found them, give them
from me this bread and wine; and then, kneeling down before them, thou
shalt humbly confess thy fault, begging them, in my name, not to do
evil any more, but to fear God and never again offend him. If they
consent to this, I promise to provide for all their wants, and to give
them continually both meat and drink; and when thou hast told them
this, thou shalt humbly come back here." Whilst the guardian went on
the errand of St Francis, the latter began to pray, asking God to touch
the hearts of the robbers and bring them to repentance. The obedient
guardian, having found out their retreat, presented to them the bread
and wine, and said and did what St Francis had commanded; and it
pleased God that as the robbers ate the bread of charity which St
Francis had sent them, they reasoned thus among themselves; "Alas for
us, miserable men that we are! What pains await us in hell; for not
only have we robbed, beaten and wounded our neighbours, but we have
likewise taken away their lives, and yet for all these cruel deeds we
feel no remorse of conscience, and no fear of God! and behold this holy
friar who is come to us, for a few unkind words, which we merited most
justly, has humbly confessed that he was wrong, and has brought us
likewise bread and wine, with a most gracious promise from the holy St
Francis. These men indeed are holy religious of God who merit his
Paradise, and we are sons of perdition, worthy of the pains of hell;
and each day we add to our perdition, and we know not whether yet,
because of our sins we have committed hitherto, we can find mercy in
the sight of God." One of them having spoken thus, the other two
answered, saying: "Most certainly thou speakest truly; but what are we
to do?" "Let us go," said one of the others, "to St Francis; and if he
gives us a hope that our sins may find mercy in the sight of God, we
will do what he shall command us to save our souls from the punishment
of hell." This counsel pleasing the others, they agreed to go
immediately to St Francis; and having found him, they thus addressed
him: "Father, because of the multitude of our sins we dare not look for
mercy from God; but if thou hast a hope that he may have pity on us, we
are ready to do what thou shalt order, and do penance for our sins with
thee." Then St Francis bade them stay, and with much kindness and
charity comforted them, giving them many proofs of the mercy of God,
and promising them to ask the Lord to have pity on their sins. He told
them that his mercy knows no bounds, and that were their sins without
number the mercy of God is even greater, according to the word of the
Gospel and of the Apostle St Paul, who says our Blessed Lord came into
the world to save sinners. The three robbers on hearing these words
resolved to renounce the devil and his works; and St Francis received
them into the Order, in which they did great penance. Two of them died
shortly after their conversion, and went to heaven; but the third
survived, and, reflecting on his sins, he did penance during fifteen
years. Besides the ordinary fasts which he observed with the brethren,
he fasted at other times three days in the week on bread and water,
went barefooted, wore no other vestment but his tunic, and never slept
after Matins. During this time St Francis passed from this miserable
life. The converted robber having continued to do penance for many
years, it so happened that one night, after Matins, he was visited by
such a strong temptation to sleep, that he could neither pray nor watch
according to his custom. At last, finding it impossible to resist any
longer, he threw himself on his bed to sleep. No sooner had he laid
down his head than he was rapt in spirit and led up into a very high
mountain, on the side of which was a deep precipice bordered with sharp
stones and large rocks all broken to pieces, so that the precipice was
frightful to look at; and the angel who conducted the brother pushed
him with such violence, that he fell into the abyss, and rolling down
from stone to stone and from rock to rock, he reached the bottom
shattered all to pieces, as it seemed to him. As he lay on the ground
in this pitiable condition, the angel said to him: "Arise, for thou
hast a much longer journey to take." And the brother answered: "Thou
art both cruel and unreasonable. Thou seest that I am about to die from
my fall, which has shattered me all to pieces, and thou tellest me to
arise." On this the angel, coming near him, touched him, healing all
his wounds. He then showed him an immense plain, full of sharp and
pointed stones, covered with thorns and brambles, and told him that he
was to run all over the plain, and cross it barefooted till he reached
the other end, where was a burning furnace, which he was to enter. And
the brother having crossed the plain with great pain and suffering, the
angel ordered him to enter the furnace, as it was meet for him to do.
The brother exclaimed: "Alas, what a cruel guide thou art! Thou seest
that I am nearly dead, having crossed this horrible plain; and to rest
me thou commandest me to enter this burning furnace"; and looking up,
he saw all around many demons with iron pitchforks in their hands; and
as he hesitated to obey the angel, they pushed him into the furnace.
When he was in the furnace, he looked around and saw one who had
formerly been his companion burning all over from head to foot; and he
said to him: "O my unhappy companion, how camest thou here?" And he
answered: "Go a little farther, and thou shalt find my wife; she will
tell thee why we are damned." Then the brother, going a little farther,
saw the said woman surrounded with flames; and he said to her: "O
unfortunate and miserable woman, why are thou condemned to suffer such
a cruel torment?" "Because," she answered, "at the time of the great
famine which St Francis had foretold, my husband and I cheated the
people, and sold them wheat and oats in a false measure. It is for this
that I am condemned to burn in this dreadful place." Having heard these
words, the angel who conducted the brother drew him out of the furnace,
and said to him: "Prepare thyself now for a very horrible journey."
Then the brother answered him sorrowfully: "O cruel guide, thou hast no
compassion on me. Thou seest how I am almost burnt to death in this
furnace, and thou preparest for me another horrible and dangerous
journey." Then the angel touching him, he became whole and strong;
after which he led him to a bridge, which it was impossible to pass
without great danger, for it was slightly built, very narrow, and very
slippery, without any parapets, while underneath there flowed a
terrible river full of serpents, scorpions and dragons, which produced
a great stench. Then said the angel to him: "Go over the bridge, as by
all means thou must cross it." And the brother answered: "How can I
cross it without falling into that dangerous river?" The angel said to
him: "Follow me, and place thy foot where thou shalt see me place mine,
and thou shalt cross it safely." Then the brother walked behind the
angel as he had ordered him, and reached the middle of the bridge, when
suddenly the angel flew away, and leaving the brother, went on to a
very high mountain at a great distance from the bridge. When the
brother saw whither the angel had flown, being without his guide and
looking down, he saw all those terrible animals with their heads out of
the water, and their mouths open ready to devour him, if he were to
fall into the river; and he trembled much with fear, not knowing what
to do or what to say, as he could neither go back nor go forward.
Seeing himself in such tribulation, and having no refuge but in God, he
bent down, and clinging to the bridge, with all his heart and with many
tears he recommended himself to the Lord, praying him to have mercy on
him. Having finished his prayer, it seemed to him as if wings were
growing out of his back, and he waited with great joy till they should
be large enough to enable him to fly away from the bridge, and go to
the spot whither the angel had flown. After waiting a little time, his
impatience to leave the bridge became so great that he tried to fly;
but his wings not having reached their growth, he fell on the bridge,
and the feathers came off; upon which he clung again to the bridge, as
he had done before, and recommended himself to God. Having finished his
prayer, it seemed to him as if the wings were growing again; but losing
patience a second time, he tried to fly before the wings were fully
grown, and falling down on the bridge as before, the feathers came off.
And seeing that it was his impatience to fly away which made him fall
down thus, he said within himself: "If my wings begin to grow a third
time, I will most certainly wait until they are large enough to enable
me to fly away without falling." And having come to this decision, he
saw the wings begin to grow for the third time, and waited so long that
they might attain their growth, that it seemed to him as if more than a
hundred and fifty years had elapsed between the first growth of his
wings and the third. At last he arose for the third time, and exerting
all his strength, he flew up to the spot whither the angel had flown
before him; and knocking at the gate of the place into which he had
entered, the porter asked of him who he was and whence he came. To this
he answered: "I am one of the Friars Minor." The porter said to him:
"Wait a little whilst I go and fetch St Francis, to see if he knows
thee." While the porter was gone to fetch St Francis, the brother began
to examine the wonderful walls of the palace which appeared so luminous
and so transparent, that he could see through them the choirs of
saints, and what they were doing. As he was struck with wonder at this
sight, St Francis came towards him, with Brother Bernard and Brother
Giles, followed by a great multitude of saints, both men and women, who
had followed him in life, and they appeared to be innumerable. Then St
Francis said to the porter: "Let him come in, for he is one of my
friars." As soon as he had entered, he felt such consolation and such
sweetness, that he forgot all the tribulations he had gone through, as
if they had never been. And St Francis, taking him inside, showed him
that thou return to the world; thou shalt remain there seven days,
during which thou shalt prepare thyself with great devotion and great
care; for after the seven days I will come and fetch thee, and then
thou shalt be with me in this abode of the blessed." St Francis wore a
most wonderful cloak adorned with beautiful stars, and his five
stigmata were like five stars, so bright that all the palace illumined
by their rays. And Brother Giles was adorned with a blazing light, and
he saw there many other holy brothers whom he had not known in the
world. Having taken leave of St Francis, he returned, much against his
will, to the world. When he awoke and came back to himself, the
brothers were singing prime; so that the vision had lasted only from
matins to prime, though it seemed to him as if many years had elapsed.
He related to the guardian all the vision from beginning to end. After
seven days he fell ill of a fever, and on the eighth day St Francis
came to him, as he had promised with a great multitude of glorious
saints, and conducted his soul to life eternal in the kingdom of the
blessed.
CHAPTER
XXVII
HOW AT
BOLOGNA ST FRANCIS CONVERTED TWO SCHOLARS WHO BECAME FRIARS, AND
HOW HE DELIVERED ONE OF THEM FROM GREAT TEMPTATION
St Francis coming
one day to the city of Bologna, all the inhabitants
went out to meet him, and the crowd was so great that it was with much
difficulty he made his way to the market-place, which was filled with
men, women, and scholars. And St Francis, on arriving there, stood upon
an elevated spot, and began to preach that which the Holy Spirit put
into his mind to say; and he preached so wonderfully that he appeared
to be an angel, not a man; and his words were like sharp arrows, which
pierced through the hearts of those who listened to them. And many men
and women were brought to repentance through that sermon; of this
number were two noble students of the March of Ancona - one named
Pellegrino and the other Rinieri. These two being touched in their
hearts by divine inspiration, through the said sermon, went to St
Francis, saying that they wished to leave the world and become friars
in his Order. And it having been revealed to St Francis that they had
been sent by God to be examples of virtue in the Order, he received
them joyfully, on account of the great fervour they showed, saying to
them: "Thou, Pellegrino, shalt follow in the Order the ways of
humility; and thou, Rinieri, shalt serve the brethren" - and so it fell
out; for Brother Pellegrino would never be treated as a cleric but as a
layman, though he was a learned man and deeply versed in the Sacred
Canons; and through his humility he reached a high degree of perfection
in virtue; so that Brother Bernard, the first son of St Francis, said
of him that he was one of the most perfect friars in the world; and
finally Brother Pellegrino passed from this world full of virtue,
having wrought many miracles both before his death and after. And
Brother Rinieri served the brothers most devoutly and most faithfully,
living in great sanctity and great humility, and becoming very intimate
with St Francis. And having been named Minister of the province of the
March of Ancona, he governed it for a long time with much discretion
and most peaceably; and St Francis revealed to him many secrets. Now
after some time the Lord allowed a great temptation to take possession
of his soul, which greatly grieved and troubled him; he observed severe
penance, subjected himself to much rigorous discipline, and endeavoured
day and night, with prayers and tears, to drive away the temptation,
but not succeeding he believed that God had abandoned him. Being in a
state of great despair he determined as a last remedy to go to St
Francis, thinking thus within himself: "If the saint receives me kindly
and is familiar with me, as he is wont, I may hope that God will have
pity on me; but if not, this will be the sign that I am abandoned by
the Lord." And setting out, he went to St Francis, who at that time was
lying grievously ill, in the palace of the Bishop of Assisi; and God
revealed to him the whole temptation which had assailed Brother
Rinieri, and his intention of coming to him. Then St Francis, calling
immediately Brother Leo and Brother Masseo, said to them: "Go forth to
meet my beloved Brother Rinieri, and having embraced him salute him
from me, and tell him that of all the brothers scattered abroad in the
world I love him most particularly." And they set out, and meeting
Brother Rinieri in the way, they embraced him, telling him what St
Francis had ordered them to say. The message brought such sweetness and
such consolation to him, that he was quite beside himself with joy; and
thanking God with all his heart, he reached the place where St Francis
was lying ill. Now though St Francis was grievously ill, yet when he
heard that Brother Rinieri was approaching, he arose and went to meet
him; and embracing him with much affection he said to him: "My very
dear Brother Rinieri, of all the brothers in the world I love thee most
especially"; and making the sign of the holy cross on his forehead, he
kissed him, adding: "My beloved son, the Lord hath permitted this
temptation that thou mayest gain a great increase of merit; but if thou
dost not wish this gain, the temptation shall be removed"; and, O
miracle! no sooner had St Francis pronounced these words than
immediately the temptation left him, and it seemed to him as if in all
his life he had never been tempted, and he was greatly comforted.
CHAPTER
XXVIII
OF AN
ECSTASY WHICH CAME TO BROTHER BERNARD, AND HOW HE REMAINED FROM
MATINS UNTIL NONE IN A STATE OF RAPTURE.
Brother Bernard of
Quintavalle was an example of the manifestation of
the grace of God in the poor followers of the Gospel, who gave up the
world to follow Christ. For since he had taken the habit of St Francis,
he was often rapt in God through the contemplation of celestial things.
It happened one day, as he was in a church hearing Mass, his mind was
so raised to God that he was transfixed and enraptured, so as not to be
aware of the moment of the elevation of the Body of Christ; for he
neither knelt down nor removed his hood, as did the others, but
remained motionless, with his eyes intently gazing upwards, and
remained so even from Matins till the hour of None. On coming back to
himself, he went about the convent crying out with a loud voice: "O
brothers! O brothers! O brothers! there is not a man in all this land,
however great and however noble he may be, who, if a palace full of
gold were offered him, would not willingly carry on his back a sack of
copper to acquire so rich a treasure." Now this celestial treasure,
promised to the lovers of Christ, had been revealed to Brother Bernard;
and his mind was so fixed upon it, that for fifteen years his heart and
countenance was raised away to heaven. In all that time he never
satisfied his hunger, though he ate a little of whatever was set before
him; wherefore he used to say that if a man does not taste what he eats
his abstinence has no merit, for true abstinence is to moderate oneself
in those things which are agreeable to the palate. His intelligence
also became so enlightened that many great divines had recourse to him
to solve difficult questions and explain obscure passages of Scripture,
which he did with great facility. So completely was his mind detached
and withdrawn from all things earthly, that he soared like the swallows
above the earth, and remained sometimes twenty, sometimes thirty days
at the top of a high mountain contemplating things divine. For which
reason Brother Giles said that he had received a gift from God which
had been given to no other human being - namely, that in his divine
flight he was fed like the swallows. And, because of this wonderful
grace of contemplation which he had received from God, St Francis
willingly and frequently held converse with him day and night; and
often they were found to be in a state of ecstasy all night long, in
the wood where they used to meet together to talk on things divine.
CHAPTER
XXIX
HOW THE
DEVIL OFTEN APPEARED TO BROTHER RUFFINO IN THE FORM OF A
CRUCIFIX, TELLING HIM THAT ALL THE GOOD HE DID WAS OF NO AVAIL, SEEING
HE WAS NOT OF THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT OF GOD; WHICH BEING REVEALED TO
ST FRANCIS, HE MADE KNOWN TO BROTHER RUFFINO THE ERROR INTO WHICH HE
HAD FALLEN
Brother Ruffino,
one of the most noble men of the city of Assisi, a
companion of St Francis and a man of great sanctity, was one day
violently tempted in mind on the subject of predestination, so that he
grew quite melancholy and sorrowful; for the devil put it into his
heart that he was damned, and not of the number of those predestined to
life eternal, making him believe that all he did in the Order was of no
avail. And this temptation increasing more and more, he had not the
courage to reveal it to St Francis, though he never ceased to pray and
to fast: for the enemy of his soul added sorrow to sorrow, not only
fighting inwardly but likewise outwardly, taking various forms in order
better to deceive him. One day he appeared to him under that of a
crucifix, and said to him: "O Brother Ruffino, why dost thou inflict on
thyself penance and prayer, as thou art not of the number of the
predestinate to life eternal? Believe me - for I know whom I have
chosen and predestined - and believe not the son of Peter Bernardoni if
he tell thee the contrary; and do not take his advice in this matter,
since neither he nor any man knows the truth but I, who am the Son of
God. Know of a certainty that thou art of the number of the damned; and
the son of Peter Bernardoni, thy father, and his father likewise, are
damned, and whosoever followeth them is damned also." On hearing these
words, Brother Ruffino was so blinded by the spirit of darkness, that
he lost all the faith and love he had felt for St Francis hitherto, and
would not even communicate to him what was passing within him. But that
which Brother Ruffino did not reveal to his saintly father was revealed
to him by the Holy Spirit. When, therefore, the saint learned to what
dangers his son was exposed, he sent to him Brother Masseo; but Brother
Ruffino refused to listen to him, saying: "What have I to do with
Brother Francis?" And Brother Masseo, enlightened by the Spirit of God
and knowing the deceits of the devil, answered: "O Brother Ruffino,
thou knowest that St Francis may be compared to an angel of God, who
has made known the truth to many souls in the world, and through whom
we have received the grace of God; wherefore I will at all events that
thou come with us to him, for I clearly see that thou art deceived by
the devil." On hearing these words, Brother Ruffino arose and went to
St Francis; and the saint, perceiving him at a distance, cried out: "O
Brother Ruffino, thou foolish one, whom hast thou believed?" Then
coming up to him, he related to him one by one all the temptations,
both internal and external, to which he had been exposed, showing him
clearly that he who had appeared to him was the devil and not Christ,
and that he was by no means to listen to his suggestions; but if he
appeared to him again and said unto him "Thou art damned", he was to
say to him these words: "Open thy mouth!" and by this sign he would
clearly know that he was the devil and not Christ; for no sooner should
the words be uttered than he would immediately disappear. "Thou
shouldst have known," added the saint, "with whom thou wast dealing,
when he hardened thy heart against all that was good, for such is his
especial office; but Christ, the blessed one, never hardens the heart
of the faithful; for on the contrary his office is to soften the heart
of man, according to the words of the prophet: I will take away from
thee the heart of stone, and will give thee a heart of flesh." Then
Brother Ruffino, seeing that St Francis was acquainted with all his
temptations in the order they had come to him, was deeply touched by
his exhortations, and beginning to weep bitterly, he humbly confessed
his guilt in concealing from him his trouble. He was greatly consoled
and comforted by the admonitions of his saintly father, which St
Francis ended by saying: "My son, go to confession, and give not up the
practice of thine accustomed prayers; know of a certainty that this
temptation will be to thee a source of great consolation and humility,
as thou shalt shortly see." Then Brother Ruffino returned to his cell
in the wood; and as he was praying and weeping bitterly the enemy
approached, bearing in his exterior the semblance of Christ himself. He
thus addressed him: "O Brother Ruffino, did I not tell thee not to
listen to the son of Peter Bernardoni, nor to weary thyself with prayer
and fasting, inasmuch as thou art damned? What is the use of inflicting
on thyself privations in this world, seeing thou hast no hope of
salvation after death?" And immediately Brother Ruffino said, "Open thy
mouth!" upon which the devil left him in so great rage and fury, that
all Monte Subasio, which was close by, was shaken to the very
foundation, and large stones rolled down the sides, knocking against
each other as they fell, and producing a great fire in all the valley;
and the noise they made was so terrible that St Francis and all his
companions went out to see what had taken place: and even to this day
those large stones are to be seen lying in great confusion. Then
Brother Ruffino saw plainly that it was the devil who had deceived him,
and returning to St Francis he threw himself at his feet, acknowledging
his fault. St Francis comforted him with kind words, and sent him back
to his cell full of consolation. As he was praying there most devoutly,
Christ, the blessed one, appeared to him, and filling his soul with the
fire of divine love, he thus addressed him: "Thou didst well, my son,
to believe in St Francis; for he who made thee so unhappy was the
devil. But I am Christ, thy Master; and in order to prove to thee that
I am he, I promise thee that thou shalt never again be troubled in this
way." Having said these words. he departed, leaving the brother so
happy, and enjoying such peace and sweetness of spirit, with his mind
so raised above the things of this world, that for a whole day and
night he was rapt in God, and from that moment he had no doubts as to
his salvation, and became quite a new man. Most willingly would he have
remained day and night in prayer and in the contemplation of divine
things, had he been permitted to do so. Wherefore St Francis said of
him that he had been canonised during his lifetime by Christ, and that,
save in his presence, he would not hesitate to call him St Ruffino,
even though he were still on earth.
CHAPTER
XXX
OF THE
BEAUTIFUL SERMON WHICH ST FRANCIS AND BROTHER RUFFINO PREACHED
AT ASSISI
The said Brother
Ruffino, through constant contemplation, was so
absorbed in God that he became almost insensible to things external,
and very seldom spoke; added to which he never had possessed the gift
of speech, neither was he eloquent nor self-possessed. Notwithstanding
this, St Francis ordered him one day to go to Assisi and preach to the
people that which God should dictate to him. On this Brother Ruffino
expostulated, saying: "Reverend Father, I pray thee excuse me, and send
some other brother in my stead; for thou knowest that I have not the
grace of preaching: I am simple and ignorant." At this St Francis
answered: "Inasmuch as thou hast not obeyed immediately, I command thee
to take off thy cloak and thy hood and go to Assisi, where thou shalt
enter a church and preach to the people; and this shalt thou do out of
holy obedience." Having received this order, Brother Ruffino, taking
off his mantle and his hood, proceeded to Assisi, and entering the
church, after having bowed before the altar, he mounted into the pulpit
and began to preach to the people, who, seeing him in so strange a
dress, laughed at him, saying: "These men do such penance that they are
quite out of their mind." In the meantime St Francis, reflecting how
promptly Brother Ruffino, who was one of the most noble men of Assisi,
had obeyed the harsh command he had given, reproached himself saying:
"How couldst thou, who art but the humble son of Peter Bernardoni, send
one of the most distinguished men of Assisi to preach to the people as
if he were a madman? May God forgive thee! But thou shalt do the same
thing which thou hast ordered him to do." And immediately taking off
his clock and his hood with great fervour of spirit, he went to Assisi,
taking with him Brother Leo, who carried his mantle and that of Brother
Ruffino. The inhabitants of Assisi, seeing him thus accoutred, reviled
him, believing that both he and Brother Ruffino were out of their minds
through much penance. St Francis entered the church as Brother Ruffino
was saying these words: "O beloved, flee from the world, and leave sin;
render to all men that which is their due, if thou wilt avoid hell;
keep the commandments of God and love the Lord and thy neighbour, if
thou wilt possess the kingdom of heaven." Then St Francis ascended the
pulpit, and began to preach in so wonderful a way on holy penance, on
the world, on voluntary poverty, on the hope of life eternal, on the
nakedness of Christ and on the shame of the Passion of our Blessed
Saviour, that all they who heard him, both men and women, began to weep
bitterly, being moved to devotion and compunction; and in all Assisi
the Passion of Christ was commemorated as it never had been before; so
that the people were greatly edified by this action of St Francis and
of Brother Ruffino. Then St Francis put on the clock of Brother Ruffino
and his own, and returned to the convent of the Portiuncula, praising
and glorifying God, who had given them grace to conquer and despise
themselves, to the edification of the flock of Christ, and enabled
them, by their example, to show how the world ought to be despised. And
from that day the people greatly revered them, so that those who could
touch but the hem of their garments esteemed themselves blessed.
CHAPTER
XXXI
HOW ST
FRANCIS WAS ACQUAINTED WITH THE SECRETS OF THE CONSCIENCES OF
ALL HIS BRETHREN
As our Lord Jesus
Christ says in his Gospel, I know my sheep and mine
know me, so the holy St Francis, like a good shepherd, knew, through
divine revelation, all the merits and virtues of his companions, and
also their defects and faults, and was enabled to deal with them
according to their needs - humbling the proud and exalting the humble,
rebuking vice and praising virtue - as we read in the wonderful
revelations which were made to him by God with regard to his first
children. Amongst others, we are told that once St Francis was with his
companions in a convent talking of God, when Brother Ruffino was
absent, being in contemplation in the forest; and, as the saint was
conversing with them, Brother Ruffino passed by at some distance,
whereon St Francis asked them whom they believed to be the holiest soul
in the world. They answered immediately, that they believed it to be St
Francis. The saint reproved them, saying: "Beloved brothers, I am the
most unworthy and the vilest of all men in the world; but see there
Brother Ruffino, who is now coming out of the forest; the Lord has
revealed to me that his soul is one of the three most holy on earth;
and I tell you candidly, I should not hesitate to call him St Ruffino
even during his lifetime, his soul being full of grace, and sanctified
and canonised in heaven by our Lord Jesus Christ." This opinion St
Francis never expressed in the presence of Brother Ruffino. That he was
equally acquainted with the defects of his brethren, we learn in the
case of Brother Elias, whom he often reproved for his pride; and of
Brother John della Cappella, to whom he foretold that he would hang
himself; and of that brother who was seized by the devil as a
punishment for his disobedience; and of many others whose defects and
virtues were clearly revealed to him by Christ.
CHAPTER
XXXII
HOW
BROTHER MASSEO OBTAINED FROM CHRIST THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY
The first
companions of St Francis set themselves with all their might
to follow holy poverty with regard to earthly things, and to acquire
every other virtue, as the sure means of obtaining celestial and
eternal riches. It happened, therefore, that one day, as they were
assembled together to speak of things divine, one of them related the
following example: "There was a man, a great friend of God, to whom had
been given the grace of a life contemplative as well as active. He was
at the same time so humble, that he looked upon himself as a very great
sinner; and his humility was to him a means of sanctification, and
confirmed him in the grace of God; for it caused him to increase in
virtue, and saved him from falling into sin." And Brother Masseo,
hearing such wonderful things of humility, and knowing it to be one of
the greatest treasures of life eternal, was so inflamed with a love and
desire of this virtue of humility, that he lifted his eyes to heaven
with much fervour, and made a vow and firm resolution never again to
rejoice until he should feel the said virtue to be firmly established
in his soul. From that moment he was constantly shut up in his cell,
maserating his body with fasts and vigils and prayers, weeping before
the Lord, and earnestly imploring him to grant him this virtue, without
which he felt that he was only worthy of hell, and with which the
friend of God of whom he had heard was so richly endowed. Brother
Masseo having passed several days in this state of mind, as he was
entering the forest and asking the Lord, who willingly listens to the
prayers of the humble, with cries and tears to grant him this divine
virtue, he heard a voice from heaven, which called him twice: "Brother
Masseo! Brother Masseo!" And he, knowing in his spirit that it was the
voice of Christ, answered: "My Lord." Then Christ answered: "What wilt
thou give in exchange for this virtue which thou askest for?" And
Brother Masseo answered: "Lord, I will willingly give the eyes out of
my head." Christ answered: "I grant thee the virtue, and command at the
same time that thou keep thine eyes." And having said these words, the
voice was silent; and Brother Masseo was so filled with the grace of
humility, that from thenceforward he was constantly rejoicing. And
often when he was in prayer he was heard to utter a joyful sound, like
the song of a bird, resembling "U-u-u", and his face bore a most holy
and happy expression. With this he grew so humble that he esteemed
himself less than all other men in the world. And Brother James of
Fallerone having asked him why in his joy he used always the same
sound, he replied gaily, that when in one way he found all good he saw
no reason to change it.
CHAPTER
XXXIII
HOW ST
CLARE, BY ORDER OF THE POPE, BLESSED THE BREAD WHICH WAS ON THE
TABLE, AND HOW ON EACH LOAF APPEARED THE SIGN OF THE HOLY CROSS
St Clare, a most
devout servant of the Cross of Christ, and one of the
sweetest flowers of St Francis, was so holy, that not only the Bishops
and Cardinals but the Pope himself wished to see and hear her, and went
often to visit her in person. One day, amongst others, the holy Father
went to her convent to hear her speak of things celestial; and having
long reasoned together, St Clare ordered the table to be laid and bread
to be placed upon it, in order that the holy Father might bless it.
Their spiritual conclave being at an end, St Clare, kneeling down with
great reverence, begged him to bless the bread which had been placed on
the table. To whom the holy Father answered: "Most faithful sister, I
will that thou bless this bread by the sign of the cross to which thou
hast devoted thyself." St Clare said: "Most holy Father, excuse me. I
should indeed by worthy of reproof if I, a miserable woman, should
presume to give such a blessing in the presence of the Vicar of
Christ." Then the Pope answered: "In order that such an act be not
looked upon as presumptuous, but that it may bear on it the marks of
obedience, I command thee, in the name of holy obedience, to make on
this bread the sign of the cross, and to bless it in the name of God."
At this St Clare, like a true daughter of obedience, blessed the loaves
most devoutly, making over them the sign of the holy cross; and,
wonderful to relate, on all those loaves appeared a cross, most clearly
marked; and some of them were eaten, but the rest were put aside, in
order to testify of the miracle. And the holy Father, having seen the
miracle, thanked God; and taking some of the bread, went away, leaving
his blessing with Sister Clare. At that time Sister Ortolana, mother of
St Clare, and Sister Agnes, her sister, were living together in the
convent with St Clare, both most virtuous women, full of the Holy
Spirit, likewise many other nuns; to whom St Francis sent a great
number of sick persons, who were all healed by their prayers and by the
sign of the most holy cross.
CHAPTER
XXXIV
HOW ST
LOUIS, KING OF FRANCE, WENT IN PERSON IN A PILGRIM'S GARB TO
VISIT THE HOLY BROTHER GILES
St Louis, King of
France, went on a pilgrimage to visit the sanctuaries
in the world. And having heard of the fame of the sanctity of Brother
Giles, who was one of the first companions of St Francis, he determined
in his heart to go and visit him in person; for which object he set out
for Perugia, where the said brother then lived. He arrived at the
convent-gate as if he had been a poor unknown pilgrim, and asked with
great importunity for Brother Giles, without telling the porter who it
was who wished to see him; and the porter went to Brother Giles, and
told him there was a pilgrim at the gate who asked for him. But the
Lord having revealed to Brother Giles that the pilgrim was the King of
France, he left his cell in haste, and ran to the gate without asking
any questions. They both knelt down and embraced each other with great
reverence and many outward signs of love and charity, as if a long
friendship had existed between them, though they had never met before
in their lives. Neither of them spoke a word; and after remaining
clasped in each other's arms for some time, they separated in silence,
St Louis to continue his journey, and Brother Giles to return to his
cell. As the king departed, a certain friar inquired of one of those
who accompanied him who it was that had embraced Brother Giles, and he
answered that it was Louis, King of France; and when the other brothers
heard this, they were all sorrowful because Brother Giles had not
spoken to him; and giving vent to their grief, they said: "O Brother
Giles, why hast thou been so uncivil as not to say a word to so holy a
king, who has come from France to see thee, and hear from thee some
good words?" Brother Giles answered: "Beloved brothers, be not
surprised at this, that neither could I say a word to him nor he to me;
for no sooner had we embraced each other than the light of divine
wisdom revealed his heart to me, and mine to him; and by a divine
operation we saw into each other's hearts, and knew far better what we
had to say than if we had explained in words that which we felt in our
hearts. For so imperfectly the tongue of man reveals the secret
mysteries of God, that words would have been to us rather a hindrance
than a consolation. Know, then, that the king went away from me well
satisfied, and greatly comforted in mind."
CHAPTER
XXXV
HOW ST
CLARE, BEING ILL, WAS MIRACULOUSLY CARRIED, ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT,
TO THE CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS, WHERE SHE ASSISTED AT THE OFFICE
St Clare was at
one time so dangerously ill that she could not go to
church with the other nuns to say the Office on the night of the
Nativity of Christ. All the other sisters went to Matins; but she
remained in bed, very sorrowful because she could not go with her
sisters to receive spiritual consolation. But Jesus Christ, her Spouse,
unwilling to leave her comfortless, carried her miraculously to the
church of St Francis, so that she was present at Matins, assisted at
the Midnight Mass, and received the Holy Communion, after which she was
carried back to her bed. When the nuns returned to their convent, the
ceremonies being ended at St Damiano, they went to St Clare and said to
her: "O Sister Clare, our Mother, what great consolations we have
experienced at this feast of the Holy Nativity! Oh, if it had but
pleased God that you should have been with us!" To this St Clare
answered: "Praise and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed
one, my beloved sisters and daughters; for I have not only assisted at
all the solemnities of this most holy night, but I have experienced in
my soul even greater consolations than those which have been your
share; for by the intercession of my father, St Francis, and through
the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ I have been personally present in
the church of my venerable father, St Francis, and with the ears of my
body and those of my spirit have heard all the Office, and the sounds
of the organ, and the singing, and have likewise received there the
most Holy Communion. Rejoice, then, because of these graces which I
have received, and return to thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ."
CHAPTER
XXXVI
HOW ST
FRANCIS EXPLAINED TO BROTHER LEO A BEAUTIFUL VISION THAT HE HAD
SEEN
St Francis being
once grievously ill, Brother Leo, as he was in prayer
by his bedside, was rapt in ecstasy, and carried in spirit to a great,
wide and rapid river; and watching those who crossed it, he saw some
brothers enter the river heavily laden, who were carried away by the
current and were drowned; some contrived to reach one third of the way;
others arrived as far as the middle of the stream; yet none could
resist the rapidity of the waters, but fell down and were drowned.
Presently he saw other brothers arrive; these carried nothing on their
backs, but all bore upon the marks of holy poverty. They entered the
river, and passed over to the other side without any danger to
themselves. Having seen this, Brother Leo came to himself; and St
Francis knowing in spirit that he had had a vision, called him to him,
and asked what he had seen. When Brother Leo had related to him the
vision, St Francis said: "What thou hast seen is indeed true. The great
river is the world; the brothers who were drowned are those who do not
follow their evangelical profession, or practice the great virtue of
poverty; but they who passed the river are those who neither seek nor
possess in this world any earthly riches, who having food and raiment
are therewith content, and follow Christ naked on the cross, bearing
joyfully and willingly his sweet and easy yoke and loving holy
obedience: these pass easily from this earthly life to life eternal."
CHAPTER
XXXVII
HOW
JESUS CHRIST, THE BLESSED ONE, AT THE PRAYER OF ST FRANCIS,
CONVERTED A RICH NOBLEMAN WHO HAD MADE GREAT OFFERS TO ST FRANCIS, AND
INSPIRED HIM WITH A WISH TO BECOME A RELIGIOUS
St Francis, the
servant of Christ, arriving late one evening with one
of his brothers at the house of a rich and powerful nobleman, the two
were received by him as if they had been angels of God, with so much
courtesy and respect that the saint felt himself drawn to love him
greatly; for he considered how on entering his house he had embraced
him with much affection; how he had washed his feet, and humbly wiped
and kissed them; how he had lighted a great fire, and prepared a supper
composed of the choicest meats, serving him himself with a joyful
countenance. When the supper was ended, the nobleman thus addressed St
Francis: "Behold, my father, I offer thee myself and all I possess. If
ever thou art in want of a tunic, or a mantle, or any other thing,
purchase them, and I will pay thee. And see, I am ready to provide for
all thy wants, as, though the grace of God, it is in my power to do so;
for I abound in all temporal riches, and out of love to God, who gave
them to me, most willingly do I bestow my goods on his poor." St
Francis, seeing so much courtesy and generosity, felt great affection
towards him; and having taken leave of him, he said to his companion:
"Truly this nobleman would be a great gain to our Order, seeing he is
so grateful to God, and so kind and courteous to his neighbour and to
the poor. For know, dear brother, that courtesy is one of the
attributes of God, who sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust;
for courtesy is the sister of charity, it extinguisheth hatred and
kindleth love. I have discovered in this good man such divine virtues,
that I would most willingly have him as a companion. On some future day
we will pay him another visit, for possibly the Lord may touch his
heart, and induce him to follow us in his service; in the meantime we
will pray God to put this desire into his heart, and give him grace to
execute it." Now a few days after St Francis had made this prayer, the
Lord touched the heart of the nobleman; and the saint said to his
companion; "Let us go, my brother, to the dwelling of that courteous
nobleman, as I hope in God that, amongst his temporal gifts, he will
offer himself and join our Order"; and they set out accordingly. As
they arrived near the house, St Francis said to his companion: "Wait
for me a little, that I may first ask the Lord to prosper our journey,
and pray that it may please our Saviour Jesus Christ, through his holy
Passion, to take from the world this virtuous nobleman, and confide him
to us, his poor weak servants." Having said this, he knelt down in a
spot where he could be seen by the nobleman, who was walking to and fro
in his rooms; and it pleased God that he should perceive St Francis as
he prayed in the presence of Christ, who appeared in great glory and
stood before him; he saw, too, that for a long space of time the saint
was raised above the earth. On seeing this he felt in his heart so
great a desire to leave the world, that he hastened our of his palace,
and with great fervour of spirit ran to St Francis, and kneeling at his
feet implored him earnestly and devoutly to receive him into his Order,
and allow him to do penance with him. Then the saint, seeing that his
prayer was granted, and that the nobleman asked of him the
accomplishment of his wish, arose and embraced him joyfully, devoutly
returning thanks to God, who had made such a present to his Order. And
the nobleman said to St Francis: "What wilt thou have me to do, my
father? I am ready to obey thee, and give all I possess to the poor, in
order to follow Christ with thee, without any hindrance from things
temporal." And following the advice of the saint, he distributed all he
possessed to the poor, and entered the Order, living a life of holiness
and penance, and speaking always of divine things.
CHAPTER
XXXVIII
HOW IT
WAS REVEALED TO ST FRANCIS THAT BROTHER ELIAS WAS DAMNED AND WAS
TO DIE OUT OF THE ORDER; AND HOW AT THE DESIRE OF THE SAID BROTHER, HE
PRAYED TO CHRIST FOR HIM, AND HOW HIS PRAYER WAS GRANTED
As St Francis and
Brother Elias were living together in a convent, it
was revealed by God to St Francis that Brother Elias was damned, seeing
he was about to apostatise, and that he would die out of the Order. In
consequence of this revelation, the saint took such a dislike to him
that he neither spoke to him nor conversed with him; and when Brother
Elias went towards him, he turned away and took another direction, in
order not to meet him. Now Brother Elias perceiving, and seeing that St
Francis disliked him, was anxious to know the reason. He therefore
accosted him one day in order to speak with him, the saint
endeavouring, as usual, to avoid him; but Brother Elias retained him
courteously, and begged him to say why he avoided his company, and
refused to speak to him. St Francis answered: "This is the reason: it
has been revealed to me by God that thou wilt apostatise, and die out
of the Order; also that, because of thy sins, thou art damned." On
hearing this Brother Elias said: "My reverend father, I implore thee,
by the love of Christ Jesus, not to despise me for this reason, nor
send me from thee; but like a good shepherd, following the example of
thy Master, to seek and save the lamb which will perish without thy
help. Pray to God for me, that, if possible, he may revoke the sentence
of my damnation; for it is written, that the Lord will forgive the
sinner if he repent of his sin; and I have such faith in thy prayers
that were I even in hell and thou wert to pray for me, I should find
refreshment, I implore thee, then, that thou recommend me, a sinner, to
God, who came into the world to save sinners, that he may have mercy on
me." This request Brother Elias made with so much fervour and so many
tears, that St Francis had compassion on him, and promised to pray for
him, which he did; and as he prayed most devoutly, the Lord revealed to
him that his prayer was granted; that the sentence of damnation
pronounced on Brother Elias had been revoked; that his soul would be
finally saved; but that he would leave the Order and die out of it; and
so it happened. For Frederick, King of Sicily, having rebelled against
the Church, was excommunicated by the Pope, with all those who gave him
aid or counsel. Brother Elias being looked upon as one of the most
learned men in the world, King Frederick sent for him, wishing to see
him. He obeyed the summons, and thus rebelled against the Church; for
which reason he was excommunicated by the Pope, and deprived of the
habit of St Francis. Soon after the excommunication he fell dangerously
ill; and a lay brother who belonged to the Order, a man of holy life,
having heard of his illness, went to visit him, and amongst other
things said to him: "My dear Brother, I grieve to see thee thus
excommunicated and out of the Order, and that probably thou wilt die in
this state. If there is any way by which I can deliver thee from this
danger, most willingly would I undergo any trouble and fatigue to help
thee." Brother Elias answered: "My Brother, I see no other way but that
thou go to the Pope and entreat him, for the love of God and of St
Francis his servant, upon whose teaching I gave up the world, to
absolve me from this excommunication, and restore to me my religious
habit." And the lay brother said he would most willingly undertake the
journey for his salvation; and taking leave of him, he went to the
Pope, and humbly kneeling before him implored him to take pity on
Brother Elias, for the love of Christ and of St Francis his servant.
And it pleased God that the holy Father granted his request, telling
him to return to him, and if he found him alive to tell him in his name
that he was absolved from the excommunication, and that the habit of
his Order was restored to him. He hastened back to Brother Elias with
this joyful news, and, finding him on the point of death, gave him the
message of the Pope, telling him that he was absolved from the
excommunication, and that his habit was restored to him. On this
Brother Elias departed from this world, his soul being saved by the
merits and prayers of St Francis, in which he had placed such great
faith.
CHAPTER
XXXIX
OF THE
WONDERFUL DISCOURSE WHICH ST ANTHONY OF PADUA, A FRIAR MINOR,
MADE IN THE CONSISTORY
That wonderful
vessel of the Holy Spirit, St Anthony of Padua, one of
the chosen disciples and companions of St Francis, whom the latter
called his Vicar, was preaching one day before the Pope and the
Cardinals in Consistory; there being present men of divers nations -
Greeks, Latins, French, Germans, Slavs, English, and others; and he was
so inflamed by the Holy Spirit, and explained the word of God so
devoutly, so sweetly, so clearly, and in a manner so efficacious and so
learned, that all those who were in the Consistory, though they spoke
different languages, understood what he said as perfectly as if he had
spoken the language of each. And they were all full of wonder, for it
seemed to them as if the miracle of the Apostles at the time of
Pentecost had been renewed, when the Holy Spirit taught them to speak
all languages; and they said among themselves: "Does not he that
preacheth come from Spain? How is it, then, that in his words we each
hear our own tongue spoken?" And the Pope, as much surprised as the
others, considering the deep meaning of his words, exclaimed: "In truth
this man is the Ark of the Testament, and the treasure of the Holy
Scriptures."
CHAPTER
XL
OF THE
MIRACLE WHICH GOD PERFORMED WHEN ST ANTHONY BEING AT RIMINI,
PREACHED TO HE FISHES OF THE SEA
Christ, the
blessed one, was pleased to show forth the great sanctity
of his most faithful servant St Anthony, and how men ought devoutly to
listen to his preaching, be means of creatures without reason. On one
occasion, amongst others, he made use of fish to reprove the folly of
faithless heretics: even as we read in the Old Testament that in
ancient times he reproved the ignorance of Balaam by the mouth of an
ass. St Anthony being at one time at Rimini, where there were a great
number of heretics, and wishing to lead them by the light of faith into
the way of truth, preached to them for several days, and reasoned with
them on the faith of Christ and on the Holy Scriptures. They not only
resisted his words, but were hardened and obstinate, refusing to listen
to him. At last St Anthony, inspired by God, went down to the
sea-shore, where the river runs into the sea, and having placed himself
on a bank between the river and the sea, he began to speak to the
fishes as if the Lord had sent him to preach to them, and said: "Listen
to the word of God, O ye fishes of the sea and of the river, seeing
that the faithless heretics refuse to do so." No sooner had he spoken
these words than suddenly so great a multitude of fishes, both small
and great, approached the bank on which he stood, that never before had
so many been seen in the sea or the river. All kept their heads out of
the water, and seemed to be looking attentively on St Anthony's face;
all were ranged in perfect order and most peacefully, the smaller ones
in front near the bank, after them came those a little bigger, and last
of all, were the water was deeper, the largest. When they had placed
themselves in this order, St Anthony began to preach to them most
solemnly, saying: "My brothers the fishes, you are bound, as much as is
in your power, to return thanks to your Creator, who has given you so
noble an element for your dwelling; for you have at your choice both
sweet water and salt; you have many places of refuge from the tempest;
you have likewise a pure and transparent element for your nourishment.
God, your bountiful and kind Creator, when he made you, ordered you to
increase and multiply, and gave you his blessing. In the universal
deluge, all other creatures perished; you alone did God preserve from
all harm. He has given you fins to enable you to go where you will. To
you was it granted, according to the commandment of God, to keep the
prophet Jonas, and after three days to throw him safe and sound on dry
land. You it was who gave the tribute-money to our Saviour Jesus
Christ, when, through his poverty, he had not wherewith to pay. By a
singular mystery you were the nourishment of the eternal King, Jesus
Christ, before and after his resurrection. Because of all these things
you are bound to praise and bless the Lord, who has given you blessings
so many and so much greater than to other creatures." At these words
the fish began to open their mouths, and bow their heads, endeavouring
as much as was in their power to express their reverence and show forth
their praise. St Anthony, seeing the reverence of the fish towards
their Creator, rejoiced greatly in spirit, and said with a loud voice:
"Blessed be the eternal God; for the fishes of the sea honour him more
than men without faith, and animals without reason listen to his word
with greater attention than sinful heretics." And whilst St Anthony was
preaching, the number of fishes increased, and none of them left the
place that he had chosen. And the people of the city hearing of the
miracle, made haste to go and witness it. With them also came the
heretics of whom we have spoken above, who, seeing so wonderful and
manifest a miracle, were touched in their hearts; and threw themselves
at the feet of St Anthony to hear his words. The saint then began to
expound to them the Catholic faith. He preached so eloquently, that all
those heretics were converted, and returned to the true faith of
Christ; the faithful also were filled with joy, and greatly comforted,
being strengthened in the faith. After this St Anthony sent away the
fishes, with the blessing of God; and they all departed, rejoicing as
they went, and the people returned to the city. But St Anthony remained
at Rimini for several days, preaching and reaping much spiritual fruit
in the souls of his hearers.
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CHAPTER
XLI
HOW THE
VENERABLE BROTHER SIMON DELIVERED A BROTHER FROM A GREAT
TEMPTATION, ON ACCOUNT OF WHICH HE WAS ON THE POINT OF LEAVING THE
ORDER
About the
beginning of the Order, and during the lifetime of St
Francis, a young man from Assisi took the habit, whose name was Simon;
and the Lord adorned him with such graces and such elevation of mind,
that all his life long he was a mirror of sanctity, as I have heard
from those who lived with him for a long time. He very seldom left his
cell, and whenever he was in company with the brothers he spoke always
of God. He had never learned grammar, yet he talked of divine things
and of the love of Christ in so elevated a way and with such profound
wisdom, that his words seemed to be supernatural. One evening he went
into the wood with Brother James of Massa to speak of God, and they
spent the whole night conversing sweetly on divine love. When morning
dawned they seemed to have been together but a few minutes, as the said
Brother James told me himself. Brother Simon was so completely absorbed
by the joy of these divine communications with God, and his spirit was
so overflowing with love, that he was often obliged to lie down, as the
tranquil sweetness which came over him with the Holy Spirit required
not only the repose of the soul, but likewise that of the body; and
during these divine visitations he was often rapt in God, and quite
insensible to all bodily things. On one occasion, as he was thus rapt
in God, and insensible to the world, his heart was so burning with
divine love that his bodily senses were dead to all things external. A
brother wishing to convince himself if this really was the case, as it
appeared to be, took a piece of burning coal out of the fire, and put
it on his foot; and Brother Simon, neither felt it, nor did it leave
any mark, though it was left there some time, until it went out of
itself. The said Brother Simon, when he sat down to his meals, before
nourishing his body took and gave to those around him the nourishment
of the soul, by speaking of God. A young man of San Severino, who had
been excessively vain and worldly, and who was of noble blood and of
delicate habits, was converted by means of the holy conversation of
Brother Simon, and entered the Order. When he received him into the
convent he took from him his secular dress, and the young man remained
with Brother Simon, to be instructed in the Rule. The devil, who is
ever on the watch to do evil, tempted him so strongly in the flesh,
that he felt it impossible to resist; and going to Brother Simon, he
said to him: "Give me back my clothes which I wore in the world, as I
cannot resist this temptation of the flesh." Brother Simon, feeling for
him great compassion, said to him: "Sit down here awhile with me, my
son"; and he spoke to him of God so earnestly, that the temptation left
him. Shortly after, however, it returned, and he went again and asked
for his clothes, and Brother Simon delivered him from it by speaking to
him of God, and he did the same thing several times. At last, one night
the temptation assailed him again with such force, that he felt it was
quite impossible to resist; and he went to Brother Simon, and implored
him to give him back his scholar's dress, as he could no longer remain
in the convent. Then Brother Simon, as usual, made him sit down by his
side, and talked to him of God; the young man listened, and bowing his
head sorrowfully, laid it on Brother Simon's breast. The latter, filled
with compassion, raised his eyes to heaven, and prayed that the Lord
would have pity on him. As he prayed he was rapt in ecstasy, and his
prayer was granted. When he came back to himself, he found the young
man quite freed from the temptation, and as calm as if he had never
been assaulted; the evil spirit which had raged in his heart was, as it
were, converted into the Spirit of God, for he had approached the
burning coal of divine love - that is to say, Brother Simon - and his
heart henceforth was inflamed with the love of God and of his
neighbours. Finding himself on one occasion with a malefactor who had
been condemned to have both eyes torn out, this young man felt such
compassion for him that he went bodily to the governor, and in full
council implored him with tears and prayers to allow him to give one of
his eyes, so that the malefactor might not lose both. The governor and
all those who composed his council were so touched by the charity of
the monk, that they pardoned the culprit. Brother Simon being one day
in prayer in the forest, and being greatly annoyed by a flock of crows
who disturbed him in his meditations by their cries, he ordered them in
the name of Christ, to go away, and never to return again; and the
birds flew away at his command, and were never again seen or heard in
all the country round about. And all the custody of Fermo, where the
convent was situated, bore testimony to this miracle.
CHAPTER
XLII
OF
SEVERAL WONDERFUL MIRACLES WHICH THE LORD PERFORMED THROUGH THE
MEANS OF BROTHER PETER OF MONTICELLO, AND BROTHER CONRAD OF OFFIDA. HOW
BROTHER BENTIVOGLIO CARRIED A LEPER FIFTEEN MILES IN A VERY SHORT
TIME, HOW ST MICHAEL SPOKE TO ANOTHER BROTHER, AND HOW THE VIRGIN MARY
APPEARED TO BROTHER CONRAD AND PLACED HER DIVINE SON IN HIS ARMS
As the sky is
adorned with stars, so the providence of the March of
Ancona was in former times adorned with holy and exemplary friars, who,
like the bright luminaries in heaven, ornamented the Order of St
Francis, and enlightened the world by their doctrine and example.
Foremost amongst these was Brother Lucido Antico, in whom indeed shone
forth the fire of divine charity and the light of holiness; for, taught
by the Spirit of God, his preaching produced innumerable fruits.
Another brother, Bentivoglio of Severino, was seen by Brother Masseo
raised above the earth as he was praying in the forest, at the sight of
which miracle Brother Masseo became a Friar Minor, and grew so holy
that he worked many miracles, both during his lifetime and after his
death: he is buried at Murro. The said Brother Bentivoglio being once
all alone at Trave Bonanti, nursing and serving a leper, received an
order from his superior to go to another convent fifteen miles off. Not
wishing to abandon the poor leper, he placed him carefully on his back,
and charitably took him with him. Between the dawn of day and the
rising of the sun he accomplished the fifteen miles, and arrived with
his burden at the convent to which he had been sent, which was called
Monte Sancino. Had he been an eagle he could not have flown as quickly,
and such a miracle caused great wonder and surprise in all that
country. Another Brother, Peter of Monticello, who was the guardian of
the old Convent of Ancona, was raised several feet above the earth, to
the foot of the crucifix before which he was in prayer. This same
Brother Peter having once observed the Lent of St Michael with great
devotion, as he was praying on the last day of the feast in the church,
was heard to speak with St Michael by a young man who had hidden
himself behind the high altar, in hopes of seeing something wonderful;
and the words which he heard were these. The saint said to Brother
Peter: "Thou hast suffered faithfully for my sake, and during many days
hast mortified thy body; wherefore I am come to comfort thee, and
whatever grace thou askest of God, I will obtain for thee." Brother
Peter answered: "Most holy prince of the celestial host of saints,
faithful servant of divine love, and pious protector of souls, this is
the grace I ask of thee, namely, that thou obtain from God the pardon
of my sins." And St Michael answered: "Ask some other grace, as this I
will most easily obtain." And as Brother Peter asked for nothing else,
the Archangel added: "Through the faith and devotion which thou hast to
me, I will obtain for thee not this grace only, but many others
likewise." And when the conversation, which had lasted some time, was
ended, the Archangel Michael departed, leaving Brother Peter greatly
comforted. At the same time lived Brother Conrad of Offida in the
Convent of Forana in the custody of Ancona, where resided Brother
Peter. Having gone one day into the forest to meditate on God, Brother
Peter followed him to see what would befall him; and Brother Conrad
began to implore the Virgin Mary, with great fervour and devotion, to
obtain from her Blessed Son that he might experience somewhat of the
sweetness which St Simeon experienced the day of the Purification, when
in his arms he held Jesus the Blessed Saviour. Having finished his
prayer, the Virgin Mary obtained his request; and, behold! the Queen of
Heaven appeared in great splendour, with her Blessed Son in her arms,
and approaching Brother Conrad placed the Holy Child in his arms. He
received him most reverently, and embracing him clasped him to his
breast, his heart overflowing and burning with divine love and
inexpressible consolation. Brother Peter, who witnessed this scene at a
distance, felt likewise in his soul great sweetness and joy. When the
Virgin Mary had departed from Brother Conrad, Brother Peter hastened
back to the convent that he might not be seen; but when Brother Conrad
arrived, full of joy and happiness, Brother Peter said to him: "O
brother, thou hast received great consolation to-day!" And Brother
Conrad answered: "What sayest thou, Brother Peter? How dost thou know?
Hast thou seen me?" "I know," answered Brother Peter, "that the Virgin
Mary, with her Blessed Son, has visited thee." And Brother Conrad, who,
through great humility, wished to keep secret the grace with which God
had favoured him, entreated Brother Peter to tell no one what he had
witnessed; and from henceforth so great was the love which existed
between these two brethren, that they seemed to have but one soul and
one heart in all things. The said Brother Conrad, being once in the
Convent of Siruolo, delivered a woman who was possessed by a devil, by
praying for her a whole night; and her mother coming to know it, he
left the place in the morning, that he might not be discovered and
honoured by the people.
CHAPTER
XLIII
HOW
BROTHER CONRAD OF OFFIDA CONVERTED A YOUNG BROTHER, WHO WAS A
STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE OTHER BROTHERS, AND HOW AFTER DEATH HIS SOUL
APPEARED TO BROTHER CONRAD, BEGGING HIM TO PRAY FOR HIM, AND HOW
THROUGH HIS PRAYER HE WAS DELIVERED FROM THE GREAT PAINS OF PURGATORY
The life of the
said Brother Conrad of Offida, the great advocate of
evangelical poverty and of the Rule of St Francis, was so exemplary and
so meritorious in the sight of God, that Christ, the blessed one,
honoured him with many miracles, not only after death, but likewise
during his life. Amongst others, being once on a visit to the Convent
of Offida, the brothers begged him, for the love of God and of holy
charity, to reprove a young brother in the said convent, whose conduct
was so puerile and disordered, and his manners so dissolute, that he
distracted all the brethren, both young and old, at divine office, and
cared little or nothing for any of the observances of religious life.
At the request of the brothers, and out of compassion for the said
young man, Brother Conrad called him to him one day, and reproved him
with so much charity, that a complete change took place in his heart,
and the said young man, putting off his former childish way of life,
became so obedient, so meek, so devout, so anxious to do what was
right, so ready to serve others, and so zealous in the practice of
every virtue, that the brethren, to whom he had hitherto been a
stumbling-block, found in him much comfort and satisfaction, so that
they loved him dearly. Shortly after this conversion it pleased God to
take him out of the world; and his death caused great sorrow to the
brethren. A few days after his soul had left the body, it appeared to
Brother Conrad as he was in prayer before the altar of the convent,
devoutly saluting him as his father. On Brother Conrad asking who he
was, he answered: "I am the soul of the young brother who died a few
days ago." Said Brother Conrad to him: "My beloved son, how is it with
thee?" And the soul answered: "By the grace of God, and through thy
teaching, I have cause to be thankful, for I am not damned; but because
of certain sins of which I had not time to repent while I was in the
world, I am suffering the extremist pain of purgatory; and I pray thee,
Father, as thou hadst compassion on me when living, to help me now by
thy prayers, and say for me some Paters, for thy prayers are most
acceptable to God." Then Brother Conrad, continuing his devotions, said
for him a Pater with a Requiem acternam. At this the soul said: "Holy
Father, I am greatly refreshed already, and I pray thee to repeat thy
prayer for me." Brother Conrad did as he was begged, and the soul said
again: "As thou prayest for me, my sufferings are relieved; wherefore I
implore thee, cease not to pray for me." Then Brother Conrad, seeing
that the soul of the young man was relieved by his prayers, said for
his intention a hundred Paters; and when they were finished of soul
said to him: "I thank thee, dearest Father, in the name of God, for thy
great charity towards me; through thy prayers I have been delivered
from the pains of purgatory, and am going to heaven," and with this the
soul departed. Brother Conrad, in order or comfort and console the
brethren, related to them the vision. And on this wise the soul of the
young brother went to heaven, through the merits of Brother Conrad.
CHAPTER
XLIV
HOW THE
MOTHER OF CHRIST AND ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST APPEARED TO
BROTHER CONRAD, AND TOLD HIM WHO HAD SUFFERED THIS GREATEST SORROW AT
THE PASSION OF CHRIST
When Brother
Conrad and the aforenamed Brother Peter, the two shining
lights of the custody of Ancona, were living together in the Convent of
Forano, such love and charity existed between them that they seemed to
have but one heart and one soul; and they would make known to each
other and share every mercy which the Lord should send them. Having
made this agreement, it happened one day, as Brother Peter was praying,
devoutly meditating on the Passion of Christ, and how his Blessed
Mother, with St John the Evangelist and St Francis, were represented at
the foot of the cross, as having been crucified with Christ in mental
sufferings, he felt a great wish to know which of the three had
suffered the greatest sorrow on account of the Passion of Christ - the
Mother who had given him birth, the disciple who had laid his head on
his bosom, or St Francis, who was, as it were, crucified with him. As
he was meditating on this, the Virgin Mary appeared to him, with St
John the Evangelist and St Francis, all clothed in the heavenly garb of
glorified souls; and St Francis seemed to be dressed more richly than
St John. At this vision Brother Peter was greatly terrified, but St
John comforted him by saying: "Fear not, dear brother; for we are come
to enlighten thee in thy doubt: know, then, that the Mother of Christ,
and I, his disciple, have suffered above every other creature at his
Passion, and after us St Francis has suffered more than all others, and
this is why thou seest him in such glory." And Brother Peter said: "Why
then, most holy Apostle of Christ, are the vestments of St Francis more
beautiful than thine?" "Because," answered St John, "when he was in the
world, he wore a humbler dress than I." And having said these words, he
gave to Brother Peter a glorious vestment that he had in his hand,
saying: "Take this dress which I have brought for thee." Then St John
being about to put it on him, Brother Peter fell down in terror, and
began to cry out: "Brother Conrad, Brother Conrad, haste thou to help
me! come and see most wonderful things!" And as he said these words,
the vision disappeared. Then Brother Peter related to Brother Conrad
all he had seen, and they together returned thanks to God.
CHAPTER
XLV
OF THE
CONVERSION, LIFE, MIRACLES, AND DEATH OF THE HOLY BROTHER JOHN
DELLA PENNA
When Brother John
della Penna was still in the world as a boy in the
province of Ancona, a beautiful child appeared to him one night, and
calling him, said: "John, go to Santo Stefano, where one of my Friars
Minor is preaching; take heed to his words, and believe the doctrine he
teaches, for I have sent him to me." Then the boy John arose, being
greatly troubled in mind, and reaching Santo Stefano, he found a great
multitude of men and women waiting to hear a sermon. Now he who was
about to preach was a friar named Philip, who was one of the first
brethren to visit Ancona, for as yet there were but few convents
established in the province. And the said Brother Philip stood up to
preach; and he did so most devoutly, not with words of worldly wisdom,
but, inspired by the Spirit of Christ, he announced the kingdom of
eternal life. The sermon being ended, the boy went to Brother Philip,
and said to him: "Father, if thou wilt receive me into the Order, most
willingly will I do penance, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ." And
Brother Philip seeing the great innocence of the child, and his earnest
desire to serve God, said to him: "Come to me on such a day at
Ricanati, and I will receive thee." Now a provincial chapter was to be
held at Ricanati, and the boy in his simplicity fancied that this was
the journey he was to make according to the vision, and that after
having accomplished it he would go to heaven which he thought likewise
would be as soon as he had been received into the Order by Brother
Philip. Seeing that it did not happen to him as he had expected, and
the Minister having said in chapter that if anyone wished to go to the
province of Provence, for merit of holy obedience, he would most
willingly give him permission, and Brother John feeling a great desire
to go there - thinking in his heart that that would be the journey he
was to make before he went to heaven, but lacking courage to say so -
he confided his wish to Brother Philip, and entreated him to obtain for
him permission to go to the province of Provence. Then Brother Philip,
seeing his purity and the holiness of his intentions, obtained for him
the permission he wished for; and the little Brother John set out on
his way most joyfully, as he believed that, his journey being ended, he
would go to heaven. But it pleased God that he should remain in the
said province five-and-twenty years, always looking forward to the day
of his departure, living in great sanctity, setting a most holy
example, and increasing in virtue and in favour with God and man; so
that he was much beloved by seculars as well as by the brethren. Now
Brother John being one day in prayer, weeping and lamenting that his
wish was never accomplished, and his pilgrimage here below so
lengthened, Christ, the blessed one, appeared to him, and he felt his
soul melt within him. Then said the Lord to him: "My son, Brother John,
ask of me what thou wilt." And he answered: "My Lord, I have naught
else to ask thee but thyself, as I desire naught else; but I ask thee
to forgive my sins, and to grant me the grace that I may see thee once
more, when I shall have the greatest need of thy presence." And Christ
the blessed answered: "Thy request is granted"; and having said these
words he departed, leaving Brother John much comforted. At last the
brothers of the province of Ancona, having heard of the fame of his
sanctity, persuaded the General of the Order to command him, out of
holy obedience, to return to Ancona. No sooner had the order reached
him than he set out most joyfully, hoping that on arriving he would go
to heaven, according to the promise of Christ. On arriving in the
province he lived there thirty years, not being recognised by any of
his relations; and every day he expected that, through the mercy of
God, the promise would be accomplished. During this time he often
filled the office of guardian with much discretion, and the Lord
performed many miracles through him. Amongst other gifts that he
received from God was the spirit of prophecy. Being once absent from
the convent, one of his novices was so strongly tempted by the devil
that he determined to leave the Order as soon as Brother John should
return. On this Brother John, being informed, by the spirit of
prophecy, of the temptation and of the decision of the novice, hastened
back to the convent, and calling the novice, ordered him to go to
confession; but before he did so he related to him all his temptations,
as the Lord had revealed them to him, and ended by saying: "My son, as
thou hast waited for me, and wouldst not go away without my blessing,
the Lord has had pity on thee, for not only wilt thou not leave the
Order, but thou shalt die in it, in the grace of God." And the said
novice remained in the Order, and became a holy brother. These things
were related to me by Brother Ugolino. The said Brother John, albeit
his mind was so happy and so calm, spoke but seldom; he was a man of
prayer, and rarely returned to his cell after Matins, but remained in
the church till morning. One night after Matins an angel of God
appeared to him, saying: "Brother John, thy life is ended, for the
moment thou hast desired so ardently is come; and I make known to thee
from God that thou mayest ask of him what grace whatsoever thou wilt;
likewise I announce to thee that thou mayest choose between one day in
purgatory, or seven days of suffering in this world." And Brother John,
having chosen the seven days of suffering in this world, immediately
fell ill, and was afflicted with divers diseases; for he had a great
fever, and the gout in his hands and feet, besides a pain in his side,
and many other sufferings; but, worse than all this, a devil stood
before him, holding a large paper on which were written all the sins he
had ever committed in thought, word, or deed. Then said the devil to
him: "Because of these sins which thou hast committed, in thought,
word, and deed, thou art condemned to the depths of hell." And it
seemed to him as if he had never done any good actions; he even forgot
that he was in the Order, or ever had been in it, believing that he was
damned, as the devil said; so that when the brothers asked him how he
was, he answered: "I am most unhappy, because I am damned." The
brothers seeing this, sent for an aged friar named Brother Matthew of
Monte Robbiano, who was a holy man and a great friend of Brother John.
When the said Brother Matthew arrived, the seventh day of his
sufferings was approaching, and going near him he asked him how he was.
"I am in evil case," was the answer, "because I am damned." Then said
Brother Matthew to him: "Dost thou not remember that thou hast often
confessed to me, and I have absolved thee of all thy sins? Dost thou
not remember likewise that thou hast served God for many years in this
holy Order? Dost thou not know that the mercy of God is greater than
all the sins in the world, and that Jesus Christ, the blessed one, our
Saviour, gave himself for our salvation? Have good hope; for I know of
a certainty that thou wilt be saved." And as he spoke the end of the
trial arrived, and the temptation disappeared; then was Brother John
greatly comforted, and he said to Brother Matthew: "My dear brother,
thou art tired, and it is late; I pray thee go and take a little rest";
but Brother Matthew would not leave him. Yielding, however, at last to
his prayers, he went to take a little rest, and Brother John remained
alone with the friar who served him. And lo! Christ, the blessed one,
appeared in great glory, as he had promised to appear to him once more
when he should be in most need of him, and he healed him of all his
infirmities. Then Brother John joined his hands, thanking God for
having permitted him to end the long journey of this present miserable
life in the arms of Jesus, to whom he confided his soul, passing from
this mortal life to life eternal with Christ, the blessed one, whom he
had so long awaited and desired to see. The said Brother John was
buried in the Convent della Penna di San Giovanni.
CHAPTER
XLVI
HOW
BROTHER PACIFICO, BEING IN PRAYER, SAW THE SOUL OF BROTHER UMILE,
HIS BROTHER IN THE FLESH, GO UP TO HEAVEN
There were two
brothers of the province of Ancona who entered the Order
after the death of St Francis - one was named Brother Umile, and the
other Brother Pacifico - both of whom attained a great degree of
perfection and sanctity. Brother Umile lived in the Convent of
Soffiano, and there he died; Brother Pacifico lived in another convent,
at some distance. It pleased God that Brother Pacifico, being one day
in prayer in a solitary place, was rapt in ecstasy, and saw the soul of
his brother, which had just left his body, go straight to heaven
without any hindrance. Many years after this, Brother Pacifico was sent
to the Convent of Soffiano, where his brother had died, at the time
when the friars, at the demand of the Lords of Bruforte, changed their
convent for another, and were removing the remains of the holy brothers
who had died there. Then the grave of Brother Umile was opened, his
brother took his bones, and having washed them in wine, wrapped them
carefully in a white napkin, and weeping over them, kissed them with
great devotion. The other brothers were much surprised that he should
set them such bad example, for they could not understand how a man so
holy could show such carnal affection towards his brother, honouring
his remains so far above those of the other friars, who, not being less
holy than Brother Umile, were worthy of like honour. Then Brother
Pacifico, knowing how he was misjudged by the brethren, humbly
explained to them his conduct, saying: "My most dear brothers, be not
surprised if I honour the bones of my brother above those of the other
friars; for, thanks be to God, it is not through carnal affection that
I do this, but because when my brother left this life I was praying in
a solitary place, very far from the convent where he lay dead, and I
saw his soul go straight to heaven; wherefore I am sure that his bones
are holy, and will be honoured in heaven. If the Lord had revealed to
me the same things of the other friars, I would treat their bones also
with equal reverence." Then the brethren being convinced that his
intentions were holy and just, were greatly edified by what he had told
them, and praised God who did such wonderful things for his holy
friars.
CHAPTER
XLVII
OF A
HOLY BROTHER TO WHOM THE MOTHER OF CHRIST APPEARED WHEN HE WAS
ILL, AND BROUGHT HIM THREE VASES OF HEALING OINTMENT
In the
above-mentioned Convent of Soffiano there lived formerly a Friar
Minor so holy that he appeared to be almost supernatural, and he was
often rapt in God. He possessed the grace of contemplation in a notable
degree; and often when he was ravished and raised above the earth in
ecstasy, all kinds of birds used to come and perch on his head, his
arms, and his hands, singing most wonderfully. He was very fond of
solitude, and rarely spoke; but when anyone asked him a question he
answered so wisely and so graciously that he seemed to be an angel
rather than a mortal. He was a man wholly devoted to prayer and
contemplation, and the brothers held him in great reverence. Having
finished the course of his virtuous life, it was the will of God that
he should fall dangerously ill, so that he could take no nourishment,
and he refused all human remedies, placing all his hope in the
celestial Physician, Jesus Christ, the blessed one, and his divine
Mother, by whom, through the mercy of God, he was visited and healed.
For as he was lying on his bed, preparing for death with all his heart
and with great devotion, the glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ,
appeared to him with a great multitude of angels and holy virgins, and
surrounded by much splendour. She approached his bed, and on seeing
her, he experienced the greatest comfort and joy both in soul and body,
and began to pray to her humbly, to ask of her divine Son to deliver
his soul from its miserable prison of flesh. As he persevered in
prayer, with many tears, the Virgin Mary called him by his name, saying
to him: "My son, have no doubts; for thy prayer is granted, and I am
come to comfort thee a little before thou leavest this world." By the
side of the Virgin Mary there stood three holy virgins, holding in
their hands three vases filled with a sweet ointment; and the Virgin
Mary taking one of the vases opened it, when all the house was filled
with the odour thereof; then taking a spoonful of the contents she gave
it to the sick brother. No sooner had he tasted it than he experienced
so sweet a sensation, that it seemed as if his soul could no longer
remain in his body, and he cried out: "No more, O blessed Virgin Mary;
no more, O blessed Physician, whose pleasure it is to save the human
race from perishing; I cannot endure such sweetness." But the
compassionate Mother of God continued to give him the ointment, until
the vase was emptied. The first vase being emptied, the Blessed Virgin
took the second, and was about to give him the contents; but he said:
"O blessed Mother of God, if my soul is, as it were, melted by the
sweetness and virtue of the ointment thou hast already given me, how
shall I ever be able to support the effect of a second vase: I pray
thee, O Virgin, blessed above all the saints and all the angels, not to
give me any more." The glorious Virgin Mary answered: "Taste, my son, a
little of the second vase"; and having given him a little, she said:
"Thou has sufficient, my son, for to-day; soon I will come again to
conduct thee to the kingdom of my Son, whom thou hast ever sought and
desired"; and having said these words, she took leave of him and
departed. And the brother was so strengthened and comforted by the
medicine she had given him, that he lived for several days in perfect
health, without taking any nourishment. Shortly after, as he was
talking gaily with the brethren, he passed from this miserable life
most joyfully.
CHAPTER
XLVIII
HOW
BROTHER JAMES DELLA MASSA SAW IN A VISION ALL THE FRIARS MINOR IN
THE WORLD IN THE FORM OF A TREE; AND HOW THE VIRTUES, THE MERITS AND
THE VICES OF ALL WERE MADE KNOWN TO HIM
Brother James
della Massa, to whom the Lord revealed many secrets, and
to whom he gave a perfect knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and of the
future, was so holy, that Brother Giles of Assisi, Brother Mark of
Montino, Brother Juniper, and Brother Lucido said of him, that they
knew no one in the world who was greater in the sight of God than this
Brother James. I had a great wish to see him; for having asked Brother
John, the companion of Brother Giles, to explain to me certain
spiritual things, he said to me: "If thou wilt be well directed in
things spiritual, try to speak with Brother James della Massa; for his
words being the words of the Holy Spirit, one can neither add to nor
take away from them anything, and there is not a man on earth whom I
have a greater wish to see." When Brother John of Parma was a minister
of the convent, this Brother James was once, in prayer, ravished in
God, remaining for three days in ecstasy, quite insensible to all
bodily feeling, so that the brethren thought him to be dead; and during
this ecstasy many things with regard to the Order were revealed to him.
Having learnt this, my wish to speak to him and to hear him greatly
increased. When the Lord permitted me to see him, I thus addressed him:
"If that which I have heard of thee be true, I pray thee not to conceal
it from me. I have heard that when thou wast three days as if thou
hadst been dead, the Lord revealed to thee, amongst other things, what
was to take place in our Order; and this was told me by Brother
Matthew, to whom thou didst reveal it out of obedience." Brother James
confessed most humbly that what Brother Matthew had said was true: now
this is what Brother Matthew told me: "I know a brother to whom the
Lord has made known that which will take place in our Order; for
Brother James della Massa had told me that, after the Lord had revealed
to him many things concerning the Church militant, he saw in a vision a
large and beautiful tree, the root of which was of gold, and all the
branches were men, and these men were all Friars Minor; and there were
as many large branches as there were provinces in the Order, and each
branch was composed of as many brethren as there were friars in each
province; and he was informed of the number of friars in the Order, and
in each province - with their names, their ages, their rank, and the
different offices they filled - also their various merits and defects.
And he saw Brother John of Parma at the summit of the highest branch of
the tree, and round him were the ministers of each province; and he saw
Christ, the blessed one, sitting on a throne, who, calling St Francis
to him, gave him a chalice full of the spirit of life, saying, Go to
thy brothers, and give them to drink of this spirit of life, as Satan
will rise up against them, and many will fall and not rise again.' And
Christ, the blessed one, gave to St Francis two angels to accompany
him; and St Francis took the chalice to his brothers, and offered it
first to Brother John of Parma, who taking it drank all its contents in
haste, but with great reverence, and having done so he became luminous,
like the sun. After him St Francis offered it to all the others; and
very few there were who took it, and drank with devotion: those who did
so, were filled with light, like the sun; but those who took the
chalice, and threw away its contents most irreverently, became black
and deformed, and horrible to look at; those who drank a part of the
contents and threw away the rest, were partly bright and partly dark,
in proportion to the quantity they drank or threw away. The brightest
of all was the said Brother John, who, having drained to the dregs the
cup of life, had seen by the aid of a celestial light the tempests and
troubles which were about to rise against the tree, shaking and tearing
its branches; for which reason the said Brother John left the top of
the tree where he was, and placing himself under its branches hid
himself close to the roots. A brother who had drunk some and thrown
away some of the contents of the chalice, took possession of the place
on the branch he had left; no sooner was he there, than the nails of
his fingers became like points of iron; on seeing this, he hastened to
leave the place he had taken, and in his fury he sought to vent his
rage on Brother John; and Brother John perceiving his intention, cried
out to Christ, the blessed one, who was seated on his throne, to help
him; and Christ, hearing his cry, called St Francis, and giving him a
sharp stone, said: Take this stone, and going cut the nails of the
brother who seeks to tear Brother John, so that he may not be able to
do him any harm.' And St Francis did as he was ordered. In the meantime
a great tempest arose and the wind shook the tree in such a way that
all the brethren fell to the ground. First fell those who had thrown
away the contents of the chalice of the spirit of life: these were
carried by devils to dark regions, full of pain and anguish; but
Brother John, and others who had drunk of the chalice, were carried by
angels to the regions of life eternal, full of light and splendour. And
Brother James, who witnessed the vision, saw clearly the names, the
condition and the fate of each brother. And the tempest did not cease
till the tree was blown down, and carried away by the wind; and
immediately another tree arose out of the golden roots of the old one,
and it was entirely composed of gold, with its leaves and fruits; but
for the present we will not describe the beauty, the virtues, and the
delicious fragrance of this wonderful tree."
CHAPTER
XLIX
HOW
CHRIST APPEARED TO BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA
Among the learned
and holy brethren and sons of St Francis, who, as
Solomon says, form the glory of their Father, was the venerable and
holy Brother John of Fermo, of the province of Ancona, who lived in our
times. Having spent the greater part of his life in the holy house of
Alvernia, he died there, and was known by the name of Brother John of
Alvernia; he was man of great holiness and great sanctity. This Brother
John, when he was a child, greatly loved the ways of penance, which
preserve the purity both of the body and of the soul; and at a very
tender age he began to wear a belt of iron, and to observe great
fasting and abstinence; more especially he used these mortifications
when he was residing with the Canons of San Pietro di Fermo, who lived
in great luxury; he avoided all pleasures, and macerated his body with
great severity. His companions, being against such penitential ways,
tried by every means to turn him from them, taking from him his
instruments of penance, and preventing him from fasting; wherefore the
holy child, inspired by God, resolved to leave the world and its
worshippers, and to put himself in the arms of his crucified Lord,
taking the habit of the crucified St Francis; which he did. Being
received into the Order so young, and confided to the care of the
master of the novices, he grew so spiritual and so devout, that
whenever he heard the said master speak of God, he felt his heart to
burn within him, as if it had been on fire, so that it was impossible
for him to remain quiet, and he ran to and fro in the garden, in the
forest, and even in the church; for so sweet was the sensation he
experienced, that it seemed to him as if his heart was melted like wax
before the fire. As time went on, this holy youth advanced from virtue
to virtue, and his soul was adorned and enriched with spiritural gifts;
he was often rapt in ecstasy, so that his mind was raised at times to
the splendours of the cherubim, at times to the ardour of the seraphim
and the joys of the beatified. At one time this ecstasy of divine love,
which seemed, as it were, to set his heart on fire, lasted for three
years, and this took place on the holy mountain of Alvernia. But as God
takes especial care of his children, sending them at divers times
consolation or tribulation, adversity or prosperity, according to their
need, in order to preserve in them the grace of humility, or to awaken
in their hearts a greater thirst after spiritual things, so it pleased
his divine bounty, when the three years were ended, to withdraw from
Brother John this flame of celestial love, and take from him every
spiritual consolation. Then was Brother John most disconsolate and
sorrowful, and this great trial made him so miserable, that he wandered
about the forest, crying out with sighs and tears for the beloved
Spouse of his soul, for without his presence his soul could enjoy
neither peace nor rest. Yet nowhere could he find his Beloved, or
recover those sweet spiritual sensations to which the love of Christ
had accustomed him. Now this trial lasted several days, during which
time he persevered in prayer, weeping and sighing, and imploring the
Lord to take pity on his soul, and restore to him his Beloved. At last,
his patience having been sufficiently tried, as he was wandering one
day sorrowfully in the forest he sat down, overcome with fatigue; and
as he was gazing up to heaven, with his eyes full of tears, Jesus
Christ, the blessed one, appeared to him, standing in silence on the
path by which he himself had come. Brother John knew him to be the
Christ, and throwing himself at his feet he burst into a flood of
tears, and thus addressed him: "Help me, O my Lord! for without thee,
my sweet Saviour, I am all in sorrow and in darkness; without thee,
gentle Lamb, I am in anguish and fear; without thee, Son of the most
high God, I am in confusion and in shame; without thee, I am despoiled
of every good, for thou art Jesus Christ, the true light of my soul;
without thee, I am lost and damned, for thou art the life of souls, the
life of life; without thee, I am sterile and unfruitful, for thou art
the foundation of every grace; without thee, I can have no consolation,
for thou, O Jesus, art our Redeemer, our love, our desire, the bread of
comfort, the wine which rejoices the hearts of angels and of saints;
enlighten me, O pitying Shepherd, for I am thy lamb, albeit most
unworthy." When the Lord delays to grant the desires of holy men, their
love towards him greatly increaseth; for the which reason Christ, the
blessed one, left Brother John, going from him without granting his
request, and without speaking to him. Then Brother John arose, and
running after Him threw himself again at his feet, imploring him not to
leave him, and crying out: "O Jesus Christ, most sweet Saviour, have
mercy on me in my trouble; by the truth of thy salvation and the
multitude of thy mercies, restore to me the joy of thy countenance, and
cast upon me a look of pity; for the earth is full of thy mercy"; but
the Lord Jesus went from him without saying a word, or leaving him any
consolation. Then Brother John followed him with great fervour, and
when he came up to him, Christ, the blessed one, turned round, and
looking at him most sweetly, he opened his holy and merciful arms and
embraced him; and when he opened his arms Brother John saw rays of
light come from his holy bosom, which lighted up all the forest, as
well as his own soul and body. Then Brother John knelt down at the feet
of Christ, the blessed one, who, as he had given his foot to Mary
Magdalene to kiss, so now gave he it to Brother John. Then Brother
John, taking it with great reverence, bathed it with his tears like
another Magdalene, saying most devoutly, "I pray thee, my Lord, look
not at my sins, but, by thy holy Passion and by the precious Blood
which thou hast shed, awaken my soul to the grace of thy love; for thou
hast commanded us to love thee with all our heart and with all our
strength; which commandment none can fulfill without thy help. Help me,
then, beloved Son of God, that I may love thee with all my heart and
all my strength." And as Brother John was thus praying at the feet of
Christ his prayer was granted, and the flame of divine love which he
had lost was restored to him, and he felt himself greatly comforted.
Then knowing that the gift of divine grace had been restored to him, he
began to return thanks to Christ, the blessed one, and devoutly to kiss
his feet. Then standing up, and looking on the Saviour's face, Jesus
Christ gave him his holy hands to kiss; and having kissed them, Brother
John approached the bosom of Christ, and embraced him. Christ, the
blessed one, received him in his arms; and as Brother John embraced the
Saviour, and was embraced by him, the air was filled with the sweetest
perfumes, so sweet that no other perfume in the world could be compared
with them. Thus was Brother John consoled, enlightened, and rapt in
ecstasy, and this sweet perfume lasted in his soul for many months; and
thenceforth from his lips, which had drunk at the fountain of divine
wisdom on the sacred bosom of the Saviour, there fell most wonderful
and celestial words, which changed the hearts of those who heard them,
producing great fruit in souls; and for a long time, whenever Brother
John followed the path in the forest where the blessed feet of Christ
had passed, he saw the same wonderful light and breathed the same sweet
odour. When Brother John came back to himself after this vision, though
the corporal presence of Christ had disappeared, his mind was so
enlightened and so imbued with divine wisdom, that although he was not
a learned man or versed in human studies, he explained most wonderfully
the most difficult questions on the Holy Trinity and the profound
mysteries of Holy Writ; and when speaking before the Pope, the
cardinals, the king, the barons, the masters, and doctors, they were
surprised at his sublime discourse, and at the words of wisdom which he
pronounced.
CHAPTER
L
HOW
BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA, WHEN SAYING MASS ON THE DAY OF ALL SOULS,
SAW MANY SOULS LIBERATED FROM PURGATORY
As Brother John
was saying Mass on the day after All Saints, for the
souls of the dead, as the Church has ordered, he offered with such
charity and such compassion the holy sacrifice, which the dead desire
above all else we can give them, that he seemed to be overwhelmed and
consumed by the ardour of the feelings which filled his heart; and when
he lifted up the Body of Christ and devoutly offered it to God the
Father, entreating him, for the love of his blessed Son Jesus Christ,
who had died on the cross for the souls of men, to deliver from the
pains of purgatory the souls of the dead which he had created and
redeemed, he saw immediately an immense number of souls go out from
purgatory, like innumerable sparks of fire coming out of a burning
oven; and he saw them go up to heaven, through the merits of the
Passion of Christ, who is daily offered for the living and the dead in
that most holy sacrifice, which is worthy to be adored for ever and
ever.
CHAPTER
LI
OF THE
HOLY BROTHER JAMES OF FALLERONE, AND HOW, AFTER HIS DEATH, HE
APPEARED TO BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA
At the time when
Brother James of Fallerone, a man of great sanctity,
was dangerously ill in the Convent of Moliano, in the custody of Fermo,
Brother John of Alvernia, who was then living in the Convent of Massa,
hearing of his illness, and loving him as his dear father, began to
pray for him, imploring God most devoutly in prayer to restore to
Brother James the health of the body, if such were for the good of his
soul. As he prayed he was rapt in ecsasty, and he saw in the air a
great army of angels and saints above his cell, which was in the
forest; they were surrounded by such splendour and glory, that all the
country round was illuminated. Among the angels he saw the said Brother
James, for whom he was praying, clothed in white and shining raiment;
he saw also the holy father St Francis, with the sacred stigmata of
Christ on his hands and feet, most glorious; he likewise beheld Brother
Lucido the holy, and Brother Matthew of Monte Rubbiano, and many other
brothers whom he had neither seen nor known in this life. And as he
contemplated with great delight that holy band of saints, it was
revealed to him that the sick brother for whom he had been praying
would die of the disease whereof he was lying ill, and that his soul
would be saved; but that he would not go straight to heaven after
death, as it was necessary he should be purified for a time in
purgatory. And this revelation made to Brother John filled his heart
with such joy that he did not grieve over the death of Brother James,
but experienced great sweetness in his soul; and he said with himself:
"Brother James, my sweet father; Brother James, my sweet brother;
Brother James, faithful servant and friend of God; Brother James,
companion of the angels and one of the army of saints!" And s he was
thus rejoicing he came to himself; and leaving the convent immediately,
he went to visit Brother James at Moliano, and found him so much worse
that he could scarcely speak. Then he announced to him the death of his
body and the salvation and glory of his soul, of which he was certain
through divine revelation; and Brother James received him most
joyfully, thanking him for the good news he brought, and praying him
devoutly not to forget him. Brother John begged him after death to come
to him and tell him where he was and how it fared with him, which
Brother James promised to do if it should please the Lord. The moment
of his death approaching, Brother James began to repeat with great
devotion the verse of the psalm, In pace in idipsum dormiam et
requiescam; which signifieth, "I will go to sleep in peace, and will
rest in life eternal"; and having said these words, he left this world,
with joyful countenance. When he was buried, Brother John returned to
the Convent of Massa, and there awaited the accomplishment of the
promise of Brother James that he would appear to him after death. As he
was in prayer on that same day, Christ, the blessed one, appeared to
him surrounded by a multitude of angels and saints; but Brother James
was not with them, which thing greatly surprised Brother John, who
recommended him most devoutly to Christ the blessed. The following day,
as he was again praying in the forest, Brother James appeared in the
company of angels, his countenance beaming with joy; and Brother John
said to him: "O most dear Father, why didst thou not appear to me on
the day thou promised?" Brother James answered: "Because it was
necessary that I should be purified in purgatory; but at the same hour
that Christ appeared to thee, and in which thou didst recommend me to
him, he granted thy prayer and I was freed from all suffering, and I
appeared to Brother James of Massa, a holy lay brother, who was serving
Mass; and I saw the consecrated Host, when the priest lifted it up,
changed into a beautiful living child; and I said to him, This day I
shall go with him to life eternal, where none can go without him.'" And
having said these words, Brother James disappeared, and went up to
heaven with the holy company of angels, and Brother John was greatly
comforted. The said Brother James of Fallerone died on the Vigil of St
James the Apostle, in the month of July, in the above-named Convent of
Moliano; and through his merits the divine Goodness wrought many
miracles after his death.
CHAPTER
LII
OF THE
VISION OF BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA, BY WHICH HE BECAME
ACQUAINTED WITH ALL THE ORDER OF THE HOLY TRINITY
The said Brother
John of Alvernia having renounced all worldly joys and
temporal consolations, and having placed all his hope and love in God,
the divine bounty granted him many consolations, especially in the days
which commemorated some act of Christ, the blessed one. As the Nativity
of Christ was approaching, in which he expected some great consolation
from God, the Holy Spirit filled his heart with such love to Christ,
who had humbled himself so as to take upon him our humanity, that it
seemed truly as if his soul were a burning furnace; and the great love
which consumed his heart agitated him so violently, that he could not
resist the ardour of the Holy Spirit, or refrain from crying out. At
the same time that he experienced this great fervour he felt such a
security of his salvation, that it seemed to him, had he died at that
moment, that he would not have suffered in Purgatory; and this state
lasted six months, though he felt not always the same degree of
fervour, but it increased at certain hours of the day. During that time
he received many wonderful visitations and consolations from God, and
was often rapt in ecsasty, as was seen by the brother who wrote these
things. One night especially he was so rapt in God, that he saw in him
all things created, both celestial and terrestrial, with all their
perfections and their various orders and degrees; and he knew most
clearly how every thing created presents itself to its Creator, and how
God is above, and within, and around all things created. He was made
acquainted likewise with one God in three persons and three persons in
one God, and the infinite love which made the Son of God to become man
out of obedience to the Father. He was likewise informed in this vision
how there is no other way by which the soul can go to God, and have
life eternal, but through Christ, the blessed one, who is the way, the
truth, and the life of the soul.
CHAPTER
LIII
HOW,
WHILE HE WAS SAYING MASS, BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA
FELL DOWN, AS IF HE HAD BEEN DEAD
A most wonderful
thing befell the said Brother John in the
above-mentioned Convent of Moliano, as is related by the brethren who
were present. The first night after the Octave of St Lawrence, and
within the Octave of the Assumption of our Lady, having said Matins in
the church with the other brethren, the unction of God's grace coming
upon him, he went into the garden to meditate on the Passion of Christ,
and prepare himself most devoutly to celebrate Mass, which it was his
turn to sing that morning. As he was meditating on the words of the
Consecration of the Body of Christ and contemplating the boundless
charity of Jesus, who not only bought us with his precious Blood, but
left his Body and his Blood as food for our souls, the love of sweet
Jesus so filled his heart that he could not contain himself, and cried
out several times, Hoc est Corpus meum. As he said these words Christ,
the blessed one, appeared to him, with the Virgin Mary and a multitude
of angels, and the Spirit of God made knows to him high mysteries of
that great sacrament. When day dawned he entered the church, so
absorbed by all he had seen that he repeated aloud the above words,
with great fervour of spirit, believing that he was not seen or heard
by any one (but there was a brother praying in the choir who saw and
heard everything), and he remained in this state till the hour came to
say Mass. He approached the altar, and began the sacrifice; as he
proceeded his heart so overflowed with love to Christ, and the
sensation he experienced was so ineffable that he could not express it
in words, and he was in doubt whether he ought to leave off the
celebration of Mass or to go on. The same thing having happened to him
before, and the Lord having moderated the sensation, so that he was
enabled to finish the sacrifice, trusting that he would do so again, he
preceeded, with great fear and trembling. When he arrived at the
Preface of our Lady, the divine illumination and the sensation of
ardent love towards God so increased in his heart, that when he reached
the Qui pridie he could scarcely resist any longer. When he came to the
Consecration, and had pronounced over the Host half of the words, that
is to say, Hoc est, it was quite impossible for him to go on, but he
repeated over and over the same words, Hoc est enim; and the reason why
he could not proceed was, that he saw before him Christ himself, with a
multitude of angels, and he could not endure his Majesty. He saw that
Christ would not enter the Host, nor would it be changed into the Body
of Christ, unless he pronounced the other words of the Consecration,
namely, Corpus meum. Being greatly perplexed and unable to go on, the
guardian, with the other brothers, and the people who were in the
church to hear Mass, approached the altar and stood amazed, seeing and
considering the actions of Brother John; and many were moved to tears
by his devotion. At last, after a long time, it pleased God that
Brother John should pronounce in a loud voice the words, enim Corpus
meum; and immediately the form of bread was changed, and Jesus Christ,
the blessed one, appeared in the Host, in his bodily shape, and in
great glory, showing thereby the humility and charity which made him to
take the flesh of the Virgin Mary, and which now places him daily in
the hands of the priest when he consecrates the Host. By this Brother
John was raised to a state of contemplation yet sweeter, insomuch that,
when he had elevated the Host and the consecrated chalice, he was
ravished out of himself, and all corporal sensations being suspended,
his body fell back. If he had not been supported by the guardian, who
was behind him, he would have fallen to the ground; and all the friars
with the men and women who were in the church gathering round him, he
was carried to the sacristy as if dead, for his body was quite cold,
and his fingers so stiffened that they could neither be opened nor
moved; and in this state he remained till the third hour, as it was
summer. When he came back to himself, I, who was present, feeling a
great desire to know what he had experienced, went to him, and begged
him, for the love of God, to tell me everything. As he greatly trusted
me, he related all that had happened to him; and amongst other things
he told me that, as he was consecrating the Body and Blood of Christ,
his soul seemed to melt within him like wax, and his body to be without
bones, so that he could not lift his arms or his hands, or make the
sign of the cross on the Host or on the chalice. He told me likewise
that, before he became a priest, it had been revealed to him by God
that he should faint away when saying Mass; but having said many
Masses, and no such thing having yet happened to him, he thought that
the revelation did not come from God. Nevertheless, about fifty days
before the Assumption of our Lady, when this thing befell him, it had
been again revealed to him by God that it should so happen to him about
the time of the Feast of the Assumption: but this vision or revelation
from our Lord he did not call to mind at the moment.
OF THE
SACRED AND HOLY STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS AND CERTAIN CONSIDERATIONS
THEREON
In this part we
will treat, with sundry devout considerations, of the
glorious, sacred, and holy stigmata of our blessed father St Francis,
which he received from Christ on the holy mountain of Alvernia. And
inasmuch as the said stigmata were five, according to the five wounds
of our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore this treatise shall have five
considerations.
The first
consideration shall be of the manner in which St Francis came
to the holy mountain of Alvernia.
The second
consideration shall be of his life and conversation with his
companions on the same holy mountain.
The third
consideration shall be of the seraphical apparition, and the
impression of the most sacred stigmata.
The fourth
consideration shall be of the descent of St Francis from
Mount Alvernia after he had received the sacred stigmata, and of his
return to St Mary of the Angels.
The fifth
consideration shall be of certain apparitions and divine
revelations vouchsafed, after the death of St Francis, to certain holy
friars and other devout persons, concerning these sacred and glorious
stigmata.
OF THE
FIRST CONSIDERATION OF THE SACRED, HOLY STIGMATA
Concerning the
first consideration, be it known that in the year 1224,
being in his forty-third year, St Francis went, by the inspiration of
God, from the Valley of Spoleto into Romagna, taking with him Brother
Leo as his companion; and on their way they passed by the Castle of
Montefeltro, where was a great concourse of people, and a solemn
banquet held, by reason that one of the Counts of Montefeltro was that
day to receive his knighthood. And when St Francis heard of this
solemnity, and that many gentlemen of various countries were gathered
together there, he said to Brother Leo, "Come, let us go up unto this
festival; for, by God's help, we shall gather therefrom rich spiritual
fruit."
Now, among other
men of high degree who had come together to this
feast, there was a certain gentleman of Tuscany who was both rich and
mighty. He was called Orlando da Chiusi di Casentino; and for the
marvellous things which he had heard concerning the holiness and the
miracles of St Francis he bore him great devotion, and had an exceeding
desire to see him and to hear him preach.
St Francis, then,
being come to this castle, entered into the courtyard
where all those gentlemen were assembled; and, in fervour of spirit, he
mounted on a low wall, and began to preach, choosing for the theme of
his discourse these words in the valgar tongue:
So great is the
joy which I expect,
That all pain is
joy to me.
And upon this
theme, by the direction of the Holy Ghost, he preached so
profoundly and so devoutly, proving it by the divers pains and
sufferings of the holy apostles and martyrs, and by the manifold
tribulations and temptations of holy virgins and all other saints, that
all that multitude of men hung upon his words both with their ears and
hearts, hearkening to him as to an angel of God. Among whom the said
Orlando, being touched in heart by God through the marvellous preaching
of St Francis, was led to speak to him after sermon touching the state
of his soul. So taking him aside, he said to him, "O Father, I would
fain take counsel with thee concerning the salvation of my soul." St
Francis answered him, "It pleaseth me well: but go now and pay respect
to thy friends, who have bidden thee to this feast, and dine with them;
and after dinner we will speak together as much as it shall please
thee."
Orlando,
therefore, went to dine, and after dinner returning again to
St Francis, he discoursed with him at length concerning the state of
his soul, and in the end he said to him, "I have a mountain in Tuscany,
a devout and solitary place, called Mount Alvernia, far from all
discourse of men, well fitted for one who would do penance for his
sins, or who desires to lead a solitary life; if it please thee, I will
freely give it to thee and thy companions for the welfare of my soul."
When St Francis
heard of this bountiful offer of a thing which he had
greatly desired, he was exceeding glad, and thanking and praising God
in the first place, and after him Orlando, he thus replied: "Orlando,
as soon as thou shalt have returned to thy home, I will send to thee
some of our brethren, to whom thou shalt show this place; and if it
shall seem to them well fitted for prayer and penance, I will at once
accept thy charitable offer."
Having said thus,
St Francis departed, returning to St Mary of the
Angels; and Orlando likewise returned to his castle, which was called
Chiusi, and was about a mile distant from Mount Alvernia. St Francis
then sent two of his companions to the said Orlando, who received them
with much charity and gladness; and he sent with them to Mount Alvernia
fully fifty men-at-arms, to be their defence against wild beasts. And
these brethren, being thus accompanied, ascended the mount, and
searched diligently, until at last they came to a spot well fitted for
devout contemplation; and this they chose for the habitation of St
Francis, and, with the help of the men-at-arms in their company, they
made some little cells with branches of trees; and thus they accepted
Mount Alvernia, taking possession of it in the name of God, and
forthwith returned again unto St Francis, who rejoiced greatly at what
they told him, and, thanking and praising God, spoke with a joyful
countenance to these friars, saying, "My children, we draw near to our
Lent of St. Michael the Archangel. I firmly believe it to be the will
of God that we keep this Lent upon Mount Alvernia, which, by divine
dispensation, has been prepared for us, that we by penance may merit
from our Lord the consolation of consecrating this blessed mount to the
honour and glory of God, of his glorious Mother the Virgin Mary, and of
the holy angels."
And having said
this, St Francis took with him Brother Masseo da
Marignano of Assisi; and Brother Angelo Tancredi of Rieti, who, in the
world, had been a noble knight, and was still noted for his gentle
courtesy; and Brother Leo, who was a man of the greatest simplicity and
purity, for the which cause St Francis loved him greatly.
And with these
three brethren St Francis betook himself to prayer,
then, having recommended himself and his companions to the prayers of
the brethren who were left behind, he set forth with these three, in
the name of Jesus Christ crucified, to go to Mount Alvernia. And on the
way he called Brother Masseo to him, and said: "Thou, Brother Masseo,
shalt be our guardian and our superior of this journey, both in the way
and while we sojourn together on the mount; and we will observe our
wonted custom, which is, that one while we will keep silence; and we
will take no thought beforehand of eating, or drinking, or sleeping,
but when the evening comes we will beg a little bread, and stay and
rest ourselves in that place which God shall prepare for us."
Then these three
comrades bowed their heads, and making the sign of the
cross went on their way; and the first evening they came to a house of
the brethren, and there abode. The second evening, because the weather
was bad and they were weary, they could not reach any house of friars,
neither any town nor castle; wherefore, when night came on, they took
shelter in a ruined and deserted church, and there laid them down to
rest. Now, while his companions slept, St Francis betook himself to
prayer; and, behold, in the first watch of the night there came to him
a multitude of most fierce demons who, with great noise and frenzy,
began to attack him on all sides, in order to disturb him in his
prayer; but this they could not do, because God was with him. When,
therefore, St Francis had endured that conflict a long time, he began
to cry aloud: "O accursed spirits, you can do nothing save by the
divine permission; wherefore I bid you, on the behalf of the omnipotent
God, to do with my body whatsoever he shall permit you to do, and most
willingly will I endure it; because I have no greater enemy than my
body, and therefore if you will avenge me upon it you shall do me good
service." Then did the devils begin to torment him worse than ever. But
he cried out, and said: "O my Lord Jesus Christ, I thank thee for this
thy love when the Lord punisheth his servant well in this life, that so
he may not be punished in the other. And I am ready gladly to endure
every pain and suffering which thou, my God, art pleased to send me for
my sins." Then the devils dispersed and left him, being vanquished and
confounded by his penance and constancy. And St Francis is great
fervour of spirit left the church and went into the wood hard by, and
there, beating his breast with sighs and tears, sought after Jesus, the
beloved of his soul. And having found him at last, in the secret of his
heart, now he spoke to him reverently as his Lord, now he made answer
to him as his judge, now he besought him as his father, now he
conversed with him as his friend. On that night and in that wood, his
companions, being awake and listening to him, heard him with many tears
and cries implore the divine mercy on behalf of sinners. He was heard
to weep aloud for the Passion of Christ as if he had beheld it with his
bodily eyes. On that same night also he was seen praying with arms
outstretched in the form of a cross, and thus was he lifted up and
suspended for a long time in the air, surrounded with a dazzling glory.
And so, in these holy exercises, he passed all that night without
sleeping.
And the next
morning, his companions, knowing that he was too weak to
walk, went to a poor labouring man of the country, and prayed him, for
the love of God, to lend his ass to Brother Francis their father, for
he was not able to travel on foot. When the poor man heard them speak
of Brother Francis, he asked them: "Are you, then, of the brethren of
that friar of Assisi of whom men speak so much good?" Then the friars
made answer that it was even he for whom they would borrow the ass.
Then that good man made ready the ass with great care and devotion, and
brought it to St Francis, and with great reverence caused him to mount
thereon. So the brethren set forth again, the poor man following behind
his ass.
Now when they had
gone forward a little, the peasant said to St
Francis: "Tell me, art thou Brother Francis of Assisi?" And St Francis
answered, "Yes." "Take heed, then," said the peasant, "that thou be in
truth as good as all men account thee; for many have great faith in
thee, and therefore I admonish thee to be no other than what the people
take thee for."
When St Francis
heard these words, he was not angry at being thus
admonished by a peasant, neither did he say within himself, as many a
proud friar who in our days wears his habit would say: "What right has
such a creature as this to admonish me?" But instantly dismounting from
the ass, he knelt down upon the ground before that poor man; and
kissing his feet, humbly thanked him for that his charitable
admonition. Then the peasant, together with the companions of St
Francis, with great devotion raised him from the ground, and placed him
again upon the ass, and so went on their way.
And then they were
come to about the midst of the ascent of the mount,
because the way was toilsome, and the heat exceeding great, the peasant
was overcome with thirst, insomuch that he began to cry after St
Francis saying: "Alas! alas! I am dying of thirst; unless I have
something to drink, I shall presently faint."
Then St Francis
dismounted from the ass, and betook himself to prayer,
remaining upon his knees, with hands uplifted up to heaven, until he
knew by revelation that his prayer was heard. Then said he to the
peasant: "Run quickly to yonder rock, and there thou shalt find a
stream of living water, which Jesus Christ of his mercy has caused to
flow out from the stone." Then went he to the place which St Francis
had shown to him, and found a beautiful fountain, issuing by virtue of
the prayer of St Francis, from that hard rock; and he drank of it
plentifully, and was refreshed. And certain it is that this spring of
water flowed forth miraculously at the prayer of St Francis, for
neither before nor after was a spring to be found at that spot, nor any
running water save at a great distance therefrom. This done, St
Francis, with his companions and the peasant, returned thanks to God
for the miracle thus vouchsafed, and went on their way; and when they
drew near to the rock of Alvernia, it pleased St Francis to rest awhile
under an oak, which grew by the way, and is still to be seen there, and
from thence he began to consider the position of the place and the
country. And while he was thus considering, behold there came a great
multitude of birds from divers regions, which, by singing and clapping
their wings, testified great joy and gladness, and surrounded St
Francis in such wise, that some perched upon his shoulders, some on his
arms, some on his bosom, and others at his feet, which when his
companions and the peasant saw, they marvelled greatly; but St Francis,
being joyful at heart, said to them: "I believe, dearest brethren, that
our Lord Jesus Christ is pleased that we should dwell on this solitary
mount, inasmuch as our little brothers and sisters, the birds, show
such joy at our coming." And having said these words, he arose and
proceeded to the place which had been fixed upon by his companions; and
so did St Francis come to the holy mount of Alvernia.
OF THE
SECOND CONSIDERATION OF THE SACRED, HOLY STIGMATA
The second
consideration is of the conversation of St Francis and his
companions upon Mount Alvernia. Be it known, then, that when Orlando
heard that St Francis with three companions was come to dwell on Mount
Alvernia, he was filled with exceeding joy, and on the morrow he came
with many others from his castle to visit St Francis, bringing with him
bread and wine, and other things necessary for him and his companions;
and when he came thither, he found them in prayer, and drawing near he
saluted them. Then St Francis arose, and with great joy and charity
received Orlando and his company; and so they began to converse
together. And after they had spoken together for some time, and St
Francis had thanked him for the devout solitude which he had bestowed
upon them and for his coming to visit them there, he prayed Orlando to
cause a little cell to be made for him at the foot of a beautiful
beach-tree, which was about a stone's-throw from the place where they
now were; and this Orlando immediately caused to be done. Then, because
evening was drawing on, and it was now time for them to depart, St
Francis preached to them for a little space; and when he had finished
preaching, and had given them his blessing, Orlando called St Francis
and his companions aside, and said to them: "My dearest brothers, never
was it my intention that you should be exposed on this savage mountain
to any corporal necessity, which might hinder you from attending
perfectly to things spiritual; wherefore it is my desire - and I say it
to you now once for all - that you send freely to my house for
everything you want, and if you fail to do so I shall take is very ill
at your hands." And so saying, he departed with his company and
returned to his castle.
Then St Francis
caused his companions to sit down, and taught them the
manner of life they were to keep, that they might live religiously in
their solitude; and among other things, most earnestly did he enjoin on
them the strict observance of holy poverty, saying: "Let not Orlando's
charitable offer cause you in any way to offend against our lady and
mistress, holy poverty. Hold it for certain that, the more we keep
aloof from her, the more will the world keep aloft from us, and the
greater want shall we endure: but if we closely embrace holy poverty,
the world will come after us, and will minister to us abundantly. God
has called us into this holy religion for the salvation of the world,
and has made this compact between the world and us - that we should
give it good example, and that it should provide for our necessities.
Let us, then, persevere in holy poverty; for it is the way to
perfection, and the pledge of eternal riches." And after many devout
and holy words, he thus concluded: "This is the manner of life which I
impose upon you and upon myself; and because I behold my death
approaching, I purpose to remain in solitude to recollect myself in
God, and to weep over my sins in his sight. Therefore, when it shall so
please him, let Brother Leo bring me a little bread and water, and on
no account suffer any secular to come near me; but do you answer for me
to them." And having thus said, he gave them his blessing, and went his
way to his cell under the beach-tree; and his companions remained
behind, full purposed to obey his commands.
Now a few days
afterwards, as St Francis was considering the formation
of the mountain, and marvelling at the great fissures and openings in
the solid rock, it was revealed to him by God in prayer that these
strange caverns had been made miraculously at the hour of the Passion
of Christ, when, according to the Evangelist's words, the rocks were
rent; and this was by the will of God, who manifested himself thus
wonderfully upon Mount Alvernia, because there the Passion of our Lord
Jesus Christ was to be renewed in the soul of his servant by love and
compassion, and in his body by the impression of the sacred, holy
stigmata.
When St Francis
had received this revelation, he forthwith shut himself
up in his cell, and, in great recollection of soul, prepared himself
for the mystery which was to be revealed to him; and from that time
forth he began to taste more frequently the sweetness of divine
contemplation, by which he was sometimes so absorbed in God, that he
was seen by his companions to be raised corporally above the ground,
and rapt in prayer; and in these raptures were revealed to St Francis
not only things present and future, but even the secret thoughts and
desires of the brethren, as was experienced by Brother Leo, his
companion in those days.
For this same
Brother Leo, being beset by a most grievous spiritual
temptation, felt a great longing to have some devout thing written by
the hand of St Francis, feeling assured that, if he had it, the
temptation would leave him, either wholly or in part. But, either out
of shame or reverence, he dared not speak of his desire to St Francis,
to whom nevertheless it was revealed by the Holy Ghost; whereupon he
called the brother to him, and bade him bring him wherewithal to write,
and with his own hand he wrote a verse in honour of Christ, drawing at
the foot thereof the sign of a cross Tau: and according to Brother
Leo's desire, he gave it to him, saying, "Take this writing, dearest
brother, and keep it most diligently till the day of thy death. May God
bless thee, and guard thee from all temptation! But if temptation come
unto thee, be not afraid, for I hold thee to be more truly the servant
of God, and more worthy of love the harder thou art oppressed by
temptation. And I tell thee in all sincerity, that no man should
account himself to be a perfect friend of God until he has passed
through manifold temptations and tribulations.
Now when Brother
Leo had received this writing with great faith and
devotion, at once all the temptation departed from him; and returning
to his companions, he told them with great joy of the grace which he
had received from God through that writing of St Francis; and the
brethren laid it up and kept it diligently, and by it they were enabled
to work many miracles.
And from that day
forward Brother Leo set himself with a good and pure
intention to scrutinise and attentively consider the life of St
Francis; and in reward of his purity he was permitted many times to
behold him rapt in God and suspended above the earth, sometimes at the
heights of three feet above the ground, sometimes four, sometimes
raised as high as the top of the beach-trees, and sometimes exalted so
high in the air, and surrounded with so dazzling a glory, that he could
scarce endure to look upon him.
And what did this
simple friar when St Francis, in his raptures, was
thus raised above his reach? He would go softly behind him, and, with
tears, embrace and kiss his feet, saying: "My God, have mercy upon me,
a sinner, and by the merits of this holy man let me find grace in thy
sight." And once when he was standing beneath the feet of St Francis,
who was raised so high that he could not touch him, he saw a scroll
descend from heaven and rest upon his head, whereon were these words,
written in letters of gold: Here abideth the grace of God! And when he
had read the scroll, he saw it return again to heaven.
By the gift of the
grace of God which dwelt in him, St Francis was not
only absorbed in God by ecstatic contemplation, but was comforted often
by angelical visitations. One day when he was meditating upon his
death, and upon what might hereafter befall his Order, he said: "O Lord
God, when I am dead, what will become of this thy poor family, which in
thy goodness thou hast committed to me, a sinner? Who will comfort, who
will correct, who will pray to thee for it?"
Then did an angel
of God appear to him, and comfort him with these
words: "I declare to thee, on behalf of God, that thine Order shall
never fail until the day of judgment; and no sinner, be he ever so
great, who shall bear a hearty love to this thine Order, but shall find
mercy with God; and no man shall live long who shall maliciously
persecute it. Nor shall any evil-doer, who shall refuse to amend his
life, long persevere in thine Order. And be not thou troubled if thou
perceive some brethren who are not good, and observe not the rule as
they ought to do, and fear not lest on that account this religion will
fail; for there shall always be many and many a one who will observe
with great perfection the life of Christ's Gospel, and the purity of
the rule; and all these, after their bodily life is ended, shall enter
into life eternal, without passing through Purgatory. Others will
observe it, but not perfectly; and these, before they reach Paradise,
shall remain for a while in Purgatory; but the time of their
purification God will commit unto thee, But of those who in no way
observe the rule, take thou no care,' saith the Lord; for neither doth
he care for them." And when the angel had said these words, he
departed, leaving St Francis greatly strengthened and consoled.
And now the Feast
of our Lady's Assumption drew near, and St Francis
sought for a more secret and solitary place in which he might spend
alone the Lent of St Michael the Archangel, which begins on the Feast
of the Assumption. Wherefore he called Brother Leo, and said thus to
him: "Go and stand at the door of the brethren's oratory, and when I
shall call thee, turn to me." And Brother Leo went and stood at the
door, and St Francis went away a space, and called aloud, and Brother
Leo heard and turned towards him. Then St Francis said: "My sons, let
us seek for some more secret place, where thou wilt not hear me when I
call thus to thee." And when they had searched the mount, they found a
place on the northern side most secret and well fitted for the purpose,
but they could not reach it because of a frightful chasm in the rock;
across this chasm they cast a tree to serve for a bridge, and so passed
over. Then St Francis sent for the other friars, and told them that he
purposed to spend the Lent of St Michael in that solitary place, and
prayed them, therefore, to make for him a little cell, so that, though
he could cry aloud, he might not be heard by them. And when the cell
was made, he said to them: "Return now to your place, and leave me
here, without any disturbance or perturbation of mind; therefore let
none of you come unto me, nor suffer any secular person to come near
the cell. But thou only, Brother Leo, once a day shalt come to me with
a little bread and water, and once a night at the hour of Matins, and
thou shalt come in silence; and when thou art upon the bridge thou
shalt say, Domine labia mea aperies; and if I answer thee, thou shalt
come to the cell, and we will say Matins together; and if I do not
answer thee, thou shalt depart forthwith." And this St Francs said
because he was sometimes so absorbed in God that he heard nothing, nor
felt anything by his bodily senses. And having thus spoken, he gave
them his blessing, and they returned to their place.
Thus, on the Feast
of the Assumption, St Francis began the holy Lent,
with great abstinence and austerity, maserating his body and
invigorating his soul by fervent prayers, vigils, and disciplines; and
thus increasing more and more, and going from virtue to virtue, he
prepared his soul to receive divine mysteries and illuminations, and
his body to sustain the cruel conflicts with the demons, who often
attacked him sensibly. And among other times it befell one day to this
Lent that St Francis, going forth from his cell in great fervour of
spirit, went to pray in a cave hollowed out of a rock at the top of a
steep and frightful precipice, when the devil suddenly appeared before
him in a terrible form, and sought to hurl him to the bottom. St
Francis, being unable to fly or to endure the horrible aspect of the
devil, turned his face, hands,, and whole body towards the rock, and
recommended himself to God, groping with his hands, yet finding nothing
to which he might cling. But, as it pleased God, who never suffers his
servants to be tempted beyond what they are able to bear, the rock
suddenly opened and received his body within it; and, as if he had
placed his hands and face in liquid wax, the form of the hands and face
of St Francis remained impressed upon the stone; and thus, by the help
of God, he escaped out of the hands of the devil. But the injury which
the devil could not then do to St Francis by casting him down the
precipice, he inflicted long after his death upon one of his beloved
and devoted brethren, who was standing in the same spot preparing some
planks of wood for the safe passage of those who should come to the
place out of devotion to St Francis and the miracle which had been
wrought there. For one day, when he had a heavy piece of wood on his
shoulder, the devil cast him down thus laden to the bottom of the rock.
But God, who had preserved St Francis from falling, by his merits
delivered the devout friar from all injury in his fall; for as he fell,
with a loud voice and great devotion he recommended himself to St
Francis, who immediately appeared to him, and taking him in his arms,
set him down at the bottom of the rock without suffering any injury
whatsoever. The brethren, who had heard his cry when he fell, believing
that he was assuredly dead, and that he had been dashed to pieces by
his fall from so great a height upon those pointed rocks, taking a bier
went round the mountain by another way, with great weeping and
lamentation, to collect his mangled remains and give them burial.
Having, then, descended the mountain, behold, the brother who had
fallen met them with the wood on his shoulder with which he fell,
singing the Te Deum with a loud voice. And the brethren marvelling
greatly thereat, he related to them in order the manner of his fall,
and how St Francis had delivered him from all danger. Then all the
brethren came with him to the place, devoutly chanting the Te Deum, and
praising and thanking God and St Francis for the miracle that had been
wrought in their brother.
St Francis, then,
passing this Lent, as has been said, in the midst of
these conflicts with the devil, received many consolations from God,
not only by angelic visitations, but through the ministry of the wild
mountain birds. For, through all that Lent, a falcon, whose nest was
hard by his cell, awakened him every night a little before the hour of
Matins by her cry and the flapping of her wings, and would not leave
him till he had risen to say Matins; and if at any time St Francis was
more sick than usual, or weak, or weary, this falcon, like a discreet
and charitable Christian, would call him somewhat later than was her
wont. Now St Francis took great delight in this clock of his, because
the great carefulness of the falcon drove away all sloth and summoned
him to prayer; and moreover during the daytime she would often abide
familiarly with him.
To conclude this
second consideration, St Francis, being much weakened
in body both by his great abstinence and by his conflicts with the
devil, and desiring to strengthen his body by the spiritual food of the
soul, began to meditate upon the unbounded joy and glory of the blessed
heaven; and he besought of God to grant him some little foretaste of
their bliss. Now while this thought was in his mind, suddenly an angel
appeared to him in surpassing glory, having a viol in his left hand and
a bow in his right. And St Francis stood in amazement at the sight, the
angel drew the bow once across the strings of the viol, when the soul
of St Francis was instantly so ravished by the sweetness of the melody,
that all his bodily senses were suspended, and he believed, as he
afterwards told his companions, that, if the strain had been continued,
the intolerable sweetness would have drawn his soul from his body. And
so much for the second consideration.
OF THE
THIRD CONSIDERATION OF THE SACRED HOLY STIGMATA
We are come now to
the third consideration, namely, of the seraphical
apparition, and the impression of the sacred, holy stigmata.
As the Feast of
the Holy Cross then drew nigh, in the month of
September, Brother Leo went one night at his accustomed hour to say
Matins with St Francis. When he came to the bridge, he said, as he was
wont to do, Domine labia mea aperies; but St Francis made no answer.
Yet Brother Leo turned not back as he had been commanded to do, but
with a good and holy intention, he passed the bridge and went straight
into the cell; but there he found not St Francis. Thinking, therefore,
that he was gone to pray in some solitary place, he went softly through
the wood, seeking him in the moonlight. At last he heard his voice, and
drawing near, beheld him kneeling in prayer with his face and hands
lifted up towards heaven, and crying, in fervour of spirit: "Who art
thou, my dearest Lord? and who am I, a most vile worm and thy most
unprofitable servant?" and these words he repeated over and over again,
adding nothing more. At this Brother Leo, greatly marvelling, lifted up
his eyes to heaven and beheld a torch of most intense and glorious
fire, which seemed to descend and alight upon the head of St Francis;
and from the flame there seemed to issue forth a voice which spake with
him, but Brother Leo knew not the words which were spoken. Hearing
this, and accounting himself unworthy to stand in that holy place, and
fearing also to offend St Francis and to disturb him by his presence,
he went away silently, and stood afar off to behold what would follow;
and looking earnestly upon St Francis, he saw him thrice spread forth
his hands to the flame, and after a long time he beheld it mount again
to heaven. Then he turned joyfully to go back to his cell, being
greatly consoled by the visitation. But, as he turned, St Francis heard
the rustling of the leaves under his feet, and commanded him not to
stir, but to await his coming. And Brother Leo in obedience stood
still, and waited in so great fear that, as he afterwards told his
companions, he would have wished that the earth might swallow him up
rather than wait for St Francis, whose anger he feared exceedingly; for
he took great heed always not to offend him, lest he should be deprived
of his company.
When St Francis,
then, came up to him, he said: "Who art thou?" and
Brother Leo, in fear, and trembling, answered: "Father, I am Brother
Leo." And St Francis said to him: "Wherefore hast thou come hither,
dear brother? did I not forbid thee to observe me? Tell me now, by holy
obedience, whether thou hast seen or heard anything?" And Brother Leo
replied: "Father, I heard thee speak and say many times, Who art thou,
my dearest Lord" and who am I, a most vile worm and thy most
unprofitable servant?" And then, kneeling before St Francis, Brother
Leo accused himself of disobedience to his command, and besought him to
expound to him the meaning of the words which he had heard, and to tell
him also those which he had not heard. Then St Francis, seeing that,
for his simplicity and purity, God had revealed so much to Brother Leo,
condescended to reveal and expound also that which he desired further
to know; and thus he spoke to him: "Know, dearest brother, that when I
said those words which thou didst hear, two great lights were before my
soul, the one the knowledge of myself, the other the knowledge of the
Creator. When I said: Who art thou, my dearest Lord?' I was in a light
of contemplation, in which I beheld the abyss of the infinite goodness
and wisdom and power of God; and when I said: Who am I?' I was in light
of contemplation wherein I say the lamentable abyss of my own vileness
and misery: wherefore I said: Who are thou, the Lord of infinite wisdom
and goodness, who dost vouchsafe to visit me, a vile worm and
abominable?' and in that flame which thou didst behold was God, who
under that appearance spake to me, as of old he spake to Moses. And
among other things which he said to me, he asked of me three gifts; and
I made answer: O Lord, I am all thing; thou knowest full well that I
have nothing else but my cord and my tunic, and even these are thing;
what, then, can I offer or give to thy Majesty?' Then he said to me:
Search in thy bosom, and offer me what thou shalt find there.' And
searching, I found there a golden ball, and I offered it to God; and
the like I did three times, even as God commanded me; and then I knelt
down thrice, and blessed and gave thanks to God, who had thus given me
something to offer him. And immediately it was given to me to
understand that these three offerings signified holy obedience, most
entire poverty, and most pure chastity, which God by his grace has
enabled me so perfectly to observe that I have nothing to reproach
myself thereupon. And whereas thou didst see me put my hand into my
bosom and offer to God those three virtues, signified by these three
golden balls which God had placed in my bosom, so God has infused such
virtue into my soul, that for all the gifts and graces which of his
sovereign bounty he has bestowed upon me, I should always with heart
and voice praise and magnify him. These are the words which thou didst
hear when thou didst see me thrice lift up my hands. But take heed,
brother little lamb, that thou observe me no more, but return to thy
cell with the blessing of God; and take heed to my words, for yet a few
days, and God will work such strange and marvellous things upon this
mountain as shall astonish the whole world; for he will do a new thing
which he hath never done before to any creature upon this earth."
And when he had
said these words, he bade him bring the book of the
Gospels, because God had put it into his mind that, by thrice opening
that book, he should learn what God would be pleased to do with him.
And when the book was brought to him, St Francis went to prayer; and
when he had prayed, he caused Brother Leo to open the book three times
in the name of the most holy Trinity; and, by the divine disposal, it
opened each time at the Passion of Christ. And by this it was given him
to understand that, even as he had followed Christ in the actions of
his life, so should he follow and be confirmed to him in the sufferings
and afflictions of his Passion, before he should pass out of this life.
And from that day forward St Francis began to taste more abundantly the
sweetness of divine contemplation, and of divine visitations, among
which he had one, preparatory to the impression of the sacred, holy
stigmata, after the following manner. The day before the Feast of the
most Holy Cross, as St Francis was praying secretly in his cell, an
angel of God appeared to him, and spake to him thus from God: "I am
come to admonish and encourage thee, that thou prepare thyself to
receive in all patience and humility that which God will give and do to
thee."
St Francis
replied: "I am ready to bear patiently whatsoever my Lord
shall be pleased to do to me"; and so the angel departed. On the
following day - being the Feast of the Holy Cross - St Francis was
praying before daybreak at the entrance of his cell, and turning his
face towards the east, he prayed in these words: "O Lord Jesus Christ,
two graces do I ask of thee before I die; the first, that in my
lifetime I may feel, as far as possible, both in my soul and body, that
pain which thou, sweet Lord, didst endure in the hour of thy most
bitter Passion; the second, that I may feel in my heart as much as
possible of that excess of love by which thou, O Son of God, wast
inflamed to suffer so cruel a Passion for us sinners." And continuing a
long time in that prayer, he understood that God had heard him, and
that, so far as is possible for a mere creature, he should be permitted
to feel these things.
Having then
received this promise, St Francis began to contemplate most
devoutly the Passion of Jesus Christ and his infinite charity; and so
greatly did the fervour of devotion increase within him, that he was
all transformed into Jesus by love and compassion.
And being thus
inflamed in that contemplation, on that same morning he
beheld a seraph descending from heaven with six fiery and resplendent
wings; and this seraph with rapid flight drew nigh unto St Francis, so
that he could plainly discern him, and perceive that he bore the image
of one crucified; and the wings were so disposed, that two were spread
over the head, two were outstretched in flight, and the other two
covered the whole body. And when St Francis beheld it, he was much
afraid, and filled at once with joy and grief and wonder. He felt great
joy at the gracious presence of Christ, who appeared to him thus
familiarly, and looked upon him thus lovingly, but, on the other hand,
beholding him thus crucified, he felt exceeding grief and compassion.
He marvelled much at so stupendous and unwonted a vision, knowing well
that the infirmity of the Passion accorded ill with the immortality of
the seraphic spirit. And in that perplexity of mind it was revealed to
him by him who thus appeared, that by divine providence this vision had
been thus shown to him that he might understand that, not by martyrdom
of the body, but by a consuming fire of the soul, he was to be
transformed into the express image of Christ crucified in that
wonderful apparition. Then did all the Mount Alvernia appear wrapped in
intense fire, which illumined all the mountains and valleys around, as
it were the sun shining in his strength upon the earth, for which cause
the shepherds who were watching their flocks in that country were
filled with fear, as they themselves afterwards told the brethren,
affirming that this light had been visible on Mount Alvernia for
upwards of an hour. And because of the brightness of that light, which
shone through the windows of the inn where they were tarrying, some
muleteers who were travelling in Romagna arose in haste, supposing that
the sun had risen, and saddled and loaded their beasts; but as they
journeyed on, they saw that light disappear, and the visible sun arise.
In this seraphical
apparition, Christ, who appeared under that form to
St Francis, spoke to him certain high and secret things, which in his
lifetime he would never reveal to any person, but after his death he
made them known to one of the brethren, and the words were these:
"Knowest thou," said Christ, "what I have done to thee? I have given
thee the stigmata which are the insignia of my Passion, that thou
mayest be my standard-bearer; and as on the day of my death I descended
into limbo, and by virtue of these my stigmata delivered thence all the
souls whom I found there, so do I grant to thee that every year on the
anniversary of thy death thou mayst go to Purgatory, and take with thee
to the glory of Paradise all the souls of thy three Orders, the Friars
Minor, the Sisters, and the Penitents, and likewise all others whom
thou shalt find there, who have been especially devout to thee; that so
thou mayst be conformed to me in death, as thou hast been like to me in
life." Then, after long and secret conference together, that marvellous
vision disappeared, leaving in the heart of St Francis an excessive
fire and ardour of divine love, and on his flesh a wonderful trace and
image of the Passion of Christ. For upon his hands and feet began
immediately to appear the figures of the nails, as he had seen them on
the Body of Christ crucified, who had appeared to him in the likeness
of a seraph. And thus the hands and feet appeared pierced through the
midst by the nails, the heads whereof were seen outside the flesh in
the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and the points of the
nails stood out at the back of the hands, and the feet in such wise
that they appeared to be twisted and bent back upon themselves, and the
portion thereof that was bent back upon themselves, and the portion
thereof that was bent back or twisted stood out free from the flesh, so
that one could put a finger through the same as through a ring; and the
heads of the nails were round and black. In like manner, on the right
side appeared the image of an unhealed wound, as if made by a lance,
and still red and bleeding, from which drops of blood often flowed from
the holy breast of St Francis, staining his tunic and his drawers.
And because of
this his companions, before they knew the truth from
himself, perceiving that he would not uncover his hands and his feet,
and that he could not set the soles of his feet upon the ground, and
finding traces of blood upon his tunic when they washed it, understood
of a certainty that he bore in his hands and feet and side the image
and similitude of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified. And although he
laboured hard to conceal these sacred stigmata holy and glorious, thus
clearly impressed upon his flesh, yet finding that he could with
difficulty hide them from his familiar companions, and fearing at the
same time to reveal the secrets of God, he was in great doubt and
trouble of mind whether or not he should make known the seraphical
vision and the impression of the sacred, holy stigmata. At last, being
pricked in conscience, he called together certain of the brethren, in
whom he placed the greatest confidence, and proposing to them his doubt
in general terms, asked their counsel on the matter. Now among these
friars there was one of great sanctity, called Brother Illuminato; and
he, being truly illuminated by God, understood that St Francis must
have seen something miraculous, and said thus to him: "Know, Brother
Francis, that not for thyself alone, but for others, doth God reveal to
thee his secrets, and therefore thou hast cause for fear lest thou be
worthy of censure if thou conceal that which, for the good of others,
has been made known to thee."
Then St Francis,
being moved by these words, with great fear and
reverence told them the manner of the aforesaid vision, adding that
Christ, who had thus appeared to him, had said to him certain things
which he might never make known so long as he should live.
Now although these
sacred wounds, which had been impressed upon him by
Christ, gave great joy to his heart, yet they caused unspeakable pain
to his body; so that, being constrained by necessity, he made choice of
Brother Leo, for his great purity and simplicity, to whom he revealed
the whole matter, suffering him to touch and dress his wounds on all
days except during the time from Thursday evening till Saturday
morning, for then he would not by any human remedy mitigate the pain of
Christ's Passion, which he bore in his body, because at that time our
Saviour Jesus Christ was taken and crucified, died and was buried for
us. And it came to pass sometimes that when Brother Leo was removing
the bandage from the wound in the side, St Francis, because of the pain
caused thereby, would lay his hand on Brother Leo's breast, and at the
touch of that holy hand Brother Leo felt such sweetness of devotion as
well-nigh made him to fall fainting to the ground.
To conclude, so
far as concerns this third consideration, St Francis,
having completed the Lent of St Michael the Archangel, prepared himself
by divine revelation to return with Brother Leo to St Mary of the
Angels; and calling to him Brother Masseo and Brother Angelo, he
commended that holy mount unto their care, and blessing them in the
name of Jesus crucified, he suffered them, at their earnest prayer, to
see, touch, and kiss his sacred hands adorned with those holy,
glorious, and sacred stigmata; and so leaving them in great joy and
consolation, he parted from them and came down from the holy mountain.
OF THE
FOURTH CONSIDERATION OF THE SACRED, HOLY STIGMATA
As to the fourth
consideration, be it known, that after the true love
of Christ had perfectly transformed St Francis into God, and into the
true image of Christ crucified, that angelical man, having fulfilled
the Lent of forty days in honour of St Michael the Archangel on the
holy mountain of Alvernia, came down from the mount with Brother Leo
and a devout peasant, on whose ass he rode, because, by reason of the
nails in his feet, he could hardly go on foot. And the fame of his
sanctity being already spread abroad through the country by the
shepherds who had seen Mount Alvernia on fire, and who took it to be a
token of some great miracle wrought by God on his person, no sooner had
he descended from the mountain than all the people of the country
through which he passed, men and women, great and small, pressed round
him, eagerly desiring to touch and kiss his hands; and though he could
not altogether repress their devotion, yet, in order to conceal the
sacred, holy stigmata, he wrapped bandages round his hands, and covered
them with his sleeves, giving them only the fingers to kiss. But though
he thus strove to conceal the secret of the sacred stigmata, in order
to shun all occasion of worldly glory, it pleased God for his own glory
to work many miracles by virtue of the same holy stigmata, and
especially in this journey from Mount Alvernia to St Mary of the
Angels. And the same hath he since reviewed in many and divers parts of
the world, both during the lifetime of St Francis and after his
glorious death, that their mysterious and marvellous virtue, and the
exceeding charity and mercy of Christ towards him, might be made
manifest to the world by clear and evident miracles, such as these
which follow.
At St Francis drew
near to a city on the confines of Arezzo, a woman
came to him weeping bitterly, and carrying in her arms her son, a boy
of eight years old, so greatly swollen with dropsy that he could not
stand upright upon his feet; and laying him down before St Francis she
besought him to pray to God for him. St Francis first betook himself to
prayer, and then laying his holy hands upon the child, the swelling
subsided at once, and he restored him completely cured to his mother,
who received him with great joy, and took him home, thanking God and St
Francis, and taking delight in showing her restored child to all her
neighbours who came to her house to witness the cure.
On the same day St
Francis passed on through Borgo San Sepolcro; and as
soon as he approached the castle, a multitude of people poured forth
from the castle and the neighbouring villages to meet him, many of them
bearing olive-branches in their hands, and crying aloud: "Behold the
saint; behold the saint!" And in their devotion and eager desire to
touch him, the people pressed mightily upon him; but he, being rapt in
contemplation, and his mind wholly fixed on God, although thus pressed
upon and dragged hither and thither by the multitude, was insensible of
all that passed around, and knew nothing of all that was said or done,
or even that he had passed by that castle or through the country. When,
therefore, the multitude had returned to their own houses, and he had
reached a house of lepers about a mile on the other side of the town,
coming to himself as if just returned from the other world, the
heavenly contemplative asked his companions: "When shall we come to the
town?" For his soul, fixed and rapt in the contemplation of heaven, had
been unconscious of all things earthly, and perceived neither lapse of
time, nor change of place, nor persons passing by. And the like befell
him many different times, as his companions often experienced.
That evening St
Francis arrived at the house of the brethren of Monte
Casale, where was a friar so grievously ill, and so cruelly afflicted
by his sickness, that it seemed to be rather an infliction and torment
of the devil than any natural infirmity; for sometimes he would cast
himself down on the ground, trembling fearfully, and foaming at the
mouth. At other times every nerve in his body seemed to be distended,
or contracted, or distorted, and he would spring convulsively from the
ground, and immediately fall prostrate again. St Francis, then, being
seated at table, and hearing from the brethren the miserable condition
of this friar, which seemed past remedy, took compassion on him, and
taking a morsel of the bread which he was eating, he made the sign of
the cross upon it with those holy hands that bore the stigmata of
Christ, and sent it to the sick brother, who had no sooner eaten it
than he was perfectly cured, and never more felt any return of his
infirmity.
On the following
morning St Francis sent two of the brethren from that
place to abide at Alvernia, and with them the peasant who had lent him
the ass, desiring him to return to his house. And having remained a few
days in that place, St Francis departed and went to the city of
Castello. And behold many of the citizens came to meet him, bringing
with them a woman who for a long time past had been possessed by a
devil; and they humbly besought him to deliver her, because she
troubled all the country round by howling fearfully, or shrieking
piteously, or at times by barking like a dog. Then St Francis, having
first prayed and made the sign of the most holy cross over her,
commanded the devil to depart out of her; and forthwith he departed,
leaving her whole both in mind and body. And as the news of the miracle
spread among the people, another woman full of faith brought a child
sick of a grievous ulcer, and devoutly besought him to bless it with
his hand. Then St Francis accepting her devotion, took the child, and
removing the bandage, made the sign of the most holy cross thrice over
the wound; and then, having bound it up again with his own hands, he
delivered the child to his mother, who, as it was evening, laid him
down immediately on his bed to sleep. In the morning, when she went to
take him out of his bed, she found the wound unbandaged and perfectly
healed, no trace remaining of it, save that in the place where it had
been there was impressed the likeness of a red rose in testimony of the
miracle, which remained until his death, and many a time excited him to
devotion to St Francis, by whom he had been healed.
In that city, at
the desire of the devout inhabitants, St Francis abode
a month, during which time he wrought many miracles, and then departed
thence to go to St Mary of the Angels with Brother Leo and a good man
who had lent him an ass on which he rode. It so happened that, as they
travelled night and day, finding no place where they could lodge for
the night, they took shelter from the cold and the snow, which was
falling fast, in the cavity of a hollow rock. And night coming upon
them as they remained under this miserable shelter, which scarcely
protected them from the inclemency of the weather, the poor man to whom
the ass belonged, being unable to sleep for the cold, and having no
means of kindling a fire, began to complain bitterly, and to weep and
almost to murmur at St Francis for having brought him into such a
place. Then St Francis, hearing him, had compassion on him, and in
fervour of spirit stretched out his hand and touched him, when -
wonderful to say - no sooner did the poor man feel the touch of that
hand which had been pierced and enkindled by the seraph's fire than all
sensation of cold departed from him, and such glowing heat inflamed him
within and without, as if he had been placed near the mouth of a fiery
furnace, that, being instantly relieved and comforted both in body and
soul, he fell asleep, and slept - as he said himself - all night
through till morning, more sweetly amid the rocks and snow than he had
ever slept in his own bed.
Now when they had
journeyed for another day, they came to St Mary of
the Angels, and as they drew nigh to it, Brother Leo lifted up his eyes
and beheld a most beautiful cross, and upon it the image of the
Crucified, going before St Francis, who followed after it; so that when
he stood still, the cross stood still, and when he went forward, the
cross went ever before him; and such was the splendour of that cross,
that it not only illumined the face of St Francis, but made all the way
bright around him, and so continued shining till he entered the convent
of St Mary of the Angels. St Francis, then, coming with Brother Leo,
was received by the brethren with great charity and joy, and from that
day forward St Francis dwelt for the most of his time at St Mary of the
Angels until the day of his death. And as the fame of his sanctity and
of his miracles went forth more and more out of the depth of his
humility did he conceal the gifts and graces of God as far as he could,
calling himself the greatest of sinners.
On occasion of
this Brother Leo marvelling, on a certain day,
considered foolishly within himself: "See now, how he calleth himself
the greatest of sinners, and that before all men, when he has become
great in the Order and is so much honoured of God; while yet in secret
he never confessed himself to be guilty of carnal sin; is it then that
he is still a virgin?" And thenceforth there took him a great longing
to know the truth in this matter, yet did he not dare to ask St
Francis. Wherefore he turned himself to God, praying earnestly that he
would reveal to him the truth he so much wished to know; and by his
many prayers and through the merit of St Francis he was heard, and it
was answered to him that St Francis was, in very truth, a virgin in his
body, by means of the vision that followed. For in his vision he beheld
St Francis standing in a high place and an honourable, whereto none
other could attain to stand beside him; and it was said unto him in the
spirit that this place, so lofty and so excellent, signified the most
high virginal chastity of St Francis, which was wholly reasonable in
that flesh of his that was to be adorned with the sacred, holy stigmata
of Christ.
St Francis finding
that, by reason of the stigmata of Christ, his
bodily strength was gradually wasting away, and that he could no longer
rule over the Order, hastened to assemble a general chapter; and the
brethren being all met together, he humbly laid before them his
incapacity, by reason of his infirmities, any longer to fill the office
of general, although he might not resign the generalate, to which he
had been appointed by the Pope, nor name a successor without his
express sanction; but he nominated Brother Peter Cattani his vicar,
affectionately and with all his heart recommending the Order to him and
to the ministers provincial. And having done this, St Francis, being
strengthened in spirit, raised his eyes and hands to heaven, saying
thus: "To thee, O Lord my God, - to thee do I commend thy family, which
till now thou hast committed to me, and of which, by reason of my
infirmities, as thou knowest, O my sweetest Lord, I can now no longer
take care. I commend it also to the ministers provincial, who shall
render an account to thee at the day of judgment if any brother perish
by their negligence, or evil example, or over-sharp correction. And by
these words, as it pleased God, all the brethren understood that he
spoke of the sacred stigmata - which he called his infirmities - and
none of them could refrain from weeping for devotion. And thenceforth
he left all the care and government of the Order in the hands of his
vicar and of the ministers provincial; and he said: "Now that for my
infirmities I have given over the care of the Order, I have nothing to
do henceforth but to pray to God for this our Religion, and to give a
good example to the brethren. And I know moreover that, even were I
freed from my infirmities, the greatest good which I could do to the
Order would be to pray to God for it continually, that he would be
pleased to defend and rule and preserve it."
Now, as we have
said before, St Francis did all in his power to conceal
the sacred, holy stigmata, for after he received them he kept always
his hands and feet covered; yet could he not hinder that many times
several of the brethren contrived to see and touch them, and especially
the wound of the side, which with the greatest diligence he sought to
conceal. Thus a brother who waited on him, having one day persuaded him
to take off his tunic in his presence that he might shake the dust out
of it, clearly saw the wound in the side; and thrusting his hand
suddenly into the bosom of St Francis, he touched it with three
fingers, ascertaining its length and breadth: and in like manner it was
discovered at another time by his vicar. But it was attested still more
clearly by Brother Ruffino, a man of most sublime contemplation, of
whom St Francis was wont to say that in all the world he knew not a
holier man; so that for his great sanctity he loved him most heartily
and granted to him all he desired. In three several ways did this
Brother Ruffino certify both himself and others of the reality of the
sacred, holy stigmata, and especially of that in the side. The first
was that, having obtained permission to wash his undergarment, which St
Francis wore very loose, that by wrapping it well around him he might
conceal the wound in his pierced side, the said Brother Ruffino
examined it diligently and continually found traces of blood on the
right side of the garment, by which he knew for certain that the blood
came from the wound aforesaid; whereupon St Francis reproved him for
spreading out the garment in order to discover the mark of the wound.
The second way was that the said Brother Ruffino once purposely put his
finger into the wound in the side; when St Francis, for the pain he
felt, cried aloud: "God forgive thee, Brother Ruffino, for what thou
hast done." The third way was that this brother once besought St
Francis of his charity to change habits with him, to which the
charitable father having consented, although unwillingly, in the
exchange of the garments he clearly saw the wound in the right side.
Brother Leo likewise, and many others of the brethren, saw the sacred,
holy stigmata during the lifetime of St Francis; and although for their
sanctity these brethren were worthy of all faith upon their simple
word, nevertheless, to remove all doubt did they swear upon the sacred
Scriptures that they had seen them plainly. Certain of the Cardinals,
also, who enjoyed great familiarity with St Francis, composed of the
said sacred, holy stigmata. The Sovereign Pontiff also, Pope Alexander,
when preaching to the people in the presence of the Cardinals, among
whom was the holy Brother Bonaventure, himself a Cardinal, affirmed
that with his own eyes he had seen the sacred, holy stigmata of St
Francis during his lifetime. And the Lady Jacopa di Settesoli, who was
the greatest lady in Rome of her time, and most devout to St Francis,
before and after his death saw and kissed them with great reverence;
for she came from Rome to Assisi by divine revelation, at the death of
St Francis; and thus it came to pass. A few days before his death, St
Francis lay sick in the bishop's palace at Assisi with certain of his
companions and notwithstanding his infirmity he oftentimes sang
canticles in honour of Jesus Christ. One of his companions, therefore,
said to him one day: "Father, thou knowest that the citizens of this
place have great faith in thee, and account thee to be a holy man,
perhaps therefore they may think that, if thou be what they take thee
for, being so grievously sick, thou shouldest think upon death in this
thine infirmity, and weep rather than sing. And know that this singing
of thine, and of ours whom thou wilt have to sing with thee, is heard
by many in the palace and without, forasmuch as this palace is guarded
on thine account by many men-at-arms, who may perhaps take scandal
thereat. Therefore I think," said this friar, "that thou wilt do well
to depart hence, and to return to St Mary of the Angels; for we are not
well here among seculars." Then St Francis answered him: "Thou knowest,
dearest brother, that two years ago, when we were at Foligno, God
revealed the end of my life to thee, and he revealed it to me also -
that in this sickness, and in a few days, this my life shall come to an
end. And in this revelation God assured me of the remission of all my
sins, and of the bliss of Paradise. Until I received that revelation, I
wept over my sins and at the thought of death; but since I have
received it, I have been so full of joy that I can weep no longer; and
therefore I sing, and will sing to God, who hath bestowed on me the
gift of his grace, and hath certainly promised me the gift of heavenly
glory. For our departure hence, it pleaseth me well, and I willingly
consent thereto; but find you a way to carry me, for because of my
infirmity I cannot walk." Then the brethren took him up and bore him on
their shoulders, and many of the citizens went with them. And coming to
a hostel which was on the way, St Francis said to those who bore him:
"Set me down upon the ground, and turn my face towards the city"; and
when he was thus turned towards Assisi, he blessed the city with many
blessings, saying: "Blessed be thou of God, O holy city, forasmuch as
by means of thee many souls shall be saved, and in thee many servants
of God shall dwell, and of thy children many shall be elected to
eternal life." And when he had said these words, he caused himself to
be borne onwards to St Mary of the Angels; and they carried him to the
infirmary, and there laid him down to rest. Then St Francis called to
him one of his companions, and said to him: "Dearest brother, God has
revealed to me that by this sickness, a few days hence, I am to pass
from this life; and thou knowest that the devout Lady Jacopa di
Settesoli, who is so dear to our Order, would be deeply grieved, should
she hear of my death, not to have been present at it; therefore signify
to her that, if she desire to see me again in life, she must come
hither with all speed." And the brother made answer: "Too true, Father;
for indeed, because of the great devotion she bears thee, most unmeet
were it that she should not be present at thy death." "Go, then," said
St Francis; "bring pen and paper, and write as I shall bid thee." And
when he had brought them, St Francis dictated the letter in the
following form: "The the Lady Jacopa, the handmaid of the Lord, Brother
Francis, the poor little one of Christ, wisheth health and the
fellowship of the Holy Ghost in our Lord Jesus Christ. Be it known to
thee, most beloved, that Christ our Lord hath by his grace revealed to
me the day of my death, which is near at hand. Wherefore, if thou
wouldst find me alive, as soon as thou shalt receive this letter, do
thou set forth immediately, and come to St Mary of the Angels; for if
thou come not forthwith, thou shalt not find me alive. And bring with
thee hair-cloth wherein to wrap my body, and the cerecloth that will be
needed for my burial. I pray thee that thou wouldst bring me also some
of the food such as thou gavest to me when I was sick at Rome." Now,
while this letter was bring written, it was revealed to St Francis that
the Lady Jacopa was coming to him, and was already near at hand, and
that she had brought with her all the things which were asked for in
the letter. Having, then, received this revelation, St Francis bade the
brother who was writing to write no more, for it was not needed, but to
lay the letter aside; whereupon the brethren greatly marvelled why he
would not have it finished or sent. But a short space afterwards, there
came a loud knocking at the door, and St Francis bade the porter open
it; which, when he had done, he saw the Lady Jacopa, the most noble of
all the ladies of Rome, with two of her sons, who were senators of
Rome, and a great company of horsemen, and they entered the house; and
the Lady Jacopa went straight to the infirmary to St Francis. And St
Francis felt great consolation at her coming, and she also rejoiced
exceedingly to find him alive, and to speak with him. Then she declared
to him how, being at Rome in prayer, God had revealed to her that his
life would shortly come to an end, and that he would send for her and
ask those things of her which she had now brought. Then she brought
them to St Francis and gave him to eat; and when he had eaten, and was
now much strengthened thereby, the Lady Jacopa knelt at the feet of St
Francis, and with such exceeding devotion kissed and bathed with her
tears those feet, marked and adorned with the wounds of Christ, that
the brethren who were standing round thought they beheld the Magdalene
at the feet of Jesus Christ, and could in no way remove her from him.
At length, after a long space of time they raised her up, and, taking
her aside, they asked her how it was she had come thus opportunely, and
thus well provided with all things needful for St Francis, both in his
life and for his burial. To this the Lady Jacopa answered, that as she
was praying one night in Rome she heard a voice from heaven, which
said: "If thou wouldst find St Francis alive, go without delay to
Assisi, and take with thee those things which thou hast been accustomed
to prepare for him in sickness, and those which shall be needed for his
burial." And, continued the Lady, "As the voice bade me do, so have I
done." So the Lady Jacopa abode at Assisi until St Francis passed from
this life and was buried; and she and all her company paid great honour
to his burial, and bore all the cost of it. Then returning to Rome,
that noble lady soon afterwards died a holy death, desiring, out of
devotion to St Francis, to be carried to St Mary of the Angels, and
there to be buried; which was done according to her will.
HOW
JEROME, WHO AT FIRST BELIEVED NOT, SAW AND TOUCHED THE SACRED, HOLY
STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS
On the death of St
Francis his glorious, sacred stigmata were seen and
kissed, not only by the said Lady Jacopa and her company, but by many
citizens of Assisi; among others by a knight of great renown, named
Jerome, who had doubted much, and disbelieved them; as St Thomas
disbelieved the wounds of Christ. And to assure himself and others, he
boldly, in the presence both of the brethren and of seculars, moved the
nails in the hands and feet, and strongly pressed the wound in the
side. By which means he was enabled to bear constant witness to the
truth of the miracle, swearing on the Gospels that he had seen and
touched the glorious, holy stigmata of St Francis, the which were seen
and touched also by St Clare and her religious, who were present at his
burial.
OF THE
DAY AND YEAR OF THE DEATH OF ST FRANCIS
St Francis, the
glorious confessor of Christ, passed from this life in
the year of our Lord 1226, on Saturday, October 4, and was buried on
the Sunday following. He died in the twentieth year of his conversion -
that is, from the time when he began to do penance - the second year
after the impression of the sacred, holy stigmata, and the forty-fifth
of his age.
OF THE
CANONIZATION OF ST FRANCIS
St Francis was
canonised in the year 1228 by Pope Gregory IX, who came
in person to Assisi for his canonisation. And this shall suffice for
the fourth consideration.
OF THE
FIFTH AND LAST CONSIDERATION OF THE SACRED, HOLY STIGMATA
The fifth and last
consideration is of certain apparitions,
revelations, and miracles, which God vouchsafed after the death of St
Francis, in confirmation of the truth of his sacred stigmata, and to
certify the day and hour on which Christ gave them to him. In the year
of our Lord, then, 1282, in the month of October, Brother Philip, the
minister of Tuscany, by the command of Brother John Buonagrazia, the
minister general, required under holy obedience Brother Matthew de
Castiglione of Arezzo, a man of great devotion and sanctity, to tell
him what he knew of the day and hour in which the sacred, holy stigmata
were impressed by Christ on the body of St Francis, because he had
heard that it had been revealed to him. And Brother Matthew, being
constrained by holy obedience, made answer thus: "Being one of the
community of Alvernia, last May I was praying in my cell, which is on
the spot where the seraph is believed to have appeared. And in my
prayer I besought God most devoutly that he would be pleased to make
known to some person the day, the hour, and the place in which the
sacred, holy stigmata were impressed on the body of St Francis. And
persevering thus for a long time in this prayer, St Francis appeared to
me in great glory, and said to me: My son, what prayer art thou making
to God?' And I said to him: Father, I am praying such and such things.'
And he said to me: I am thy Father Francis. Dost thou know me?' Yes,
Father,' said I. Then he showed me the sacred, holy stigmata in his
hands and feet and side, saying: The time is now come when God wills
that to be manifested for his glory, which the brethren have not
hitherto sought to know. Know, then, that he who appeared to me was no
angel, but Jesus Christ himself under the appearance of a seraph, who,
with his own hands, impressed those wounds upon my body, as he himself
received them in his body on the cross; and it was thus. On the day
before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, an angel came to me, and bade
me, on the part of God, to prepare to receive with patience whatsoever
he should be pleased to send me. And I made answer that I was prepared
to receive and endure whatever God should be pleased to appoint for me.
And on the following morning, being the morning of Holy Cross day,
which in that year fell on a Friday, I left my cell at daybreak in
great fervour of spirit, and went to pray in that very spot where thou
now dwellest, where I was often accustomed to pray. And as I was
praying there descended through the air with great rapidity the figure
of a young man crucified, in the guise of a seraph with six wings. At
which marvellous sight I knelt down humbly, and began devoutly to
contemplate the unbounded love of Jesus Christ crucified, and the
unbounded anguish of his Passion. And such compassion did this
spectacle excite within me, that it seemed to me as if I felt that
Passion in my own body, and the whole mountain shone like the sun in
his presence: and, thus, descending, he came close to me. And standing
before me, he spoke to me certain secret words, which I have never yet
revealed to any one, but the time is now at hand when they shall be
revealed. Then after a little space, Christ departed and returned to
heaven, and I found myself thus signed with these wounds. Go, then,'
said St Francis, and assure thy minister of these things; for this is
the work of God and not of man.' Having said these words, St Francis
blessed me and returned to heaven, accompanied by a great multitude of
glorious spirits." All these things the said Brother Matthew declared
that he had seen, not sleeping, but waking. And he made oath that he
had thus related them to the said minister in his cell at Florence,
when so enjoined by him to do under holy obedience.
CHAPTER
LIV
HOW A
HOLY FRIAR, HAVING READ IN THE LEGEND OF ST FRANCIS OF THE SECRET
WORDS SPOKEN TO HIM BY THE SERAPH, PRAYED SO EARNESTLY TO GOD THAT ST
FRANCIS REVEALED THEM TO HIM
It happened as a
devout and holy friar was reading in the legend of St
Francis the chapter concerning the sacred, holy stigmata, that he began
in great anxiety of mind to ponder what those most secret words could
be, spoken by the seraph to St Francis, which he would never reveal to
any one in his life-time. And he said thus to himself: "St Francis
would never tell these words to any one while he was alive; but now
since his corporal death he would perhaps reveal them, were he devoutly
besought to do so." And from that day forth the fervent friar betook
himself to prayer, beseeching God and St Francis to reveal these words
to him; and after persevering for eight years in this prayer, it was at
last granted in the following manner: One day after dinner as he was
making his thanksgiving in the church, and remained there praying to
this end with greater devotion than usual, and with many tears, he was
presently summoned by another friar, by order of the Father Guardian,
to go with him to the city on the business of the convent. Not
doubting, therefore, that obedience is more meritorious than prayer, he
no sooner heard the command of his Superior than he left the church,
and went humbly with the brother who called him. And this act of
obedience was so pleasing to God, that by it he merited what he had not
obtained by all his long years of prayer; for as soon as they had
passed through the gate, they met two stranger friars, who seemed as if
they had come from a far land, one of whom appeared young, and the
other lean and old; and by reason of the bad weather they were both wet
and muddy. On which the obedient friar spoke thus to his companion:
"Oh, dearest Brother, if the business on which we are going may brook
some little delay, seeing that these stranger brethren have great need
of a charitable reception, I pray thee let me first go and wash their
feet, - and specially those of this ancient brother, and thou mayst
wash the feet of the younger, - and then we will go upon the business
of the convent." Then the other friar yielding to the charity of his
companion, they returned to the house, and most charitably received
those stranger brethren, bringing them into the kitchen to warm and dry
themselves at the fire, at which eight other brethren of the place were
already warming themselves. And after they had been awhile at the fire,
they took them aside to wash their feet, as they had agreed together to
do. Now as the obedient brother was washing the feet of the ancient
friar, he beheld on them the marks of the sacred, holy stigmata, and
immediately embracing them in joy and wonder, he began to cry: "Either
thou art Christ, or thou art St Francis!" At that cry, and at these
words, the brethren who were at the fire rose up, and drawing near,
beheld with great fear and reverence those glorious stigmata. Then the
ancient friar suffered them at their earnest desire to behold them
clearly, and also to touch and kiss them. And as they wondered more and
more, and scarce believed for joy, he said to them: "Doubt not and fear
not, beloved brethren and children; I am your father, Brother Francis,
who by the will of God founded three Orders. And inasmuch as this
brother, who but now has washed my feet, has been beseeching me these
eight years past, and to-day more fervently than ever, to reveal to him
the secret words spoken to me by the seraph when he gave me the
stigmata, which words I would never reveal during my lifetime, now by
the command of God, for his perseverance and for his prompt obedience
by which he left the sweetness of contemplation, I am sent to reveal to
him, before you, that which he has asked to know."
Then St Francis, turning to the friar, said thus: "Know, dearest
brother, that when I was on Mount Alvernia, wholly absorbed in the
remembrance of the Passion of Christ, in that seraphical apparition I
was thus stigmatised by Christ in my body, and then he spoke to me
thus: Knowest thou what I have done to thee? I have given thee the
signs of my Passion that thou mayest be my standard-bearer. And as on
the day of my death I descended into Limbo, and by virtue of my
stigmata drew forth and took with me to Paradise all the souls whom I
found there, so do I now grant to thee, in order that thou mayest be
conformed to me in death as thou hast been in life, that when thou
shalt have passed out of this life, thou shalt descend into Purgatory
every year on the anniversary of thy death, and by the virtue of thy
stigmata which I have given thee shalt deliver thence and take with
thee to Paradise all the souls which thou shalt find there of thy three
Orders - Minors, Sisters, and Penitents, - with all others soever who
shall have been devout to thee.' And these words I never told to any
one while I was in life." Having said these words, St Francis and his
companion immediately disappeared. Many brethren heard this related by
the eight friars who witnessed the vision, and heard the words of St
Francis.
CHAPTER
LV
HOW ST
FRANCIS APPEARED, AFTER HIS DEATH, TO BROTHER JOHN OF ALVERNIA,
WHILE HE WAS IN PRAYER
St Francis once
appeared on Mount Alvernia to Brother John of Alvernia,
a man of great sanctity, while he was in prayer, and spoke with him for
a long space of time; and before he departed he said to him: "Ask of me
what thou wilt." Then Brother John made answer: "Father, I pray thee,
tell me that which I have long desired to know, - what thou wast doing,
and where thou wast, when the seraph appeared to thee." And St Francis
replied: "I was praying in that place whereon the chapel of Count Simon
da Battifolle now stands, and I asked two favours of my Lord Jesus
Christ. The first was that he would grant to me in my lifetime to feel,
as far as might be possible, both in my soul and body, all that he had
suffered in his most bitter Passion. The second favour which I asked
was, that I might feel in my heart that exceeding love which enkindled
his, and moved him to endure so great a Passion for us sinners. And
then God put it into my heart that it was granted to me to feel both,
as far as is possible for a mere creature; and this promise was well
fulfilled to me by the impression of the stigmata." Then Brother John
asked him whether those sacred words spoken to him by the seraph had
been truly related by the brother who affirmed that he had heard them
from the mouth of St Francis, in the presence of eight friars. And St
Francis made answer, that they were even so as that brother had said.
Then Brother John, emboldened to ask by the saint's liberality in
granting his requests, said thus: "O Father, I beseech thee most
earnestly that thou wilt suffer to see and kiss thy glorious, sacred
stigmata; not that I have any doubt upon the matter, but because such
has always been my most earnest desire." And St Francis graciously
showing them to him, Brother John plainly saw and touched and kissed
them. Lastly he said to him: "Father, grant me, if it be the will of
God, to feel in some small measure the consolation which thou didst
experience when thou didst behold our dear Lord come down to thee to
give thee the stigmata of his most holy Passion." Then St Francis
replied: "Dost thou see these nails?" "Yes, Father," said Brother John.
"Touch once more," said St Francis, "this nail which is in my hand."
Then Brother John, with great fear and reverence, touched that nail,
and as he touched it there issued forth from it a perfume, with as it
were a little cloud of incense, which, entering the nostrils of Brother
John, filled both his soul and body with such overpowering sweetness
that he was immediately rapt in God: and in that ecstasy he remained
insensible from that hour, which was the hour of Tierce, until Vespers.
And of that vision and familiar converse with St Francis, Brother John
never spoke to any save to his confessor till the day of his death; but
on his deathbed he revealed it to several of the brethren.
CHAPTER
LVI
OF A
HOLY FRIAR WHO SAW A WONDERFUL VISION OF A COMPANION WHO WAS DEAD
In the province of
Rome a very devout and holy friar saw this wonderful
vision. A brother, who was exceedingly beloved by him, died one night,
and was buried in the morning at the entrance of the chapter house. On
the same day the friar withdrew after dinner into a corner of the
chapter house, and there prayed most fervently to God and St Francis
for the soul of this his beloved companion. And persevering in prayer
with many tears till midday, when all the rest lay down to sleep, on a
sudden he heard a loud noise in the cloister. Being seized with great
terror, he cast his eyes on the grave of his companion, and beheld St
Francis standing at the entrance of the chapter house, and behind him a
great multitude of friars surrounding the grave. And looking farther,
he saw in the midst of the cloister a great and intense fire burning,
and in it the soul of his deceased companion; and looking round the
cloister, he beheld our Lord Jesus Christ going round it, with a great
company of angels and saints. And as he beheld these things in great
amazement, he saw that when Christ passed by the chapter house, St
Francis will all those friars knelt down, and said to him: "I beseech
thee, my dearest Lord and Father, by that inestimable charity which
thou didst show to the human race in thine Incarnation, to have mercy
upon the soul of this my brother, which is burning in that fire"; yet
Christ answered nothing, but passed on. And, returning again the second
time, and passing by the chapter house, St Francis knelt down again
with his friars, and besought him in these words: "I beseech thee, most
pitiful Father and Lord, by the unbounded charity which thou didst show
to the human race when thou didst die for it on the wood of the cross,
to have mercy on the soul of this my brother"; but Christ again passed
by, and heeded him not. And going again round the cloister, he passed
the third time by the chapter house, and then St Francis, kneeling down
as before, showed him his hands and his feet and his side, saying: "I
pray thee, merciful Lord and Father, by that great anguish and great
consolation which I experienced when thou didst impress these stigmata
upon my flesh, to have mercy on the soul of this my brother, which is
in the flames of Puragatory." Wonderful to tell, Christ being thus
besought for the third time by St Francis, in the name of his stigmata,
immediately stood still, and, looking upon them, he granted his prayer,
saying: "I grant to thee, Francis, the soul of thy brother." And hereby
assuredly he intended to honour and confirm the glorious stigmata of St
Francis, and openly to testify that the souls of his brethren which go
to Purgatory have no easier way of deliverance than by virtue of his
stigmata, by which they are freed from pain, and brought to the glory
of Paradise, according to the words which Christ said to St Francis
when he imprinted them upon his body.
No sooner had our Lord spoken these words than the fire in the cloister
vanished, and the dead friar came to St Francis, and, together with him
and with Christ, all that blessed company, with their glorious King,
ascended into heaven. For which cause the friar his companion, who had
prayed for him, seeing him delivered from suffering and received into
Paradise, was filled with exceeding joy. And then he related the whole
vision in order to the other friars, and all together they praised and
gave thanks to God.
CHAPTER
LVII
HOW A
NOBLE KNIGHT WHO WAS DEVOUT TO ST FRANCIS WAS ASSURED OF HIS
DEATH AND OF THE SACRED STIGMATA
A noble knight of
Massa di San Pietro, named Landulph, who was most
devout to St Francis, and had received the habit of the Third Order
from his hand, was thus certified of his death and of the truth of his
sacred, holy and glorious stigmata. When St Francis lay on his
deathbed, the devil entered into a woman of that place, and cruelly
tormented her, and withal made her to speak with such learning and
subtlety, that she overcame all the clerks and learned men who came to
dispute with her. Now it came to pass that the devil, departing from
her, left her free for the space of two days, after which he returned
again, and afflicted her more cruelly than before. Which when Landulph
heard he went to the woman, and asked the devil which dwelt within her
wherefore he had departed from her for those days, and why he had since
returned to torment her worse than before. And the devil answered thus:
"When I left her, I went with all my companions in these parts, being
gathered together in great force, to the deathbed of Francis the
begger, to dispute with him, and carry away his soul; but, because it
was surrounded and defended by a multitude of angels, far more numerous
than we, who carried it straight to heaven we were forced to retire
discomfited; and therefore have I returned to make up to this wretched
woman for the peace in which I left her for those days."
Then Landulph conjured him in the name of God to tell him what was the
truth regarding the holiness of St Francis, whom he affirmed to be
dead, and for St Clare, who was still alive. And the devil answered
him: "I must tell thee the truth whether I will or not. The anger of
God the Father was so enkindled against the sins of the world, that he
was ready to pass sentence upon it, and to destroy all men and women
from the face of the earth, unless they would repent. But Christ his
Son, praying for sinners, promised to renew his life and Passion in the
person of a man, namely, in St Francis, a poor mendicant; through whose
life and doctrine many throughout the world should be brought back into
the way of truth, and many also to penance. And now, to show to the
world what he had wrought in St Francis, he has been pleased that the
stigmata of his Passion, which he had imprinted on his body during
life, should be seen and touched by many since his death. In like
manner did the Mother of Christ promise to renew her virginal purity
and her humility in the person of a woman, to wit in Sister Clare, that
by her example many women might be delivered out of my hands. And the
eternal Father, being appeased by these promises, deferred his final
sentence." Then Landulph, wishing to know for certain whether the
devil, who is the abode and father of lies, spoke truth in these
matters, and especially with regard to the death of St Francis, sent a
faithful servant of his to Assist, to St Mary of the Angels, to inquire
whether St Francis were alive or dead; whither, when the messenger had
arrived, he found that he was indeed dead, and brought certain
information to his lord that St Francis had passed from this life on
the very day and hour of which the devil had spoken.
CHAPTER
LVIII
HOW
POPE GREGORY IX, WHO HAD DOUBTED OF THE STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS, WAS
ASSURED OF THEIR TRUTH
Passing over all
the miracles of the sacred, holy stigmata of St
Francis, it shall suffice in conclusion of this fifth consideration to
relate the following: Pope Gregory IX having some little doubt, as he
afterwards related, concerning the wound in the side of St Francis, the
saint one night appeared to him, and raising his right arm a little,
discovered to him the wound in his side. He then bade him bring a flask
and place it beneath the wound, and when the Pope had done so, he saw
it filled to the brim with blood mingled with water, which flowed from
the wound; and thereupon all doubt immediately departed from him. After
this, with the concurrence of all the Cardinals, he approved the
sacred, holy stigmata of St Francis by a special bull granted to the
friars at Viterbo in the eleventh year of his papacy; and in the
following year he issued another, with still more copious privileges.
Pope Nicholas III and Pope Alexander also confirmed the same, with
fuller privileges, decreeing that whosoever should deny the sacred,
holy stigmata might be proceeded against as a heretic. And this shall
suffice concerning the fifth consideration of the glorious, holy, and
sacred stigmata of our father St Francis, whose life may God give us
grace to follow in this world, that by virtue of his glorious stigmata
we may deserve to be saved with him in Paradise! To the praise of Jesus
Christ and his poor servant St Francis! Amen.
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