The little flowers of St. Francis
THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
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INTRODUCTION
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I
The first English translation of the Fioretti di Santo Francesco d'
Ascesi, that of Lady Georgina Fullerton, appeared in the year 1864; and
the first American translation, that by Abby Langdon Alger, was
published in the year 1887. This is a good four centuries after the
princeps edition of the Fioretti (Vicenza, 1476), and a half century
after the "standard" Italian edition by Antonio Cesari (Verona, 1822).
The tardiness of Anglo-Saxon recognition of this, one of the raciest,
most spirited, and most beloved of the Italian classics is not to be
grasped out of hand. Religious considerations, obvious as they might
seem could not account for the indifference of the fathers of English
printing. Once published, moreover, the Fioretti made their way in
their own right. The present century has witnessed numerous other
translations in England and America and dozens of reprintings in
America alone. I suspect, rather, that it was a strange case of
editorial oversight, a nugget of gold that was there for anyone, yet
was for centuries overlooked. The title may have had something to do
with it. The phrase "Little Flowers" has, in English, a vague aroma of
sentiment and propaganda, and by virtue of the diminutive it has
acquired a similar flavor even in Italian. Suppose this collection of
tales had been called the "Franciscan Anthology", a title at once more
exact and more majestic in its associations? Or suppose, somewhat
facetiously, but still within its spirit, it had been known as the
"Selected Miracles of Saint Francis and his Brethren"? The story as
regards the English-speaking world might, I believe, have been
different.
I have called the Fioretti "tales"; and tales they are, fixed upon
Saint Francis and his earliest disciples in the way in which legend
accumulates about any celebrated character in history. But, in this
case, and in contrast with the situation that usually prevails in
folklore, the "stories" have a certain authority as history. One
hundred years of Franciscan scholarship enable us even to evaluate the
authenticity of the Little Flowers.
Saint Francis died in 1226. But his amanuensis, secretary, and
confessor, his beloved brother Leo (who is quoted extensively in the
Little Flowers), lived on till the year 1271. The Friar, Giovanni dalla
Penna, one of the early missionaries of the Order in Germany, and
another of the sources, did not die till 1274. In the year 1257 had
come the great crisis in the Franciscan Order, whereby the Church,
frowning darkly on an orgy of religious "revival" which enabled humble,
ignorant and sometimes stuttering peasants to talk with God in His
Three Persons sicut amicus cum amico, had given a more ecclesiastical
temper to the Franciscan "Rule", and aimed at representing mystical and
miracle-working activity among the friars. This debate was conducted
bitterly and with some show of force. John of Parma, leader of the
"zealots" and Saint Bonaventura's predecessor as General of the Order,
stood, at one moment (1257), condemned to imprisonment for life.
Already two conceptions of Saint Francis himself were current in the
Order; and his biography was being recounted in different ways.
Eventually Saint Bonaventura was to write the "official" biography, and
to make it more "official" still by burning, so far as he could lay
hands on them, all conflicting accounts of the Saint's life. Meantime,
one thing is clear: the party "of good sense" was having many harsh
things to say of those extremists who courted public ridicule for the
benefit of their souls by preaching naked in the church pulpits,
changing capon's drumsticks into nectarines, and doing other things
disquieting to a theology which liked miracles in the principle but was
inhospitable toward them in the fact. The harsh words hurt. They hurt
directly men who had seen God walking in person among the hills of
Umbria and believed He had rebegotten His Only Begotten in the guise of
a lad of that humble countryside.
That was why, perhaps as early as the year 1250, and not much later
than the year 1261, a monk of the March of Ancona, friend to the
missionary, Giovanni dalla Penna, and known, or rather unknown, as
Ugolino of Montegiorgio, began writing his Floretum, or "garden of
flowers", the flores being simply "notabilia", or "more noteworthy
things", things omitted from the formal biographies of the Saint, and
the omission of which distorted and misrepresented, as old-timers knew,
the spirit and the fact of those glorious days when the Saint was still
on earth.
The Floretum of Ugolino of Montegiorgio, in the form in which that
devoted monk composed it, has been lost to the world, though a copy of
it seems to have been extant as late as 1623, when Wadding, the great
Franciscan annalist, was writing his history of the Order in the
Convent of Saint Isidore in Rome. Just what it contained is not known
with certainty. Its text has to be reconstructed by inference from the
numerous re-workings of it made at later times. The direct re-workings
- they are substantial enlargements - are two in number: one, the Actus
beati Francisci et sociorum cius, of which the earliest surviving trace
is a mention in a catalogue of a convent in Assisi, dated 1381; and the
other, the Fioretti themselves, of which the earliest known manuscripts
date from 1390 (Berlin) and 1396 (Florence) respectively. Though the
Actus and the Fioretti, as we know them at present, stand in such close
relation that they could be word for word translations one of the
other, the Actus contain twenty-two chapters not appearing in the
Fioretti, and the Fioretti six chapters not appearing in the Actus. It
seems necessary to suppose that they derive from some previous, and
undiscovered, source, more comprehensive than either of them. Of this
unknown anthology of Franciscan miracles something nevertheless may be
said. While the Floretum of Ugolino did not extend beyond the year
1261, the source of the Actus-Fioretti dealt with episodes occurring
late in 1322; and its compiler knew Ugolino personally and probably
utilized other writings of Ugolino, which the latter had not exploited
in the Floretum.
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II
As is natural with a collection of wonder-stories, that same tendency
to growth which is manifest in the Actus-Fioretti as compared with the
re-constructed Floretum, is just as apparent in the history of the
Fioretti themselves. Two themes in particular were provocative of such
developments: on the one hand the life of Saint Francis, which moved
copyists of the Fioretti to supplement their deficiencies as a
biography with additions from other sources; the other, the parallelism
between Saint Francis and Jesus, which was always challenging the
ingenuity of the devout. These similitudes in the Fioretti are, with
characteristic humility, three; Bartolommeo Pisano, by the end of the
fourteenth century, increased them to forty; while Pedro Astorga, a
Spanish monk of the seventeenth century, who wrote with all the
characteristic vim of the Decadence, raised the number to four
thousand. Meantime there was a tendency to make the Fioretti an archive
of all Franciscan miracles - even at an early day those of Saint
Anthony of Padua began creeping in. That briskness, that contagious
chuckle, which is hidden in every paragraph of the fresh and vigorous
Tuscan original of the Fioretti was not long in producing additions in
the spirit of broad humor. We are encroaching on this sphere in the
familiar stories of Brother Juniper. We are surely in an outright
secular world in a fioretto which I picked up in Tuscany in my own
youth - the story of the Franciscan novice, who, on climbing the
blistering scorciatoie to his convent after the collect of alms on a
summer's day, sets his bushel of chestnuts on the ground, wipes his
brow, and then reflects, with a etaphoric worthy of Brother Elias, and
a Tuscan crudeness worthy of Brother Ruffino: "What a sell, if there
should be no heaven!" (Che fre...a se il cielo non c' e).
As regards, therefore, the many texts of the Fioretti, some of very
ancient authority, which circulate in the various editions, it may be
necessary to remember that, whatever the relation of the original of
the Actus-Fioretti to the Floretum, the Fioretti, proper, must have
contained fifty-three chapters, plus the five "considerations" on the
Stigmata of Saint Francis. This content, in fact, aside from internal
evidence, is vouched for by twenty-six manuscripts of the fifteenth
century and some of the early printed editions. Without entering into
the question of the varied adjuncts that were supplied at one time or
another from one source or another, we may note, simply, the
derivations of those additions which were accepted, with unsurpassed
discernment and for their intrinsic merits of spirit or beauty, by
Father Cesari in his classic edition of the Fioretti (Verona, 1822).
The "evidences" of the Stigmata presented in our chapters LIV-LVIII
were derived early in the fifteenth century from the Tractatus de
miraculous of Thomas of Celano, the earliest biographer and a
contemporary of the Saint. The "life" of Brother Juniper comes from an
early Latin manuscript (containing also a "life" of Brother Giles),
independent of the Actus-Fioretti, but which had been accreted to the
Fioretti also in the fifteenth century. The "instructions and notable
sayings of Brother Giles" are by a known Florentine author, Feo
Belcari, who died in 1484. Despite the several hands that must have
tinkered with the substance of the Fioretti before they reached their
more extensive forms, one would not go far amiss in recognizing in a
work of such surpassing literary charm the imprint of two unusual
personalities.
The one must be that unknown monk of Tuscany who translated these
stories (or compiled them, as the case may be) in such a sparkling and
vivacious Tuscan idiom, an idiom as simple, direct, and limpid as may
be imagined, but with an unfailing instinct for the enduring elements
in a still future Italian language, and an idiom, withal, that retains
the full vigor and picturesqueness of a peasant intelligence, wise in
its worldly wisdom but unspoiled by any involutions of culture.
The second must be that same Ugolino of Montegiorgio, who somehow
managed to condense into the pages of the old Floretum such a
distillation of the pure spirit of early Franciscanism as to strike a
tone and establish a mood which no later re-workings of his text could
vitiate. In the sphere of fact, we may say that through Ugolino, who
borrowed from Jacopo dalla Massa, an "eye-witness", and from legends
going back to Brother Leo, these stories arrive at the very days of
Saint Francis, without, for that matter, attaining any very great
amount of historical plausibility. But it is a case where the truth of
art transcends the truth of fact, and creates a verity more real than
science or scholarship could by themselves attain. To possess the
Fioretti is to re-live the early period of Franciscanism much as it was
lived by the friends and disciples of the Saint.
But, in this connection, one must raise a warning against reading the
Little Flowers with that long face of piety which is so easily put on
in the presence of any literature that has a sacred look. Such
sentimentalism, which blinds so many devout Christians to the art of
the Bible for instance, is a variance with the shrewd simplicity of
this folk masterpiece of Central Italy. What we have here, let us
insist on the point, is humor; and one who cannot - I will not say
laugh - one who cannot smile, will have read the Little Flowers in
vain. I am not so sure that this smile did not, on occasion, play about
the lips of Brother Ugolino himself. The world of humility, self-denial
and "love" is one thing; and the world of self-assertion and
competition is another thing; and they are things so antithetical to
each other, in their perfection, that the wisdom of the one is the
lunacy of the other, and vice versa.
One need not and perhaps should not further analyse the motivation of
the smile, which is the smile the sophisticated must always have for
the I. The I is always humor because it tends to simplify the majestic
and the complex, making it mechanical, but at the same time more
approachable and more lovable. The smile cannot be a laugh. A tear
lingers just behind it.
The artless art of Ugolino (if it be his) was pure art in the sense
that it presents concepts as image, each image replete with conceptual
suggestiveness. Saint Francis nibbling at his "second loaf", in order
not to sin by presumption in etaphor the Lord's fast of forty days; the
Pope's curiosity to see Saint Clare make the Cross appear in the crust
of her buns; the two dialogues of the friars with their translated
brethren; the Saint's long wrestling with the Devil; Satan's revenge by
causing a landslide with the swish of his tail; the astonishment of the
"ladies and the cavaliers" at the holy spectacle of the first
"Chapter"; Brother Bernard's founding of the Order at Bologna - the
Fioretti are all scenes that could be painted (and were painted, as
legend asserts, by Giotto). As the pictures multiply, the mood deepens
in beauty and richness - and we must not forget to smile, meantime; for
the perfection of humility and Christian love which the friars
exemplify is attained by the most humble and direct of mechanical
means. One can well understand the ancient quarrel in the Order. These
untutored converts of Saint Francis were playing with a magic art,
which evoked the Devil when it was black, and constrained the
appearance of the Divinity when of brighter hue (XLIX).
There is little, if any, theology about these simple friars. Such
questions belonged to those who were lettered and knew people off in
the big towns, Rome, perhaps. They cared little about such things,
having found in faith at all times, and now and again in "rapture", a
direct access to the benign powers. One feels a sort of regional
secretiveness in this technique of virtue, which also was practised in
individual secretiveness, lest pride success give Satan his chance. The
sweetness of this child-like literalism resides in part, I believe, in
an absence of a note of spiritual "arrivism", or spiritual "climbing",
which one so minded can find even offensive in a Dante or a Savonarola.
These straightforward souls of the brotherhood of Saint Francis wanted
to keep out of Hell because it was hot, and to get out of Purgatory
because it was uncomfortable. Yet they, too, like Jesus, visioned a
love so great that willingly the least of them would have accepted
damnation so only the world might have been saved. If one seek the
moral theme in this early Franciscanism, one finds at least a morality
that is made always for oneself and not for other people. Here again on
earth were men who judged not, who loved the lost even more than the
virtuous, and the bandit as much as the cavalier.
It was, after all, a snug and cosy world, the world in which these
early Franciscans lived, a world personally supervised by its Creator,
who walked the earth as a man among men, and who loved His creatures
with a parent's love, assisted in His care of them by His Son and His
Son's Mother. Thus warmly had Jesus thought of the world in His time -
a projection, perhaps, as Renan suggests, of a verdant Galilee
blossoming in the Syrian desert. This "naturalism" of the early
Franciscans, so beautifully expressed in the lauds and in the
"Canticle" of the Saint himself, finds surely in the Little Flowers its
most complete and beautiful expression. It has been through them that
the birds who stretched their throats and bowed their heads in approval
of the Saint's exhortation to praise have ever since made their
chirping voices heard above the noisy history of Europe. To savor this
naturalism in its full freshness one need only turn to some expression
of the naturalisms of a later day, that of the Rousseauians or of our
own Emerson or Thoreau. These two were efforts to being God back into
the world (from which He had been exiled by Cartesian logic). But how
vain the effort! How unsatisfactory a God that is only Nature, and how
literary and etaphorical a Nature which we must think of as God! It is
a more real and understandable thing, this Nature of the early
Franciscans, the "useful", "humble", "comfortable" invention of a God
who could be used, if one treated Him right, for the humble commonplace
needs of common everyday people.
And we have said nothing about Frate Lupo! There are those who say he
was a man, perhaps a bandit by that name. Anyone who can read the
Little Flowers without understanding that Frate Lupo was a wolf, will,
like those who cannot smile, have read them in vain!
Arthur Livingston
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PART ONE
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HERE BEGIN THE LITTLE FLOWERS
OF SAINT FRANCIS
OF ASSISI
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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