1 Life of Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Bonaventure 1263 Saint Bonaventure ca 1217 1274 was the minister general of the Franciscan Order from 1257 to 1274 and an important medieval theologian During his tenure as the head of the Franciscans internal divisions threatened to split the order his leadership and mediation held it together As minister general he recodified the rule of the order in 1260 and wrote the Life of Saint Francis in 1263 These excerpts tell the story of how Saint Francis founded the Order how he came to embrace poverty as the special characteristic of his calling and how he received the five wounds of Christ stigmata in Latin a sign of holiness in the Catholic tradition CHAPTER 1 OF HIS MANNER OF LIFE IN THE SECULAR STATE 1 There was a man in the city of Assisi by name Francis whose memory is blessed for that God graciously preventing him with the blessings of goodness delivered him in His mercy from the perils of this present life and abundantly filled him with the gifts of heavenly grace For albeit in his youth he was reared in vanity amid the vain sons of men and after gaining some knowledge of letters was appointed unto a profitable business of merchandise nevertheless by the aid of the divine protection he went not astray among the wanton youths after the lusts of the flesh albeit given up unto pleasures nor among the covetous merchants albeit intent on his gains did he put his trust in money and treasure For there was divinely implanted in the heart of the young Francis a certain generous compassion toward the poor the which growing up with him from infancy had so filled his heart with kindliness that when he came to be no deaf hearer of the Gospel he was minded to give unto all that asked of him in especial if they pleaded the love of God But once on a time when he had been busied with the cares of his trading and contrary unto his wont had sent empty away a certain beggar who besought an alms for the love of God he forthwith returning unto his pitiful mind ran after him and bestowed alms in merciful wise upon him promising unto the Lord God that thenceforward he would never while he could refuse any that asked of him pleading the love of God And this promise with unwearied goodness he did observe until his death thereby winning abundant increase of the love and grace of God For he was wont to say in after time when he had perfectly put on Christ that even while he was in the secular state he could scarce ever hear words telling of the love of God and remain unmoved in heart Assuredly the charm of his gentleness and his courtly bearing his submissiveness and docility surpassing men s wont his open handed largesse even beyond his means were all clear tokens of the fair disposition of the youth and seemed to be a presage of the abundance of divine blessing that should thereafter be poured out more richly upon him A certain citizen of Assisi a simpleton as was believed yet one taught in God whensoever he met Francis going through the city would doff his cloak and spread the garment before his feet declaring that Francis was worthy of all honor as one that should ere long do mighty deeds and was on this account to be splendidly honored by all the faithful 2 2 But as yet Francis knew not the intent of God concerning him forasmuch as he was both drawn away unto external things by his father s calling and weighed down toward earthly things by the corruption inborn in our nature and had not yet learned to contemplate heavenly things nor accustomed himself to taste of divine And because the infliction of tribulation gives understanding unto the spirit the hand of the Lord was upon him and the changes of the right hand of the Most High afflicting his body with protracted sickness that so He might prepare his soul for the anointing of the Holy Spirit Now when he had regained his bodily strength and had made ready for himself in this wonted fashion meet apparel he met a certain soldier of noble birth but poor and ill clad whereupon compassionating his poverty with a kindly impulse he forthwith did off his garments and put them on him thus in one act fulfilling a twofold ministry of kindliness insomuch as he both covered the shame of a noble knight and relieved the destitution of a poor man 3 Now on the night following when he had yielded himself unto sleep the divine mercy showed him a fair and great palace together with military accouterments adorned with the sign of the Cross of Christ thus setting forth unto him that the mercy he had shown unto the poor soldier for the love of the King Most High was to be recompensed by this peerless reward Accordingly when he enquired whose were these things answer was made him by a divine declaration that they all were his own and his soldiers Then waking at early morn since he had not yet practiced his mind in examining the divine mysteries and knew not how to pass through the appearance of things seen unto the beholding of the truth of things unseen he accounted this strange vision a token of great good fortune Wherefore he purposed being as yet ignorant of the divine counsel to betake himself into Apulia unto a certain munificent Count hoping in his service to win glory in arms as the vision shown onto him had betokened With but little delay he set forth on his journey and had gone as far as the neighboring city there he heard the Lord speaking unto him by night as with the voice of a friend and saying Francis who can do better for thee the lord or the servant the rich man or the poor And when Francis had made reply that alike the lord and the rich man could do the best the Voice answered forthwith Why then dost thou leave the Lord for the servant the rich God for a poor mortal And Francis said Lord what wilt Thou have me to do And the Lord said unto him Return unto thy country for the vision that thou hast seen betokened that which shall be spiritually wrought and is to be fulfilled in thee not by mortal counsel but by divine So when it was morning he returned in haste toward Assisi confident and rejoicing awaiting the will of the Lord 4 Thenceforward he withdrew him from the stir of public business devoutly praying the heavenly mercy that it would deign to show him that which he ought to do And so by the constant practice of prayer the flame of heavenly yearning was mightily kindled within him and for the love of his heavenly fatherland he now contemned all earthly things as naught for he felt he had found the hid
View Full Document
Unlocking...