Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Paul Sabatier (best historical biographies txt) 📕

of the early days. It will be remembered with what zeal Francis had repaired several churches; his solicitude went further; he saw a sort of profanation in the negligence with which most of them were kept; the want of cleanliness of the sacred objects, ill-concealed by tinsel, gave him a sort of pain, and it often happened that when he was going to preach somewhere he secretly called together the priests of the locality and implored them to look after the decency of the service. But even in these cases he was not content to preach only in words; binding together some stalks of heather he would make them into brooms for sweeping out the churches.

One day in the suburbs of Assisi he was performing this task when a peasant appeared, who had left his oxen and cart out in the fields while he came to gaze at him.

"Brother," said he on entering, "give me the broom. I will help
you," and he swept out the rest of the church.

When he had finished, "Brother," he said to Francis, "for a long
time I have decided to serve God, especially when I heard men
speak of you. But I never knew how to find you. Now it has
pleased God that we should meet, and henceforth I shall do
whatever you may please to command me."

Francis seeing his fervor felt a great joy; it seemed to him
that with his simplicity and honesty he would become a good
friar.

It appears indeed that he had only too much simplicity, for after his reception he felt himself bound to imitate every motion of the master, and when the latter coughed, spat, or sighed, he did the same. At last Francis noticed it and gently reproved him. Later he became so perfect that the other friars admired him greatly, and after his death, which took place not long after, St. Francis loved to relate his conversion, calling him not Brother John, but Brother St. John.[23]

Ginepro is still more celebrated for his holy follies.

One day he went to see a sick Brother and offered him his services. The patient confessed that he had a great longing to eat a pig's foot; the visitor immediately rushed out, and armed with a knife ran to the neighboring forest, where, espying a troop of pigs, he cut off a foot of one of them, returning to the monastery full of pride over his trophy.

The owner of the pigs shortly followed, howling like mad, but Ginepro went straight to him and pointed out with so much volubility that he had done him a great service, that the man, after overwhelming him with reproaches, suddenly begged pardon, killed the pig and invited all the Brothers to feast upon it. Ginepro was probably less mad than the story would lead us to suppose; Franciscan humility never had a more sincere disciple; he could not endure the tokens of admiration which the populace very early lavished on the growing Order, and which by their extravagance contributed so much to its decadence.

One day, as he was entering Rome, the report of his arrival spread abroad, and a great crowd came out to meet him. To escape was impossible, but he suddenly had an inspiration; near the gate of the city some children were playing at see-saw; to the great amazement of the Romans Ginepro joined them, and, without heeding the salutations addressed to him, remained so absorbed in his play that at last his indignant admirers departed.[24]

It is clear that the life at Portiuncula must have been very different from that of an ordinary convent. So much youth,[25] simplicity, love, quickly drew the eyes of men toward it. From all sides they were turned to those thatched huts, where dwelt a spiritual family whose members loved one another more than men love on earth, leading a life of labor, mirth, and devotion. The humble chapel seemed a new Zion destined to enlighten the world, and many in their dreams beheld blind humanity coming to kneel there and recover sight.[26]

Among the first disciples who joined themselves to St. Francis we must mention Brother Silvestro, the first priest who entered the Order, the very same whom we have already seen the day that Bernardo di Quintevalle distributed his goods among the poor. Since then he had not had a moment's peace, bitterly reproaching himself for his avarice; night and day he thought only of that, and in his dreams he saw Francis exorcising a horrid monster which infested all the region.[27]

By his age and the nature of the memory he has left behind him Silvestro resembles Brother Bernardo. He was what is usually understood by a holy priest, but nothing denotes that he had the truly Franciscan love of great enterprises, distant journeys, perilous missions. Withdrawn into one of the grottos of the Carceri, absorbed in the contemplative life, he gave spiritual counsels to his brethren as occasion served.[28]

The typical Franciscan priest is Brother Leo. The date of his entrance into the Order is not exactly known, but we are probably not far from the truth in placing it about 1214. Of a charming simplicity, tender, affectionate, refined, he is, with Brother Elias, the one who plays the noblest part during the obscure years in which the new reform was being elaborated. Becoming Francis's confessor and secretary, treated by him as his favorite son, he excited much opposition, and was to the end of his long life the head of the strict observance.[29]

One winter's day, St. Francis was going with Brother Leo from
Perugia to Santa Maria degli Angeli, and the cold, being
intense, made them shiver; he called Brother Leo, who was
walking a little in advance, and said: "O Brother Leo, may it
please God that the Brothers Minor all over the world may give a
great example of holiness and edification; write, however, and
note with care, that not in this is the perfect joy."

St. Francis, going on a little farther, called him a second
time: "O Brother Leo, if the Brothers Minor gave sight to the
blind, healed the infirm, cast out demons, gave hearing to the
deaf, or even what is much more, if they raised the four days
dead, write that not in this is the perfect joy."

Going on a little farther he cried: "O Brother Leo, if the
Brother Minor knew all languages, all science, and all
scriptures, if he could prophesy and reveal not only future
things but even the secrets of consciences and of souls, write
that not in this consists the perfect joy."

Going a little farther St. Francis called to him again: "O
Brother Leo, little sheep of God, if the Brother Minor could
speak the language of angels, if he knew the courses of the
stars and the virtues of plants, if all the treasures of earth
were revealed to him, and he knew the qualities of birds,
fishes, and all animals, of men, trees, rocks, roots, and
waters, write that not in these is the perfect joy."

And advancing still a little farther St. Francis called loudly
to him: "O Brother Leo, if the Brother Minor could preach so
well as to convert all infidels to the faith of Christ, write
that not in this is the perfect joy."

While speaking thus they had already gone more than two miles,
and Brother Leo, full of surprise, said to him: "Father, I pray
you in God's name tell me in what consists the perfect joy."

And St. Francis replied: "When we arrive at Santa Maria degli
Angeli, soaked with rain, frozen with cold, covered with mud,
dying of hunger, and we knock and the porter comes in a rage,
saying, 'Who are you?' and we answer, 'We are two of your
brethren,' and he says, 'You lie, you are two lewd fellows who
go up and down corrupting the world and stealing the alms of the
poor. Go away from here!' and he does not open to us, but leaves
us outside shivering in the snow and rain, frozen, starved, till
night; then, if thus maltreated and turned away, we patiently
endure all without murmuring against him, if we think with
humility and charity that this porter really knows us truly and
that God makes him speak thus to us, then, O Brother Leo, write
that in this is the perfect joy.... Above all the graces and all
the gifts which the Holy Spirit gives to his friends is the
grace to conquer oneself, and willingly to suffer pain,
outrages, disgrace, and evil treatment, for the love of
Christ!"[30]

Although by its slight and somewhat playful character this story recalls the insipid statues of the fourteenth century, it has justly become celebrated, its spirit is thoroughly Franciscan; that transcendent idealism, which sees in perfection and joy two equivalent terms, and places perfect joy in the pure and serene region of the perfecting of oneself; that sublime simplicity which so easily puts in their true place the miracle-worker and the scholar, these are perhaps not entirely new;[31] but St. Francis must have had singular moral strength to impose upon his contemporaries ideas in such absolute contradiction to their habits and their hopes; for the intellectual aristocracy of the thirteenth century with one accord found the perfect joy in knowledge, while the people found it in miracles.

Doubtless we must not forget those great mystical families, which, all through the Middle Ages, were the refuge of the noblest souls; but they never had this fine simplicity. The School is always more or less the gateway to mysticism; it is possible only to an elect of subtile minds; a pious peasant seldom understands the Imitation.

It may be said that all St. Francis's philosophy is contained in this chapter of the Fioretti.[32] From it we foresee what will be his attitude toward learning, and are helped to understand how it happens that this famous saint was so poor a miracle-worker.

Twelve centuries before, Jesus had said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they who suffer." The words of St. Francis are only a commentary, but this commentary is worthy of the text.

It remains to say a word concerning two disciples who were always closely united with Brother Leo in the Franciscan memorials--Rufino and Masseo.

Born of a noble family