THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS

CHAPTER I

IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE CRUCIFIED, AND OF HIS MOTHER THE VIRGIN MARY. IN THIS BOOK ARE CONTAINED CERTAIN LITTLE FLOWERS, MIRACLES, AND DEVOUT EXAMPLES OF CHRIST'S POOR LITTLE ONE, ST. FRANCIS, AND OF SOME OF HIS HOLY COMPANIONS; TO THE PRAISE OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN

The first consideration is that the glorious St. Francis in all the acts of his life conformed to Christ the Blessed. And just as Christ, at the beginning of his mission, chose twelve Apostles who were to despise all worldly things and follow Him in poverty and in the other virtues, so St. Francis in the beginning chose for the foundation of his Order twelve companions who possessed nothing except the worst poverty. And just as one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, being accused by God, went and hanged himself by the neck, so one of the twelve companions of St. Francis, whose name was Friar John della Capella, became a criminal and at last hanged himself by the neck. Now these things are a great warning to the elect, and matter for humility and fear when they consider that none is certain of persevering to the end in God's grace. And just as those holy Apostles were, above all, wondrous in their holiness and humility and filled with the Holy Ghost, so those most holy companions of St. Francis were men of such saintliness that, since the days of the Apostles, the world has never beheld men so wondrously holy. For one among them was rapt, like St. Paul, up to the third heaven, and he was Friar Giles; another, that is, Friar Philip, was touched on the lips by an angel with a coal of fire, as the prophet Isaiah was; another, Friar Silvester, spoke with God or one friend speaks with another after the manner of Moses; another by the purity of his mind soared as far as the light of the Divine Wisdom, just as did the Eagle, that is to say, John the Evangelist, and he was Friar Bernard, humblest of men, who used to expound the Holy Scriptures most profoundly; yet another was sanctified by God and canonized in heaven while yet he lived in the world, and he was Friar Rufus, a nobleman of Assisi. And thus were all distinguished by singular marks of holiness, as will be made clear later.

CHAPTER II

OF FRIAR BERNARD OF QUINTAVALLE, THE FIRST COMPANION OF ST. FRANCIS

The first companion of St. Francis was Friar Bernard of Assisi, that was converted after this manner: St. Francis, while yet in the secular habit, albeit he had renounced the world, used to go about in the shabbiest clothes, and so disfigured by penance that many held him to be a fool, and they mocked and chased him as if he were a madman, and both kinsfolk and strangers pelted him with stones and filthy mire; but he, just as one deaf and dumb, went his way enduring every insult and injury patiently. Now Bernard of Assisi, who was one of the noblest and richest and wisest of that city, began to consider wisely concerning St. Francis and his great contempt of this world and his long suffering under injury; and that, in spite of the two years that he had been hated and despised by all men, he always seemed more steadfast. And he began to consider these things and to say to himself, "It's certain that this friar has great grace from God." And he invited St. Francis to eat and stay with him; and St. Francis accepted and ate and remained the night. And then Bernard determined in his heart to contemplate his holiness: wherefore he had a bed made ready for him in his own chamber in which a lamp always burned at night. And St. Francis, to conceal his holiness, flung himself on his bed immediately after he entered his chamber and pretended to sleep: and Bernard in the same way, after a little while, lay down on his bed and began to snore loudly, as one sunk in deepest slumber. St. Francis, believing that Bernard slept, arose in the stillness of the night from his bed and knelt down to pray; lifting his eyes and hands to heaven he cried with great devotion and passion, "My God, my God!" And so saying and weeping bitter tears, he prayed until morning, ever repeating, " My God my God!" and nothing else. And St. Francis said this, while contemplating and marveling at the excellency of the Divine Majesty that had decided to stoop down to this perishing world, and, through His poor little one, St. Francis, had resolved to bring healing salvation to his soul and to others. And therefore, lighted by the Holy Ghost or by the spirit of prophecy, he could foresee the great things that God was to work through him and his Order. And considering his own insufficiency and little worth he called on God Almighty and prayed that of His compassion He would supply, aid, and complete that which he of his own frailty could not achieve. Now Bernard, when he saw these most pious acts of St. Francis by the light of the lamp, and had seriously considered the words he uttered, was moved and inspired by the Holy Ghost to change his manner of life; it came about, then, when morning came he called St. Francis to him and said: "Friar Francis, I have fully determined in my heart to abandon the world and obey you in all things you command me." When St. Francis heard this he rejoiced inwardly and said, " Bernard, this that you undertake is a work so great and so difficult that it is appropriate for us to seek counsel of our Lord Jesus Christ and pray that it may please Him to reveal His will concerning this thing, and teach us how we may put it into execution. Therefore we will go together to the bishop's house, where a good priest dwells, and mass shall be said, and then we will remain in prayer until tierce, asking God to point out to us in three openings of the mass book the way it pleases Him we should choose." Bernard answered that this pleased him much. So they set forth and went to the bishop's house, and after they had heard mass and had remained in prayer until tierce, the priest, at the request of St. Francis, took the book, and having made the sign of holy cross, opened it three times in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And at the first opening he happened on those words that Christ in the gospel spoke to the young man who asked concerning the perfect way, " If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor and follow Me." In the second opening occurred those words that Christ spoke to the Apostles when He sent them to preach, "Take nothing for your journey, neither staves nor scrip, neither shoes nor money," desiring by this to teach them that all trust for their livelihood should be placed in God, and all their mind intent on preaching the holy gospel. In the third opening were found those words which Christ spoke, "If any man will come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me." Then said St. Francis to Bernard, "Behold the counsel that Christ gives us. Go, therefore, do faithfully what you have heard, and blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has decided to reveal to us the evangelical life." Hearing this, Bernard departed and sold all he had (for he was very rich), and with great joy distributed all to widows and orphans, to prisoners and hospitals and pilgrims; and in all these things St. Francis helped him faithfully and carefully. And one whose name was Silvester, when he saw that St. Francis gave and caused to be given so much money to the poor, was tempted to avarice, and said to St. Francis, "You did not pay me fully for the stones you bought from me to repair the church, and therefore now you have money, pay me." Then St. Francis, marveling at his avarice, and as a true follower of the gospel desiring not to contend with him, thrust his hands in Bernard's chest, and with hands full of money placed them in Silvester's chest, saying, that if he would have more, more should be given him. And Silvester, satisfied with this, departed and returned home, but in the evening, thinking about what he had done that day and on the fervor of Bernard and the holiness of St. Francis, he condemned himself for his avarice. And that night following and two other nights he had from God this vision: he beheld a cross of gold issue from the mouth of St. Francis, the top whereof touched heaven, and the arms stretched from the east as far as the west. Because of this vision he gave up all he had for love of God, and became a friar minor, and such holiness and grace had he in the Order that he spoke with God just as one friend with another, as St. Francis proved and as will be related later. Bernard likewise was so filled with God's grace that in contemplation he was often taken up to God. And St. Francis used to say of him that he was worthy of all reverence and had founded this Order, for he was the first who had abandoned the world, holding back nothing, but giving all to Christ's poor, and the first who began his evangelic poverty by offering himself naked to the arms of the Crucified, to whom be all praise and glory world without end. Amen.