Chapter XI. Of S. Francis' spirit of prophecy and his admonitions

26. Now the blessed father Francis was being filled day by day with the comfort and grace of the Holy Ghost; and with all watchfulness and care was fashioning his new sons by a new education, teaching them to tread with undeviating steps the way of holy poverty and blessed simplicity. And one day when¹ he was marvelling at the Lord's mercy in regard to the benefits He had bestowed upon him, and was longing that the future course of his own and his disciples' life might be shown him by the Lord, he sought the place of prayer, as he was wont very often to do, and as he continued there for a long time, waiting upon the Ruler of the whole world with fear and trembling, thinking in the bitterness of his soul of the years ill spent, and often repeating the words, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," by degrees a certain unspeakable joy and surpassing sweetness began to overflow his inmost heart. He began also to stand aloof from himself; the feelings were checked and the darkness dispersed which through fear of sin had gathered in his heart; there was poured into him assurance of the forgiveness of all offences, and confidence of restoration to grace was vouchsafed to him. Then he was caught up above himself, and wholly absorbed in a certain light; the capacity of his mind was enlarged, and he beheld clearly what was to come to pass. Finally, as that sweetness faded away with the light, having been renewed in spirit, he already seemed changed into another man.

27. And so he came back and said to the brethren rejoicing: "Take courage, beloved, and rejoice in the Lord, and be not sad because ye seem few. Nor let my simplicity nor your own dismay you, forasmuch as, even as the Lord has shown me in truth, God shall make us grow into a great multitude, and shall give us manifold enlargement, even unto the ends of the world. I am constrained also for your profit to tell you what I have seen; but far more gladly would I keep silence concerning it, did not charity constrain me to report it to you. I have seen a great multitude of men coming to us, and desiring to live with us in the habit of holy life and under the rule of blessed Religion. And lo! there is still in mine ears the sound of them as they go and return at the bidding of holy obedience. I have seen as it were the ways filled with the multitude of them assembling in these parts out of almost every nation. Frenchmen are coming, Spaniards hastening, Germans and English running, and a mighty multitude of diverse others tongues are speeding." When the brethren had heard this they were filled with saving joy, both by reason of the grace the Lord God had bestowed on His Saint, and because they were ardently thirsting for the profit of their neighbours, desiring that they might daily increase therein to the end they might be saved.

28. And the Saint said to them: "Brethren, in order that we may give thanks faithfully and devoutly to the Lord our God for all His gifts, and that ye may know what manner of life that of the present and of future brethren is to be, understand the truth concerning what shall come to pass. Now, at the beginning of our life, we shall find fruits exceeding sweet and pleasant to eat; but after a while fruits less sweet and pleasant shall be offered us; and at last, some that are full of bitterness shall be given, which we shall not be able to eat, for they shall be uneatable by all men by reason of their bitterness, though they may show some outward fragrance and beauty. And verily, as I have told you, the Lord shall increase us into a great people; but at last it shall happen even as if a man should cast his nets into the sea, or into some lake, and should enclose a plenteous multitude of fish, and, when he has put them all into his boat, should, disliking to cany them all because of their multitude, choose out the larger and those that best please him to put into his vessels, and throw the rest away!

The conspicuous truth and the manifest fulfilment of all these things which the Saint of God foretold are plain enough to all who consider them in the spirit of truth. Behold how the spirit of prophecy rested on S. Francis!

Footnotes

1. See Isaiah vi. 6 (Vulgate and R.V. margin). ↩