Sermon for the Second Sunday before Lent

Sermon for the Second Sunday before Lent

The Cultivation oJGod's Word ----------------- "death has been swallowed up in victory" [15:53-54]. It is necessary moreover that this corruptible mortal flesh put on incorruptibility and immortality through conformity to the purity of Christ's body, Christ who is our head. Otherwise something unfitting would occur: The head would be beautiful and immortal, while the other members of the body would be corruptible and deformed. Once we are conformed to Christ, death will be swallowed up in the victory of the resurrection of Christ.

Sermon for the Second Sunday before Lent But that on the good ground are those who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in a good and honest heart and bringforth frUit with patience. [Lk 8: 15] Give an occasion to the wise, and they will become wiser still. In the words of this second passage taken from the Book of Proverbs

[9:9], three things are described which are required of anyone who wishes to propound the word of God. These are a spirit of generosity, brevity in speech, and the prospect of usefulness. A generous spirit is indicated when it says: Give. That is, do not sell it for a price or barter it, for the Lord says: Freery you have received, freery give [Mt 10:8]. Brevity in speech is alluded to in what follows: an occasion. Such an occasion is offered to listeners when, in the words of the Rule of the Friars Minor "a brief discourse, vices and virtues" are proclaimed to them "because a short word the Lord made upon the earth." The prospect of usefulness is noted when it concludes: and they will become wiser still.

So, dear friends, let us beseech the Lord at the beginning of this sermon that he might give me a generous spirit and brevity in speech, so that something useful for you might result.

Amen.

The Cultivation of God's Word

-----------------But that on the good ground are those who, when thry hear the word, hold it fast in a good and honest heart and bringforth fruit with patience. According to Saint Gregory in his Moral Lessons, "humility discloses to us the light of understanding, pride conceals it." So our Lord Jesus Christ, aware that it was well-pleasing to God the Father, proclaimed the reign of God to proud, haughty, human beings only through parables, so that he might humble the conceited minds of those who heard but did not understand. To his disciples, to whom it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God [Mt 13: 11], he laid open the meaning of the parable in today's gospel when he told them in this passage which concludes his exposition of this parable:

But that on the good ground are those, etc. Notice that in this parable he proceeds in a very orderly fashion. As we all know, if earthly soil is to yield fruit, first of all it must be prepared, then sown; only afterwards may fruit be gathered from it. So in this passage, we are informed first about the necessary preparation of our hearts; secondly, about the steadfast reception of the divine seed; and thirdly, once the seed has been received, about the fruit which is produced in due season. It alludes to the necessary preparation of the heart in the words: that on the good ground, for this goodness of the ground is nothing else than the proper preparation of our heart. Next, it refers to the steadfast reception of the divine seed when it says: those who, when thry hear the word, hold it fast in a good and honest heart. Finally, it speaks of the received seed bearing fruit in its season when it concludes: and bringforth fruit with patience. This refers to those who endure persecution patiently on account of the word of God, and all other kinds of afflictions as well, whether these be caused by others or come from within.

Preparation of the Heart for the Word of God Let us first examine, then, the necessary preparation of our heart in the passage: that on the good ground. We should ready our heart, which Christ here describes through the metaphor

The Cultivatiol1 of God's Word ----------------------- -------------------of "the good ground," in the same way as material soil. Notice the way in which the earth is well prepared and thus readied to bear fruit: first, it is totally cleared of noxious roots; next, it is irrigated by streams of water; finally, it is exposed to the heat of the sun. Only insofar as it is warmed by the sun's life-giving rays can the sown seed germinate. So we too must proceed in a similar fashion, if indeed we want our heart to be well prepared and readied to produce the fruit of good works: first, we must uproot all the thorny growth of sin; then, we must water it through the tears of contrition; finally, we must be inflamed with holy desires, for only with this life-giving warmth can the received and retained word of God germinate and bear the fruit of good works.

First of all, the noxious roots of sin must be cleared from the soil of our heart. As the Book of Proverbs says: The one who tills his land shall be satiified with bread, but the one who follows idleness is very foolish [12: 11]. The one who tills the land of his own conscience, rooting out the brambles of vice with the sharp spade of contrition, pulling up the thorn bushes of sin by means of a sincere confession, and clearing away the nettles of evil desires through the practice of discipline and mortification, will be satiified with the bread of good works. But the one who follows idleness, letting his land be overgrown with the brambl~s of vice, the thorns of sin, and the nettles of evil desires, is very foolish. This is why it is good to till your land: that you might bringforth bread from the earth and wine to cheer the human heart, as the psalmist says [104: 14] . Yes, this is the way for you to bringforth the bread of good works for your nourishmentfrom the earth of your own conscience and the wine of inner devotion to cheer it.

Next, the soil of our heart must be irrigated by the water of our repentant tears. As it is said in the Book of Judges: Give me a blessing,jor you have given me arid land; give me also basins of water

[1: 15]. The devout soul knows from its own experience that an abundant flow of tears and deep contrition of the heart do not come from itself but from God. It is for that reason that it seeks its own healing: Give me a blessing, and then I will water the arid land of my conscience with the water of the tears of compunc-

The Cultivation of God's Word

tion. The psalmist also cries: My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, my spirit fails [143: 6-7]. Zealous David was well aware that his soul, like a parched land, could not produce the yield of good works without being watered by tears of contrition and irrigated by inner devotion. So he begged the Lord, imploring fervently: Answer me quickly, sending the moisture of interior devotion and external weeping,jor my spirit fails parched by the lack of inward feeling and by the heat of worldly affections.

Finally, the soil of our heart must be inflamed by a desire for the things of God. As Sirach tells us: The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises, what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High. At noon it burns up the land [43:2]. The sun of justice, that is, Christ our God is radiant in his divinity when he appears within, just as he was outwardly in his humanity. He is a marvelous instrument indeed, containing the incomprehensible

Godhead, for in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily [Col 2:9]. He is called the work of the Most High, for even though the Most High Lord forms all things in nature, he has, nonetheless, fashioned Christ in a marvelous way that transcends nature. He truly at noon burns up the land, that is, when he sets our heart on fire with a burning love for himself.

The Reception of the Word of God After this, the passage continues: these are the ones who, when thry hear the word, hold it fast in a good and honest heart. This refers to the steadfast reception of the divine seed. That we might hear in a way as will bear fruit, today's gospel teaches that we must first receive the word, listening to it reverently with inner tranquillity; second, that we must hold it fast, firmly believing it with total fidelity; and third, that having understood it we must lovingly put it into practice through our deeds.

First of all, we must receive the word of God reverently, listening to it with tranquillity of spirit. Our Lord warns us in today's gospel: As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who

The Cultivation of God's Word -------------------- --------------------hear; but as thry go on their way, thry are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures oflife, and their fruit does not mature [Lk 8: 14].

Gregory tells us in his Moral Lessons: "The troubled minds of the worldly cry out by the mere circumstance of their not being quiet, that they are widely separated from true Wisdom." In a similar vein, he says: "We do not learn the secret things of God unless virtuous desires flourish within us; ... it is then that the mind penetrates, in a more lively manner, the words of God, when it refuses to admit within the tumults of worldly cares."

For the words of the wise are heard in quiet [Eccl9: 17]. Mary Magdalene recognized this; as Luke tells us, she sat at the Lord'sfeet and listened to his word [10:39]. She sat in tranquillity of spirit, not running to and fro with an unsettled heart. As Gregory teaches us in the Moral Lessons, the one who seeks wisdom should withdraw from cares and distractions; onry the one who has little business can become wise [Sir 38:24]. Instead, she sat at Jesus'jeet with a humble heart, "for the swollen mind is an impediment in the way of truth, because while it puffs us up it obscures our view." Instead, she listened to his word, inclining her ear,forgetting her Jewish people, and her father's house, that is, the devil's, whose child she was by performing his works.

Next, we must hold the word fast, firmly believing it with total fidelity. Thus, the Lord refers to those who do not retain it well: The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe onry for a while and in a time of testingfall away [Lk 8: 13]. Concerning those who firmly believe it, holding it fast, he continues: But as for that in the good ground, these are the ones who, when thry hear the word, hold it fast in a good and honest heart and bear fruit with patience [Lk

8: 15], that is, when they patiently endure persecutions and all other types of evil on account of the word of God.

Finally, having understood the word, we must put it into practice by our deeds, for the Lord warns us about those who listen but fail to do anything about it, saying in Matthew:

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the palh [13: 19]. I Ie continues, referring to

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---------------------those who put into practice what they have understood: But as jor what was sown on good ground, this the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, yielding in one case a hundredjold, in another sixry, and in another thirry [13:23], The word is sown on good soil when what is understood is put into practice; then the word bears fruit thirryjold in married folk, sixryjold in the continent, but a hundredjold in virgins. The merit of married folk is designated by the number thirty, which is the multiple of 3 and 10; this signifies that married people possess faith in the Trinity and adhere to the ten commandments of the Law. Likewise, the number sixty, which is the multiple of 6 and 10, denotes the merit of the continent, inasmuch as they too observe the ten commandments of the Law but also devote themselves to the six works of mercy as expressed in the following verse:

I visit, give drink, feed, redeem, clothe, shelter, bury.

The continent should visit the sick, feed and give drink to the starving, redeem the captive, clothe the naked, house the stranger, and bury the dead. The merit of virgins, because of its perfection, is designated however by the number a hundred.

Now this hundred and the reason for its perfection may be laid out on your right hand. To explain this statement better, and why the Lord expressed the merits of the third state with this number and not with another, we should not forget what experts in the art of calculating tell us. In this way, we might appreciate just how ingenious and appropriate his assigning these numbers to the various merits is. The number of digits comes from the five fingers of the hand, which those skilled in the art call: the thumb, the index, the middle, the curative

[ring], and the ear [little] finger. Now, why they are named in this order I will omit for the sake of brevity. So bend back your ear or little finger and place it on your palm; this signifies 1.

When you bend back your ring finger on the palm next to the little finger, together they signify 2. When the finger which is in the middle of the others is positioned in the same way with the other two, this signifies 3. The calculation does not con-

The Cultivation of God's Word --tinue in this manner. Instead, when you stand up your little finger, while the ring and middle finger are bent down [on the palm], this stands for 4. When both the little and ring finger are erect, while the middle finger is bent down on the palm, this stands for 5. When the ring finger is bent down, and the middle and little finger are standing up, this denotes 6. Now, when you extend your little finger above the palm, this signifies 7; when you extend your ring finger in the same manner, this stands for 8; the middle finger, 9. Now, when you place the index finger on the middle of your thumb, this signifies 10.

When the index finger is placed straight against the thumb, this stands for 20. If you bend it over in such a way that the tip of the index finger touches the tip of the thumb, this signifies

30; fittingly, the Lord chose to express the merit of married folk with this number, as their touching signifies carnal union.

Now, when you tightly move the index finger over the thumb to form a cross, this stands for the number 60. It is fitting that this number designates the merit of continent folk, because their life is bent away from carnal pleasures by imposing reason upon their sensuality through the voluntary imposition of the cross. The number 100, which as the perfect number is designated with the full right hand, most appropriately indicates the merit of the virginal state because of its perfection; for virgins lead, insofar as possible, an angelic and heavenly life.

The fruits of the Word of God The third thing to note in the text I have selected is that the seed, once received, bears fruit in due season: and thry hring forth .fruit with patience. First, those who have cleared all the briars of sin from their heart and received the word reverently in tranquillity of spirit bear the gorgeous fruit of the purity of beautifying cleanliness. Second, those who have filled their heart with the water of tears of compunction and who have received the woru, sleaufaslly believing it, bear the useful fruit of

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----------------------the clarity which illuminates the understanding. Third, those who have set their heart on fire for the things of God and diligently understood the word by putting it into practice bear the delicious fruit of the beatifying divine companionship. Indeed, is not the best fruit that which is beautiful in appearance, useful in purpose, and delicious to the taste?

First of all, those who have cleared their heart of all the briars of sin, receiving the word reverently with tranquillity of spirit, bear the gorgeous fruit of the purity of beautifying cleanliness. As Proverbs says: For the purchasing of it is better than the merchandise of silver and gold, and her fruit is the purest [3: 14].

For in their eager desire to gain gold and silver, lustful and greedy people become corrupted, abominable in the sight of God and his angels and even to the demons, whom they resemble in the filthiness of their sin. With the acquisition of the beauty of cleanliness, which consists in the unity of grace and the trinity of the theological virtues-namely faith, hope, and charity-the soul becomes beloved in the sight of God, pleasing to the angels, but terrible to demons. This is why the purchasing of purity and of cleanliness is better than the merchandise of silver and gold. When through purity of heart the soul begins to produce unblemished fruits acceptable to God, these are said to be "first" or the purest. In fact, divine Wisdom so loves the souls which possess this purity and cleanliness, that all their works may be appropriated to it and thus may be called "divine" fruits, as Sirach tells us: Listen to me, divine frUits, and bud forth like roses planted beside brooks of water [39: 1 7]. Those who possess this purity and cleanliness of thought, affections, and speech are totally transformed by God into the very form of God with the beauty of grace, being divinized in their desiring, thinking, and speaking. They are called divine fruits. Like roses, they neither produce the beauty of purity and cleanliness nor yield the fragrant fruit of inner chastity in their heart or exterior in their body, except with the thorns of the sharp discipline of penance. This is why it tells us: like roses planted beside the brooks of water, namely, of the gifts which flow from God, bud

The Cultivation of God's Word forth the fruit of light and uprightness in all goodness and truth.

Second, those who have filled their heart with the water of tears of compunction and who have received the word, firmly believing it, bear the useful fruit of that clarity which illumines the understanding. Whence the psalmist says: His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by streams ofwater, whichyields itsfruit in its season [1 :2-3]. This is why the preacher must apply his will first to the divine law, so that he might practice what he understands; then he can meditate on his law day and night in order to instruct others. In this way he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water; namely, of divine graces, which yields its fruit in its season. Many who bear an alien fruit, not their own, wish to put on the shoulders of others healY burdens, hard to bear, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them [Mt 23:4].

Still others bear fruit not in its season but before its time, because on their own authority they would first teach others before they themselves learn; therefore, their words, because of their scandal or ignorance or evil behavior, often end up profiting their audience nothing and even bring them into disrepute, "for when one's life is contemptible, his preaching also is despised."

Finally, those who have set their heart on fire with desire for the things of God, and who have diligently understood the word by putting it into practice, bear the delicious fruit of sweet divine companionship. The Song of Songs says: I sat in his shadow, whom I desired, and his fruit was sweet to my taste [2:3]: that is, in the shadow of his grace, which cools us from the torrid heat of carnal concupiscence and the ardor of pernicious greed; his, namely Christ, whom I desired. I have earnestly yearned to sit there with my soul at rest, not running about with a capricious spirit,jor he that is less in action shall receive wisdom [Sir 38:25]. Then, on account of the delight of his wisdom, his fruit shall be sweet to my taste.

Francis, Herald of God's Word The Minor Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, presented in this chapter, is a testim 'ny LO th my telY r ,od's Word Illilde flesh in a privUeged herald of the divin . This hagiographical text was not the first attempt to draw l1'leanjng from a recounting of th · major venl of Francis' life. Bonaventure's Ie tion as Mini ·ter ,encral in 1257 by the friars gathered in Rom for Jeneral Chapter coincided with their request for a new bi0S,'Tarlry of Fran Is of Assisi. Several versions of his life were already in circulation; most prominently those of Thomas of Celano. Commissioned by Pope Gregory IX, Thomas completed The First Life of Saint Francis in 1229, The Second Life of Saint Francis between 1246-47, and The Treatise on Miracles around

1252-53. Another friar, Julian of Speyer, compiled a short biography in verse in 1231 or 1232. This rhythmic rendering of Francis' life, together with an abbreviated version of The Firsl Lift if 5((illl Frallcis, was intended for liturgical prayer. At the General Chap er of Narbonne in 1260 Bonaventure received mandale fr0111 t he friars to compile a new biography uniting the earlier recounts of Francis' life into a single text destined for universal distribution.

The result of Bonaventure's work, The Major Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, was presented to the General Chapter of Pis a in 1263 and soon supplanted all earlier biographies of the saint. A condensed version for liturgical prayer, entitled The Minor Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, was also offered to the friars. Although based primarily on the existing efforts of previous biographers, both The Major Life of Saint Francis and] 11C M'inor Life ojSaintFrancis provide a per OMlI im rpretation l the evenls surroundi ng the saint's life. The MinorLifc rif511illl Fmllcisof

A.I'sisi, wlws suc in t lessons lend themselves L I rsonal .. en lion,

Francis, Herald of God's Word ---provides an insight into how Francis' experience of the divine served as a 'nnstanl resource for Bonaventure's spiri unl development. The following t.h ' 11)C$ exempliried lltl.'OughoLlt fnnds' life Hnd a unique vui 'e in TIl/! MillorLift of (filii Frrwcis: U,e cell,lTality of Christ. God as g~lod lind most high , lhe divine prcsen e ill the wurld, the importan.ce u tltc~cJ'ipUll'c .. th mbraceofpov rty, d voliol1t pray r.andlhe power of love. The investigation and articulation f thes themes in word and deed gave purpose and direction to Bonaventure's life and became the abiding hallmarks of his spirituality.

Francis, Herald of God's W ord

------------------ -------------------The Minor Life of Saint Francis His Conversion First Lesson The grace if Cod, our Sell/ior Itas sJ/OJlejorth in thes' h,tter dUJ/s in his ervant Fran i '. The Father 0fllu:rt:v nn" light came to his assi tan e with such an abundance of delightful blessings tllaL, a il clearly appears in tlle Ollrse of ran is' life, ad not nly led. him out from the la.rkn s of Lh w· rl l into Light, I ulalso made himr llowl1ed rorhi m. ritsandthe ' ellenc of hi virtues. He also showed that he was notably illustrious for the remarkable m stene ' of th cross dlsplayed in hint. Francis wa born in th i1.yofAssisi in th region ofthe Spoleto vall y. Fir t al1ed J hn by bjs mow r, and th 11 Franci by hi. father, he h Id on Lo the name his father ave hi.rn, but did nOl aband n the meaning of th name 'v 11. by hi. mother. In his youthful years he was rear d in vain pursuits among the idJ sons of men and aft r some knowledge of the liberal arts was destined for the lucrative business of dealer in wares; yet with the heavenly host presiding over and assisting him, neither did he turn aside to follow the yearnings of the flesh among amoral youth, nor did he put his trust in monry or in treasures among greedy merchants.

Second Lesson For God p laced a noble-minded COll1pas 'i n r r th ·' poor together 'with kindn ss and g ntJeness in lh heart of Lh youthful

Francis. Increa 'ing in him from arl childh 0 L, it had filled his heart wit.h 'uch kindn 55 th ~ t, as an attentive listener the g pel ven then, h proposed to giv an alms to evelyone .. vho asked hi.m, e I cially if' tl. petiti 11. l" m ntioned lhe love of od. In be FuUn '5 f llis 011t.11 h b und hi,mselfto the Lord by a firm promise that, if il wer po sible h wuuld never d · ny

Francis, Herald of God's Word ------------------,----- ----------------------those who made their petition for the love of God. Since he did not cease to fulfill so noble a promise until death, he attained forevermore abundant increases in grace and in his love for God.

Even though a small flame of the fire of the love of God flourished constantly in his heart, as a young man involved with worldly concerns, he was unacquainted with the mystery of the heavenly calling, When the hand of God touched him, he was chastened exteriorly by a long and severe illness and enlightened interiorly by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Third Lesson After Francis' bodily strength was somehow renewed and his mental attitude changed for the better, he had an unexpected meeting with a soldier who was of noble birth but poor in possessions. He was reminded of Christ, the poor and noble king. He was moved toward this man with such compassion that he removed Ul fine gannen which he had just a quir cl for 1 jm elf and imrn >diately dressed the soldier leaving himself without loth s. Whil h was sic-ping the follOwing rughL, hrist, for tlle love ofwhotn h h"dassistedth 1;1 - -dysoldi ',showed him in a worthy revelt.ttion a larg and spacious pala with milHary 'W a ons mark d w·tll th sign of t he cross. He promised with earnest ertitud Lha everything Francis s-aw would b long to him and to hi s ldier , ifhe onstantly bor tll stancLardofLhe cross of Christ. From that time on he withdrew from the bustle of public business and sought places suitable for penance in which he would tum his attention unceasingly to indescribable groanings. After a long period of prayer during which he begged the Lord that the way to perfection be shown to him, he merited that his prayer be heard.

Fourth Lesson One clay while he was pra ing in solitude, Chrj t r Sll • affixed to his cross, appeared to him and repeated for him so ffi.· cad()usly th is pa sage of the Tospel: Iftln 'one wishes to come after me, let hiJII deJ!Y himself. a/ld ta.kc up hi$ cross, (mdfollow me [Mt

Francis, Herald of God's Word

16:24]. Inwardly, this both kindled his heart with the fire of love and filled it with the painfulness of compassion. His soul melted away at the sight of this vision, and the memory of Christ was impressed so deeply on the innermost parts of his heart that with the eyes of his mind he continually, as it were, discerned interiorly the wounds of his crucified Lord and exteriorly was hardly able to repress his tearful laments. When now for the love of Christ Jesus he despised all the goods of his house by considering them as nothing, he felt that he had found the hidden treasure and the brilliant pearl of great price. Moved by the desire to possess it, he arranged to leave all his possessions, and by a divine method of commerce he exchanged the business of the world for the business of the gospel.

Fifth Lesson One day when he went out to meditate in a field, he passed by the church of San Damiano, which because of its great age was on the verge of falling into ruins. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he entered this church to pray. Prostrate before the image of the Crucified, he was filled in his prayer with a good measure of pleasing consolation. When his tearful eyes were intent on the cross of his Lord he heard in a marvelous way with his bodily ears a voice from the cross, saying to him three times: "Francis, go, repair my church which, as you see, is being totally destroyed!" At the wonderful suggestion of this astonishing voice the man of God first was indeed thoroughly terrified, then filled with joy and admiration. He arose immediately and committed himself totally to the carrying out of the command about repairing the material church; however, the principal intention of the voice referred to that Church which Christ acquired by the precious barter of his own blood, just as the Holy Spirit instructed him, and as he revealed later to his close companions.

Sixth Lesson Soon afterwards Francis, for the love of Christ, put aside all the things he could and offered money to the poor priest of

Francis, Herald of God's Word --that church for the repair of his church and for the use of the poor. He humbly asked the priest to permit him to live there for a short time. The priest agreed to let him stay, but for fear of Francis par nts he refus c1 the money, But Frail i ,no a Lru d spiser o[ mane I cast a I. rg numb r 01' coins thrOllgh a window, d -rnonstrating by this acLion that he valued a dust what h " threw awa . I I aringth<1 this had enraged his fath er, he waited for th anger to pass and hid himse1ff r me tlays ill a dark av where h fasted , prayed anel w pt. Finally, filled with C\ spiritual joy and clothed with power/hull Oil high, he onfid nLly

~~me forlh fr m LI ~ av and r11mly entered the city.

When lh' yOW"1g P ople saw his dirty fa e and chang d attitLid , they Lhought hat he had taken leave of his senses. Th y onsidered him a fool. Th y un w mud from the street and shout·d insulting word ' ~Il him. But this servanl f 01 was certainly neithe.r broken nor changed by this affronl. He p'l 'S t1 through it all as th ugh he were deaf.

Seventh Lesson His father, raging and fuming because of all this, seemed as if he were forgetful of natural compassion. He began to torment with beatings and chains the son who had been dragged home. By wearing down Francis' body with physical abuse, he hoped to turn his mind to the attractions of the world. Finally

Francis' father learned by experience that this servant of God was most willing to bear any harsh treatment for Christ and that he could not restrain him. He began to insist vehemently that Francis go with him to the bishop of the city and renounce into the bishop'S hands his hereditary right to all his father's property. The servant of the Lord was determined to carry this out further, and as soon as he came before the bishop he did not delay or hesitate or speak or listen to a word. He took off all his clothing instead and, in the presence of those standing around him, discarded even his undergarments. Intoxicated in spirit, he was not afraid to stand naked out of love for him who for us hung naked on the cross.

Francis, Herald of God's Word

------Eighth Lesson Now that this despiser of the world was set loose from the bonds of earthly desires, he left the city. While free and without a care, he was singing praises to the Lord in French in the middle of woods when robbers came upon him. As the herald of the great King he wa n t afraid nor did he top inging, .inasmuch as a half-nud and penni! sswa farer he, like the apol'tlel', rejoiced in tJibulation. Then a a lover of t tal humilityl h gav himself to tll. l'vice of lepers, 0 th·:1.t whil he wa sub} cting hims lr to rnis rable and outcast people und r th yoke of servit ucL , he could first learn perfect contempt of himself and of the world before he would teach it to others. Surely, since he used to fear lepers more than any other group of people, grace was given to him in more abundance. He gave himself up to their service with such a humble heart that he washed their feet, bound up their sores, drew out the festering, and washed off the bloody matter.

In an excess of unheard of fervor, he would fall down to kiss their ulcerous sores, putting his mouth to the dust, so that,filled with reproaches, he might efficaciously subject the pride of the flesh to the law of the spirit and, once the enemy within him was subdued, possess peaceful dominion over himself.

Ninth Lesson Thereafter, Francis was confirmed in the humility of Christ and made rich in his poverty. Even though he possessed absolutely nothing, he, nevertheless, began to turn his careful attention to repairing the church a 'cording to the command given to him from the cross. Although bie; body was weakened by fasting and bore the bmdens or the s 'on , he did not shrink from earnestly begging the help of alms even from those among whom he had been accustomed to live as a rich man. With the devoted help of the faithful, who now began to realize the remarkable virtue this man of God possessed, he restored not only the church of San Damiano, but also the abandoned and ruined churches of the Prince of the Apostles and of the glorious Virgin. He mysteriously foreshadowed, by an exteriorly perceptible work, what the

Francis, Herald of God's Word Lord disposed to do spiritually through him in the future. For according to the likeness of the threefold buildings repaired under the guidance of the holy man himself, the Church was to be renewed in three ways according to the form, regulation, and teaching of Christ. The voice from the cross, which repeated three times the command concerning the repairing of the house of God, stands out as a prophetic sign. We recognize now that it is fulfilled in the three Orders instituted by Francis.

The Institution of His Order and the Efficacy of His Preaching First Lesson After the work on the three churches was finished, Francis stayed a the church d dicat.ed to the Vil'brin. By th melits and prayel ofherwh gave birth to th pri of ur , alvation. he 111 :ited to fiud th way of perfection through th spiril of evangelical truLh i.nfu eel into him by od. ne day dUling the solemnity or tJle mass. that part f lh gospeJ was r ad in which the evangelical n0l111 for living was pres dbcd for til d isejples who were sent to preachn~U11ely do nat kt-ep gold. or jll1(:r, ar 1I1(111(!)I ill your girdles, nO ,,,,Jallet forJ1OUI'jOlJ1'/10'. 1101' two tullics nor sandals, !lor st'!ff[Mt 10:9-1 OJ.

Frands, b 'aring such words, was soon anointed and adomed by the Spiril of luist with such pow r Lhal it tnU1sfonned him into th I~ crib d mann r ofliving, not 001 , in mind and heart., but also in life and dress. He immediately took off his shoes, threw away his staff, and discarded his purse and its money. He was content with one little tunic; he rejected his leather belt and took a piece of rope for his belt. He applied all the concern of his heart to how he could accomplish what he had heard and adjust himself in all things to the apostolic rule of righteousness.

Second Lesson Inflamed totally by the fiery vigor of the Spirit of Christ, he began, as another Elias, to be a zealous emulator of truth. He

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also began to lead some to perfect righteousness and still others to penance. His words were neither empty nor ridiculous; they were, instead, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, and they penetrated to the bottom of the heart. They filled his listeners with great amazement, and their powerful efficacy softened the minds of the obstinate. As his holy and sublime purpose became known among the multitude through the reality of his simple teaching and of his life, some began to be moved to penitence by his example. After they left all things, they joined him in dress and in way of life. That humble man,

Francis, decided that they should be called "Friars Minor."

Third Lesson When at the calling of God the number of friars reached six, their devoted father and shepherd found a place for solitude where, in bitterness of heart, he deplored his life as youth, which he had not lived without sin. He also begged for pardon and grace for himself and for his offspring, which he had begotten in Christ. When an excessive joy filled his being, he became certain concerning the full remission to the last penny of all his debt. Then, caught up in ecstasy and absorbed totally in a vivifying light, he saw clearly what the future held for him and his friars. He disclosed this later in confidence for the encouragement of his little fiocl" when he foretold the Order would soon expand and grow through the clemency of God. After a very few days had passed, certain others joined him, and their number increased to twelve. This servant of the Lord arranged, therefore, to approach the presence of the Apostolic See.

Together with that band of simple men, he wished to beg earnestly and humbly that the way of life, shown to him by the Lord and written down by him in a few words, be confirmed by the full authority of that same most Holy See.

Fourth Lesson Francis, according to his decision, hurried with his companions to come before the presence of the Supreme Pontiff, Lord

Innocent III. Christ, the power and wisdom of God, arrived in

Francis, Herald of God's Word his clemency before Francis. By means of a vision, it was communicated to the Vicar that he should agree to listen calmly to this poor little suppliant and give him a favorable assent. For in a dream the Roman Pontiff himself saw that the Lateran basilica was at the point of collapsing, and a poor little ordinary man was holding it up by pressing his back against it lest it fall.

While the wise bishop was contemplating the purity of the simple mind in this servant of God, his contempt of the world, his love of poverty, the constancy of his perfect proposal, his zeal for souls, and the enkindled fervor of his will, he said:

"Truly, this is he who will uphold the Church of Christ by his work and teaching." As a result, the pope from that time on held a special devotion toward this man. Favorably disposed to his petition in all things, the pope approved the Rule, gave him the mandate to preach penance, conceded everything he asked for then, and promised generously to concede more in the future.

Fifth Lesson Supported then by grace from on high and by the authority of the Supreme Pontiff, Francis with great confidence took the road toward the valley of Spoleto. He wanted to teach by word and carry out by deed the reality of the evangelical perfection which he had conceived in his mind and solemnly vowed to profess. When the question was raised with his companions whether they ought to live among people or seek out solitary places, he sought the will of God through constancy in prayer.

Illuminated by a divine revelation, he understood that he was sent by God for the purpose of gaining the souls for Christ which the devil was trying to snatch away. Realizing, therefore, that he was chosen to live more for others than for himself alone, he went to an abandoned hut near Assisi to live with his friars according to the norm of holy poverty in every hardship of religious life, and preach the word of God to the people whenever and wherever possible. Having been made a herald of the gospel, he traveled around the cities and towns announcing the ldngdom of God not in such words as human wis-

Francis, Herald of God's Word --------------'-----------dom teaches, but in the power of the Spirit with the Lord directing him by revelations as he spoke and confirming the preaching by the signs that followed.

Sixth Lesson Once, as was his custom, he was spending the night in prayer apart from his sons. Around midnight, while some of them were sleeping and others were praying, a fiery chariot of remarkable splendor came through the little door of the friars' dwelling.

Over this chariot, which turned here and there three times throughout the room, there rested a bright ball oflight, which resembled the sun. Those who were awake were stunned at this remarkable brilliant sight. Those who were asleep were aroused and terrified. They experienced a brightness of heart as well as body since, in virtue of this remarkable light, their hearts were laid bare to one another. With one accord, they all understood, since in the hearts of each one they saw each other, that it was their Holy Father Francis who had been transfigured in such an image. Shown to them by the Lord as one coming in the spirit and power of Elias, and as Israel's chariot and charioteer, he had been made leader of his spiritual army. When the holy man rejoined his friars, he began to comfort them concerning the vision they had been shown from heaven, explore the secrets of their consciences, predict the future, and radiate with miracles. In this manner, he revealed that the twofold spirit of Elias rested upon him in such plenitude that it was perfectly safe for all to follow his life and teaching.

Seventh Lesson At that time a Religious of the Order of the Cruciferi, whose name was Moricus, was suffering from an illness so serious and so prolonged in a hospital near Assisi that it was believed that he was very close to death. Through a messenger he solicited the man of God, earnestly asking Francis to be willing to intercede for him with God. The holy man kindly assented to his request. After first praying, Francis took crumbs of bread and

Francis, Herald of God's Word ------------------then mixed them with oil from a lamp which was burning before the altar of the Virgin. He then sent this so-called pastry to the sick man through the hands of his friars as he said:

"Take this medicine to our brother Moricus. By means of it the power of Christ will not only restore him to full health, but also will join him forever to our company as a mighty warrior."

As soon as the sick man tasted that remedy which had been prepared through the ingenuity of the Holy Spirit, Moricus arose healthy. He had received from God such strength of mind and body that shortly afterwards he entered the Order of the holy man. For a long period of time, he wore a corset of thongs next to his skin, and was content with only raw food.

He neither drank wine nor tasted anything that was cooked.

Eighth Lesson At that time there was a priest from Assisi, whose name was Silvester, who was certainly a man of an honest way of life and possessed dovelike simplicity. In a dream he saw that whole region encompassed by a huge dragon whose loathsome and frightful image, it seemed, threatened imminent destruction to different areas of the world. Mter this, he saw a glittering cross of gold issuing from Francis' mouth. The top of the cross reached the heavens. Its arms, stretched wide, seemed to extend to the ends of the earth, and the glittering sight of it put that loathsome and frightful dragon to flight forever. While this vision was being shown to Silvester for the third time, this pious man, who was devoted to God, understood that Francis was destined by the Lord to take up the standard of the glorious cross, to shatter the power of the evil dragon, and to enlighten the minds of the faithful with the glorious and splendid truths of both life and teaching. Not long after he gave an account of all this to Francis and his friars, Silvester left the world. In accord with the example of his blessed father, he followed in the footsteps of Christ so perserveringly that his life in the Order proved that the vision which he had while in the world was authentic.

Francis, Herald of God's Word III Ninth Lesson When he was still living the secular life, a certain friar whose name was Pacificus found the servant of God at San Severino, where he was preaching in a monastery. The hand of the Lord came upon him, and he saw Francis marked after the manner of the cross with, as it were, two glittering crossed swords, one of which extended from his head to his feet, and the other across his chest from hand to hand. He did not recognize the man from his appearance, but the miracle revealed who it was.

He was exceedingly amazed, frightened, and goaded by the power of Francis' words. Transfixed as it were by a spiritual sword coming from his mouth, he completely despised worldly vanity and joined himself to his blessed father by profession.

Afterwards, Pacificus made progress in every moral aspect of religious life. Before he became minister in France, as indeed he was the first to exercise the office of minister there, he merited to see a large Tau on the forehead of Francis which, decorated with a variety of colors, gave a remarkable beauty to his features. Indeed it was with great affection that the man of God venerated this sign of the cross. He frequently recommended it in his speech and used it at the beginning of any action. In those letters which out of charity he sent, he made this mark at the bottom with his own hand. It was as if his whole desire was to conform to the prophetic dictum by making the Tau upon the foreheads of the men that sign and mourn, who have been truly converted to Christ Jesus.

The Sure Sign of Virtue First Lesson As a loyal follower of the crucified Jesus, Francis, that man of God, crucified his flesh with its passions and desires from the very beginning of his conversion with such rigid diScipline, and checked his sensual impulses according to such a strict law of moderation, that he would scarcely partake of the things

Francis, Herald of God's Word necessary to sustain life. When he was in good health he hardly and rarely would allow himself cooked food. When he did, however, he made the food bitter by either mixing ashes with it or made it as tasteless as possible by pouring water over it. Withdrawing his flesh from wine in order to turn his mind to the light of wisdom, he preserved such strict control over drinking that when he was suffering from a burning thirst, he hardly would dare to drink enough cold water to satisfy himself. He often used the bare ground as a bed for his wearied body, a stone or a piece of wood for his pillow. The clothes covering him were simple, wrinkled, and rough. Established experience had taught him that malignant spirits are put to flight by using things difficult and harsh, but they are more strongly animated to tempting by things luxurious and delicate.

Second Lesson Rigid in his discipline, Francis kept an exceedingly attentive watch over himself. He took particular care in guarding the priceless treasure in a vessel of clay, that is, chastity, which he strove to possess in holiness and honor through the virtuous purity of body and spirit. For this reason, around the beginning of his conversion during the winter cold, he would plunge himself many times, strong and fervid in spirit, into a ditch filled with ice or snow. He did this to gain perfect control over the enemy within and to preserve the white robe of purity from the heat of sensual pleasure. Practices such as these enabled him to use his bodily senses in an appealing, modest manner. His mastery over the flesh was now so complete that he seemed to have made a covenant with his ryes; he would not only flee far away from carnal sights, but also totally avoid even the curious glance at anything vain.

Third Lesson Truly, even though Francis had attained purity of heart and body, and in some manner was approaching the height of sanctification, he did not cease to purify the eyes of his spirit with

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tears. He longed for the sheer brilliance of the heavenly light and !iisregarded the loss of his bodily eyes. After he incurred a very serious weakness of the eyes due to his continual weeping, a doctor advised him to abstain from tears if he wished to escape the loss of corporeal vision. Francis, however, would not assent to this. He asserted that he preferred to lose the light of bodily vision than repress the devotion of the spirit and impede the tears by which the inner eyes are cleansed in order to see God. He was a man devoted to God, who, drenched in spiritual tears, displayed a serenity in both mind and face. The luster of a pure conscience anointed him with such joy that his mind was forever caught up in God, and he rejoiced at all times in the works of his hands.

Fourth Lesson Humility, that guard and ornament of all virtues, had by right so influenced the man of God that, although a manifold privilege of virtues was reflected in him, nevertheless, it sought its special domain in him as though in the least of the lesser ones. In his own estimation, by which he accounted himself the greatest of sinners, he was really nothing more than some dirty earthen vessel, while in reality he was an elect vessel of sanctification, set apart by sanctity and glittering with the adornment of many kinds of virtue and grace. Moreover, he strove to be worthless in his own eyes and in those of others, to reveal by public confession his hidden faults, and to keep the Giver's gifts hidden in the secrecy of his heart. He did this so that he would in no way be subject to praise, which could be an occasion for his downfall. Certainly, in order that he might fulfill all justice regarding perfect humility, he so strove to subject himself not only to superiors but even to inferiors that he was accustomed to promise obedience even to his companion on a journey, no matter how simple he was. As a result, he did not give orders as a prelate with authority. In his humility, he would rather obey those subject to him as their minister and servant.

Francis, Herald of God's Word Fifth Lesson This perfect follower of Christ strove with such undying love to espouse poverty, the companion of humility, to himself that he not only left his father and mother for her but also gave away everything that he was able to possess. No one was so desirous of gold as he was of poverty; nor was anyone more solicitous in guarding of a treasure than he was of the treasure of the gospel pearl. Since from the beginning of his religious life to his death he was rich only in a tunic, a cord, and a pair of undergarments, it would seem that he gloried in want and rejoiced in need. If at any time he saw anyone whose outer garments were poorer than his, he would admonish himself immediately and urge himself to be like him. It seemed as if he were contending with a rival and feared that he would be conquered by the spiritual nobility of that man. Since the pledge of his eternal inheritance, he had preferred poverty to everything perishable, counting as nothing deceptive riches, which are granted to us as a loan for a short time. He loved poverty more than great wealth, and he, who had been taught by poverty to consider himself inferior to everyone, hoped to surpass all in its practice.

Sixth Lesson Through the love of the most sublime poverty, the man of God prospered and grew rich in holy simplicity. Although he certainly possessed nothing of his own in this world, he seemed to possess all good things in the very Author of this world. With the steady gaze of a dove, that is, the simple application and pure consideration of the mind, he referred all things to the supreme Artisan and recognized, loved, and praised their Maker in all things. It came to pass, by a heavenly gift of kindness, that Francis possessed all things in God and God in all things. In consideration of the primal origin of all things, Francis would call all creatures, however insignificant, by the names of brother and sister, since they come forth with him from the one source. He embraced those, however, more

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tenderly and passionately, who portray by a natural likeness the gracious gentleness of Christ and exemplify it in the scriptures. It came to pass by a supernatural influx of power that the nature of brute animals was moved in some gracious manner toward him. Even inanimate things obeyed his command, as if this same holy man, so simple and upright, had already returned to the state of innocence.

Seventh Lesson The source of mercy pervaded the servant of the Lord with such fullness and abundance that he seemed to possess a mother's heart for relieving the misery of suffering people. He possessed an innate kindness which the piety of Christ, poured out upon him, intensified. His soul would melt away at the sight of the sick and the poor, and he would offer his affection to those to whom he was unable to offer a helping hand.

With the tenderness of a pious heart, he referred to Christ anyone he saw in need or deprivation. Since he saw the likeness of Christ in all the poor, if any of the necessities of life were given to him, he would not only give them freely to the poor, but he would also think that they should be returned to the poor as if these necessities were their property. He would spare nothing; neither mantles, tunics, books, nor altar cloths. When he could, he gave away all these things to the needy, since he wished to fulfill the duty of perfect love, even to the utter privation of himself.

Eighth Lesson His zeal for fraternal salvation, which emerged from the furnace of love, pierced the inmost parts of this man like a sharp and flaming sword. Aflame with the ardor of imitation and stricken with the sorrow of compassion, this man seemed to be completely consumed. Whenever he became aware that souls redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ were tainted by any stain of sin, he would be pierced by a remarkable sting of sorrow. He would deplore it with such a tender compassion

Francis, Herald of God's Word ------------------that, like a mother, he would give birth to them daily in Christ.

For this reason, he struggled to pray, was active in preaching, and outstanding in giving good example. He did not think that he was a friend of Christ unless he cherished the souls which Christ redeemed. Although his innocent flesh subjected itself freely to his spirit, it had no need of the lash due to offenses.

Nevertheless, for the sake of example, he kept on subjecting it to pain and burdens, keeping the difficult ways because of others, so that he perfectly followed the footsteps of him who in death handed over his life for the salvation of others.

Ninth Lesson Given the fervor of the perfect love which carried the friend of the Spouse into God, one is able to perceive that he thoroughly desired to offer himself to his Lord as a living sacrifice through the sufferings of martyrdom. It was for this reason that he attempted on three occasions to journey to the territory of the infidel. Twice he was restrained by the will of God.

On the third attempt, after much abuse, many chains, floggings, and innumerable hardships, he was led with the help of God into the presence of the Sultan of Babylon. He preached Jesus with such an efficacious demonstration of spirit and of power that the Sultan was astonished and became docile by the will of God and granted Francis a kind audience. Recognizing in Francis a fervor of spirit, a constancy of mind, a contempt for this present life, and the efficacy of God's word, the Sultan conceived such a devotion toward him that he deemed him worthy of great honor. He offered him costly gifts and earnestly invited Francis to prolong his stay with him. This true despiser of himself and of the world spurned as dirt all that was offered to him. When he realized that he was not able to accomplish his goal after he had truly done all that he could to obtain it, he made his way back to Christian lands as a revelation had suggested. So it was that this friend of Christ with all his strength sought death for his sake and yet by no means found it. Francis did not lack the merit of his desired martyr-

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-----------------dom, and he was preserved to be marked in the future with a unique privilege.

His Zeal for Prayer and His Spirit of Prophecy First Lesson Thi 'ervant of hrist f IL c.xiZed in bodyfto711 the Lord. Whil ~ his love fo r C hris had made him totally insensibl.e to all earLhly esire , h trove to make his spirit present to God by constan t prayer lest he sh uld b , d prived of t he on olation of his Belov d. Wheth r walking r ittill , wheth r in id or outside, whether worl ing or at r st , h wa b the power of his mind so intent on prayer that he seemed to have dedicated to God what vel' W:lS in him, not only of heart and body, but also of work and tim ', Hewas susp nded often by uch an ·xcess of d voti n that rart ab ve hims Irand experi nc.ingsom thing b yond human f eling, he did 110t know at aU wha was going on around b im.

Second Lesson That he might receive the infusion of spiritual consolations more quietly, he went at night to pray in solitary places or abandoned churches. However, even there he experienced the horrible assaults of demons who, fighting as it were hand to hand with him, tried to turn him away from his pursuit of prayer. After these demons fled from the unrelenting power of his prayers, the man of God, remaining alone and at peace, filled the groves with his sighs, sprinlded the locality with his tears, and beat his breast with his hand. As if having found a more secret place, he would now respond to his Judge, now implore his Father, now play with his Spouse, now speak with his

Friend. There he was seen praying at night with his hands and arms extended in the form of a cross, his whole body lifted up from the ground and surrounded by a glowing little cloud.

This extraordinary purification of his body, together with its

Francis, Herald of God's Word ----------------------elevation, was the witness to a marvelous representation and elevation within his soul.

Third Lesson By the supernatural power of such ecstatic experiences, as has been established by particular evidence, the uncertain and hidden things oj divine Wisdom were open to him. He did not make them known to others except inasmuch as his zeal for fraternal welfare urged him and the impulse of heavenly inspiration forced him. His tireless zeal for prayer together with his continual practice of the virtues had in fact led the man of God to a great clarity of mind. Although he did not possess the larned know! dg of lh sacr d riptures which omes lhrough study. n verlheless, illwnjnated by the splendor of eternal light/ he explored lhe profound thing of s -iptur with a clear/intellectual a 'umen. T he manifold spirit of the prophets also rested upon him with a plenitude of various graces. By its wonderful power, the man of God was present to others who were absent, had certain knowledge of those far distant, saw the secrets of hearts, and also foretold future events, as the evidence of many examples prove, some of which are included below.

Fourth Lesson At one time the holy man, Anthony, then an eminent pr adl r but now a famous con~ 'sor 0 Chri t, was preaching eloquently to th friars at a Provincial Chapt r alArles on the title o ' the cross: Jesus oj Nazareth , king lif the lews. The man of God, Francis, who at that time was busy faraway, appeared elevated in the air at the door of the Chapter. With his hands extended as if in the form of the cross blessing the friars, he filled their spirits with such manifold consolation that their interior spirits testified with certainty that this wonderful apparition had been endowed by the power of heaven. Furthermore, that this did not lie hidden from the blessed Father is evidently clear in how open his spirit would have lJeeIl Lo Lhe light of

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eternal Wisdom, which is more active than all active things, and reaches everywhere by reason of her purity. She makes her way into ho!y souls and forms the friends of God and prophets.

Fifth Lesson At one time when the friars were entering the Chapter according to custom at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, one of them, covered with the cloak of an excuse, was not submitting himself to discipline. The holy man of God, who was then praying in his cell as a mediator between those same friars and God, sawall this in spirit. He had one of the friars called to him and said: "Brother, on the back of that disobedient friar, I saw the devil who was holding and squeezing his neck. Constrained by such a rider and having spurned the reins of obedience, the friar was being impelled to follow the devil's reins.

Go, therefore, and tell this friar to submit without delay to the yoke of obedience, because he, at whose earnestness in prayer this demon left in confusion, suggests that this be done." The friar, warned by the messenger, perceived the light of truth and conceived the spirit of compunction. He fell forward on his face before the vicar of the holy man, recognized that he was culpable, sought pardon, accepted and bore the discipline, and from then on humbly obeyed in all things.

Sixth Lesson When Francis was living alone in a cell on Mount La Verna, one of his companions had a great desire to have some brief writing with the words of the Lord from Francis' own hand.

This companion was being plagued by a serious temptation, not of the flesh but of the spirit, and he believed that from this writing he would either avoid the temptation or certainly bear it more easily. Wearied by this desire, he was made interiorly uneasy, because since he was humble, modest, and simple, he was overcome by shame and did not dare to disclose all this to his revered Father. The Holy Spirit, however, revealed to Francis what a person did not tell him. He ordered this friar to bring

Francis, Herald of God's Word ink and paper to him and, writing the praises of the Lord together with his own blessing in his own hand according to the friar's desire, he graciously gave the friar what he had written, and the entire temptation vanished immediately. This little note, preserved for posterity, brought healing to a great number of people. This made it clear to all how much merit before God this writer had, whose writing left such efficacious power in a small leaf of paper.

Seventh Lesson At another time, a noble woman, devoted to God, went confidently to the holy man and implored him with all her strength to intercede with the Lord on behalf of her husband, so that his hard heart might be softened by a plentiful infusion of grace.

The husband was very cruel to her and opposed her service of Christ. After listening to her, the holy and pious man confirmed her in her good intention with holy words, assured her that consolation would shortly be hers, and finally ordered her to declare to her husband on behalf of God and of himself that now is the time for clemency; later it will be the time for justice. The woman put her trust in the words which the servant of the Lord had spoken to her, accepted his blessing, and in haste returned home. There she met her husband and told him about the conversation she had with Francis, and without any doubt, she waited for the hoped-for promise to be fulfilled. Without any delay, as soon as Francis' words reached his ears, the spirit of grace fell upon him and softened his heart in such a way that from that time on he permitted his devoted wife to serve God freely and offered himself to serve the Lord with her. At the urging of the holy wife, they lived a celibate life for many years and then departed to the Lord on the same day; she in the morning as a morning sacrifice, and he in the evening as an evening sacrifice.

Eighth Lesson At the time when the servant of the Lord was lying ill at Rieti, a certain canon named Gedeon, who was deceitful and worldly,

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was seized with a serious illness. Lying on a stretcher he was brought to Francis, and with tears in his eyes he, together with the bystanders, asked that Francis bless him with the sign of the cross. Francis said to him: "Since you once lived according to the desires of the flesh and not in fear of the judgment of God, I will sign you with the sign of the cross. This is not for your own sake but because of the devout petitions of those interceding for you.

I do this with the provision that I let you know, from this moment on, that certainly you will suffer more serious things if, when you are free, you return to your vomit." After the sign of the cross was made from his head to his feet, the bones of his loins resounded and it sounded to all as though dry wood was being broken by hand. Immediately, he who had been lying there constricted arose cured and, bursting forth in praise of God, said: "I have been freed." Then a short time elapsed when, forgetful of God, he returned his body to impurity, and on a certain evening dined in the lodging of a canon and slept there that night. The roof of the house collapsed suddenly on all but killed only him, while all the others escaped death. In this one event it was made manifest how strict is God's zeal for justice with ungrateful people, and howtme and certain was the spirit of prophecy which had filled Francis.

I I !I I Ninth Lesson At that time after his return from overseas, Francis went to Celano to preach. A soldier with humble devotion invited him to dinner and with great persistence forced him, as it were, to come.

Before they began to eat, the devout Francis, who according to his custom offered praise and prayers to God, saw in spirit that this man's judgment was imminent. Francis stood there, lifted up in spirit, with his eyes raised to heaven. Finally, when he completed his prayer, he drew his kind host aside, predicted that his death was near, admonished him to confess his sins, and encouraged him to do as much good as he could. The soldier agreed to what blessed Francis had said, and in confession he revealed all his sins to Francis' associate, put his household in order, committed himself to the mercy of God, and prepared as much as he

Francis, Herald of God's Word could to accept death. While the others were taking refreshment for their bodies, the soldier, who seemed strong and healthy, suddenly breathed out his spirit according to the word of the man of God. Even though this soldier was carried off by a sudden death, nevertheless he was so fortified by the weapons of repentance through Francis' spirit of prophecy that he escaped eternal damnation, and according to the promise of the gospel entered into everlasting dwellings.

The Obedience of Creatures and Divine Condescension First Lesson Surely, the Spirit of God who had anointed him, as well as Christ the power and the wisdom of God was with his servant, Francis. It was this grace and power that brought it about that not only did uncertain and hidden things become evident to him, but even the elements of this world obeyed him. At one time doctors advised him, and the friars earnestly exhorted him, to allow his eye affliction to be healed by cauterization. The man of God humbly assented, because this would not only be a remedy for a bodily weakness but also a means for practicing virtue. Given the sensitivity of the flesh, he cringed with an instinctive horror at the sight of the still-glowing iron. The man of God addressed the fire as a brother, admonishing it in the name and in the power of its Creator to temper its heat that he might be strong enough to bear its gentle burning. When the crackling iron was placed on his tender flesh and the burning brand was drawn from his ear to his eyelash, the man filled with God exulted in spirit and said to his friars: "Praise the Most High, because I confess what is true; neither the heat of the fire troubled me, nor did pain in the flesh afflict me."

Second Lesson While the servant of God was laboring under a very serious illness al lhe hennilage of Sainl Urban, he fell a nalmal weak-

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ness. He asked for a drink of wine but was told that there was no wine there to give him. He then ordered water to be brought to him, and, with the sign of the cross, he blessed it.

What had been pure water immediately became the best of wine, and what the poverty of this deserted place could not produce, the purity of this holy man attained. At the taste of it, he became well with such ease that it became evidently clear that the desired "drink" was given to him by a bountiful Giver not as much to please his sense of taste as to be efficacious for his health.

Third Lesson At another time, the man of God wished to go to a certain hermitage that he might occupy his time more freely in contemplation. He was carried on an ass belonging to a poor man, because he was in a weakened condition. While this man followed the servant of God and climbed into mountainous country on a hot day, he became very tired from the journey over a rather rough and long road. When he became faint from an exceedingly burning thirst, he began to shout insistently and say that unless he had a little something to drink, he would die immediately. The man of God dismounted from the ass without delay, knelt on the ground, raised his hands to heaven, and did not cease praying until he felt his prayer was heard. When he finally finished his prayer, he said to the man:

"Hurry to that rock, and there you will find running water, which Christ in his mercy has produced from a rock for you to drink at this time." The thirsty man ran to the place pointed out to him and drank the water produced from the rock by the power of a praying man, and he consumed the drink furnished for him by God from solid rock.

Fourth Lesson At one time, when the servant of God was preaching near the sea at Gaeta, he wished to escape the adulation of the crowd, which in its devotion was rushing toward him. He

Francis, Herald of God's Word ------jumped alone into a small boat, which was close to the shore.

The boat, as though it were guided by an internal source of power, moved itself rather far from land without an oarsman.

All who were present saw this and marveled. After the boat moved a moderate distance over the sea into the deep, it stopped immobile among the waves until, with the crowd waiting on the shore, it pleased the man of God to preach. After they listened to the sermon, witnessed the miracle and received the blessing they asked for, the crowd moved away. By the influence of no other command but a heavenly one, the boat reached the shore; it subjugated itself without rebellion, as if it were a creature zealously serving its Maker, to the perfect worshipper of the Creator and obeyed him without hesitation.

Fifth Lesson At one time when Francis was staying in the hermitage of Greccio, the inhabitants of that place were burdened by many calamities. Every year a hailstorm devastated the annual harvest and the vineyards, while a large number of ravenous wolves devoured not only animals but people as well. The servant of the all powerful Lord was filled with a benevolent compassion for those sorely afflicted people. In a public sermon, he personally promised and guaranteed them that the entire pestilence would vanish if they would confess their sins and be willing to produce worthy fruits of penance. From the very time that the people began doing penance at Francis' exhortation the devastation ceased, the dangers disappeared, and neither the wolves nor the hail caused any trouble. What is greater still, in fact, is that if a hailstorm ever passed through the cultivated fields of neighboring areas and approached the boundaries of these people, it would either end there or be diverted to another area.

Sixth Lesson At another time the man of God was journeying around the valley of Spoleto in order to preach. As he was approaching

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Bevagna, he came to a place where a very large flock of birds of different kinds had congregated. Looking at them with affection, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he hurriedly ran to the place, eagerly greeted them, and commanded them to be silent, so that they might attentively listen to the word of God. While he recounted many things about the benefits of God to these creatures, who were gathered together, and about the praises that should be returned to him by them, they began to gesture in a remarkable manner; they extended their necks, stretched out their wings, opened their beaks, and looked attentively at him, as if they were trying to experience the marvelous power of his words. It was only proper that this man, full of the spirit of God, was led by a humane and tender affection to such irrational creatures. For their part, those birds were drawn to Francis so remarkably that they listened to him when he was instructing them, obeyed him when he commanded them, flocked to him without fear when he bid them welcome, and, without distress, remained with him.

Seventh Lesson When Francis had tried to go overseas to pursue the palm of martyrdom, he was impeded by storms at sea from accomplishing his purpose. The Director of all things remained with him to such an extent that his providence snatched him, together with many others, from the dangers of death and showed forth his wonderful works on his behalf in the depths of the sea. When he was proposing to return from Dalmatia to Italy and had boarded a ship without any provisions at all, a man sent from God came, as Francis stepped aboard, with necessary provisions for Christ's little poor man. Then this man gave the provisions to a God-fearing man whom he called from the ship, that he might administer them at the proper time to those who had absolutely nothing. Since the sailors were never able to bring the ship to shore due to the force of the wind, all their food was consumed. All that remained was a small portion of the alms which had been given from above to the blessed man. Because of his prayers, merits and the power of

Francis, Herald of God's Word -------------------- ----------------------heaven, these alms increased so much that for many days, as the storm at sea continued, they took complete care of everyone's needs until the ship reached the desired port of Ancona.

Eighth Lesson At another time when the man of God was on a preaching journey with a friar companion between Lombardy and the Marches of Treviso, the darkness of night overtook them near the Po river. Since the road would be exposed to many great dangers because of the river, the marshes, and the darkness, his companion insisted that in this necessity Francis should implore divine assistance. The man of God replied with great confidence: "God is powerful. If it is agreeable with him, he will make light for us by putting the darkness of night to flight." What followed was marvelous! He had hardly finished speaking when, behold, by the power of God such a great light began to radiate around them that, while the darkness of night remained in other places, they saw in clear light not only the road but also many other things on the other side of the river.

Ninth Lesson The brightness of heavenly splendor went before them amid the der..se darkness of the night in a fitting manner indeed.

This proved that those who follow the light of life on a straight path are not able to be overwhelmed by the shadow of death.

Guided in body and comforted in spirit by the remarkable splendor of such a light, they arrived at a hospice singing hymns and praises to the Lord after traveling a good distance along the road. He was a truly outstanding and admirable man, for whom fire tempers its burning heat, water changes its taste, a rock provides abundant drink, inanimate things obey, wild animals become tame, and to whom irrational creatures direct their attention eagerly. In his benevolence the Lord of all things listens to his prayer, as in his liberality he provides food, gives guidance by the brightness of light, so that every

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-----------------creature is subservient to him as a man of extraordinary sanctity, and even the Creator himself condescends to him.

The Sacred Stigmata First Lesson The truly faithful servant and minister of Christ, Francis, twoyear before hwould give up his spirit to heaven, began a forty day fast in h norofth Arcnan el Mi hael in al isolat d , eJevat d I( ation 'all d MOUJ"lt La V rna. Steeped In re than usual in the sw tne s of heavenly 'ol'ttemplatioll and inflamed b a mor ardenL fire of heavenly desires, he began to exp rience a grealer abund::1.l1 e of the gifts s nt to him from God. Th erapl"li ardor of de .ire raised him illto God, a, h was transformed by the compassionate tenderness of affections into hjm who was pleas d with a lov beyond measure, to b Crtl ified. While h wa praying one morning on the side of the mountain around-th fea ·toftheExalta ion ofth

)oly ross, he saw the Iii eness of a S 'raph, which had sj , fiery and glj ·t ring wings, de cending fr m the h.eights of the heavens.

He cam in swift flight to a place in the air lose to the man of God. The Seraph not only a] p ar d to have wings but als to be crucified. Hi hm1ds and feet w r xtend d and fast n d to a cross, and his wings were arranged on both sides in such a remarkable manner that he elevated two above his head, extended two for flying, and with the two others he encompassed and covered his whole body.

Second Lesson Wh n he saw this, 1:;'rallos was tJ10roughly and deeply a tonished. His mind was 6J1ed with a rush of joy mixed with . orrow. He experi nced an jnco:mparable joy in th pI asing vi ion of Christ, which appeared to him 0 wonderful and intimate, while the deplorable sight of being affixed to a cross pierced his soul with the sword of compassionate sorrow. He

Francis, H erald of God's Word ------- -------understood, as the one whom he saw exteriorly taught him interior'ly, t hat the weakn. s of $uf~ ring by no man befits the immortalit of a raphic spirit· n v rthe! ss, sLlch a visioll had been pres -nted to hj sight, so that this friend of Christ might

I. now beforehand Lllal he had LO b ' transformed L tally, not b a martyrdom of the flesh but by the fervor of his spirit, into the manifest likeness of Christ Jesus crucified. The vision, which cli '~lPl (ir d nfter n s eret and intimate cony rsaUol.l , inflamed him 11 lelio)'ly with a seraphi ardoT and marked his flesh exteriorly wi 'h a liken .S onformed to the ruifi d; i1. 'NUS as if the liqu fying I' ow -r or are prece I I tll iml r sion of t1 seal.

Third Lesson Nail marks began to appear irnl11 dialely in hi bands and feet. Their heads appeared on th in ide [th hands 'md on the top of the feet and the pointco I: arts on the opposite sides.

The heads of the nails in his hand ;md fee w r row,d, and their points, which were hammered and bent back, emerged and stood out from the flesh. The bent part of the nails on the bottom of his feet were so prominent and extended so far out hat t11 y did not all w Lh s I of his f t to touch the ground.

I n fact., th ring r of a han I could be I. ttL asily into th ~urv d loop of th e pOints, a. r heard fr01'n tl10se who saw Lh -m with their own eyes. H is right sid a1 appeared as Lhough it w re 1 ier d with a lance. It was covered ""vith n red scar, which often shed his holy blood. His tunic and undergarments were soaked with such a quantity of blood that his friar-companjon • when Ll W3, hed these clothes, undoubtedly observed that th,c s fvant f th Lord had the impressed likeness of thc 'ru uied in his side .1S well as in his hands and feet.

Fourth Lesson The man, filled with God, realized that the stigmata, which was impressed so splenrlirlly on his flesh, could not be hidden

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---------- ---- from his intimate companions; nevertheless, he feared making this secret of the Lord public. He was put into a great agony of doubt as to whether he should tell what he had seen or keep silent. Forced by the sting of conscience, he finally related with great fear the sequence of the vision to some of the friars who were closer to him. He added that he who appeared to him told him other things, which he would never reveal to any person as long as he lived. After the true love of Christ transJonned the lover into the image of the beloved, Francis' forty days on that mountain of solitude were completed and the solemnity of the Archangel Michael was at hand. The angelic man, Francis, came down from the mountain bearing the likeness of the Crucified, not sketched by the hand of an artist on tablets of stone or wood, but etched on his fleshy limbs by the finger of the living

God.

Fifth Lesson This holy and humble man tried afterwards with all diligence to conceal these sacred marks; nevertheless, it pleased the Lord to display through them certain marvelous things for his glory. Their hidden power, therefore, could be made manifest by clear signs and irradiate like a bright star amid the dense darkness of a darkened age. Before the holy man spent time around Mount La Verna, for example, a dark cloud would arise from the mountain and a violent hail storm regularly devastated the fruits of the earth. After that providential vision, the customary hail ceased to the admiration and joy of the inhabitants. The very aspect of the sky, tranquil beyond usual, proclaimed the supreme worth of that vision from heaven and the power of the stigmata impressed there.

Sixth Lesson At that time a very serious disease swept through the province of Rieti and began to afflict the sheep and the oxen to such an extent that almost all of them seemed to languish under an incurable illness. A God-fearing man was admonished by a vision one

Francis, Herald of God's Word -------------------night to hurry to the friars' hermitage where the blessed Father was then staying and request from his companions the water he used to wash his hands and feet. He was then to sprinlde this water on the suffering animals and thereby put the pestilence to an end. After the man diligently completed this task, God gave great power to the water which had touched the sacred wounds.

Even a little of the water completely drove out the plague from the suffering animals it touched. Once they recovered their pristine vigor, they ran to their fodder as though they had experienced no previous misfortune.

Seventh Lesson Finally, from that time on, those hands attained such marvelous power that their saving touch returned both robust health to the sick and living sensation to limbs now dry and paralytic. What is greater, they restored unimpaired life to those who had been mortally wounded. I will anticipate and recall briefly to mind for you two of Francis' many miracles.

Once at Lerida, a man, whose name was John and who was devoted to blessed Francis, was so cut and savagely wounded one night that one could hardly believe that he would survive until the next day. Our holy Father appeared marvelously to him and with his sacred hands touched those wounds. At the very same hour John was so restored to full health that all the region proclaimed that this wonderful standard bearer of the cross was most worthy of all veneration. Who would not be surprised to look upon a person he knew well who, at almost the same moment of time, was mangled by the most cruel wounds and then rejoiced in unimpaired health? Who would be able to recall this without giving thanks? Finally, who could ponder in a spirit of faith such a tender, virtuous, and remarkable miracle without experiencing devotion?

Eighth Lesson At Potenza, a city of Apulia, a cleric named Roger was thinking foolish things about the sacred stigmata of our blessed Fa-

Francis, H erald of God's Word

ther. He received a blow to his left hand under his glove, as though from an arrow shot from a bow. His glove, however, remained untouched. He was subject to the sting of excruciating pain for tIlr ' days. F cling remol's rul, he called upon and e.ntreated bl ssed Fran i earnesl.ly to h lp b,im by means or thos glorious stigmata. He re eivecL suc.h perfe t h a1th that all the pain disa p ar d and not a Lrace of a blow ren ain d.

From this it se ms per~ tI cI ar that tho e sao-ed marks of his wer impress db, a p w r and PI' lvio d \;vitl [he strength of him whose characteristi ,it i 0 int1i t wound, t) provid remedies, to strike the obstinate, and to heal the contrite.

Ninth Lesson T his blessed man certainly appeare I worthy Lo b marl d with tl)is Singu lar pri il ge, since rus whol.c endeavor, b til public and privat , enter· d around the cross of the Lord.

Whal else lhan his \; ondcl"fu l gentlenes , the austeri y of his li fe, h is profound humility, his prompt obeclien 'C, hi eA'tr me p verty, his unimpaired chastity; what else than lh bitterness fhi ompun ion, his flo'w ftears his heartfeltcompassjon, hi. zc' J for mulation, his de. ire fOT martyrd '111, his Olltstanding charity, and finally the privilege of the many virtues that made him Christ-like: What else stood out in him than these similarities to Christ, these preparations for the sacred stigmata? For this reason, the whole course of his life, from the time of his conversion, was adorned with the remarkable mysteries of the el'O S of Chri '1. Finally, at U, ~ sigh of th 'ubllrnc

, , Seraph and the humble ruciried, h wa t:ranSf0n11 d totally by a fiery, divine pow r into the likeness of th foml which. he saw. Those who saw t hem, tOll hed th 111 , kissed lhem testified to this; and after having touched these most sacred wounds, they confirmed them with greater certitude by swearing that they saw them and that they were exactly as reported.

Francis, Herald of God's Word Francis' Death First Lesson The man of God was now nailed with Christ, in both body and spirit, to the cross. Just as he was being raised up into God by the fire of seraphic love, he was also being transfixed by a fervid zeal for souls. He thirsted with his crucified Lord for the deliverance of all those in need of salvation. Since he was not able to walk due to the nails growing out on his feet, he had his dried up body carried around the towns and villages, so that like another angel ascendingfrom the rising of the sun, he might kindle the hearts of the servants of God with a divine flame of fire, direct their feet into the way of peace, and seal their foreheads with the sign of the living God. He also was burning with a great desire to return to the beginnings of his humility, so that he might, just as he did in the beginning, minister to lepers and recall his body, now failing due to hardships, to its original servitude.

Second Lesson With Christ as his leader, he proposed to do great things, and though his limbs were becoming weak, he was strong and fervid in spirit, and he hoped for a victory over his enemy in a new encounter. Surely, in order that there might be an increase in the sum total of merits, which truly makes everything perfect by patience, the little one of Christ began to be burdened seriously by various infirmities. The painful agony of suffering was diffused throughout his limbs, his flesh was being consumed, and it seemed that only skin was clinging to his bones. While he was being tormented by unyielding pains, he said that those punishing conditions were not pains but his sisters. He gave such praise and thanks to the Lord in the joyful bearing of them, that it seemed to the friars taking care of him that they were looldng upon Paul in his joyful and humble glorying, and that they were seeing another Job in the vigor of his imperturbable spirit.

Francis, Herald of God's Word

Third Lesson Francis knew the time of his passing long before his death.

As this day was approaching, he told his friars that the tent of his body had to be laid aside very soon, as it had been pointed out to him by Christ. Two years after the impression of the sacred stigmata and in the twentieth year of his conversion, he begged to be brought to Saint Mary of the Portiuncula. He wished to pay his debt to death and arrive at the prize of eternal recompense there where he had conceived the spirit of perfection and grace through the Virgin Mother of God. After he was brought to the Portiuncula, he demonstrated by a true example that there was nothing in common between him and the world. During that illness which was so serious that it ended every weakness, he placed himself in total nudity on the ground, so that in his last hour when he still could be angry, he might wrestle naked with his naked enemy. Lying thus on the ground and in the dust, this nude athlete covered with his left hand the wound in his right side, lest it be seen. With his serene face raised in the customary manner toward heaven and his attention directed entirely toward that glory, he began to praise the Most High because, released from all things, he was now free to go to him.

Fourth Lesson Finally, with the hour of his passing now imminent, he had all the friars living in the area called to him. Consoling them in preparation for his death with comforting words, he exhorted them with fatherly affection to the love of God. Then leaving them their rightful inheritance, the possession of poverty and peace, he charged them to strive toward things eternal and fortify themselves against the dangers of this world. He carefully admonished them and persuaded them with all the efficacy of speech he could muster to follow perfectly the footsteps of Jesus crucified. As his sons were sitting around him, the patriarch of the poor, whose eyes had been dimmed not by age but by tears, the holy man, blind and now near death, crossed his

Francis, Herald of God's Word ------------------ -------------------arms and extended his hands over them in the form of the cross, because he always loved this sign. He then blessed all the friars, both present and absent, in the name and in power of the Crucified.

Fifth Lesson After this, Francis begged that the Gospel according to John be read to him beginning with the words: Before the feast if the Passover. He wished to hear the voice of the Beloved knocking, from whom only the wall of flesh now separated him. Finally, when all the mysteries were completed in him, the blessed man, praying and singing psalms, fell asleep in the Lord. His most holy soul, free from the flesh, was absorbed in the abyss of eternal splendor. At that very hour one of his friars and disciples, a man certainly famous for his sanctity, saw that fortunate soul in the likeness of a brilliant star, borne up by a little cloud over many waters straight into heaven. This soul, glittering with the clear luster of his conscience and glistening with the sure sign of his merits, was being raised on high so effectually by an abundance of graces and divine virtues that nothing would be able to detain it at all from its vision of heavenly light and glory.

Sixth Lesson The minister of the friars at that time in Terra di Lavoro was Augustine, a man who was certainly dear to God and close to death. For a long time he had been without the power of speech, but now he called out to those listening who were standing by and said: "Wait for me, Father, wait! Look, I am coming with you!" To the friars who wondered and asked to whom he was spealdng, he asserted that he saw blessed Francis going into heaven. As soon as he said this, he also happily went to his rest. At the same time the bishop of Assisi had gone to the Oratory of Saint Michael at Monte Gargano. Blessed Francis, filled with delight, appeared to him in the hour of his passing, and said that he was leaving the world and passing

Francis, Herald of God's Word

exultantly into heaven. Arising in the morning, the bishop told his companions what he saw. Then, after returning to Assisi and making careful inquiries, he found out for certain that the blessed Father had departed from this life at the same hour in which it was made known to him in a vision.

Seventh Lesson The immensity of celestial goodness deigned to show, by many prodigies and miracles after his death, just how remarkable this man was for his outstanding sanctity. Because of his merits and at his intercession the power of almighty God restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, walking to the lame, and feeling and movement to the paralyzed; he gave robust health, moreover, to those who were withered, shriveled or ruptured, and effectually snatched away those who were in prison; he brought the shipwrecked to the safety of port, granted an easy delivery to those in danger during childbirth, and put demons to flight from those possessed.

Finally, he restored those hemorrhaging and lepers to wholesome cleanliness, those mortally wounded to a perfectly sound condition, and, what is greater than all these, he restored the dead to life.

I Eighth Lesson Because of him innumerable benefits from God do not cease to abound in different parts of the world, as even I myself who wrote the above have experienced in my own life. When I was just a child and very seriously ill, my mother made a vow on my behalf to the blessed Father Francis. I was snatched from the very jaws of death and restored to the vigor of a healthy life. Since I hold this vividly in my memory, I now publicly proclaim it as true, lest keeping silent about such a benefit I would be accused of being ungrateful. Accept, therefore, blessed Father, my thanks however meager and unequal to your merits and benefits. As you accept our desires, excuse too our faults through prayer, so that you may both rescue those

Francis, Herald of God's Word - ------faithfully devoted to you from present evils and lead them to everlasting blessings.

Ninth Lesson It is fitting, therefore, that these words be concluded with a brief recapitulation of everything that has been written. Whoever has read thoroughly the things above should ponder carefully these final considerations: the conversion of the blessed

Father Francis which took place in a marvelous way; his efficacy in preaching the word of God; his privilege of exalted virtues; his spirit of prophecy together with his understanding of the scriptures; the obedience shown to him by irrational creatures; the impression of the sacred stigmata; and his celebrated passage from this world to heaven. These seven testimonies clearly attest and show to the whole world that he, the herald of Christ, having the seal of the living God, should be venerated by reason of his accomplishments, and for the fact that he was authentic in his teaching and admirable in his sanctity. So let those who are leaving Egypt feel secure in following him. With the sea divided by the staff of the cross of Christ, they will traverse the desert and crossing the Jordan of mortality they will enter, by the wonderful power of that cross, into the promised land of the living. Through the prayers of our blessed Father may they, there, be conducted to that glorious Savior and leader Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit in perfect Trinity be all praise, honor, and glory forever. Amen.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word Bonaventure lived during a period of intense renewal manifested in the widespread attempts of lay and religious men and women to pattern their lives on the portrait of Christ depicted in the gospels.

While some wandered beyond the then acceptable bounds of ecclesial teaching and tradition, others like Francis and Clare of Assisi managed to receive papal approbation without sacrificing their original dynamism. Regardless of their status in the medieval

Church, these men and women were united in the desire for evangelical authenticity as they interpreted the world through the prism of Christ's life. In his writings, Francis looks repeatedly to the life of Christ mirrored in the gospels and speaks of him as the Word of God.

He offers a broad vision of Christ, which focuses on his humanity without losing sight of his eternal divinity. In the paradoxical language of poverty and power, Christ is perceived as divine in the indigence of birth, the privation of begging, the pain of crucifixion and the humility of the eucharistic encounter. Francis' efforts to enter into the mystery of Christ, evidenced in the example of his life as well as writings, encouraged Bonaventure to articulate the centrality of Christ's life in the spiritual journey.

Bonaventure often drew insights from gospel events to illustrate how the careful consideration of Christ's life is key to understanding the fundamentals of spiritual discernment and growth. The first work in this chapter, The Five Feasts of the Child Jesus, is an example of what was to become a popular genre of spiritual writing in the Middle

Ages. Bonaventure outlines in heartfelt language how prayerful re-

I I

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word flection on the birth and childhood of the divine infant is an ideal way to conceive the Word of God within the recesses of the soul. The second work in this chapter, Christ, The One Teacher oj All, does not highlight anyone event in Christ's life as much as the importance of being united with him whose humanity and divinity reveals the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The centrality of Christ in the spiritual journey is expressed in Bonaventure's belief in him as the only teacher who, as the incarnate and eternal Word, stands as mediator between humanity and God.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

The Five Feasts of the Child Jesus In God's Church there are holy men and women who have been enlightened more profoundly than others by divine radiance and inflamed more ardently by inspiration from on high.

It is their conviction and teaching that through meditation upon Jesus and reverent contemplation of the incarnate

Word, a faithful suul can experience ad . light far sweeter, a pleasur more lhrilling, Hnd a consolation more perfect than hom honey and fragrant p Lfwlles.

I had the opportunity to withdraw for a short while from the turmoil of distracting thoughts. In my innermost self I asked which aspect of the Lord's incarnation should be the object of my reflection during this time. My purpose was to obtain some spiritual consolation in which I might savor the divine sweetness reflected, as in a mirror, in this vale of tears [Ps 83:7], and, having savored it, however fleetingly, to keep myself more resolutely from passing any illusory consolations.

As I considered these things, it arose mysteriously in my mind that by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High, a soul dedicated to God could spiritually conceive the holy Word of God and only-begotten Son of the Father, give birth to him, name him, seek and adore him with the Magi, and finally, according to the law of Moses, joyfully present him in the Temple to God the Father. In this way, as a true disciple of the Christian faith, a soul would be able to celebrate with all prayerfulness and piety the five feasts of the Child Jesus, which the Church has instituted.

Because I thought out this little work with humility, I have written it in simple words, and for brevity'S sake, I have omitted references to authorities confirming what I have said.

Should anyone grow but a little in devotion toward our most sweet Jesus, from reading or meditating on this short and modest work, then let him praise, glorify, and bless the Author, Fount, and Origin of all goodness. If no such growth

Christ, God's Incarnate and Etemal Word takes place, then let the reader either blame me for not having written it well or worthily enough or perhaps, for lack of devotion and humility on his part, blame himself.

The First Feast How Christ Jesus, the Son of God, May Be Conceived Spiritually by a Devout Soul Our understanding has to be purified by the waters of sorrow, our heart inflamed and raised on high by the gentle fire of love. Then by fervent meditation and prayerful thought, we can undertake our first consideration: How it is that the blessed Son of God, Christ Jesus, may be conceived spiritually in a devout soul.

Once a devout soul has been touched or moved by the hope fh(:~av ' n l hlis., th fearo eternal punishmellt, or lhe wearjness of living J ng in this Iwit! f?i'tcars lPs 83:7J, it is visited J y r sh inspintions, s t alighl 'With holy desir s, and taken up with godJy thought ·, When at lengtb it ha. r j led and cI sp is d previous i mp er~ ' lions and f rmer desire for worldly thing,. and has r solv d Lo lead a n w lir by the grn ious kindness of the Father aflights from whom is Ifllel)' good ellclowlTIlmt mu(

/:11/N] 1 pL'1fect g[.ft [Jas I : J Tj, it conceive. mystical! by L1 > gif-t r grace.

W hat i happening here? It is nothing oth r thaI lh h aven ly Pat.h r impregnatingth soul, as it were

~U1d making it liuitful b 1 a djvin . d. Tlte Jlowrrclj·tJlIJ Mo.,t High COlllfJS upon the ,oul and oJI(.!rs!tru/ows i rLk I : 51 wiLh a beav Illy ooln 5S, which tempers the desires of the flesh and gives help and strength to the eyes of the spirit.

It is a joyous conception which leads to such contempt of the world and to such longing for heavenly works and the things of God. No matter how fleetingly up to this point, even in the midst of distress, the things of the spirit have been tasted, the things of the flesh lose their savor.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

Now, with Mar, tJle JUl b gins to climb the hill COUl'l t1J, ILk 1 :391, be auSe after thi ' 'onception arthly lhing, 10 e lllir attra' i n, and the. oul long ' f r heav vly and et mal t11ings.

Th oul begin 0 11 th c mpany ofthos ~ with minas set on l'(.trthlJl thing. [Ph iI 3: J 91 and desires lhe f"riendsh i p of lhosc with hear s ton h av nly things. It begins to take care of Elizab t h, that i , to look to thos vvh ar nlight nco by divine ~ isdom and ardently infLnm d lov ".

There is an important point to keep in mind because it applies to many people: The further one withdraws from the world, the 10 er becon e one' friendship with good pc pIe. r fo llows that th m. re lh ompan of IIngodly p oplc 10 e its attraction, the more the company f saintl and pirituaJ p ople inspiTes th heart witb raliant delight. a.inl Gregory says: "Anyon wh I eep close to a boly man discovers that by eeing hirn oft n, listening to his words and witnessin his exemplary beh avior, h i et on fire wit h I ve ofthe truth, I eep away from the darkne s of in, and is inflamed by he 1 ve 0 ' divine light." Saintlsjdore writes:"S el the company of good p op]e. If you share th -ir om.1 any, you will als shar· th ir vir u ."

The fait.hful S L11 should c nsid r well ho\, pur , holy and devout was th onversation ( f Lh saint , how godly and salutary lheir OlUl el, how adnurable t11eir bolines , and all th y achieved to tl1 if rou ual benefil, asthey in pired n an ther by word and exampl towal'd great r virtu.

D vout soul thai.. j also what Y LI hould do ,,\Ill· n you reaJ.iz that you have, hy the H ly Spirit, cone ived a new longing for 1.h · life r gra . Av id the company of t he wicked, g up inlo the hill country v,dth Mary, s ek the advi e of spiritual peopl striv to ~ II W iJ) th foots eJ of th saints, l' fleet upon the Leaching of holy p ople and also upon their a tions and xample. K ep lear of the 1 oi50nou tOLins l. or Lhe wicked, wh ahvay try La distort n w d ires inspir d by th

HoI Spirit 'lnd wanl to hinder t.hem and never ceas · to tear them to shreds.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Etcmal Word Often und .r the guis · of be hn . ss they in f ' t the soul with the ntagion of an insi.dious cowardi 'e, Th -yay such Lhings

. : "WhaL you have begull j b yond you; what you ar Laking n is far too diffi ult; "vhat you are doing i!i too much of a burd n. Your trel1glh is not LIp to it, YOLI do nothav " llle abilityto do it. Your mind will g t con[-used, your -yesight will b d >- 0'0 led, you will develop all kinds of .illn s 'ts: on umption. paralysis 5t n s in lh kidn ys, liz7jness in tile head, dulling of the s · nses, "Iaudillg r the mind, and loss of faculti s. All the. terribl Lhillgs will happell t.o you if YOLI do nOl abandon what you have start cl and tak gr'atel' care of yom health. u h pra tice do not become your positi n , th y harm your honor and good name."

You notice then how someone can masquerade as a master of discipline and a medical doctor who does not even know how to keep his own life in order or cure the sickness of his own mind! How sad it is that the cursed advice of the worldly-minded has frequently ruined so many people and killed the Son of God conceived in them by the Holy Spirit.

This is that damnabl and deadly m eli . ne, the devil's counsel, which hinder spiritual on. eption in s man sOllls and kills and destroys in many other what had bee l~ of'\ceiv· d by a firm decision or a vow.

There are others who seem to be good, religious people, and perhaps they are, but who, I say it with r 81 ct, ar far to timid. They neither remember that the hand ajthc Lord is not-yet shortened that itcannot save [Is 59: 1], nor do they r member that the kin ]ness of til Most 1:-ligh ha ' n t yel run ouL, Lhal he wants to h Ip us ami has (he pow rt do s( . Th~JII/CI'J/t' n ztJalfor

Got! but It is Ilot clIliglitened [Rom 10:2]. Out of compossion for physi al surf ring or perhaps from f ar of natural weakness. th y lissuad · others from the pLlrsu'it of p ,of cti(m. That i ' their reaction when they see tilers a hi ving .. u c -s fu lly that whi -h Lhey themselves had judg d t b good and hol , bUL lp n whi.ch they did not hav the courage to emharl . Th y di cOLIJ'age other fron anyt.hing tha'l goes b r nd the ommon :lVerag • and t hey d troy the sal ft.:!!"y r,()11,nll .Ill which

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

come from God's inspiration. The more authentic these counsels are in the light of their experience, the more dangerous they find them to be.

Sometimes through the cunning of the ancient enemy, they slyly suggest: "If you take on such and such practices of piety, people will say you are holy, good, devout, and religious. Because you have not yet acquired the virtues which others think you have, you will be judged guilty in the sight of the Supreme

Judge, who knows in all their horror your great and terrible sins. You will forfeit the merits of your good works, and you wfll be judged a liar and a hypocrite." Such practices of piety, th y maintain, ar nly for tho who hav not sinned gravely and have ~ pt LO a cha te and holy lif ,who gave up everything for J d and hav r mained faithful to hirn aD th ir live.

Beloved soul dedicated to God, keep clear of people like that. Go up into the hill country [Lk 1 :39] with Mary. Paul did not live a sinless life, yet he had not been in God's service for any length of time when he was taken up into the third heaven and contemplated God face to face. Mary Magdalene had been full of pride and ambition, totally intent on worldly vanities and ensnared by the pleasures of the flesh. Not long after her conversion, however, she sat among the holy apostles at the feet of Jesus and listened attentively to the saving doctrine of perfection. She was found worthy to be the first to see the Lord shortly after his resurrection, and she proclaimed steadfastly to the others that he was risen from the dead.

God shows no partiality [Acts 10:34]. He does not take account of nobility of birth, length of time in his service, or the number of our good works. What counts with God is a devout soul's increased fervor and more ardent love. He does not consider how you once behaved, but what you hav now begun to be. You see, therefore, how gravely blameworthy th. advic of such would be, did ignorance not excuse it, though itcannot be condoned.

If then you cannot be saved through innocence, strive for salvation by penance. If you cannot be a Catherine or a Cecilia, do not be ashamed to be a Mary Magdalene or a Mary of

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word Egypt. If you r cognize tlla't YOll hay conceiv d God's .most dear ' on by a . ac)' d resolv to . triv for I r~ tion, then keep ~lway from th d adl polson I have ju t m n i ned. and iU<e a woman in labor, hast ·n with uesir 3 and longing toward a happy delivery.

The Second Feast How the Son of God Is Born Spiritually in a Devout Soul Secondly. let us consi.d r und marl< well h w he ble s d , n or od, already COli eived spiJ.-ituaJ]y, is born spiritually in th soul. H' i bom wh n, aft r good advice. due thought and pra er ror Got.!' pro ctian, w put into pra tice our resolution to lea 1 a mor perf ct life. Thal ilito ay, he i born when th soul begins to do that which it I ng had iJ1 min but wa afraid to unde.rtal c through fear of its own weakness. T he angels rei i at this mo, t bt ssed birth. th y glorify God and announ 'e peace.

The announ e p. ace because peace i restored to the soul by th rra tice oft-he virtues w.h i h h long had in mjnd. od's pea annOL be stablish d firInly in the suul while the sruit an J ne h ar aLW'll'with n an ther;wh nthe piJillongsfor solitude and the flesh craves to be with the crowd; when the spirit d lights in Christ and the fle h 'is allul' d by tl1 ,. 0Tld; wh n h spiJit'e ksthcs renityofcont ·mplation inGod and Lh flesh d' ire poSitions of han r in the world .

On the lh r hand. when 1 h flesh is subje t d to the spirit, that is, n g od works' r put into pt'a li ewhich for so I ng th flesh had hinder d-inner pea an I joy ar rest r d t the QUI. How happy a birth which brings s·Llch rejol ing to hLll an I eings and angels! How lovely and delightful it would be if we ;,uways did what wa be t for us. But oLlr foolishn.ess prevents it. On we rid ours ·)ve r 0 U' fo()\i hnes • hU1l1Hn natur · recognizes what is mtive to il. In this birth we perien e th truth or thal gospel saying: Take TJ!J')lOke UPONJ,I(Il/, fll1d

Christ, God's Incanzate and Etenzal Word

learn from me, for I am gentle and lowlY in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is eary and my burden is light [Mt

11 :29-30].

Devout s ul, jf thi happy birtl1 brings you delight, you houiu rememb r thal you have to be like Mary. The nam

"M U (lib'

It it J .1' h Ull ary mean ltter sea, n W10 erulg t 11 an one who rule ." First, you must be a ubi ter S a" through ars of sorrow, "veeping bitterly for the sins you have committed, lamenting d pI th e good you I ft undon , 'md reproaching ours If une asingly for th tim you let slip by and los. ecand, you must b . on who enlightens" by peakingwords f

. dification, pracctidng virtue and teaching OU1 1'S untiringly to L good. Third, you mll, t be "one who rul ," lhatis, b rna. t r f OUT en es, arnaJ pas. ions, and all our action . In this way all our a ,ions will be in c nf rmity with right reason, and in all that all do you will seek and I ng for rod'. praj and glory, your neighh r" dification, and y r own salvation.

How blessed is such a "Mary" who weeps over sins committed, shines resplendently with virtue and has complete mastery over all carnal desires. Jesus Christ does not disdain to be born spiritually and joyfully, without pain and sorrow, from a "Mary" like this.

Once this birth has taken place, the devout soul knows and tastes how good the Lord [Ps 34:9] Jesus is. In truth we find how go d h i when" e nourisl1 him with 1Il" pra ers, balh him in the waters of our warm and loving tears wrap him in the 'pod 5S . waddling clothes of our desires, cany h:im in an embrace of holy love, loss him over and ov r again witb h artfelt longin gs and c.herish him in tll > boo om of our inm t hart.

That is how this Child is born spiritually in a devout soul.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word The Third Feast How the Infant Jesus Is Named Spiritually by a Devout Soul Thirdly, we come to consider how this holy Infant, now born spiritually, shall be named. I think there is no name more fitting for him than Jesus, for scripture says: He was called Jesus

[Lk 2:21]. This is the most sacred of all names, It was foretold by the prophets, announced by an angel, proclaimed by the apostles, and desfred by all the saints. 0 powerful name! 0 grace-filled and joyous name! 0 delightful and glorious name!

This name is poweiful, because it brings down our enemies, restores our strength, and renews our mind. It is grace-filled, because in it is contained the foundation of faith, the ground of hope, and the fulfillment of holiness. It is joyous, because it is gladness to the heart, music to the ear, honey to the tongue, and splendor to the mind. It is delightful, because it nourishes when it is recalled, soothes when it is uttered, anoints when it is invoked, refreshes when it is written, and instructs when it is read. It is a truly gloriOUS name, because it gives Sight to the blind, makes the lame walk, brings hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and life to the dead. 0 blest name endowed with such powers!

Devout soul, whether you are writing, reading, or teaching or whatever you are dOing-may nothing have taste for you, nothing please you, apart from Jesus. To the little Infant begotten in you spiritually, give the name Jesus, which means:

Savior, amidst the miseries of this life. May he save you from the vanities of the world which entice you, from the deceits of the devil which surround you, and from the weakness of the flesh which torments you.

Devout soul, amidst the many scourges of this life cry out:

Jesus, Savior of the world, save us whom you have redeemed by your cross and blood.

Help us, 0 Lord our God.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Etenral Word Save us, sweet Jesus, our Savior.

Strengthen the weak, comfort those who mourn, help the frail and give constancy to the faint-hearted.

After this holy name had been given to the Child, the Virgin Mary, fruitful mother in the flesh and true mother in the spirit, often felt a sense of sweetness when through this name she witnessed that devils were cast out, miracles were performed, the blind received their sight, the sick were restored to health and the dead were brought back to life.

Undoubtedly you also, devout soul, as spiritual mother of this Child, have every right to rejoice and give praise, as you witness in yourself and in others that your holy Son, Jesus, casts out devils in the remission of sins; gives Sight to the blind by infusing true knowledge into the mind; raises the dead through the gift of grace; cures the sick, heals the lame and restores the paralYzed and crippled by giving strength to the spirit. In all these ways those who before were sick and weak on account of their sins, now become healthy and strong by grace. 0 glorious and holy name, found worthy to have such power and strength!

The Fourth Feast How the Son of God Is Sought and Adored Spiritually with the Magi by the Devout Soul

We come now to the fourth feast, the Adoration of the Magi. After the soul by God's grace has spiritually conceived, brought forth and named this dear Child, the three kings, understood here as the three powers of the soul, resolve to go in search of the Child already revealed to them in the royal city, that is, in the structure of the created universe.

The powers ofthe soul are rightly described as "kings," because now they rule the flesh, have dominion over the senses, and are taken up entirely, as is fitting, with the pursuit of divine things.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word They seek the Child through meditation, go in search of him in heartfelt longings and inquire about him in prayerful reflections: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the East [Mt 2:2]. We have seen his splendor shining in the devout mind, we have seen his radiance lighting up the inner recesses of the soul. We have heard his voice and it is soft and tender; we have tasted his sweetness and it is delightful; we have caught his fragrance and it is alluring; we have felt his embrace and it is irresistible.

Now, Herod, give us the answer, tell us where the Beloved is to be found, show us the little Child we are yearning to see. He is the one we seek and long for. o most tender, most loving, eternal Child, you were a Babe from before the world began. When will we see you, when will we find you, when will we stand before your face? Without you, to rejoice is weariness; with you, to rejoice or weep is sheer delight. What is contrary to your will, we loathe; your good pleasure is our unending happiness. If it is such delight to weep over you, what must it be to find joy in you?

Where are you? We are looking for you. Where are you?

Weare searching for you in all things and above all else.

Where are you who have been born king of the Jews, law of believers, light of the blind, leader of the poor, life of the dead, eternal salvation of all who live forever?

Scripture gives us the true answer: In Bethlehem of Juda [Mt 2:5]. Bethlehem means "house of bread" and Juda "one who praises. "

Christ is found when we have confessed our sins and listened attentively to the teaching of the gospel, the bread of everlasting life, meditated upon it and rooted it firmly in our hearts, so that we may fulfill it by good works and proclaim it to others that they may observe it also.

We find the Child Jesus with Mary his mother when we taste the sweetness of divine contemplation, sometimes accompanied by abundant tears of consolation, after we have shed tears of sorrow and made fruitful confession of our sins.

We find the Child when prayer, which at the outset saw us al-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

most despairing, leaves us rejoicing and assured of forgiveness.

How happy such a "Mary" by whom Jesus is conceived, from whom he is born, and with whom he is found in tenderness and delight.

You also, native powers of the soul, whom I have called kings, must go in search of the Child Jesus as did the three

Magi, to worship him and offer him your gifts. Worship him with reverence, for he is the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Rewarder of all. Worship him as the Creator, for he fashioned our very being; as the Redeemer, for he restored life to our spirit; as the Rewarder, for he grants us eternal life.

Adore him with reverence, you kings, for he is the most powerful king; adore him with veneration, for he is the most wise teacher; adore him with gladness, for he is the most generous prince. Do not be content to adore him, offer him gifts as well. Offer him the gold of ardent love, the frankincense of devout contemplation, the myrrh of bitter sorrow. Offer him the gold of love for the graces he has bestowed on you, the frankincense of devotion, for the joys he has prepared for you, and the myrrh of sorrow for the sins you have committed. Offer gold in honor of Christ's eternal godhead, frankincense in honor of the holiness of his soul, and myrrh in honor of his bodily sufferings.

Devout soul, in this way seek the Child Jesus, adore him and offer him your gifts.

The Fifth Feast How the Son of God Is Spiritually Presented in the Temple by a Devout Soul

In the fifth and last place, the devout soul turns to consider how this little Child is to be presented in the Temple and offered to the Lord. He came to birth in the soul by the fulfillment of divinely inspired works, he was given his name when the soul tasted heavenly sweetness, he was sought for and found, then worshipped and adored, when it offered him spiri-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word tual gifts. He is now presented in the Temple by offering him, fervently and humbly, the thanks which are his due.

This blest "Mary," the spiritual mother of Jesus, was cleansed through penance in conceiving her holy Son; she was strengthened in a number of ways by giving birth to him; she was consoled in her deepest heart by assigning him his holy name, and she was filled with the divine life by adoring him with the Icings.

What then remains to be done? Only this-to carry the Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary to the heavenly Jerusalem and into the Temple of the godhead and there present him to the Father.

Go up, then, spiritual "Mary," not now into the hill country, but to the dwelling place which is the heavenly Jerusalem, to the palace of that city which is above. There, before the throne of the eternal Trinity and undivided Unity, kneel down humbly in spirit and present your Son to God the Father, as you praise, glorify and bless the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

With rejoicing praise God the Father, by whose inspiration you conceived your resolve to lead a life of holiness. With reverence, glorify God the Son, by whose grace you put into effect the resolve you conceived. Bless and adore God the Holy

Spirit, by whose strength you have so far remained steadfast in good works.

Devout soul, glorify God the Father for all his gifts and for all the good you do. By his mysterious inspirations, he called you away from the world, saying: Return, return 0 Shulammite

[S g 6: 12]. The meaning of those words will be found in the first meditation of another little work I have written.

Magnify God the Son in all his saints. By his mysterious grace he delivered you from the devil's slavery, saying: Take nry yoke uponyou [Mt 11 :29] and cast off the yoke of the devil. His yoke is bitter, mine is sweet. His will lead you to eternal torment and pain; mine will bring you to everlasting joy and quiet resting places [Is 32: 18]. Should the devil's yoke by chance bring you some delight, it is false and passing. My yoke brings true joy and leads to eternal salvation. Sometimes the devil ex-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

alts his servants for a little while, only to put them to shame for all eternity. Everyone who honors me may suffer humiliations for a time, only to reign and be glorified forever.

This is the teaching God's Son gave you, sometimes directly himself, other times through his friends and the teachers he appointed. By that teaching, he delivered you from the wiles of the devil and the seductions of the world and the flesh.

Devout soul, always bless and honor God the Holy Spirit who strengthened you in all goodness by his gracious consolations, saying: Come to me all who labor and are heaJry laden and I will give you rest [Mt 11 :28].

Devout soul, consider how inexperienced and easily allured, how frail and weak you were. You were so much at home in worldly pleasures, besotted with earthly delights as by the dregs of wine, like pigs wallowing in filth. You were surrounded by so many and such terrible snares of the ancient enemy. On all sides you were faced by so much false advice and all kinds of obstacles and countless weapons used by relatives, friends, and others close to you to keep you from the path of love and do you harm.

How could you have persevered in doing good, shackled as you were by the chains of sin? How could you have advanced in virtue, had not the grace of the Holy Spirit mercifully come to your aid and so often graciously strengthened and refreshed you? Refer then all the good you do to him, ascribe none of it to yourself.

Utter these words with an upright and faithful intention: 0

Lord, you have wroughtfor me all my works [cf. Is 26:1]. In your sight I am nothing and I can do nothing. By your gift I continue to exist, and without you I am good for nothing.

To you, most compassionate Father of mercies [2 Cor 1:3], I offer what is yours. I commend and commit my unworthy self to you. I humbly acknowledge my ingratitude for all the gifts you have showered upon me.

To you, most blessed Father, eternal Majesty, be praise, glory, and thanksgiving. By your infinite power, you created me out of nothing.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word I praise, glorify and give you thanks, most blessed Son, radiance ofthe Father's glory [Heb 1:3]. By your eternal wisdom you saved me from death.

I bless, sanctify, and adore you, most holy, life-giving Spirit.

In your love and mercy you called me from sin to grace, from the world to a life of holiness, from exile to the fatherland, from labor to rest, and from grief to the joys of heavenly and sublime happiness.

May this be granted to us all by Jesus Christ, the Son of the Virgin Mary, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Christ, The One Teacher of All OnlY one isyour teacher, Christ. [Mt 23:10] This text states that there is but one fontal principle of cognitive illumination; namely, Christ, who, since he is the splendor of the Father's glory and the representation of his being, sustains all things by the word ofhis power, as we read in Hebrews [1 :3]. He it is who is the source of all wisdom according to Sirach: The fount of wisdom is the Word of God on high [1: 1]. Christ himself is the fount of all true knowledge. Indeed, according to John: He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life [14:6].

There are three degrees of true and certain knowledge according to what Hugh of Saint Victor writes in On the Sacraments: "There are three levels in the development of faith by which faith tends and proceeds to perfection as it increases.

The first is to choose through piety; the second to approve by reason; and the third to apprehend by truth." Accordingly, it appears that there are three ways of knowing. The first is through the faith of pious assent; the second is through the ap-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

proval of right reason; and the third is through the clarity of pure contemplation. The first is related to the habit of that virtue which is faith; the second to the habit of that gift which is understanding; and the third to that habit of blessedness which is purity of heart. Since there are three modes of knowledge, namely, that of faith, that of rational discourse, and that of contemplation, Christ is the principle and the cause of all of these. He is the principle of the first in as far as he is the Way; of the second in as far as he is the Truth; and of the third in as far as he is the Life.

Christ as Teacher of the Way As the Way, Christ is the master and principle of that knowledge which is had by faith. This knowledge is twofold; namely through revelation and through authority. As Augustine writes in On the Utility of Beliif: "What we understand, we owe to reason; what we believe, we owe to authority." There would be no authority unless it were preceded by revelation, as we read in the Second Letter of Peter: We possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable. Keep your attention fixed close?y on it as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place [2: 19].

The authority of the prophetic word is implied in this, and then the reason is added: Prophecy has never been forward by man's willing it. It is rather that men who were impelled by the Ho?y

Spirit have spoken under God's influence [1 :21]. Since it is in these two ways that we are to come to the knowledge of faith, it is impossible to do so except through Christ, the Giver, who is the principle of all revelation by his coming into the mind, and the foundation of all authority by his coming into the flesh.

He comes into the mind as the revelatory light of all prophetic vision according to Daniel: He reveals deep and hidden things and knows things determined in darkness, and the light is with him [2:22], that is, the light of divine wisdom which is Christ.

According to John: I am the Light of the world, he who comes after me will not walk in darkness [8: 12]. John says: Believe in the light

Christ, God's Incamate and Etemal Word while you have the light, that you may become children of the light

[12:36], because it is written: To those who believe in his name, he gave the power to become sons of God [1:12]. Without this light, which is Christ, no one can penetrate the mysteries of faith.

For this reason, it is written in Wisdom: Send her, that is, Wisdom, from your hory heaven and from the throne of your majesty, that she may be with me and work with me, that I may know what is accepted in your sight. For what man can know the counsel of God, and who can think what God wills? [9: 10,13]. From this we are given to understand that it is impossible to arrive at the certain revelation of faith except through the coming of Christ into the mind.

He also came into the flesh as the word of approbation for all prophetic utterances. We read in Hebrews: In many and diverse wtrys God spoke to our fathers through the prophets in times past; in this, the.final age, he has spoken to us through his Son [1:1-2].

While Christ himself is the word of the Father, full of power-according to Ecclesiastes: His word is .filled with power; and no one could say to him; Why do you act in this way? [8:4]. He is also the word full of truth. Indeed, he is truth itself, as we read in John: Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth [17: 7]. The "Gloss" comments on this in the following way: "In truth means 'in me' who am truth. This is clear from the fact that John adds Your word is truth; that is, 'I am the truth'; in Greek, logos, and in Latin, verbum." Since authority accrues to that word which is powerful and true, and Christ as the word of the Father is the power and wisdom of God, it follows that the firmness of all authority is founded, stabilized, and brought to completion in him.

All authentic scripture and all the preachers of scripture, therefore, are related to Christ who comes into the flesh, for he is the foundation of the entire Christian faith according to the First Letter to the Corinthians: According to the grace given to me, that I might lay the foundation as a wise architect. No one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus

[3: 10-11]. He is the foundation of all authentic doctrine, whether apostolic or prophetic according to both Laws, the

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

Old and the New. This is the meaning of Ephesians: You have been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets; Jesus

Christ himself is the supreme cornerstone [2:20]. It is clear, therefore, that it is Christ who teaches the knowledge of faith in as far as he is the Way, and in terms of his twofold coming; namely, into the mind and into the flesh.

Christ as Teacher of the Truth It is he who teaches rational knowledge in as far as he is the Truth. Scientific knowledge necessarily requires immutable truth on the part of the thing known and infallible certitude on the part of the knower. Whatever is known, indeed, is necessary in itself and certain to the knower. We know as Aristotle says, "when we judge the reason why a thing is, and we know that it is impossible for it to be otherwise."

On the part of that which can be known, immutable truth is required. Such a truth cannot be a created truth simply and absolutely, since every creature is capable of motion and change.

It is, rather, the truth which creates that is fully immutable.

Thus it is written in the Psalms: In the beginning, 0 Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Thry shall perish, but you will remain though all of them grow old like a garment. You change them like clothing, and thry are changed. But you are the same, and your years have no end [102:26-28]. The apostle writes in Hebrews, this is addressed to the Son of God, who is the word, the art, and the reason of the all-powerful God [cf.

I: 10]. He is, therefore, the sempiternal truth according to the psalm: Your word remains forever, 0 Lord, and your truth for eternity [119:89]. While things have being in themselves, they also have being in the mind and in the eternal reason as well.

They are not entirely immutable in the first and second modes of being, but only in the third; namely, in as far as they are in the eternal Word. It follows, therefore, that nothing can render things perfectly knowable unless Christ is present, the Son of God, and the Teacher.

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word Augustine writes in On Free Will: "Do not deny in any way that there is unchangeable truth, containing those things which are immutably true, which I cannot say is yours or mine or any man's, but which presents itself commonly to all who perceive the eternal truths." The same thing is said in On the Trinity. When impious people see the rules according to which each ought to live, "where do they see them? Not, indeed, in their own nature, since without doubt these things are to be seen by the mind, and their minds are admittedly mutable.

But these rules are seen as unchangeable by anyone who can see them at all. Nor can the answer be found in the state of their own mind, since these rules are rules of righteousness, and their minds are admittedly unrighteous. Where, then, are those rules written wherein even the unrighteous man knows and recognizes what is righteous, and wherein he knows that he should possess something that he does not possess? Where are they written except in that book of light which is called

Truth, wherein every just law is transcribed, and from which justice is transferred to the heart of man not by migrating to it, but by being impressed upon it?" This is stated also in On True

Religion, Concerning Music, and in The Retractions.

Secondly, on the part of the knower, this kind of knowledge requires certitude. Certitude can be had neither from a principle that can be deceived nor from a light that can be obscured.

The necessary light is not that of the created intelligence but that of uncreated Wisdom which is Christ. It is written in Wisdom: God gave me true knowledge of existing things, that I might know the organization of the uniJlerse and the power of its elements, the beginning and the end, and the mid-point of times [7: 17 -18]. And later it says: Wisdom, the artificer of all, taught me [7:22]. Then the writer adds the reason for this: She is an aura of the might of God and a pure iffusion of the glory of the Almighty; therifore nothing that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God . ... For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence . ... She reaches from end to end mighti{y and governs all things well [7:25-26; 8: I]. Because of this, John writes: He

Christ, God's lncamate alld Eternal Word

was the true light that enlightens every one [1 :9], and the "Gloss" comments: "That light is not the true one which gives light from another source and not from itself"

Of itself the light of the created intellect is not sufficient for the certain comprehension of anything without the light of the eternal Word. For this reason, Augustine writes in the Soliloquies: "In this sun three things may be discerned: that it is; that it shines; and that it illumines. There are also three things in the most secret depth of God: that he is; that he knows; and that he makes it possible for other things to be known." A little before this he says that "as the earth cannot be seen except by means of a light that illumines it, likewise, those things which are taught in the various disciplines are of such a sort that, without doubt, anyone can concede that they can be understood as most true, even though we must believe that they are intelligible only if they are illumined by something else as by their own sun." Again, in On the Trini0', Augustine tells us of the boy who, without benefit of a teacher, responded correctly to certain questions about geometry, and he rejects the position of Plato, who held that souls were infused with knowledge prior to their existence in the body. According to Augustine, this is not true. "Rather," he says, "we ought to believe that the nature of the intellectual mind is formed in such a way that, by being naturally subject to intelligible realities according to the arrangement of the Creator, it sees these truths in a certain incorporeal light of a unique kind, just as the eye of the body sees things all around it in this corporeal light. It is created with a capacity for this light and is adapted to it." What this light might be is described in On Free Will: "That beauty of truth and wisdom which does not pass with time nor move from place to place. It is neither interrupted by night nor shut off by shadows, nor is it subject to the bodily senses. To all those from the entire world who love it and turn to it, it is near, everlasting for all. It is in no place yet is absent nowhere. It admonishes from without and teaches within. No one judges it, and without it no one can judge well. Thus, it is manifest to our minds as something that is without doubt greater than our

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word minds, since by it alone each mind is made wise and judges not concerning it, but through it concerning other things." We find the same things in On True Religion, On the Trini0' as well as in On the Teacher, where throughout the entire work, he proves the conclusion that our teacher is one: namely, Christ.

Christ as Teacher of the Life Finally, in as far as Christ is the Life, he is the master of contemplative knowledge. With this the soul is concerned in two ways that correspond to two types of nourishment; namely, the inner nourishment in the Godhead, and the external nourishment in the humanity. There are, therefore, two modes of contemplation; namely, a going-in and a going-out. No one can arrive at this except through Christ. He himself says in John: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will go in and out and find pasture [10:9].

The going-in is to go to Christ as the uncreated Word and the food of angels, of whom it is said in John: In the beginning was the Word [1: 1]. Concerning this going-in it is written in another translation of the psalm: I will go in to the place of the wondeiful tabernacle, up to the dwelling place of God, with a cry ofjoy and praise and festive sound [42 :5]. This refers to the heavenly J erusalem. No one can enter into the contemplation of it unless led in through the uncreated Word which is Christ. Therefore

Dionysius writes in On the Angelic Hierarchy: "By calling on Jesus, the light of the Father, who is the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world, we have access to the principal light: namely, the Father. In as far as possible, we look to the illumination of the most sacred words given by the Father.

In as far as we are able, we will consider the hierarchies of the heavenly spirits manifest in them for us symbolically and anagogically, looking to the principal and super-principal divine clarity of the Father by means of the immaterial and steadfast eyes of the mind."

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

The going-out is to the incarnate Word, the milk of infants about whom we read in John: The Word was madejlesh and dwelt among us [I: 14]. The Song of Songs speaks of this gOing-out:

Come forth, daughter of Sion, and see King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his marriage, and on the day of the joy of his heart [3: II]. The crown with which the true

, , peacemaker, Solomon, was crowned by his mother is the immaculate flesh, which he assumed of the Virgin Mary. It is called the marriage crown because through it he espoused to himself the holy Mother Church, which was formed from his side as Eve was formed from the side of the man. Through that flesh the entire ecclesiastical hierarchy is purged, illuminated, and perfected. It is to be looked upon as the life-giving nourishment of the entire Church according to John: J.1yjlesh isfood indeed; and my blood is drink indeed. For this reason, the text continues, He who eats my jlesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

[6:56-58].

In the book On the Soul and Spirit we read: "The life of the soul is twofold; one life by which it lives in the flesh, and another by which it lives in God. Indeed, a person has two senses; the one interior and the other exterior. Each of these has its own good in which it delights; the interior sense in the contemplation of the divinity and the exterior sense in the contemplation of the humanity. For this reason, God became flesh in order to beatify the whole person in himself, so that whether

' he goes in' or 'goes out' he will 'find pasture' in his maker; pasture without in the flesh of the Savior, and pasture within in the divinity of the Creator." This going-in to the divinity and going-out to the humanity is nothing other than the "ascent to heaven" and the "descent to earth," which is accomplished through Christ as through the ladder mentioned in Genesis: In his dream Jacob saw a ladder standing on the earth, with its top touching heaven; and he saw angels ascending and descending on it [28: 12]. The ladder symbolized Christ; the ascending and descending of the angels symbolizes the illumination of contemplatives, who are ascending and descending, thus indicating the two modes of contemplation carried out by the interior

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word and exterior reading of the book written within and without.

This is the book mentioned in the Book of Revelations: In the right hand of the one sitting on the throne I saw a book written within and without, and sealed with seven seals. It goes on to say that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the book or examine its contents [5 :3]. To this it adds that, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, by his victory, has won the right to open the book and to break its seven seals [5:5].

If, therefore, the person who opened the book and broke its seals deserves to be called Teacher, then the title certainly belongs to Christ; for he is the "lion that rose up" and the "lamb that was slain." It is then apparent that in all the different kinds of knowledge "our Teacher is one," namely, Christ, because he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

From the foregoing, it is clear by what order and by which author we are to arrive at wisdom. The order is this: that we begin with the firmness of faith and proceed through the serenity of reason so as to arrive at the sweetness of contemplation.

This is the order implied by Christ when he said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life [In 14:6]. In this way we can see the fulfillment of what is written in Proverbs: The path of the just is like a shining light and it increases in brilliance until the peJject day

[4: 18]. The Saints held to this order, listening to Isaiah, according to another translation: "Unless you believe, you will not understand." Philosophers who neglected faith and based their thought totally on reason were ignorant of this order and could in no way arrive at contemplation. Augustine says in On the Trinity: "The eye of the human mind, since it is weak, is dazzled in the presence of such excellent light unless it is purged through the justice of faith."

Exemplarism and Knowledge It is clear who the model and teacher is. For Christ, who directs and aids our understanding, does so not only in a general sense, as is true with all the works of nature, and not only in a

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

special sense, as in the works of grace and meritorious virtue, but he directs and aids us in a certain middle way between these two. To understand this, we must note that in creatures there are three levels of conformity to God. Some things are conformed to God as vestige, some as image, and some as similitude. A vestige is related to God as to the creative principle. An image is related to God not only as to a principle but also as to its motivating object, as Augustine writes in On the Trinity: "The soul is an image of God in that it is capable of God and of participation in the divine life," namely, through knowledge and love. The similitude is related to God not only as to principle and object, but also as to a gift infused into it.

In those creaturely operations which proceed from the creature itself, in as far as it is a vestige-and this is universally the case with natural actions-God cooperates as principle and cause. In those actions which proceed from the creature as an image-and such are the intellectual actions by which the soul sees immutable truth itself-God cooperates as object and as motivating reason. In those actions which proceed from a creature, in as far as it is a similitude-and such are meritorious actions-God cooperates as a gift infused through grace.

Augustine says in On the City of God: "God is the cause of all being, the principle of all knowing, and the order of all living. "

The meaning of the term "principle of knowledge" must be understood in a sound way. It does not mean that God is the only, or bare, or total means of knowledge. If he were the only ground of knowledge, there would be no difference between the knowledge of science and that of wisdom; nor would there be any difference between knowledge in the Word and knowledge of a thing in its own right. Furthermore, if he were the bare and open ground of knowledge, there would be no difference between our knowledge in this life and our knowledge in heaven. But this is clearly false, since in heaven our knowledge will be face-to-face while on earth we see dark!Jl and through a mirror [1 Cor 13: 12], because in this life our knowledge depends on the sense phantasms. Finally, if he were the total ground, we would have no need of species and reception to

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word know things. This we see to be manifestly false, because when we lose one of our senses, we necessarily lose one type of knowledge. Even though Augustine considers the soul to be in contact with the eternal laws, because in some way it attains to that light at the apex of the agent intellect and the superior part of reason, yet what the philosopher says is true beyond doubt, namely, that knowledge is generated in us by way of sense, memory, and experience from which the universal is formed in us. The universal is the principle of art and science.

Because Plato related all certain knowledge to the intelligible or ideal world, he was justly criticized by Aristotle. Not because he was wrong in affirming the ideas and the eternal reasons, since Augustine praises him for this, but because-despising the sensible world-he wishes to reduce all certain knowledge to the ideas. In doing this, he would seem to provide a firm basis for the way of wisdom which proceeds according to the eternal reasons, but he destroyed the way of science which proceeds according to created reasons.

On the other hand, Aristotle provided a firm foundation for the way of science while neglecting the way of wisdom. It seems, therefore, that among the philosophers, the word of wisdom is to be granted to Plato and the word of science to Aristotle. For the former looked above all at the higher realities, while the latter looked principally to the lower things.

Both the word of science and that of wisdom were given by the Holy Spirit to Augustine as an outstanding expositor of the whole of scripture, and it is clear from his writings that he carried this out in a pre-eminent way. To an even greater degree, this is true of Paul and Moses; in the one as in a minister of the law of figures, in the other as in a minister of the law of grace. Acts says of Moses that he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians [7 :22], and again it was said to him on the mountain, See that you make them according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain [Ex 25:40]. In the case of Paul, he himself said that among the simple he would not show himself as knowing anything but Christ Jesus and him crucified. According to the First Letter to the Corinthians, however, he spoke wisdom

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

among the perfect; a wisdom he himself had learned when he was taken up to the third heaven according to the Second Letter to the Corinthians. This was realized in the highest degree in our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the principal Law-giver. At one and the same time, he was perfectly a man in history and yet in possession of the goal. He alone, therefore, is the principal teacher.

Respectful Dialogue with Christ, the Teacher As principal teacher, therefore, it is he above all who is to be honored, listened to, and questioned. He is to be honored above all others, since he attributes the dignity of master to himself. According to Matthew: Do not be called Rabbi,jor one is your Master, andyou are all brothers [23:8]. He wished to reserve the dignity of master to himself according to John: You call me

Lord and Master; and you do well, for so I am [13: 13]. He is to be honored not only by word of mouth but also in reality through imitation. For this reason the text adds: If I have washed your feet, I who am Teacher and Lord, then you must wash each others 'jeet

[13: 14], because we read in Luke: He who does not follow me cannot be my diSCiple [14:27].

We must listen to him above all others through the humility of faith, according to Isaiah: The Lord has given me a well-trained tongue that I might know how to sustain the weary with my word.

Morning after morning he opens my ear that I might hear him as my master [50:4]. Twice it says he opens, because it is not sufficient that our ear be opened to understand unless it is opened also to obey. We read, therefore, in Matthew: He who has ears to hear, let him hear [13:43]. Christ teaches us not only in word but also in example. Therefore, he who hears does not hear perfectly unless he brings understanding to the words and obedience to the deeds. This is the meaning of Luke: Everyone will be peifect if he becomes like his master [6:40].

Finally, we must ask him questions out of the desire to learn and not in order to test him as do curious and unbelieving peo-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word pIe. We read about this in Matthew: Some of the scribes answered saying, "Master, we wish to see a signfromyou" [12:38]. They had seen signs over and over again, and yet they ask for stilI another. This shows that human curiosity has no limit and does not deserve to be led to truth. This explains why he answered them that no sign would be given them except the sign of Jonas, the prophet. Jesus is not to be interrogated in this way but rather with desire as Nicodemus inquired of him. John tells us that: He came to Jesus by night and said to him: Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as our Master, etc. [3:2]. The text then goes on to say that Jesus opened to him the mysteries of faith, because he did not ask for signs of power but for examples of truth.

We are to ask this teacher about those matters that pertain to science, discipline, and goodness. A psalm says: Teach me goodness and discipline and science [119:66]. Science consists in the knowledge of truth; discipline consists in avoiding evil; goodness consists in choosing the good. The first concerns truth; the second holiness; the third charity. We ought to ask him about those matters that pertain to the truth of science, but not with the desire to test him as the disciples of the Pharisees tested him. It is written in Matthew: Master, we know that _you are truthful, etc. r22: 16]. Since their question arose from an evil intention, he replied, Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites?

[Mt 22: 18]. But because the question itself was good, he gave a true answer: Render therifore to Caesar the things that are

Caesar's and to God the things that are God's [Mt 22:21].

Secondly, we should ask him about those things that pertain to the discipline of sanctity as did the young man in Marie

Good Master, what shall I do that I might possess eternal life?

[10: I 7]. He answered that he should keep the commandments, and that if he wished to be perfect he should observe the counsels, for in these is found the perfect discipline of morals and an aid against those things that incline us to sin. We should ask him also about those things that pertain to the kindness of love, following the example of the doctor of the Law in Matthew: Master, which is the greatest commandment l!f the

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word

Law? He said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and mind and soul. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself [22:36-39]. In this we see that the fullness of the law is love [Rom 13:10].

It is about these three things that we should question Christ, our teacher; for the entire law of Christ is related to them. All the teaching of the ministerial doctor should be concerned with these three matters, so that the office of teaching might be carried out in a fitting manner under the supreme

Master. Every master who carries out the office of teaching should seek to understand the truth of faith according to the First Letter to Timothy: I speak the truth and I do not lie, the teacher of the nations in faith and truth [2: 7]. It is written in the Second Letter to Peter: It was not by way of cleverlY concocted myths that we taught you about the coming in power of our Lord Jesus

II Christ, for we are eyewitnesses of his power [1 : 16].

He should also seek the discipline of sanctity of soul according to the Second Letter to Timothy: I, Paul, have been appOinted preacher and apostle in the service of the gospel, and for this reason I suffer these things [1: 11-12], because, according to Proverbs:

Learning comes to man through patience [19: 11]. As it is not fitting that the foolish should teach wisdom, neither is it fitting that the impatient should teach patience, nor that the undisciplined should teach discipline. In matters of moral behavior, examples move more strongly than words.

He should seek the ldndness of the love of God and neighbor. Ecclesiastes writes: The sayings of the wise are like goads, like spikes fixed on high, which through the advice of teachers are given out by one pastor [12: 11]. I tell you, these words are the words of divine love, and they penetrate to the depths of the heart. These words are said to be given through the counsel of teachers by one pastor. While divine love is praised and recommended in many words in the writings of both the Testaments, yet it is but one Word alone that inspires, and he indeed is both pasture and pastor of all. All those words came from the same one and tend toward the same one. For this reason, they are ex-

Christ, God's Incarnate and Eternal Word pressly said to be given through the counsel of teachers, all of whom mean the same thing. Since all the doctors of the Christian law ought to seek the bond of charity, they ought also to agree in their thinking. It is written in James: Not many of you, brothers, should wish to become teachers [3: 1]. This is said not to prohibit us from communicating the gift of knowledge, since

Moses says in Numbers: Would that he would grant that all the people were prophets, and that the Lord would grant them his Spirit

[11 :29]. And the First Letter of Peter says: Put your gifts at the service of one another, each one as he has received grace [4: 10]. This means that they should not have diverse and deceptive opinions, but all should teach the same thing as we read in the First

Letter to the Corinthians: I begyou, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you sqy; let there be no factions amongyou; rather be united in one mind and one judgment [1:10].

For dissenting opinions arise from presumption according to Proverbs: Among the proud there is always discord [13:10] and it begets confusion according to the First Letter to Timothy: Whoever teaches in any other way not holding to the sound doctrine 0/ our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching proper to true religion is proud and ignorant, and is a man sick in his passion for polemics and controver~. From these come enry, dissensions, blasphemy, evil suspicions, and conflicts 0/ men with twisted minds who haJ7e lost the sense of truth [6:3-5].

These three are the things that impede the perception of truth, namely, presumption on the part of the senses, dissent of opinions, and the despair of finding truth. In opposition to these Christ says: "Only one is your teacher, Christ." Christ says that he is our teacher, so that we might not be presumptuous about our knowledge. He says that our teacher is one with whom we might not fall into disagreement. He says that he is your teacher, because he is ready to assist us lest we give in to despair. Above all, he has the desire to help us. He has the knowledge necessary, and he can teach us by sending that Spirit of whom he speaks in John 16:13: When he comes, the Spirit o/truth, he will teach you all truth [16:13].

May Jesus Christ, the Son of the most blessed Mary, deign to come to our aid. Amen.

Christ, God's Word and Mediator of the Holy Spirit Prayer directed to the Holy Spirit was a rarity in the Middle Ages.

Theologians such as Bonaventure echoed the ancient tradition, which considered the Holy Spirit a gift to be requested in prayer. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, fear, piety, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, knowledge and wisdom, were contained in the one unique gift of the Holy Spirit given by the Father and the Son. The following prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit serves as the conclusion to The Tree of Life. Similar to The Five Feasts of the Child Jesus, The Tree of Life is a meditation on gospel events intended to foster a profound spiritual transformation in Christ, the Word of God. It is fitting that Bonaventure invites readers to turn to Christ in prayer after encouraging them to consider his life, death, and resurrection. As the Word made flesh and eternally present with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Christ mediates the Holy Spirit to those who call out to him in prayer.

Christ, God's Word and Mediator a/ the HolY Spirit Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit We pray, therefore, to the most clement Father through you, his only-begotten Son, who became man for us, was crucified and glorified, so that from his treasures he may send into us the Spirit of sevenfold grace, who rested upon you in all fullness: the spirit, I say, of wisdom so we may taste the life-giving flavors of the fruit of the tree of life, which truly you are; also the gift of understanding, whereby the con tuitions of our mind may be illuminated; the gift of counsel, whereby we may follow your footsteps along the correct paths; the gift of fortitude, whereby we may be able to weaken the violence of the attacking enemies; the gift of knowledge, whereby we may be filled with the lights of your sacred doctrine to distinguish good and evil; the gift of piety, where by we may receive a merciful heart; the gift ofjear, whereby, drawing back from every evil, we may be calmed by reverential consideration of your eternal Majesty. You wished that we ask for these things in that sacred prayer which you taught us; and now we ask to obtain these things to the praise of your most holy name, to which with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he all honor and glory, thanksgiving, splendor, and authority for ever and ever.

Amen.

Glossary of Terms Contuftfon The greatest knowledge of God, albeit indirect, which the intellect can acquire. In the systematic consideration of divine truth, the gift of understanding purifies the heart, thereby preparing the intellect for the contuition of God. As the intellect considers the vestiges of material creatures and the images and similitudes of rational creatures, it ascends to the knowledge of the Trinity. When the intellect arrives at this point in contemplation, it can go no further; instead, it is called to rest from all speculative labor and entrust itself to God. A deeper knowledge of the divine is possible only through the gift of charity by which the soul is united with the Trinity.

Emanation A fundamental principle of reality whereby all that exists comes from God and ultimately returns to God. The natural world mirrors this truth when rain falls from the clouds only to return through evaporation. Salvation history reveals a similar dynamic when the Christ, the Son of God, comes forth from the Father in the incarnation and returns to the Father in the ascension. The inner life of the Trinity is the model of every expression of emanation, since it is the Son and Spirit who come

Glossary of Terms forth from the Father and return to the Father in the eternal, impenetrable mystery of the Godhead.

Exemplarity A fundamental principle of reality whereby all that exists is patterned after the divine and exemplifies a degree of similaritywith the divine. The eternal exemplar is the Son who, as the Uncreated Word, is the perfect expression of the Father. Creatures derive their perfection from the eternal exemplar according to their participation in the goodness of God. The Son is the exemplar of creation, because all things were created through him and, together with him, are called to return to the Father. As the Incarnate Word, the Son is the temporal exemplar and mirror of all graces, virtues, and merits. The perfection of the incarnate Word is seen in the Church in accord with the state and the respective gifts of the individual members. Just as creatures do not reflect the total perfection of the eternal exemplar, members of the Church do not reflect the total perfection of the temporal exemplar. The members reflect, however, the perfection of the incarnate Word according to the degree they imitate his example of holiness.

Gloss An authoritative compilation of patristic and medieval interpretations of selected scriptural terms and texts.

Literal, Allegorical, Moral, Anagogical Meaning Different levels of meaning which are uncovered in the sacred scripture in the process of interpretation. The literal meaning or sense is usually readily apparent and serves as the basis for further study. Scriptural language often evokes images related to faith, hence an allegorical sense is embedded in the t.ext.. The moral or tropological sense is apparent in the eth-

Glossary ofTenns

----------------------ical imperatives derived from scriptural passages. The anagogicalor mystical meaning refers to the hope for eternal life that the sacred scriptures engender.

Macrocosm and Microcosm A system of classification and comparison in which the cosmos or universe is the macrocosm while the human being is the microcosm. The macrocosm was created for the sake of the microcosm, and the two correspond to each other. The ages of the world have a direct counterpart to the ages of human history, and the elements of the cosmos have a direct counterpart in the elements which constitute the human being.

Material. Formal, Final, Efficient Cause The Aristotelian theory of causality used to highlight the various components of a literary work. The material cause refers to the material or literary sources used by the author. The formal cause is the structure or pattern given by the author to the material. The purpose behind the decision to write is the final cause, while the efficient cause is the author responsible for writing the literary text.

Powers of the Soul The rational part of the soul is understood in terms of the rational, concupiscible, and irascible powers. The rational power has the capacity to discern truth and is linked with the theological virtue of faith. The concupiscible power has the capacity to enkindle the desire for the good and is linked to the theological virtue of charity. The irascible power has the capacity to endure evil and is linked to the theological virtue of hope.

Glossary of Terms ------------------------ --------------------Principle of Knowledge

Theory of knowledge, based on Augustine's teaching on illumination, describing how human beings come to know sense objects with certainty. Knowledge is dependent upon the infused light of God, which works together with the innate light of human reason. Certain apprehension and judgment of sense objects, which are mutable and transitory by nature, would be impossible without the assurance of universal and eternal standards afforded by divine illumination.

Topical Inferential Rule A rule of logic used in dialectical arguments to deduce conclusions from inference.

Vestige, Image, Similitude Analogical relationship of creatures to the trinitarian God.

Vestiges of the divine are those creatures who in a distant yet distinct fashion mirror the power, wisdom, and goodness of the triune God. Angels and human being are images of the divine, because they possess the trinitarian powers of memory, intelligence, and will. As images of God, these rational creatures reflect the divine in a close and distinct manner. Similitudes are rational creatures who reveal the closest similarity to God. This highest degree of trinitarian likeness is manifested in souls transformed by the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.

Chronology This chronology is based on the "Chronologia sancti bonaventurae" in De vita, mente,jontibus et operibus s. bonaventurae. Vol. 2 of S. Bonaventura

1274-1974, Assisi, Tipografia portiuncula, 1973, 11-14; Jacques Bougerol, Introduction to the Works of Bonaventure, trans. Jose de VincI<:,

Paterson, N.J., Saint Anthony's Guild Press, 1964, 171-177; and Jacques Bougerol, Introduzione generale a san bonaventura, 9-14, Roma, Citta

Nuova Editrice, 1990.

Bonaventure is born, the son of Giovanni of Fidanza and Maria di Ritello, in the small city of Bagnoregio, not far from Orvietto in central Italy.

1225-35 As a young child, he is given over to the friars minor to be educated in their convent in Bagnoregio.

Miraculously healed after his mother prays to Saint Francis of Assisi for his intercession.

1235-43 Studies with the Faculty of Arts at the University of Paris and concludes with the Master of Arts title.

Enters into the Franciscan Order and is affiliated with the Roman province of friars .

1243-48 Studies theology under the guidance of the Franciscan masters Alexander of Hales, John of La Rochelle, Odo

Rigaldi, and William of Middleton.

. I 1248-50 As a Bachelor of Sacred Scripture works on The Commentary on John, The Commentary on Ecclesiastes, and The CommentaJY on Luke.

1 74 Chronology 1250-52 As a Bachelor of Sentences, undertakes an exposition of the Sentences of Peter Lombard, which eventually forms a four-volume Commentary on the Sentences.

1252-53 Preaches and participates in theological disputations at the University of Paris. As a full Bachelor of Theology, he produces The Disputed Questions on the Knowledge if Christ,

The Disputed Questions on the Trinity, and The Disputed Questions on Evangelical Peifection.

1253-54 Passes examination and is recognized by the chancellor of the University of Paris as a Master of Theology with the license to teach theology.

1254-57 Holds the position of Master of Theology in the School of the Friars Minor at the University of Paris. Comments on the sacred scriptures, preaches, and determines disputed questions of theology.

Elected Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor in the presence of Pope Alexander IV at the General Chapter held in Rome on February 2. Marks his acceptance as a Master of Theology by the faculty at the University of Paris with the sermon Christ, the One Teacher.

1257-73 Travels extensively throughout Europe as Minister General. Numerous sermons and writings, including The Jourmy if the Soul into God, The Major and Minor Lives of Saint

Francis, The Triple Way, The Tree if Life, and The Five Feasts if the Child Jesus, originate in this period of intense pastoral activity.

Named as Bishop of Albano by Pope Gregory X on May 28. Consecrated as Bishop of Albano on November II or 12.

Attends the Council of Lyon where he works to reconcile the Greek and Latin Churches. Dies on July 15 and is buried in the church of the friars minor in Lyon.

Canonized by Pope Sixtus IV on April 14.

Declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Sixtus V on March 14.

Select Bibliography Critical Editions of St. Bonaventure's Writings Doctoris Seraphici S. Bonaventurae Opera Omnia. Ed. PP.

Collegii a S. Bonaventura. 10 vols. Quaracchi: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1882-1902.

Sancti bonaventurae sermones dominicales. Ed. Jacques Guy Bougerol. Grottaferrata: Collegio S. Bonaventura,

1977.

Studies on St. Bonaventure's Life and Writings Bougerol, Jacques Guy. Introduction to the Works of Bonaventure. Trans. Jose de Vinck. Paterson, N.].: St.

Anthony Guild Press, 1964.

Corvino, Francesco. Bonaventura da Bagnoregio: francescano e pensatore. Bari: Dedaldo Libri, 1980.

Cousins, Ewert H. Bonaventure and the Coincidence of Opposites. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1978.

Delio, Ilia. Simply Bonaventure: An Introduction to His Life, Thought, and Writings. New York: New City Press,

2001.

Distelbrink, Balduinus. Bonaventurae scripta, authentica dubia vel spuria critice retensita. Roma: Istituto Storico

Cappuccini, 1975.

Gerken, Alexander. Theologie des Wortes. Das Verhiiltnis von Schopfung und Inkarnation bei Bonaventura.

Dusseldorf: Patmos Verlag, 1963.

Gilson, Etienne. The Philosophy of st. Bonaventure.

Trans. Dom Illtyd Trethowan and Frank]. Sheed. Paterson, N.].: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1965.

Select Bibliographv Hayes, Zachary. The Hidden Center: Spirituality and Speculative Christology in St. Bonaventure. New York:

Paulist Press, 1981.

Johnson, Timothy J. The Soul in Ascent: Bonaventure on Poverty, Prayer, and Union with God. Quincy:

Franciscan Press, 2000.

Prentice, Robert. The Psychology of Love according to St.

Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure, N.Y.: The Franciscan Institute, 1951.

Ratzinger, Joseph. The Theology of History in st.

Bonaventure. Trans. Zachary Hayes.

Chi c ago :

Franciscan Herald Press, 1971.

Rauch, Winthir. Das Buch Gottes. Eine systematische Untersuchung des Buchbegriffes bei Bonaventura. Mtinchen:

Max Hueber Verlag, 1961.

Reist, Thomas. Saint Bonaventure as Biblical Commentator. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1985.

Schlosser, Marianne. Cognitio et amor: Zum kognitiven und voluntativen Grund der Gotteserfahrung nach

Bonaventura. Paderborn: Ferdinand Schoningh, 1990.

Spargo, EmmaJane Marie. The Category of the Aesthetic in the Philosophy of Saint Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure,

N. Y.: The Franciscan Institute, 1953.

Tavard, George H. Transiency and Permanence. The Nature of Theology According to St. Bonaventure. Louvain:

The Franciscan Institute, 1954.

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