Chapter XLVIII

How Brother Jacques of La Massa saw in a dream all the Brothers Minor in the world, in the likeness of a tree

Brother Jacques of La Massa, unto whom God opened the door of His secrets, and gave perfect knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures and of things to come, was of so great sanctity that Brother Giles of Assisi, and Brother Mark of Montino, and Brother Juniper, and Brother Lucido said of him: that they knew of no one in the world that found greater favour in the sight of God than this Brother Jacques. I had a great desire to see him; for when I besought Brother John, a companion of the said Brother Giles, to expound unto me certain spiritual matters, he said unto me: " If thou desire to be well instructed in the spiritual life, strive to have speech of Brother Jacques of La Massa (for Brother Giles desired to be taught of him), and to his words naught can be added nor aught be taken away, for his mind hath entered into the secret things of heaven, and his words are the words of the Holy Spirit, and there is no man on earth whom I so much desire to see." This Brother Jacques, in the beginning of the ministry of Brother John of Parma, while praying on a time was rapt in God, and he abode three days thus rapt in ecstasy, with all bodily feeling suspended, in such fashion that the brothers doubted whether he was not dead: and being thus rapt, it was revealed to him of God, what must needs befall and happen to our Order: for the which cause, when 1 heard thereof, my desire was increased to hear him and have speech with him. And when it pleased God that I should have leisure to speak with him, I besought him in this manner: '* If that which I have heard tell of thee be true, I pray thee that thou keep it not hidden from me. I have heard that when thou wast for three days as one dead, among other things that God revealed, was that which should happen unto this our Order: and that was told unto me by Brother Matthew, minister of the March, to whom thou didst reveal it by holy obedience.” Then Brother Jacques with great humility confessed that what Brother Matthew had said, was true. And the words that he spake, to wit Brother Matthew, the minister of the March, were these: ” I know a brother, unto whom God hath revealed whatsoever will happen in our Order; for Brother Jacques of La Massa hath told me and said that after many things that God revealed to him touching the estate of the Church militant, he beheld in a dream a tree fair to see and very great, whose root was of gold, and its fruits were men, and they were all of them Brothers Minor; its main branches were distinctly marked according to the number of the provinces of the Order, and each branch had as many brothers as there were in the province whose name was written on the branch. And thus he knew the number of all the brothers in the Order, of each province, and likewise their names and the age and condition of each, and the great offices and the dignities and the grace of all of them, and the faults. And he saw Brother John of Parma on the highest point of the midmost branch of this tree, and on the tops of the branches that were round about this midmost branch, were the ministers of all the provinces. And thereafter he saw Christ sitting on a throne exceeding great and shining, and Christ called S. Francis up thither and gave him a chalice full of the spirit of life, and sent him forth saying: '* Go, visit thy brothers, and give them to drink of this chalice of the spirit of life; for the spirit of Satan will rise up against them and will strike them, and many of them will fall and will not rise up again." And Christ gave unto S. Francis two angels to bear him company. Then came S. Francis to give the chalice of life to his brothers: and he gave it first to Brother John of Parma: who, taking it, drank it all in haste, devoutly; and straightway he became all shining like the sun. And after him S. Francis gave it to all the other brothers in order: and there were but few among them that took it with due reverence and devotion, and drank it all. Those that took it devoutly and drank it all, became straightway shining like the sun; but those that spilled it all and took it not devoutly, became black, and dark, and misshapen, and horrible to see; but those that drank part and spilled part, became partly shining and partly dark, and more so or less according to the measure of their drinking or spilling thereof. But the aforesaid Brother John was resplendent above all the rest, the which had I40 THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF more completely drunk the chalice of life, whereby he had the more deeply gazed into the abyss of the infinite light divine: and had learned therein of the adversity and the tempest that was to rise up against this tree and shake and toss its branches. For the which cause the said Brother John came down from the top of the branch whereon he stood; and going down below all the branches hid himself in the solid root of the tree, and was all rapt in thought; and one of the brothers that had taken part of the chalice and part had spilt, climbed up on to that branch and to that place, whence Brother John had come down. And when he was come to that place, the nails of his hands became iron, sharp and keen as razors: whereat he left the place to which he had climbed, and with rage and fury sought to hurl himself upon the said Brother John for to do him hurt. But, seeing this, Brother John cried aloud and commended himself to Christ that sat upon the throne; and at the voice of his crying Christ called unto him S. Francis, and gave him a sharp flint stone, and said unto him: " Take this stone and cut off the nails of that brother, wherewith he would fain tear Brother John, so that he may do him no hurt." Then S. Francis came and did even as Christ had commanded. And this done, there arose a storm of wind, and shook the tree so violently that the brothers fell down on to the ground; and first fell all they that had spilled all the chalice of the spirit of life, and were carried away by the devils to places of darkness and torment. But Brother John, together with IHK (KI.I. IN WHK H IIRD'IIILK J()HN OF ALVP:RNIA LIVED ON MONTE ALVKRNIA (From Descrizione del Sacro Monte della Vernia, riaic T) the others that had drunk all the chalice, were borne by the angels unto the place of life, and of light eternal, and beatific splendour. And the aforesaid Brother Jacques, that saw the vision, understood and discerned distinctly and separately all that he saw, touching the name and condition and state of each one of them clearly. And so long did that storm beat against the tree that it fell, and the wind carried it away. Then, when the storm ceased, straightway from the golden root of this tree there sprang up another tree that was all of gold, the which brought forth leaves and flowers and fruit of gold. Of this tree, and how it spread out its branches and fixed deep its root, and of its beauty and fragrance and virtue, it were better to keep silence than to speak thereon at this present.