CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER TEN
HIS ZEAL FOR PRAYER
AND
THE POWER OF HIS PRAYER
Realizing that while he was in the body he was exiledfrom the Lord,
since he was made totally insensible to earthly desires through his love of Christ ,
the servant of Christ Francis strove to keep his spirit in the presence of God, by praying without ceasing 3 so that he might not be without the comfort of his Beloved . 4
Prayer was a delight to this contemplative who had already become a fellow citizen of the angels and who, making the rounds of the heavenly mansions, sought with burning desire that Beloved5 from whom he was separated only by the wall of the flesh.
Prayer was a support to this worker; 1.
2 Cor.
5:6, 8 2.
2 Cor.
5:14.
1 Thes.
5:17.
Cant.
2:3.
Cant.
3:1-2.
THE LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS
for in everything which he did, distrusting his own effort and trusting in God's loving concern, he cast his care completely upon the Lord6 in urgent prayers to him.
He used to state firmly that the grace of prayer was to be desired above all else by a religious man, believing that without it no one could prosper in God's service.
He used whatever means he could to arouse his friars to be zealous in prayer. 7
For whether walking or sitting, inside or outside, working or resting, he was so intent on prayer that he seemed to have dedicated to it not only his heart and body but also all his effort and time. 8
2. He was accustomed not to pass over negligently any visitation of the Spirit. When it was granted, he followed it and as long as the Lord allowed, he enjoyed the sweetness offered him. When he was on a journey and felt the breathing of the divine Spirit, letting his companions go on ahead, he would stand still and render this new inspiration fruitful, not receiving the grace in vain (2 Cor.
6:1). Many times he was lifted up in ecstatic contemplation so that, rapt out of himself and experiencing what is beyond human understanding, he was unaware of what went on about him. Once when he was traveling
Ps. 54:23.
Cf. IV, 3, p. 208-209.
Major source:
II C 94; minor source I C 71. Cf. Regula /, 3, 23; Regula //, 3, 5; De religiosa habitatione in eremo , 1-3.
ST. BONAVENTURE
through Borgo San Sepolcro, a heavily populated town, and was riding on an ass because of physical weakness, crowds rushed to meet him out of devotion. He was pulled and held back by them, pushed and touched all over; yet he seemed insensible to it all and noticed nothing at all of what was going on around him, as if he were a lifeless corpse. Long after he had passed the town and left the crowds, he came to a house of lepers; and that contemplator of heavenly things, as if returning from far away, solicitously inquired when they would be approaching Borgo San Sepolcro. His mind was so fixed on heavenly splendors that he was not aware of the varieties of place, time and people that he passed. That this happened to him often was confirmed by the repeated experience of his companions. 9
3. He had learned in prayer that the presence of the Holy Spirit for which he longed was granted more intimately to those who invoke him, the more the Holy Spirit found them withdrawn from the noise of worldly affairs. Therefore seeking out lonely places, 10 he used to go to deserted areas and abandoned churches to pray at night. There he often endured horrible struggles with devils who fought with him physically, trying to distract him from his commitment to prayer.
But armed with heavenly weapons, the more vehemently he was attacked by the enemy, the more courageous he became in practicing virtue and the more fervent in prayer, saying confidently to Christ: 11 " Under the shadow of your wings
, protect me from the face of the wicked who have attacked me" (Ps.
16:8-9). To the devils he said: "Do whatever you want to me, you malicious and deceitful spirits! For you cannot do anything except insofar as God relaxes his hold on you. And I am ready and happy to endure everything that his hand should decide to let
Major sources:
II C 95, 98.
10.
Cf. VI, 6-7, pp. 234-235.
11.
Cf. VI, 10, p. 236-237.
THE LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS
loose on me." Such firmness of mind the devils could not bear, and they retreated in confusion. 12
4. When the man of God was left alone and at peace, he would fill the groves with sighs, sprinkle the ground with tears, strike his breast with his fist and having found there a kind of secret hiding place, would converse with his Lord. There he would answer his Judge, there he would entreat his Father, there he would entertain his Friend; and there also on several occasions the friars who were devoutly observing him heard him groan aloud, imploring the divine mercy for sinners and weeping for the Lord's passion 13 as if it were there before his eyes. There he was seen praying at night, with his hands outstretched in the form of a cross, his whole body lifted up from the ground and surrounded by a sort of shining cloud. The extraordinary illumination around his body was a witness to the wonderful light that shone within his soul. There also, as is proven by certain evidence, the unknown and hidden secrets of divine wisdom were opened up to him (Ps.
50:8), although he never spoke of them outside except when the love of Christ urged him (2 Cor. 5:14) and the good of his neighbor demanded. For he used to say: "It happens that if a person loses some priceless thing for the sake of a small gain, he easily provokes the one who gave it not to give again."
When he returned from his private prayers, by which he was changed almost into another man, he used to expend the greatest effort to be like the others so that what he might show outwardly would not deprive him of his inner reward (Ecclus.
2:8) because of the glow of human attention. When he was suddenly moved in public by a visitation from the Lord, he would always put something between himself and the bystanders, lest he make common the sight of the Bridegroom's intimate embraces. When he prayed with the friars, he completely
12.
Major sources:
I C 71-72;
II C 122. Cf.
I C 91, 94,
103; II C 94.
13.
Cf.
I, 5, p.
189.
ST. BONAVENTURE
avoided all spluttering, groaning, deep sighs or external movements, either because he loved to keep secrecy or because he had withdrawn into his interior and was totally carried into God. He often told his companions: "When a servant of God receives a divine visitation in prayer, he should say: 'Lord, you have sent this consolation from heaven to me an unworthy sinner and I entrust it to your keeping because I feel that I am a robber of your treasure.' When he returns from his prayer, he should show himself as a poor man and a sinner, as if he had obtained no new grace." 14
5. Once when the man of God was praying at the Portiuncula, it happened that the bishop of Assisi came to visit him as he often did. As soon as he entered the friars' place, he went more abruptly than he should to the cell where Christ's servant was praying, and after knocking at the door, was about to enter when he put his head in and saw the saint praying.
Suddenly the bishop began to tremble, his limbs stiffened, he lost his voice and all at once by the will of God he was cast outside with force and driven some distance backward. Shaken, the bishop hurried to the friars, and when God had restored his speech, with his first words and as best he could he confessed his fault.
Another time it happened that the abbot of the monastery of St. Justin in the diocese of Perugia met Christ's servant on the road. When he saw him, the devout abbot quickly got down from his horse to show reverence to the man of God and to confer with him a bit on the welfare of his soul. Finally, after a pleasant conversation, the abbot, as he was leaving, humbly asked Francis to pray for him. The beloved man of God replied: "I will be happy to pray for you." When the abbot had gone a little way, the faithful Francis said to his companion:
"Wait a little, brother, because I wish to pay the debt as I promised." As Francis prayed, suddenly the abbot felt in his
14.
Major sources: II C 95, 11, 99, 94. Cf. II C 52-53, 127 \ Admonitiones , 22, 28;
I C 98;
II C 135,
137, 139.
THE LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS
spirit an unusual warmth and sweetness such as he had never before experienced, so much so that he was rapt in ecstasy and totally lost himself in God. He remained so for a short while, and when he came back to himself, recognized the power of St.
Francis in prayer. After that he always burned with a greater love for the Order and related the event to many as a miracle. 15
6. The holy man was accustomed to recite the canonical hours with no less reverence than devotion. For although he suffered from an illness of the eyes, stomach, spleen and liver, nevertheless he did not want to lean against a wall while he chanted the psalms; but he said the complete hours standing erect 16 and with head uncovered, not letting his eyes wander around and not clipping the syllables short.
If he were on a journey, he would stop at the right time and never omitted this reverent and holy practice because of rain. For he used to say:
"If the body requires quiet to eat its food, which along with itself will become the food of worms, with what peace and tranquillity should not the soul receive the food of life?"
He thought that he had seriously offended if, when he was at prayer, his mind wandered over vain imaginations. When something like this happened, he did not wait to confess it so that he could atone for it immediately. He so put his zeal into practice that he rarely was bothered by "flies" of this kind.
One Lent he was whittling a little cup to occupy his spare moments and to prevent them from being wasted. When he was reciting Terce, it came to his mind and distracted him a little. Moved by fervor of spirit, he burned the cup in the fire, saying: "I will sacrifice this to the Lord, whose sacrifice it has impeded."
He used to say the psalms with such attention of mind and spirit, as if he had God present. When the Lord's name oc15.
Major sources:
II C 100-101.
16. The usual custom is to sit for the psalms and readings and stand for the hymns, canticles and collects, but until recent times the Franciscan custom was to chant the whole office standing.
ST. BONAVENTURE
curred in the psalms, he seemed to lick his lips because of its sweetness. He wanted to honor with special reverence the Lord's name not only when thought but also when spoken and written. He once persuaded the friars to gather all pieces of paper wherever found and to place them in a clean place so that if that sacred name happened to be written there, it would not be trodden underfoot. When he pronounced or heard the name
"Jesus," he was filled with joy interiorly and seemed to be altered exteriorly as if some honey-sweet flavor had transformed his taste or some harmonious sound had transformed his hearing. 17
It happened in the third year before his death that he decided, in order to arouse devotion, to celebrate at Greccio with the greatest possible solemnity the memory of the birth of the Child Jesus. So that this would not be considered a type of novelty, he petitioned for and obtained permission from the Supreme Pontiff. 18 He had a crib prepared, hay carried in and an ox and an ass led to the place. The friars are summoned, the people come, the forest resounds with their voices and that venerable night is rendered brilliant and solemn by a multitude of bright lights and by resonant and harmonious hymns of praise. The man of God stands before the crib, filled with affection, bathed in tears and overflowing with joy. A solemn
Mass is celebrated over the crib, with Francis as deacon chanting the holy Gospel. Then he preaches to the people standing about concerning the birth of the poor King, whom, when he wished to name him, he called in his tender love, the Child of Bethlehem.
A certain virtuous and truthful knight, Sir John of Greccio, who had abandoned worldly military activity out of love of Christ and had become an intimate friend of the man of God, claimed that he saw a beautiful little boy asleep in the crib and 17.
Major sources: II C 96-97; I C 82; minor source:
I C 115. Cf.
II C 70, 197; I C 86;
II C 199;
I C 45.
18.
This detail is added by Bonaventure to his sources.
THE LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS
that the blessed father Francis embraced it in both of his arms and seemed to wake it from sleep.
Not only does the holiness of the witness make credible this vision of the devout knight, but also the truth it expresses proves its validity and the subsequent miracles confirm it.
For Francis's example when considered by the world is capable of arousing the hearts of those who are sluggish in the faith of Christ.
The hay from the crib was kept by the people and miraculously cured sick animals and drove away different kinds of pestilence.
Thus God glorified his servant in every way and demonstrated the efficacy of his holy prayer by the evident signs of wonderful miracles . 19
19.
Major sources:
I C 84-85-86-87; minor source: Jul. 54-55.