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The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi by Brother Ugolino
CHAPTER XVIII OF THE WONDERFUL CHAPTER HELD BY ST FRANCIS AT ST MARY OF THE ANGELS, AT WHICH MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND FRIARS WERE PRESENT
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The faithful servant of Christ, St Francis, once held a general chapter
at St Mary of the Angels, at which chapter more than five thousand
friars were present. Amongst them also was St Dominic, the head and
founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, who chanced to be on his way
from Bologna to Rome: for having heard of the chapter which St Francis
had called together in the plain of St Mary of the Angels, he went
there with seven friars of his Order. A certain Cardinal also, much
devoted to St Francis, to whom the saint had foretold that he would one
day be Pope, came expressly from Perugia to Assisi, and everyday he
went to visit St Francis and his brethren. Sometimes he sang Mass and
preached to them; and each time the said Cardinal visited the holy
company he experienced much pleasure and devotion. Seeing the friars
all seated in the plain round St Mary of the Angels, in groups - here
forty, there a hundred, and elsewhere eighty, all occupied in
conversing about God, or in prayer, or in works of charity - seeing
them all so silent and so grave, and wondering how such a multitude
could be so orderly, he was moved to tears, and exclaimed, with great
devotion, "Truly this is the field of God; this is the army, and these
are the knights of the Lord." No vain or useless word was to be heard
in all that multitude; each group of friars was engaged either in
prayer, or saying their office, in weeping over their sins and those of
their benefactors, or in reasoning on the salvation of souls. Many
tents made of mats had been pitched in that field, divided in groups,
according to the different provinces from whence the friars came; so
that this Chapter was called the "Chapter of mats".
The friars had no other beds but the bare ground, with here and there a
little straw; for pillows they had stones or pieces of wood. For which
reasons they were held in much devotion; and so great was the fame of
their sanctity, that many came to see and hear them from the court of
the Pope which was at Perugia, and from other parts of the Valley of
Spoleto. Many counts and barons, many knights and other gentlemen, many
Cardinals, Bishops and Abbots, many priests and much people, came to
see this great and holy and humble congregation; for the world had
never yet witnessed so many holy men assembled together; and most
especially they went thither to see the saintly founder; and father of
the Order, who had taken from the world so many gifted men, and had
formed so beautiful and devout a flock to follow the steps of the true
Pastor, Jesus Christ. The chapter being assembled, St Francis, the
father of all those holy men, expounded with great fervour of spirit
the Word of God, speaking to them in a loud voice that which the Holy
Spirit dictated. Now the subject he took for his sermon was this: "My
children, we have promised great things to God, and God has promised
even greater things to us. If we observe what we have promised him, we
shall certainly receive what he has promised to us. The pleasures of
this world pass quickly away, but the punishment which follows them is
eternal. The sufferings of this world are trifling, but the glory of
the life to come is without bounds." And, preaching on these words most
devoutly, he comforted the brethren, encouraging them to holy
obedience, to reverence for holy Mother Church, to charity among
themselves, to pray God for all people, to bear with patience the
adversities of life, to be temperate in prosperity, to keep angelic
purity and chastity, to be at peace with God, with men and with their
own conscience, to love, to observe, and to practise holy poverty. He
then added: "I command you all here present, through holy obedience, to
take no thought what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or of aught
else that is necessary to the body, but only to meditate, to pray, and
to praise God, casting on him the thought of all the rest, for he has
you all in his especial care; and let each of you receive this command
with a happy heart and a joyful countenance." St Francis having
finished his sermon, all the friars began to pray. Yet St Dominic, who
was present, wondered much at this order of St Francis, considering it
as indiscreet, for he could not understand how such a great multitude
could exist without taking thought for the body. But the heavenly
Pastor, our Blessed Saviour, wishing to show the care he takes of his
lambs, and with what singular love he loves his poor servants, put into
the hearts of all the people of Perugia, of Spoleto, of Foligno, of
Spello, of Assisi, and of all the neighbouring country, to take meat
and drink to that holy congregation; and presently men came from all
these places with horses, and asses, and carts laden with bread and
wine, with beans and cheese, and other good things of which the poor of
Christ had need. Besides all this, they brought napkins and knives,
jugs and glasses, and all that was needed for such a multitude; and
those who could carry most and serve the best rejoiced greatly, and the
knights, barons, and other noblemen, who were present, waited on the
brethren with great devotion and humility. St Dominic, seeing this, and
knowing of a certainty that it was the divine providence of God which
had provided for them thus, acknowledged most humbly that he had
unjustly accused St Francis of giving indiscreet orders; and going to
him, he knelt humbly before him and confessed his fault, adding: "The
Lord truly hath especial care of all these holy servants of poverty. I
knew it not till now, and henceforth I promise to observe holy
evangelical poverty; and, in the name of God, I condemn all friars of
my Order who shall seek to have possessions of their own." And St
Dominic was greatly edified by the faith of the most holy Francis, by
the obedience and poverty of so large and well-ordered a chapter, and
he blessed the providence of God, who had given them every grace in
such abundance. In that same chapter also it was revealed to St Francis
that many brethren wore on their flesh small hearts and bands of iron,
for which reason many were ill and hindered in their prayers; and St
Francis, like a discreet father, gave order, under holy obedience, that
all who wore such things should take them off and place them before him
- and more than five hundred little hearts and bands of iron were
placed before him - some destined to be worn round the arms, and others
round the waist - and all together formed a large heap, which St
Francis ordered to be left in that field. The chapter being ended, he
encouraged them all in well-doing, warning them to avoid sin in this
wicked world, and sent them to their divers provinces, with his
blessing and that of God, filled with spiritual joy and consolation.
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