The Life of St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography of St. Francis of Assisi and Stories of His Followers

Description

"We ought to read especially the lives of the saints written by saints, such as that of St. Francis of Assisi written by St. Bonaventure, that of St. Catherine of Siena by Blessed Raymond of Capua, her director, and the life of St. Teresa by herself." —Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Ages

Cdl. Manning wrote the preface, which mentions that St. Thomas witnessed St. Bonaventure in ecstasy in his cell writing this life of St. Francis.

Original Latin title: Legenda maior sancti Francisci

Mt. 8:22: "Domine, permitte me primum ire, et sepelire patrem meum. Jesus autem ait illi : Sequere me, et dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos suos . " This is exactly what St. Francis did; his natural father was dead to him even while alive:

ch. 2 (ref:10.11) on the theme of Ps. 44:11 ("forget thy people and thy father's house"):

And now his father according to the flesh, having despoiled him of his money, brought this son (no longer his, but the child of divine grace) before the Bishop of Assisi, to compel him to renounce in his hands all his inheritance, and whatsoever he had received from him, which this true lover of poverty was most ready and willing to do. As soon, therefore, as he came into the Bishop’s presence, without a moment’s delay, neither waiting for his father’s demand nor uttering a word himself, he laid aside all his clothes, and gave them back to his father. Then it was seen, that under his fair and costly garments the holy man wore a hard and rough hair-shirt. With marvellous fervor he then turned to his father, and spoke thus to him in the presence of all: “Until this hour I have called thee my father on earth; from henceforth, I may say confidently, my Father Who art in Heaven , in Whose hands I have laid up all my treasures, all my trust, and all my hope.”

ch. 5 (ref:13.8): St. Francis invents the snowman:

For, by the breath of that infernal enemy, which is wont to kindle the fire of concupiscence, he was assailed by a violent temptation. Then this holy lover of chastity, laying aside his habit, began to discipline himself severely with his cord, saying: “Brother Ass, thus dost thou deserve to be treated, thus to be beaten. Thou art unworthy to wear the religious habit, the sign of purity. Go thy way, then, whither thou wilt, for thus shalt thou go.” And then in marvellous fervor of spirit he left his cell, and went out into the garden and plunged into a heap of snow which had just then fallen. Having done this, he gathered the snow in his hands and made seven heaps, which setting before him, he thus discoursed with his interior man: “Behold,” said he, “this largest heap is thy wife; these four are thy two sons and thy two daughters; the other two are thy servant and thine handmaid; and for all these thou art bound to provide. Make haste, then, and provide clothing for them, lest they perish with cold. But if the solicitude for so many trouble thee, then be thou solicitous to serve one Lord alone.” Then the tempter, being vanquished, departed, and the holy man returned victorious to his cell; and by the intensity of that external cold, to which he had subjected himself, the in terior fire of temptation was so perfectly extinguished, that from that moment he never felt it in the slightest degree. Now a certain friar who was watching in prayer, beheld all these things by the clear light of the moon. And when the man of God knew what he had seen, he made known to him the temptation which he had endured, forbidding him, so long as he should live, to make known what he had seen to any living man.

St. Francis said (ch. 7 ¶4):

And he who would attain to this height of perfection must lay aside not only worldly prudence, but even all knowledge of letters, that thus stripped of all things he may come to see what is the power of the Lord, and cast himself naked into the arms of the Crucified.

ch. 10 (ref:18.12): St. Francis invents the nativity scene:

It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, he determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise. The man of God stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; many Masses were said before it, and the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around of the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter his Name for the tenderness of his love, he called Him the Babe of Bethlehem. A certain valiant and veracious soldier, Master John of Grecio, who, for the love of Christ, had left the warfare of this world, and become a dear friend of the holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvelously beautiful sleeping in that manger, Whom the blessed Father Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake Him from sleep. This vision of the devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the miracles which after wards confirmed its truth. For the example of Francis, if it be considered by the world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying His servant, and witnessing to the great efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles.

ch. 11 ¶4: on faith & reason:

Being once asked by the brethren whether it was his pleasure that learned men who entered his Order should apply themselves to the study of the Holy Scriptures, he replied, “Assuredly it pleases me that while they follow the example of Christ, of whom we read that He gave Himself more to prayer than to reading, they should not, on that account, neglect the study of prayer. Nevertheless, I would not have them study in order to know how they ought to speak, but in order that they may do the things which they hear, and when they have done them, that they may set them before others. I would,” said he, “have my friars to be disciples of the Gospel, and so to increase in the knowledge of the truth, that they may grow, at the same time, in purity and simplicity, so that they may not separate from the wisdom of the serpent the simplicity of the dove, which our Divine Master joined together with His blessed mouth.” When he was at Siena, he was asked by a pious man, a doctor in theology, some questions of great diffculty; and he opened the secrets of the divine wisdom with so much clearness, that this learned man marvelled greatly. He afterwards said that truly the theology of that holy Father rose like a soaring eagle upon the two wings of purity and contemplation, whereas, said he, “our science grovels like a serpent in the dust.”

"Francis, go and build up My house, which thou seest, is falling into ruin." To fulfill this command of Our Lord, St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) began by restoring physical churches and continued by building up the spiritual Church in souls. Francis' humility, purity, and true joy inspired many to conversion and a deeper faith. Never ordained a priest, St. Francis nonetheless was a preacher and a miracle-worker of the first order - curing, prophesying, casting out devils, turning water into wine, and raising people frmo the dead. The Life of St Francis of Assisi by St Bonaventure conveys a picture of the Saint that renders an indelible impression of a man totally transformed by God. This is the original TAN edition now with updated typesetting, fresh new cover, new size and quality binding, and the same trusted content.