The Lord was pleased to endorse the teaching and Rule of St. Francis, not only by miraculous signs, but also by marks of his own stigmata, so that no true believer could possibly question them on external or internal evidence. And in his goodness God was pleased to affix his own seal to the Rule and teaching of St. Francis, who would never have presumed to teach or write anything other than what he received from the Lord. As he himself testifies, it was God who revealed to him the entire Rule.
From a sermon of St. Bonaventure, October 4, 1255
Yes they did have the same problem back then. As a matter of fact, the Pope found it difficult to believe the Stigmata until he saw the actual wound where the spear entered St. Francis's chest. Even some of the holiest saints within the Order didn't believe until they saw the Stigmata for themselves (how do you spell T-H-O-M-A-S?)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny also that when you read the accounts of his followers in The Little Flowers of St. Francis, you can't help but wonder why such miraculous appearances are not occurring today. Well, they are. We're just no reading about it in the newspapers.
I will never forget a gathering I went to a couple years ago. Several thousand people were in attendance. Fr. Mike Scanlan walked out on stage and asked how many people had met our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, face-to-face in the flesh.
One by one, hands very slowly began to raise. Some embarrassed at first, then consenting. Eventually, several hundred people had their hands raised. But as I said, you didn't read about that in the New York Times or Newsweek...probably because it's too personal...
Marie Cecile,what you say is absolutely true! So few Catholics today believe in the Real Presence any more. Unfortunately, for most people, they are simply "going through the motions."
ReplyDeleteI love this organization, please check it out:
http://www.therealpresence.org/