St. Francis was the humblest of men and thought of himself as the lowest, most contemptible of sinners. In prayer he would implore, "Lord, why have you laid this burdon on me? Why have you made a simple, unlettered, wretched creature like me the head of this Order?" And the Lord would reply, "I have placed a man like you over this Order to show that what I achieve in you is of my grace and not a human accomplishment."
From a sermon of St. Bonaventure
Monday, August 14, 2006
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A beautiful reflection. Francis mentioned that he was unlettered....does that mean that he didn't know how to read? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chira.
ReplyDeleteActually St. Francis was quite educated for his time, coming from rich parents. He spoke and wrote both Italian and French. He also wrote all of his own Canticles and Plays.
What he was referring to here is that he received no formal education at a university. Being "Lettered" in his time meant the same as having a B.S. or M.A. degree today.
St. Francis' Cantico delle Creature, considered the foremost poem of his time, as well as some of his other writings, are taught in school in Italy. Linquistically speaking his works are considered masterpieces, because he wrote in the vernacular of the time, something which no one had done before him, I believe. The language used is a mix between Latin and modern day Italian, and as such, no translation into other languages can possibly do them justice, linguistically. However the message he wants to convey is of the utmost simplicity, therefore his writings, as proven here by you Brother, (and we thank you for it), speak to the hearts of people of every race, color and creed, all over the world. Francis is truly one of the most beloved Catholic saints.
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