St. Francis had a vison of a little black hen, whose feathers and feet were those of a dove. She had so many chicks that she couldn't gather them under her wings, and so they ran all around her, beyond her reach.
When he woke up, Francis began to think about the dream, and the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the hen symbolized Francis himself, "I am that hen," he said, "because I am small in stature and black, and because I am to be simple like a dove and fly heavenward on wings of virtue. The Lord, in his mercy, has given and will give me more children, which I could never care for by myself. I need, therefore, to surrender them to Mother Church, who will protect them and gather them under the shade of her wings."
Legend of the Three Companions - 63
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