Once when St. Francis had returned from overseas, he went to preach at Celano, and a knight there invited him to dinner. So Francis and his companions went to the knight's home and were received with great joy by the whole family. Then, before they began to eat, the man of God, his eyes lifted heavenward, as was his custom, offered praise to God. But when he finished his prayer, he called his good host aside and said, "Brother Host, at your insistence I've come to eat in your home. Now at my insistence, please do what I ask, because you are not going to eat here this evening, but somewhere else. Therefore, confess your sins immediately, with true contrition and repentance, and do not hide anything, but tell all with sincere sorrow. You see, the Lord is going to reward you for giving such hospitality to his little ones."
The knight then did as Francis had asked, and confessed all his sins to one of the brothers who was a priest. He put all his affairs in order and prepared to the best of his ability to meet death.
Then they all went to dinner, and just as they began eating, the host suddenly collapsed and died, as the saint had foretold.
And so the knight merited to receive a prophet's reward because he had accorded hospitality to a prophet. That is, because of St. Francis's prophesy, the knight had repented, thereby arming himself for death and escaping eternal damnation. Instead, he was received into the eternal dwelling-places.
St. Bonaventure
Major Life 11:4
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