Blessed Francis said that God had granted him four privileges, and made them known to him by an angel. They were: that the Order and profession of Friars Minor would endure until the Day of Judgment; that no one who deliberately persecuted the Order would live long; that no wrong-doers, who intended to live an evil life in the Order, would be able to remain in it for long; and that anyone who sincerely loved the Order, however great a sinner, would obtain mercy at the last.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 79
Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 79
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Very interesting, especially the part about evil! I have run into some of this -- and will put the story on Modern Mysticism as soon as I get it written. It is the next post but somewhat long, and the complications take care in describing. I really am glad you put this up at this particular time. It is helpful in a very important decision I have to make.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth. I am really looking forward to your posting.
ReplyDeleteI am continually amazed at the increase in evil the Church has experienced in the past twenty years or so. I believe it's because Satan is working in "overdrive" because he knows that something extremely devastating is going to befall him very, very soon! Unfortunately, I am afraid we will bear witness to an awful lot of good people perishing along with the bad one's.
I really hope the good ones do not also perish. Unfortunately, what I have run into is frightening in that (1) the good people do not always recognize evil, and (2) when they do recognize it, they seem afraid to do anything about it, even paralyzed. I thought Satan was powerless against God's people (unless they themselves afford him power), but that thought does not seem to be widely shared.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth. I am reminded of how Satan would manifest himself to St. Francis and physically attack him and bloody him in the middle of the night. Sometimes his brothers would stand guard over him just outside his prayer cell so they could rescue him quickly when Satan appeared. Saint Francis was beaten by Satan so severely at one time that it took him weeks to heal completely.
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