One day during the celebration of the Mass St. Francis heard the words in which Christ bade his disciples go out and preach, carrying neither gold nor silver, nor haversack for the journey, without staff, bread, or shoes, and having no second garment. After listening to the priest's explanation of these words of the Gospel, full of unspeakable joy, he exclaimed: "This is what my whole heart desires to accomplish."
Francis meditated on these words and put them into practice. He discarded his second garment, and from that day onwards he used no staff, shoes, or haversack; he kept one miserable tunic, and instead of the strap took a length of cord as a belt. He set his whole heart and mind on how he could best carry out the words of grace that he had heard, and, divinely inspired, he began speaking in public very simply of penitance and the life of evangelical perfection.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
Chapter VIII
T
No comments:
Post a Comment