04 October 2007

Francis and the cross

Come now, knight of Christ,
vigorously bear the arms of your unconquerable Leader!
Visibly shielded with these,
you will overcome all adversaries.
Carry the standard of the Most High King,
and at its sight
let all who fight in God's army
be aroused to courage.
Carry the seal of Christ, the High Priest,
by which your words and deeds
will be rightly accepted by all
as authentic and beyond reproach.
For now because of the brand-markings of the Lord Jesus
which you carry in your body,
no one should trouble you;
rather every servant of Christ
should show them deep devotion.
...
Now is fulfilled
the first vision which you saw,
namely, that you would be a captain
in the army of Christ
and bear the arms of heaven
emblazoned with the sign of the cross.
Now is fulfilled
the vision of the Crucified
at the beginning of your conversion
which pierced your soul
with a sword of compassionate sorrow.
Now the voice that came from the cross
as if from the lofty throne and secret mercy-seat of Christ,
as you have confirmed with your sacred words,
is believed as undoubtedly true.
Now is fulfilled
the vision of the cross,
in the course of your conversion,
which Brother Silvester saw
marvelously coming from your mouth;
and the vision which the holy Pacificus saw,
of the swords piercing your body
in the form of a cross;
and the sight of you
lifted up in the air in the form of a cross,
which the angelic man Monaldus saw
when the holy Anthony was preaching
on the inscription of the cross -
all of these
we now firmly believe
were not imaginary visions
but revelations from heaven.
Now, finally
toward the end of your life
you were shown at the same time
the sublime vision of the Seraph
and the humble figure of the Crucified,
inwardly inflaming you and outwardly marking you
as the second Angel,
ascending from the rising of the sun
and bearing upon you the sign of the living God.
...
The cross of Christ
given to you and by you accepted
at the beginning of your conversion
and which from then on
you carried continuously
in the course of your most upright life,
giving an example to others,
shows that you have reached
the summit of Gospel perfection
with such clear certitude
that no truly devout person
can reject this proof of Christian wisdom
ploughed into the dust of your flesh.
- Saint Bonaventure, The Life of Saint Francis, XIII.9-10

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