St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis : Chapter 1 : 3

“When he had yielded himself unto sleep,the divine mercy shewed him a fair
and great palace.” The Dream of the Palace, by Giotto (1295). 
Upper Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi. Public domain.

The following posts present The Life of St Francis (1181-1226) written by St Bonaventure (1221-1274) who joined the Franciscan Order in 1243. Confirmed as Minister General in 1257, he later wrote this life of St Francis (Legenda Major Sancti Francisci, c1260-63).

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s biography firstly as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, at the same time praying she will continue to provide help and protection for the author and his family; and secondly, to honour and thank St Francis whose name I received at my Confirmation in 1961 when I was seven years old.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis is based on E. Gurney Slater’s English translation published in 1904, to which I have added Scriptural excerpts and occasional comments in footnotes.

Chapter 1 :  His manner of life in the secular state

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1. Now on the night following, when he had yielded himself unto sleep, the divine mercy shewed him a fair and great palace, together with military accoutrements adorned with the sign of the Cross of Christ, thus setting forth unto him that the mercy he had shewn unto the poor soldier for the love of the King Most High was to be recompensed by this peerless reward. 

2. Accordingly, when he enquired whose were these things, answer was made him by a divine declaration that they were all to be for him and his soldiers. 

3. Then, waking at early morn – since he had not yet practised his mind in examining divine mysteries, and knew not how to pass through the appearance of things seen unto the beholding of the truth of things unseen[1] – he accounted this strange vision a token of great good fortune.

4. Wherefore he purposed, being as yet ignorant of the divine disposition, to betake himself into Apulia, unto a certain munificent Count, hoping in his service to win glory in arms, as the vision shewn unto him had betokened. 

5. With but little delay, he set forth on his journey and had gone as far as the neighbouring city; there he heard the Lord speaking unto him by night as with the voice of a friend, and saying: “Francis, who can do better for thee, the lord or the servant, the rich man or the poor ?” 

6. And when Francis had made reply that alike the lord and the rich man could do the best, the Voice answered forthwith: “Why, then, dost thou leave the Lord for the servant, the rich God for a poor mortal?” 

7. And Francis said: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”[2] And the Lord said unto him: “Return unto thy country[3], for the vision that thou hast seen betokeneth that which shall be spiritually wrought, and is to be fulfilled in thee not by mortal counsel, but by divine.” 

8. So, when it was morning,[4] he returned in haste toward Assisi, confident and rejoicing, awaiting the will of the Lord.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. But to us God hath revealed them, by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” I Cor. ii, 9-10; “The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined. But the spiritual man judgeth all things; and he himself is judged of no man.” Ibid. 14-15.

[2] Cf. “And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Acts ix, 6.

[3] Cf. “Return to thy land and to the place of thy birth, and I will do well for thee.” Gen xxxii, 9.

[4] Cf. “But when the morning was come”: John xxi, 4.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have lifeeverlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.