THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREACHING AND THE GRACE OF HEALINGS
The truly faithful servant and minister of Christ,
Francis,
in order to do everything faithfully and perfectly,
directed his efforts chiefly
to the exercise of those virtues which,
by the prodding of the sacred Spirit,
he knew pleased his God more.
In this matter it happened that he fell into a great struggle over a doubt which, after he returned from many days of prayer, he proposed for resolution to the brothers who were close to him.
“What do you think, brothers, what do you judge better? That I should spend my time in prayer, or that I should travel about preaching? I am a poor little man, simple and unskilled in speech, I have received a greater grace of prayer than of speaking. Also in prayer there seems to be a profit and an accumulation of graces, but in preaching a distribution of gifts already received from heaven.
“In prayer there is a purification of interior affections and a uniting to the one, true and supreme good with an invigorating of virtue; in preaching, there is a dust on our spiritual feet, distraction over many things and relaxation of discipline.”
“Finally, in prayer we address God, listen to Him, and, as if living an angelic life, we associate with the angels. In preaching, it is necessary to practice great self-emptying for people and, by living humanly among them, to think, see, speak, and hear human things.”
“But there is one thing to the contrary that seems to outweigh all these considerations before God, that is, the only begotten Son of God, who is the highest wisdom, came down from the bosom of the Father for the salvation of souls in order to instruct the world by His example and to speak the word of salvation to people, whom He would redeem by the price of His sacred blood, cleanse with its washing and sustain with its draught, holding back for Himself absolutely nothing that He could freely give for our salvation. And because we should do everything according to the pattern shown to us in Him as on the heights of the mountain, it seems more pleasing to God that I interrupt my quiet and go out to labor.”
When he had mulled over these words for many days with his brothers, he could not perceive with certainty which of these he should choose as more acceptable to Christ. Although he understood extraordinary things through the spirit of prophecy, this question he could not resolve with clarity on his own.
But God’s providence had a better plan, that the merit of preaching would be shown by a sign from heaven, thus preserving the humility of Christ’s servant.
He was not ashamed to ask advice in small matters from those under him, true Lesser Brother that he was, though he had learned great things from the supreme Teacher. He was accustomed to search with special eagerness in what manner, and in what way he could serve God more perfectly according to His good pleasure.
As long as he lived,
this was his highest philosophy,
this his highest desire:
to ask
from the wise and the simple,
the perfect and the imperfect,
the young and the old,
how he could more effectively arrive
at the summit of perfection.
Choosing, therefore, two of the brothers, he sent them to Brother Sylvester, who had seen the cross coming out from his mouth, and, at that time, spent his time in continuous prayer on the mountain above Assisi. He was to ask God to resolve his doubt over this matter, and to send him the answer in God’s name. He also asked the holy virgin Clare to consult with the purest and simplest of the virgins living under her rule, and to pray herself with the other sisters in order to seek the Lord’s will in this matter. Through a miraculous revelation of the Spirit, the venerable priest and the virgin dedicated to God came to the same conclusion: that it was the divine good will that the herald of Christ should preach.
When the two brothers returned and told him God’s will as they had received it, he rose at once, girded himself and without the slightest delay took to the roads. He went with such fervor to carry out the divine command, just as he ran along so swiftly as if the hand of God were upon him, giving him new strength from heaven.
OFS Ongoing 