Miracles of St. Francis of Assisi | 16-8

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Many saved from Various Infirmities.

At a place called Pieve, there was a poor beggar- boy who had been deaf and dumb from his birth, and whose tongue was so short that those who examined his mouth thought that it must have been even cut off.

A certain man, named Mark, received him into his house for the love of God; and he, finding himself so well off there, continued to abide with him.

One day, when the man was talking with his wife (the child being with them), he said to his wife:

“I should assuredly hold it to be a great miracle if the blessed Francis would restore this child’s hearing and speech;” adding, “I vow to God that if St. Francis will do this, for the love of him, I will support this child as long as he lives.”

Marvellous to say, the tongue immediately began to grow, and the child spoke, saying: “Glory be to God, and to St. Francis.” 

Brother James, of Iseo, when he was a child in his father’s house, sustained a grievous bodily injury:

But, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, although so feeble in health, he entered very young into the Order of St. Francis, disclosing to none the infirmity under which he laboured.

Now it happened that when the body of St. Francis was transported to the place where the precious treasure of his sacred bones was to be preserved, the said friar was present at the festival of the translation, desiring to do due honour to his glorious Father:

He approached the sepulchre in which the sacred body lay, and embraced it in the fervour of his devotion, when he immediately felt himself restored to health, and from that moment was set free from his infirmity.

By the mercy of God and the merits of St. Francis, the same marvellous cure was vouchsafed to many others.

There was a woman in the Marema who had been for five years out of her mind, being also both blind and deaf; she would often tear her clothes with her teeth, and throw herself into the water or the fire, and became at last subject to dreadful attacks of epilepsy.

Now it happened by the disposal of the Divine mercy, that one night a Divine light shone around her, and in a dream she saw St. Francis seated upon a lofty throne, before whom she prostrated herself, imploring him to restore her to health.

But he seeming not yet to hear her prayers, the woman made a vow, for the love of God and of his saints, to give alms to whomsoever should ask of her as long as she should have anything to give.

The Saint at once accepted the offer, which was the same he himself had once made to the Lord, and making the sign of the cross over her, he restored her to perfect health.

It is also known for a truth that St. Francis mercifully delivered from the same infirmity a maiden of Norsia, and the son of a certain nobleman, and many others.

Peter of Foligno was on his way to visit the church of St. Michael, but, as he was making the pilgrimage with little reverence, it happened that, as he was drinking at a certain fountain,

he was suddenly possessed by the devil, by whom for three years he was miserably tormented, using horrible language, and being terrible to look upon.

Having at times lucid intervals, he made use of one of them to go to the sepulchre of the merciful Father to ask his help, for he had heard that it was efficacious against the powers of the air;

and no sooner had he touched the sepulchre with his hand than he was delivered from the power of the devil who tormented him.

In like manner the mercy of St. Francis was shown to a woman of Narni, who was likewise possessed, and to many others, whose sufferings and cures it were too long to relate.

There was a man called Buono, of the city of Fano, paralytic and a leper, who was carried by his parents to the church of St. Francis, where he was perfectly healed of both diseases.

Another young man called Atto, of San Severino, who had been struck with leprosy, made a vow to the Saint, and having been carried to his sepulchre, was by his merits perfectly healed.

The Saint had a special power in the healing of this disease, because, in his love of piety and humility, he had ever willingly and humbly served the lepers.

A certain noble lady named Rogarda, in the diocese of Soria, had been subject for twenty-three years to an issue of blood, and having suffered much from many physicians, seemed, from the extremity of her pains, to be at the point of death;

and if the blood stopped flowing for a time, her body swelled in the most frightful manner.

Now, it happened one day that she heard a boy singing in the Latin tongue the miracles which God had wrought by the blessed Father St. Francis, and being moved with sorrow she burst into tears, and began to say with great faith:

“O blessed Father St. Francis, who art glorified by so many miracles, if thou wilt vouchsafe to deliver me from this disease, it will bring thee a great increase of glory, for thou hast never wrought such a miracle as this.”

What more shall I say? She had no sooner spoken these words than, by the merits of the blessed Francis, she felt that she was healed. Her son also, whose name was Mark, had an arm contracted, and when he had made a vow to St. Francis, it was perfectly restored.

A woman of Sicily, who had laboured for seven years with an issue of blood, was made whole by the Standard-bearer of Christ.

In the city of Rome there was a woman named Praseda, well known for her piety and holiness of life:

From her earliest youth she had shut herself up for the love of Christ, her Spouse, for the space of forty years, in a narrow cell near to the church of St. Francis, whence she desired to obtain from him a signal grace.

For having got upon the windowsill of her cell for some necessary purpose, she was taken with a strange giddiness, and fell, breaking her leg in two places, and dislocating her shoulder.

Then our most benign Father appeared to her, clothed in dazzling raiment of light, and began thus sweetly to speak to her: “Arise,” he said, “blessed daughter, arise and fear not.” And taking her by the hand he raised her up, and immediately disappeared.

Then she, seeking hither and thither, throughout her cell, thought she had seen a vision, until, at her cries, a light was brought to her, and she felt that she was perfectly cured by Francis, the servant of God, and related in order all that had happened to her.