Miracles of St. Francis of Assisi | 16-2
Many Dead who were Raised to Life.
In Mount Marcano, a place near Benevento, a certain woman, who had a special devotion to St. Francis, went the way of all flesh.
Now, all the clergy of that place being assembled round the corpse to keep the accustomed vigils, and say the usual psalms and prayers,
suddenly that woman rose on her feet, in presence of them all, on the bier where she lay, and calling to her one of the priests present, who was her godfather: “Father,” she said: “I wish to confess:
As soon as I was dead, I was to be sent to a dreadful dungeon, because I had never confessed a certain sin, which I will now make known to thee.
But St. Francis, whom I had ever devoutly served, having prayed for me, I have been suffered to return to the body, that, having revealed that sin, I may be made worthy of eternal life.
And here, before your eyes, as soon as I shall have disclosed it, I shall depart to my promised rest.”
She made her confession, therefore, trembling to the trembling priest, and having received absolution, quietly lay down on the bier, and slept peacefully in the Lord.
At Parmaco, in Apulia, there was a maiden of tender age, the most beloved child of her father and mother, who was brought to death by a grievous sickness; her parents having no longer any hope of succession, accounted themselves to be dead in her death.
All their relations and friends came together, weeping, to that sorrowful burial; the unhappy mother lay so overwhelmed with unspeakable grief and sadness, that she took no heed of anything which passed around her.
Meanwhile, St. Francis, accompanied by a single friar, vouchsafed to appear to her, and consoled the desolate woman, who was very devout to him, with compassionate words, saying:
“Weep no more, for the quenched light of thy candlestick, for which now thou weepest, is restored to thee by my intercession.”
At these words the woman immediately arose, and declaring to all what the Saint had said to her, she forbade them to bury the corpse,
but calling upon St. Francis with lively faith, she took her dead daughter’s hand, and raised her up alive and well, in the presence of all who stood wondering round her.
The friars at Nocera once asked a man, named Peter, to lend them his cart, of which they stood in need, but he answered them with abuse instead of giving them the help they needed, and, in answer to the alms asked in honour of St. Francis, he blasphemed his holy name.
But he soon repented of his folly, being struck with a Divine fear, lest the vengeance of God should fall upon him, as speedily came to pass:
For his only son fell sick at that time and not long afterwards died. The miserable father cast himself on the ground, and ceased not to call, with many tears, upon Francis, the Saint of God, crying:
“It is I who have sinned, I who have spoken wickedly; punish me therefore in my own person. O Saint of God! Restore to me, now penitent, him whom thou hast taken from me, because I blasphemed thee.
I restore and give myself wholly to thee, and devote myself for ever to thy service, for I will continually offer to Christ, for the glory of thy name, a devout sacrifice of praise.”
At these words, wonderful to relate, the boy arose, and forbade his father to weep, saying that, having been already dead, by the intercession of the blessed Francis he had been restored to life.
There was a boy, hardly seven years old, the son of a notary at Rome, who, desiring to follow his mother when she was going to the Church of St. Mark, was compelled by her to remain at home; in his boyish eagerness he threw himself out of a window into the street, and was killed on the spot by the fall.
The mother, who was not yet far from the house, heard the noise of the fall, and fearing for the safety of her beloved child, returned in all haste,
finding that he had been thus suddenly and miserably taken from her, she began to strike herself with her own hands, and with mournful cries excited all the neighbours to lament with her.
A certain friar minor, named Raph, who had come thither to preach, then drew near to the child, and being full of faith, spoke thus to the father:
“Believest thou that Francis, the Saint of God, is able to raise thy son from the dead by the love which he ever bore to Christ, who was crucified to restore life to men?”
The father replied that he firmly believed it, and faithfully promised to devote himself for ever to the service of that Saint of God, if, by his merits, he should be found worthy to receive so great a favour.
Then the friar, together with his companion, prostrated himself in prayer, exhorting and encouraging all present to pray also.
When they had thus prayed, the child began to open his eyes and raise his arms; then he rose upon his feet in the presence of them all, and being well and strong, he began to walk, having been restored by the marvellous power of the Saint both to life and health.
In the city of Capua, a little boy was playing upon the banks of the river with many others, and unexpectedly falling into the water, was carried away by the force of the torrent, and buried beneath the sand.
At the cries of all the other children, who were playing with him on the bank, a great multitude of people quickly assembled together:
Then they began to cry, and suppliantly and devoutly to invoke the merits of the blessed Francis, praying him to have regard to the faith of the child’s parents, who were very devout to him, and to deliver their son from death.
A certain man, who was known to be a good swimmer, hearing from afar these cries, which rose to heaven, searched the river to find the child’s body,
and at last, calling upon the name and help of St. Francis, came to a place where the sand had formed a kind of sepulchre round the body of the dead child, whom he drew forth and carried out of the water, grieving much to see that he was dead.
Then all the people gathered round to see the dead child, weeping and crying, “Oh, St. Francis, restore the child to his father.”
Then suddenly the boy, to the joy and wonder of all, arose alive and well, and begged to be taken to the Church of St. Francis, that he might devoutly return thanks to him by whose power he knew that he had been miraculously restored to life.
In the city of Sepa, in a place called Colonna, a house suddenly fell upon a poor young man and killed him:
Many men and women ran together from every part at the noise of the fall, and having cleared away the stones and wood, they at last found the unhappy youth dead,
and brought him to his sorrowful mother, who broke forth into bitter tears, and exclaimed, “Oh, St. Francis, St. Francis, give me back my child!” and not she alone, but all who were present besought the aid of the blessed Saint.
But finding the young man still without speech or sense, they laid him upon a bier, intending to bury him on the following day.
The mother, nevertheless, having great faith in the Lord by the merit of His Saint, made a vow to cover the altar of St. Francis with a new pall if he would restore her son to life.
And behold, about midnight, the boy began to revive, his limbs recovered their heat; and being alive and well, and strong,
he began to give thanks and praises to God and to the blessed Francis, calling upon the clergy and the people, who came together, to join with him in praise and thanksgiving.
There was another young man, called Geraldino, of Ragusa, who, in the time of the vintage, as he came out of the vineyard, went to fill the vessels of wine from the great tun, which was under the wine-press, when some great stones, which were suddenly loosened, fell upon his head and crushed it, wounding him to death.
The father, having heard the noise, ran to the place, and despairing of the safety of his son, approached no nearer to him, but left him as he found him, under the stones.
The other vintagers running together in all haste when they heard the feeble cry of the son, were filled, like the father, with great sorrow, and drew the young man, already dead, from beneath the ruin.
But the father, prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ, humbly besought Him, by the merits of St. Francis, to vouchsafe to restore to him his only son;
and uttering prayer upon prayer, he promised to perform many works of charity, and to visit the sepulchre of the holy man, together with his son, if he would raise him from the dead.
Suddenly the young man, whose body was all broken and crushed, being restored to life and perfect health, arose full of joy in the presence of them all, and reproving those who were weeping over him, affirmed that, by the prayers of St. Francis, he had been restored to life.
The Saint raised also another dead man in Germany, whereof the Blessed Father, Pope Gregory, certified the friars of the Order, and congratulated them greatly by his apostolic letters at the time of the translation of the body of the Saint, when they came together to that translation, and to the general Chapter.
The manner of that miracle I do not relate, because, in truth, I know it not, believing the testimony of the Holy Father to be more worthy of credit than any other affirmation that could be made.