Terry over at Abbey Roads2 has a really good post on this topic here.
There is an extensive chapter in "The Little Flowers of St. Francis" regarding his receiving the Stigmata and St Bonaventura writes about it in his "Life of St. Francis". They are such interesting accounts to read!
G.K. Chesterton wrote an good life of St Francis too.
Last year I was in Florence and I visited the Santa Croce Church. There they many beautiful wall painting by Giotto (I think) illustrating the life of St Francis. They also have one of his robes. It is kept in a glass case and I took a photo of it: and here it is:
This is the exterior of the Church
And this is the robe of St Francis in its glass fronted gold frame.
What a wondrous thing! To have survived this long so that in seeing it we are presented with a tangible link to the great Saint!
The following Post Communion prayer comes from the 1962 Missal:
O God, who in divers ways didst show forth in blessed Francis, Thy Confessor, the wondrous Mysteries of Thy Cross, grant we beseech Thee, that ever following the example of his devotion, we may be strengthened by constant mediation on that Cross.
Tonight I am going to read some of my favourite stories from St Francis' life, and that includes the Stigmata. . .
4 comments:
Happy feast day dear friend.
I LOVE St. Francis! Close to a thousand years after his death and his influence is still felt (thank God). His feast day is coming up, you know.
Also, when i thing of St. Francis, not too far from that discussion is Father Pio. I know you can make the link between the two.
Should say "when I think." Sorry for the goof.
How true Tom. I like it that I was alive while St Pio was on this earth albeit for a shortish time.
I love St Francis too. I have a unpainted wooden statue of him preaching to the birds, by my bed so I see his image every night before I turn out the light.
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