Remembering Traditional Saints...
Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi
Since the Lord imprinted upon St. Francis the marks of His Five Sacred Wounds, called the "stigmata", in the days when charity or love for God and neighbor had grown cold, it is fitting that in these days of ours, when charity has likewise grown cold and is growing ever colder, we should consider devoutly the story of the miraculous stigmatization whereby St.
Francis was made so like the Crucified Savior.
In the year 1224, two years before his death, St. Francis and Brother Leo came upon a celebration at the Castle of Montefeltro in honor of a count who had just received the knighthood. The Saint took the occasion to speak to the large gathering of noblemen attending the celebration about the joy of temporal suffering for the sake of eternal glory.
Among the noblemen present was a Count Orlando of Chiusi who had heard much about the Saint and had greatly desired to see him and hear him preach.
The Count was greatly impressed by Francis’ sermon and after the banquet he was given the opportunity to speak with the Saint about the state of his soul. Out of gratitude to the Saint, Count Orlando then said: "In Tuscany, I have a mountain well-fitted for devotion, which is called Mount Alverna, which is very solitary and wild, and is eminently suitable for anyone who wishes to do penance in a place remote from mankind or for someone desiring to lead a solitary life. If it should please you, I would gladly give it to you and to your companions, for the salvation of my soul."
Francis was overjoyed at this generous offer of the Count and, after having some of his friars inspect the place to see if it was truly suitable for prayer and penance, gladly accepted his gift. Mount Alverna, called also Alvernia and LaVerna, is located in that part of northern Italy called Tuscany and is perhaps some 30 or 40 miles almost straight east of the great city of Florence.
The mountain rises abrupt and solitary to a height of almost 4,000 feet and is part of the long chain of the Apennine Mountains that run through the center of Italy almost the full length from north to south. To the west of Mt. Alverna is a beautiful valley, filled with meadows, vineyards, and forests, through which runs the Arno River. Count Orlanda’s castle, called the Castle of Chiusi, was located about a mile south of Mt. Alverna.
It was in August of 1224, that St.
Francis set out from the Portiuncula near Assisi with several companions to take possession of Mt. Alverna many miles to the north. After a very tiresome journey of several days, Francis arrived at the foot of the mountain and stopped to rest under an oak tree, and it was then that a great multitude of birds came to him, singing and fluttering their wings, some of them settling on his head, some on his shoulders, some on his arms and in his lap, and some around his feet. To his friars, the Saint said: "I believe it is pleasing to Our Lord that we shall dwell on this mountain, seeing that our little sisters and brothers, the birds, show such joy at our coming." It is said that to this day countless birds live in the branches of the pines and beech trees of Mt. Alverna, which offers a magnificent view on a clear day all the way across Italy, from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean.
Francis found that Count Orlando, who was there to welcome him and his companions, had built a small hermitage on the mountain, as well as a small oratory dedicated, like the famed Portiuncula, to St. Mary of the Angels.
Eventually, individual huts made of branches were set up for the friars, with Francis having his own near a large beech tree.
Mt. Alverna is noted for its gigantic rocks and deep crevices and chasms, with some of the huge boulders hanging out over the chasms. One day, Francis was observed in contemplation over these rocks, wondering what kind of disaster or cataclysm might have caused all this. And then it was revealed to him during prayer that the enormous chasms had burst open when, according to the Gospel, "the rocks were rent" at the time of the Crucifixion of Our Lord. This revelation made him love the Crucified Savior all the more.
As the Feast of the Assumption was drawing near Francis decided to begin and keep a rigorous fast until the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, September 29. But he wanted to be all alone at some spot where he could not be heard as he prayed out loud to God.
Across a narrow chasm some 120 feet deep, Francis saw a kind of rock ledge jutting out over the chasm which seemed to him as the ideal spot for
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