A year had gone by since Anthony was living in the hermitage of Montepaolo. Between the beech trees, the oaks and the pines there was a small chapel.
In the surrounding caves lodged the friars.
For Anthony that was a year of quietness. After the upsetting experiences that he has lived, he felt the need of months of silence to re-assess once again in his thoughts all that he had tried. From the day in which he left the monastery of the canonical, the events had followed one another with undeniable swiftness. It seemed that each of them have given him one delusion after another. In the course of the previous year he felt that he kept on hastly falling deeper and deeper and there came the incessant need of lifting himself up again.
He was at present leading a genuinely coenobitical life.
Besides celebrating the masses, he attended to the jobs given by the keeper, friar Ildefonso. He didn’t read anything besides the Gospel. And he had nothing to read on. He was decided to renounce completely to his work of being a scholar. When it was his turn, he would cook, wash the dishes, fetch some water at the spring at the feet of the mountain, and gather the wood for the fire.
The friars were gladly entrust him with such errands. They thought that the Spaniard friar, so they called him, was very good for them.
Once friar Ildefonso went to Forlì to see friar Graziano and when he returned he said to Anthony:
"The friar minister has asked of you, friar. I told him that you are a good religious man and that you do all the errands we are giving you without insubordination. You do not speak much and sometimes we don`t even know you are there for all the day long, but that it is never necessary to spur you to the job in the farm. That cheered the friar minister."
Anthony remembered the promise given by friar Graziano to decide about his future at a later stage. A year however had passed and everything led to believe that the minister would have forgotten his promise. He could guess it from the words of friar Ildefonso.
Nevertheless he didn’t rebel.
At the Porziuncola he had prayed the Madonna of taking into her hands his case and to decide herself on his future. He was ready to wait till the end of his life. In the tranquillity of the hermitage he was feeling quite well. Only during the rainy day, bad weather and storms that in autumn and in winter they would rage on Montepaolo, Anthon suffered weakness and he had difficulties in carrying out his duties, always however trying to disguise such difficulties to the friars minor. There were rainy days and snowy days. The imposing trees which surrounded the hermitage, to him so dear, would become yellowish and were loosing their leaves. In such days the little birds would go from branch to branch shivering. Quite often he would cut his portion of bread and feed them.
The little birds undestanding his movements, as soon as he sat under the tree, gathered around him and ate alongside with him. Even the wild animals of the forest, prostrated by the cold weather, came close to the caves where the friars lived.
Once Anthony saw a wolf. The fierce beast approached and looked without fear the friars. The friars frightened took refuge in the caves. Only Anthony didn’t move from his place, he stared firmly the wolf`s yellow eyes. For quite a long while they stared at each other, then the wolf turned and slowly returned to the bush.
In the spring season, the trees clothed themselves with bright green leaves. From branch to branch darted the squirrels. The chirruping of the birds that were building their nests announced the nuptial season. The roebucks` clogs resounded of happy atmosphere. The hares leaped on the branches and their tails wriggles amongst the trees. The friars would finally eat better food than the one the winter season offered.
The spring eventually transformed itself in summer time, which passed very quickly and again automn was announced. Once again the spectacular scene of the leaves turning into gold and purple. The smell of berries and mushrooms in the bush. And with all that the feast of Saint Michael Archangel during which the friars of the province would re-organise their order.
This re-union was taking place at Forli` in the province of Romagna. It was usually preceded by the solemn consecration to priesthood for both the friars minor and the friars who belonged to the order of the preachers. Between these two orders there was familiarity since the time in which the founder of the order of the preachers, Dominick Guzman, has intervened to the general re-union at the Porziuncola and had proposed to friar Francis to unite the two orders.
The fusion had not taken place since Francis was opposed to it. However since that time, not all the friars accepted the conviction that Francis had imposed to his order. Dominick`s disciples were famous for their doctrine, Francis` disciples didn`t accept to follow them suit. At Forli`, city not deprived of learned men, this amicable duel charged itself with meaning.
Once the consecration of new priests had taken place, there followed the meeting of the friars who had arrived for the solemn ceremony. The friars of both orders sat at the same table.
During the consecration in the cathedral the homily was delivered by one of the friars of the order of the preachers. It was a demonstration of intelligence. It was delivered in a splendid language which contained numerous quotes of various works. At meal time the subject of the homily had been brought up again, the polished and elegant phrases were reiterated. The friar minor had to admit that it had been sometime since they had heard an ecclesiastic sermon so magnificent as the one they had just heard.
The conversation was becoming more and more animated. It achieved more animation when the superior enphasised that, although the friar minor were pious, they didn`t care much about science and didn`t do a thing about delivering a homly with the trimming of eloquence. Therefore they could not be compared to Dominick`s disciples.
Friar Graziano was hurt by these words. All Dominicans were not better than his friars, and the preacher whose homily was the subject of this animation at the table, had actually come from Bologna. However he put this hurt on the side and said:
"It is easy to find out where the best preachers come from. Why don`t we have a competition between the friars here present without resorting in finding far away models. Let one of your friars and one of ours deliver a homily which would have for theme <1>Today`s Gospel."
The proposal was greeted by cheers, shouts and burst of laughter. The Dominicans` Prior declared that he was accepting such demand with pleasure. Friar Graziano in the meanwhile had cooled his ardors. He now started to understand that he in his talk he committed a great foolishness. Amongst his friars there were no orators. However he didn`t want to retreat. So, he turned to the eldest friar and said:
"Friar Peter, you will deliver the homily."
Friar Peter opening wide his arms replied:
"No. Friar, no. I am not capable. How could I speak? I am a simple man. Illiterate. I couldn’t be able to say a thing."
Friar Graziano turned then to friar Vitale, of whom he knew that he had been a merchant before he became a friar minor.
He too, however defended himself:
"But, friar minister, how could I? One time I was capable of weaving the praise of the merchandise I was selling, however I have never spoken publicly of the things of God!"
One after the other the friars were retreating themselves in humbles.
Friar Graziano seemed to perceive mocking lightning in the eyes of the Dominicans. That filled him with anger. Instead of feeling irritated against himself for the unhappy proposal, he passed his resentment on the friars who disobeyed him by retreating humbly.
He looked then at the last of his friars who sat at the edge of the table: Anthony.
Anthony during supper had not said a word. He had a pale and emaciated face which showed that in the previous couple of days he had been prey of feebleness. Since he lived in Montepaolo he shaved his face and the top of his head in accordance to the practice confirmed amongst the friars which made him look quite young, almost a young boy.
Within anger and desperation, friar Gaziano said:
"Then you will speak, friar Anthony?"
Anthony humbly replied:
"I beg you Friar Minister to free me from this..."
He wanted to add something else, but Friar Graziano interrupted him. He was quite aware that the other friars did not think much of him. Friar Graziano understood at this stage that seeing amongst them there were no orators, it least he could turn things into laughter.
"Friar Anthony" he said
"You are all the time so thoughtful... I am positive that your thoughts can be turned into a splendid homily. I order you in the name of Holy Obedience to deliver a splendid homily!"
So saying he turned towards the other Friars and winked his eye to them in sign of mutual understanding. There were bursts of laughter. They all understood that it was a joke and that in a moment or two they would hear something similar to an awkward stammering from the young Friar.
Anthony emitted a profound sigh. He stood up, intertwined his hands. He said:
"Because you have ordered me, Friar Minister, in the name of the Holy Obedience, I will comply to your will."
He bent for a moment his head, in an act of heavy concentration. He started to talk with calm:
"Allow me Friars to choose as argument the Gospel prescribed for today, in the recurrence of the Saint Martyrs Cosma and Damiano. The Gospel says: " and he quoted by heart the test:
"That Jesus together with his disciples 'descended with them, stopped in a leveled place… A great multitude of people from all Judea, from Jerusalem and from the coastal of Tiro and Sidone had come to listen and to be healed from their infirmities."
There was a soft nervous giggle, and then there was silence in which one could hear a fly. Anthony was speaking in the language of the people, he was choosing however the words with great care. Only a light inflexion betrayed him being a foreigner. He continued in the evangelical footstep:
"He then, raised his eyes towards his disciples and said: 'Blessed you poor because yours is the kingdom of heaven...'"
He stopped for a moment.
"Who was the one who delivered such words? Wasn`t He the one that renounced Heaven to come within us sinners, to lift us up again and to redeem us? What does He intend, when he says: 'Blessed are you'? Doesn`t this mean: rejoice because today you are poor, today you suffer, today you cry, today you are persecuted? Since that happens to you, I will come to comfort you.
The Holy Scripture narrates that 'crowded around him all who suffered' while 'the impure souls dissolved in dust in front of him'. So it was and so it happens today. Our eyes are not able to see all because of sin. There are those who, when suffering comes to them, search for an earthly comforting. What do they recover from such comforts? The pain comes back and so the torment of being deluded. Isn’t better to look for consolations in Him? Isn’t better to pray our Lord Jesus, so that he would bend towards us and would give us only what he can give..."
All the eyes in the refectory were fixed on the orator. In what he was saying there was such self-assurance and simplicity alongside with fervour. The quotations from the Gospel followed one another copiously, as if the orator had the missal opened in front of him.
"Isn`t our duty to follow the example of our Lord, bring peace and hope to those that fall in sadness and desperation? Jesus has come to save everyone, but he has called us so that we could help him in this work. When he multiplied the bread and the fish, he placed on the palm of the apostle some small broken portions, so that they too would brake them and give them to the people.
He said: 'Nourish them'. He behaved this way to show that even if he is the Creator of the world, it has to be brought to accomplishment through men. He wants that me would imitate Him. And when we imitate Him, we receive such power that never the common human actions will have. Look: without Him all the world seems to collapse and go in ruin. In the world is developing a fratricide struggle. The people are suffering and perish, they are like 'sheep without a shepherd'. When we ask for His help, every thing grows and multiplies. It is more than sufficient to break the bread, the bread that we received from Him to nourish with it entire multitudes..."
The minutes were passing, but the listeners didn’t realise the passing of the time. What Anthony was saying was well known, nevertheless it sounded as something completely new. Each was saying within him:
"Yet I too have often thought like this many times... This man is just voicing my thoughts and aspirations..."
Anthony finally ceased to speak. He was paler than when he had started. He bowed to the Friars minor and he sat down. In the refectory continued to reign an absolute silence. And finally the voice of the Dominicans` Prior:
"You won. None of our friars would dare to compete with the Friar that has just stopped to speak."
And again there was silence.
The candles on the table were burning with equal flame. Non only there were no candidates for the sermon, there was also no courage to even say a word. While Anthony was speaking, it seemed to the presents that in the refectory the wind was blowing and was jokosly playing with the flame of the candle.
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
A year had gone by since Anthony was living in the hermitage of Montepaolo. Between the beech trees, the oaks and the pines there was a small chapel.
In the surrounding caves lodged the friars.
For Anthony that was a year of quietness. After the upsetting experiences that he has lived, he felt the need of months of silence to re-assess once again in his thoughts all that he had tried. From the day in which he left the monastery of the canonical, the events had followed one another with undeniable swiftness. It seemed that each of them have given him one delusion after another. In the course of the previous year he felt that he kept on hastly falling deeper and deeper and there came the incessant need of lifting himself up again.
He was at present leading a genuinely coenobitical life.
Besides celebrating the masses, he attended to the jobs given by the keeper, friar Ildefonso. He didn’t read anything besides the Gospel. And he had nothing to read on. He was decided to renounce completely to his work of being a scholar. When it was his turn, he would cook, wash the dishes, fetch some water at the spring at the feet of the mountain, and gather the wood for the fire.
The friars were gladly entrust him with such errands. They thought that the Spaniard friar, so they called him, was very good for them.
Once friar Ildefonso went to Forlì to see friar Graziano and when he returned he said to Anthony:
"The friar minister has asked of you, friar. I told him that you are a good religious man and that you do all the errands we are giving you without insubordination. You do not speak much and sometimes we don`t even know you are there for all the day long, but that it is never necessary to spur you to the job in the farm. That cheered the friar minister."
Anthony remembered the promise given by friar Graziano to decide about his future at a later stage. A year however had passed and everything led to believe that the minister would have forgotten his promise. He could guess it from the words of friar Ildefonso.
Nevertheless he didn’t rebel.
At the Porziuncola he had prayed the Madonna of taking into her hands his case and to decide herself on his future. He was ready to wait till the end of his life. In the tranquillity of the hermitage he was feeling quite well. Only during the rainy day, bad weather and storms that in autumn and in winter they would rage on Montepaolo, Anthon suffered weakness and he had difficulties in carrying out his duties, always however trying to disguise such difficulties to the friars minor. There were rainy days and snowy days. The imposing trees which surrounded the hermitage, to him so dear, would become yellowish and were loosing their leaves. In such days the little birds would go from branch to branch shivering. Quite often he would cut his portion of bread and feed them.
The little birds undestanding his movements, as soon as he sat under the tree, gathered around him and ate alongside with him. Even the wild animals of the forest, prostrated by the cold weather, came close to the caves where the friars lived.
Once Anthony saw a wolf. The fierce beast approached and looked without fear the friars. The friars frightened took refuge in the caves. Only Anthony didn’t move from his place, he stared firmly the wolf`s yellow eyes. For quite a long while they stared at each other, then the wolf turned and slowly returned to the bush.
In the spring season, the trees clothed themselves with bright green leaves. From branch to branch darted the squirrels. The chirruping of the birds that were building their nests announced the nuptial season. The roebucks` clogs resounded of happy atmosphere. The hares leaped on the branches and their tails wriggles amongst the trees. The friars would finally eat better food than the one the winter season offered.
The spring eventually transformed itself in summer time, which passed very quickly and again automn was announced. Once again the spectacular scene of the leaves turning into gold and purple. The smell of berries and mushrooms in the bush. And with all that the feast of Saint Michael Archangel during which the friars of the province would re-organise their order.
This re-union was taking place at Forli` in the province of Romagna. It was usually preceded by the solemn consecration to priesthood for both the friars minor and the friars who belonged to the order of the preachers. Between these two orders there was familiarity since the time in which the founder of the order of the preachers, Dominick Guzman, has intervened to the general re-union at the Porziuncola and had proposed to friar Francis to unite the two orders.
The fusion had not taken place since Francis was opposed to it. However since that time, not all the friars accepted the conviction that Francis had imposed to his order. Dominick`s disciples were famous for their doctrine, Francis` disciples didn`t accept to follow them suit. At Forli`, city not deprived of learned men, this amicable duel charged itself with meaning.
Once the consecration of new priests had taken place, there followed the meeting of the friars who had arrived for the solemn ceremony. The friars of both orders sat at the same table.
During the consecration in the cathedral the homily was delivered by one of the friars of the order of the preachers. It was a demonstration of intelligence. It was delivered in a splendid language which contained numerous quotes of various works. At meal time the subject of the homily had been brought up again, the polished and elegant phrases were reiterated. The friar minor had to admit that it had been sometime since they had heard an ecclesiastic sermon so magnificent as the one they had just heard.
The conversation was becoming more and more animated. It achieved more animation when the superior enphasised that, although the friar minor were pious, they didn`t care much about science and didn`t do a thing about delivering a homly with the trimming of eloquence. Therefore they could not be compared to Dominick`s disciples.
Friar Graziano was hurt by these words. All Dominicans were not better than his friars, and the preacher whose homily was the subject of this animation at the table, had actually come from Bologna. However he put this hurt on the side and said:
"It is easy to find out where the best preachers come from. Why don`t we have a competition between the friars here present without resorting in finding far away models. Let one of your friars and one of ours deliver a homily which would have for theme <1>Today`s Gospel."
The proposal was greeted by cheers, shouts and burst of laughter. The Dominicans` Prior declared that he was accepting such demand with pleasure. Friar Graziano in the meanwhile had cooled his ardors. He now started to understand that he in his talk he committed a great foolishness. Amongst his friars there were no orators. However he didn`t want to retreat. So, he turned to the eldest friar and said:
"Friar Peter, you will deliver the homily."
Friar Peter opening wide his arms replied:
"No. Friar, no. I am not capable. How could I speak? I am a simple man. Illiterate. I couldn’t be able to say a thing."
Friar Graziano turned then to friar Vitale, of whom he knew that he had been a merchant before he became a friar minor.
He too, however defended himself:
"But, friar minister, how could I? One time I was capable of weaving the praise of the merchandise I was selling, however I have never spoken publicly of the things of God!"
One after the other the friars were retreating themselves in humbles.
Friar Graziano seemed to perceive mocking lightning in the eyes of the Dominicans. That filled him with anger. Instead of feeling irritated against himself for the unhappy proposal, he passed his resentment on the friars who disobeyed him by retreating humbly.
He looked then at the last of his friars who sat at the edge of the table: Anthony.
Anthony during supper had not said a word. He had a pale and emaciated face which showed that in the previous couple of days he had been prey of feebleness. Since he lived in Montepaolo he shaved his face and the top of his head in accordance to the practice confirmed amongst the friars which made him look quite young, almost a young boy.
Within anger and desperation, friar Gaziano said:
"Then you will speak, friar Anthony?"
Anthony humbly replied:
"I beg you Friar Minister to free me from this..."
He wanted to add something else, but Friar Graziano interrupted him. He was quite aware that the other friars did not think much of him. Friar Graziano understood at this stage that seeing amongst them there were no orators, it least he could turn things into laughter.
"Friar Anthony" he said
"You are all the time so thoughtful... I am positive that your thoughts can be turned into a splendid homily. I order you in the name of Holy Obedience to deliver a splendid homily!"
So saying he turned towards the other Friars and winked his eye to them in sign of mutual understanding. There were bursts of laughter. They all understood that it was a joke and that in a moment or two they would hear something similar to an awkward stammering from the young Friar.
Anthony emitted a profound sigh. He stood up, intertwined his hands. He said:
"Because you have ordered me, Friar Minister, in the name of the Holy Obedience, I will comply to your will."
He bent for a moment his head, in an act of heavy concentration. He started to talk with calm:
"Allow me Friars to choose as argument the Gospel prescribed for today, in the recurrence of the Saint Martyrs Cosma and Damiano. The Gospel says: " and he quoted by heart the test:
"That Jesus together with his disciples 'descended with them, stopped in a leveled place… A great multitude of people from all Judea, from Jerusalem and from the coastal of Tiro and Sidone had come to listen and to be healed from their infirmities."
There was a soft nervous giggle, and then there was silence in which one could hear a fly. Anthony was speaking in the language of the people, he was choosing however the words with great care. Only a light inflexion betrayed him being a foreigner. He continued in the evangelical footstep:
"He then, raised his eyes towards his disciples and said: 'Blessed you poor because yours is the kingdom of heaven...'"
He stopped for a moment.
"Who was the one who delivered such words? Wasn`t He the one that renounced Heaven to come within us sinners, to lift us up again and to redeem us? What does He intend, when he says: 'Blessed are you'? Doesn`t this mean: rejoice because today you are poor, today you suffer, today you cry, today you are persecuted? Since that happens to you, I will come to comfort you.
The Holy Scripture narrates that 'crowded around him all who suffered' while 'the impure souls dissolved in dust in front of him'. So it was and so it happens today. Our eyes are not able to see all because of sin. There are those who, when suffering comes to them, search for an earthly comforting. What do they recover from such comforts? The pain comes back and so the torment of being deluded. Isn’t better to look for consolations in Him? Isn’t better to pray our Lord Jesus, so that he would bend towards us and would give us only what he can give..."
All the eyes in the refectory were fixed on the orator. In what he was saying there was such self-assurance and simplicity alongside with fervour. The quotations from the Gospel followed one another copiously, as if the orator had the missal opened in front of him.
"Isn`t our duty to follow the example of our Lord, bring peace and hope to those that fall in sadness and desperation? Jesus has come to save everyone, but he has called us so that we could help him in this work. When he multiplied the bread and the fish, he placed on the palm of the apostle some small broken portions, so that they too would brake them and give them to the people.
He said: 'Nourish them'. He behaved this way to show that even if he is the Creator of the world, it has to be brought to accomplishment through men. He wants that me would imitate Him. And when we imitate Him, we receive such power that never the common human actions will have. Look: without Him all the world seems to collapse and go in ruin. In the world is developing a fratricide struggle. The people are suffering and perish, they are like 'sheep without a shepherd'. When we ask for His help, every thing grows and multiplies. It is more than sufficient to break the bread, the bread that we received from Him to nourish with it entire multitudes..."
The minutes were passing, but the listeners didn’t realise the passing of the time. What Anthony was saying was well known, nevertheless it sounded as something completely new. Each was saying within him:
"Yet I too have often thought like this many times... This man is just voicing my thoughts and aspirations..."
Anthony finally ceased to speak. He was paler than when he had started. He bowed to the Friars minor and he sat down. In the refectory continued to reign an absolute silence. And finally the voice of the Dominicans` Prior:
"You won. None of our friars would dare to compete with the Friar that has just stopped to speak."
And again there was silence.
The candles on the table were burning with equal flame. Non only there were no candidates for the sermon, there was also no courage to even say a word. While Anthony was speaking, it seemed to the presents that in the refectory the wind was blowing and was jokosly playing with the flame of the candle.
