Chapter XCI And first, that he paid no need unto his own infirmities for the love of Christ’s Passion Suchwas the Blessed Francis’s fervency of love and compassion toward
Complete three-work composite: CCEL Fioretti; Salter 1904 Life and Miracles; Evans 1899 / Goretti 2025 Mirror
Part VII The Seventh Part, of His Continual Fervency of Love and Compassion Toward the Passion of Christ Chapter XCI And first, that he paid no need unto his own infirmities for the love of Christ’s Passion Suchwas the Blessed Francis’s fervency of love and compassion toward
the pangs and sufferings of Christ, and so sorely did he daily affict
himself both inwardly and outwardly on account of the Passion itself, that he heeded not his own infirmities. Whence albeit that of a long time and unto his dying day he suffered ailments of the stomach and liver and spleen, and from the time that he returned from beyond sea had continual exceeding great pain of the eyes, yet would he never thereof take any pains to make himself be healthy.
Whence the lord Bishop of Ostia, seeing that he was and ever had been so austere as concerning his own body, and most of all because he had begun already to lose the sight of his eyes and becausehe was not minded to make himself be healed thereof, did with much pity and compassion admonish him, saying: “Brother, thou dost not well in that thou dost not make thyself be healed, for thy life and health be of exceeding great usefulness to the brethren and lay-folk and to the whole Church. For seeing that thou hast compassion on thy sick brethren, and hast ever been pitiful and merciful-hearted toward them, thou oughtest not to be cruel unto thyself in so sore necessity. Wherefore I do enjoin thee, that thou make thyself be healed and succored.”
For the most holy father himself did always take anything bitter as it had been sweet, for that he did evermore draw forth a passing great sweetness from the humility and the footprints of the Son of God.