Part 6 (1/2)
CHAPTER X
FRANCESCA LAYS THE FOUNDATION OF HER FUTURE CONGREGATION--HER PILGRIMAGE TO assISI
LORENZO PONZIANO'S ad with advancing years; the perfection of her life, and the miracles he had so often seen her perform, inspired him with an unbounded reverence His continual prayer, the ardent desire of his heart, was to have her by his side as his guide and his guardian angel during the remainder of his life and at the hour of his death Perhaps it was to win, as it were, from Providence the favour he so earnestly i on her actions, or an obstacle in the way of God's designs upon her Taking her aside one day, he spoke to her with the greatest affection, and offered to release her froe, to allow her the fullest liberty of action and the most absolute control over her own person, her own time, and her own conduct, on one only condition,--that she would prouide him in the way in which her example had hitherto led him Francesca, profoundly touched by his kindness, did not hesitate to give this proratefully, in so much as it conduced to the accons upon her; but she continued to devote herself to her excellent husband, and with the most attentive solicitude to render hi health, and she rendered hiht all the cares of the tenderest nurse
The religious life, the natural complement of such a course as hers had been, often formed the subject of her meditations; and God, who destined her to be the foundress of a new congregation of pious woested to her at this time the first steps towards its accomplishment
It will be remembered that from her childhood upward she had been used to frequent the church of Santa Maria Nuova, on the Foro Romano; her mother had done so before her, and had intrusted her to the spiritual direction of one of the most eminent members of the order by whom that church was served Santa Maria Nuova is one of the oldest churches in Rohth century; and in 1352 had been given up to the Olivetan ation which Francesca instituted was originally forions of Mount Olivet, it will not be irrelevant to give soin and the life of their illustrious founder
Bernard Ptolomei or Toloypt, was born in 1272 Distinguished by his precocious abilities, he becaonfaloniere_) of his native town, Sienna; and at twenty-five attained to the dignity of doge Soon after he was suddenly struck with blindness, and the material darkness in which he found hiious truth He turned with his whole heart to God, and irrevocably devoted himself to His service and to a life of austerity and ht, and his purpose stood fir his fortune into two equal parts, he bestowed one half on the poor, and the other to the foundation of pious institutions With a few companions he retired into the mountainous deserts of Accona, about fifteen ave themselves up to a life of asceticism and prayer, which attracted to their solitude many devout souls from various parts of the world Satan, as usual, set his batteries in array against the new anchorites, and trials of various sorts assailed them in turn
They were even denounced to Pope John XXII as persons tainted with heresy; but Tolomei, with Piccolonon, and there, in the presence of the sovereign Pontiff, completely cleared themselves from the calumnious imputation Their order was approved, and they returned to Accona, where they took the naation of Mary of Mount Olivet of the Benedictine Order”
This was by the express desire of the Blessed Virgin, who had appeared to the saint, and enjoined hi at the same time her protection to the new order On the 26th of March, 1319, the new religious received their habits; and Mount Accona took the naony of our Lord Terrible were the conflicts of the holy founder with the Evil One; but out of them all he came victorious His expositions of Scripture onderful, and derived, it was said, froel St Michael The austerity of his life was extreme; his penances severe and continual In 1348 St Benedict appeared to him and announced the approach of the pestilence which was soon to visit Italy, and warned him of his own death, which speedily followed Many of his disciples had visions of the glorious translation of his soul to heaven; and nuht at his tomb bore witness to his sanctity His monks inhabited the church and the cloisters of Santa Maria in Dominica, or, as it is more commonly called, in Navicella, frorass before its portal, a reone days, to which neither history nor tradition has given a naiven one to the picturesque old church that stands on the brow of the Coelian Hill As their nureat inconvenience by the narrow limits of their abode; and Cardinal Beltorte, titular of Santa Maria Nuova, obtained for them from Pope Clement VI possession of the church of that naift with joy; for not only did it owe its origin to the first ages of Christianity, but it contained st other treasures one of those pictures of the Blessed Virgin which tradition has ascribed to St Luke the Evangelist; to this day it is venerated in that spot; and those who kneel at the to their eyes to the altar above it behold the sacred ienerations
Through prosperity and adversity Francesca had never ceased to frequent that church At its confessional and at its altars she had been a constant attendant Other women, her friends and imitators, had followed her example; bound by a tender friendshi+p, bent on the same objects, united by the same love of Jesus and of Mary, often and often they had been there together, those noble wo but the Cross, to have no rank but that of handmaids in the house of the Lord Francesca was theirto her with the tenderest affection; they were, according to an Eastern poet's expression,
[Footnote:”They a row of pearls, and I The silken cord on which they lie”
a row of goodly pearls, and she the silken cord which bound the, when Francesca gave them the first intimation of her hopes of their future destiny
They were not shown the distant scene, only the first step they were to take
[Footnote:”Lead thou h for ious Subjects_]
It was one of those sht, so irain of row into a tree Francesca spoke to the, of the order of St Benedict, of the sanctity of its founder, of the virtues, the piety, the good works of itsthe na conjointly certain rules, such as ht participate in their es Her coed her to use all her efforts to carry it into effect Don Antonio, to whom Francesca communicated their pious wishes, lent a favourable ear to the request, and in his turn brought it under the notice of the Vice-Prior Don Ippolito, who, in the absence of the superior, was charged with the government of the monastery He was the sa the order, and was deterred fro by Francesca's advice He readily received their overtures, and obtained for her and for her companions from the General of the Order permission to assuation to the es and merits of the order of St Benedict
Greatly rejoiced at the happy result of their application, they gave the, prayer, and penance, in preparation for their special consecration to the Blessed Virgin It took place on the Feast of the assumption of the year 1425
At break of day, in the church of Santa Maria Nuova, Francesca, Vannozza, Rita de Celli, Agnese Selli, and six more noble Roman ladies, confessed, received the pious instructions of Don Antonio, and communicated at a Mass which Don Ippolito said before the in Immediately after the holy sacrifice, they dedicated the to the formula used by the Olivetan monks; only that the phrase ”me offero” was substituted for ”profiteor;” and that instead of taking solemn vows, they were simply affiliated to the Benedictine Order of Mount Olivet Such was the first beginning of the congregation of which Francesca was the mother and foundress In these early tin theed them to the most scrupulous obedience to the commandments of God and of the Church, to a tender devotion to the Mother of God, a diligent participation in the Sacraments, and the exercise of all the Christian virtues, and the various works of mercy The link between them consisted in their constant attendance at the church of Santa Maria Nuova, where they received communion on all the Feasts of our Lady, and in a tender veneration for Francesca, whom they looked upon as their spiritual mother They had incessant recourse to her advice; and her simplest words were as a law to them, her conduct their example She assun empire of love was forced into her reluctant hands They insisted on being governed by one they held in such affection, and gave up every pleasure for the sake of being with her, and sharing in her pursuits
It was in the su year that Francesca decided on perfore to Santa Maria, or, as it is eli,” in honour of our Lady and of the seraphic Saint of assisi Vannozza and Rita eagerly agreed to accoust, in order to arrive in tience ”del Perdono” It was in poverty, not only of spirit but of actual reality that they wished, to perforreat apostle of poverty,--to go on foot, and unprovided with money, provisions, or comforts of any sort
Lorenzo and Parazza, who had readily consented to the proposed pilgri it out; but Francesca prayed in her oratory that God would incline their hearts to consent to it; and soon, with a reluctant smile, they consented to all she proposed, and both only ejaculated, ”Go on your way in peace; do as you list, and only pray for us” Out of the gates of Roh that country so well known to those who have often visited the Eternal City; up the hill froht of its domes and its towers, of its tombs and of its pines, is hailed with rapture, fro look of love is cast upon what the heart whispers is its own Catholic home It was the first, and as it would seem the only occasion (at least none other is mentioned in her life) in which Francesca left its walls, and trod other ground than that which the steps of so many martyrs have hallowed, the blood of so many saints has consecrated The valleys of Veii on the one hand, the heights of Baccano on the other, the beautiful and stately mountain of Soracte, met their eyes as they do ours: would that we looked upon theaze as theirs! The Gothic towers of Civita Castellana looked down upon the hurims as they passed by in piousprayers or chanting hyled with the murmurs of the streah the wild defile of Monte Soh that enchanting land where every tree and rock wears the form that Claude Lorraine or Salvator Rosa have made familiar to the eye and dear to the poetic arlands, and the fireflies at night dance froh; where the brooks and the rivers are of the colour of the sapphire or the emerald, and the purple mountains smile rather than frown on the sunny landscape; where the towns and the convents, the churches and the cottages, are set like white gems in the deep verdure that surrounds them There is no land more fair, no sky more tenderly blue, no breeze no and assisi rise in their picturesque beauty, than the sky which spreads its azure roof over the Umbrian traveller's head, than the airs which are wafted froia
Beautiful is that country! fair these works of God!--but more beautiful still is the invisible world which Francesca and her companions conteust weather, they trod the lengthening road fro-place to another Fairer the inward perfection of a soul which God has renewed, than all the gorgeous but evanescent loveliness of earth's e is drawing to a close; the towers of the Madonna degli Angeli are conspicuous in the distance; half unconsciously they hasten in approaching it; but the heat is intense, and their lips parched with thirst; they can hardly speak, for their tongues cleave to the roof of theirand venerable appearance, and clothed in the religious habit of St
Francis He hails the travellers, and straightway speaks of Mary and of Jesus, of the mystery of the Passion, of the wonders of Divine love
Never have such words of fire rims
Their hearts burn within them, and they are ready to exclaim, ”Never did el assuht see halo thethen to her companions It is St Francis himself
It is the seraphic saint of assisi He blesses the little troop, and touching a wild pear-tree by the road-side, he brings down to the ground a fruit of such prodigious size, that it serves to allay the thirst and restore the strength of the exhausted travellers
That day they reached the shrine where they had so longed to kneel; that little hut, once the abode of the saint, which stands in its rough sireat of the world coe to the apostle of poverty, the close imitator of Him who had not often where to lay His head There they received co; there they prayed for their absent friends; there Francesca had a vision, in which she was encouraged to persevere in her labours, to accon, and the protection of Jesus and His Mother was proht up the steep hill to assisi--to the church where the relics of the saint, where his mortal remains are laid Let us descend into the subterranean chapel, pause at every altar, andlife, the most marvellous perhaps of any which it has ever been pero with thean in childish sufferings for the sake of Christ Let us venerate with theentle sister spirit whose memory and whose order are linked with his; and for a moment think what prayers, what vohat acts of faith, of hope, of charity, must have risen like incense from those devoted hearts in such scenes, amidst such recollections
Doubtless they bore aith thehts
Their faces ht as they retraced their steps to the hoes can have ever been performed, Francesca at the tomb of St
Francis of assisi el's eyes