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This woman was
a friend of all complete integrity,
with some of the virtue of Saint Elizabeth,
of whom we read in Scripture,
she was privileged to resemble and act,
both in the name she gave her son
and in her prophetic spirit.a
For when her neighbors were admiring
Francis’s greatness of spirit and integrity of conduct
she asked them,
as if prompted by divine premonition,
“What do you think this son of mine will become ?b
You will see
that he shall merit to become a son of God! ”
In fact this was the opinion of many,
whom Francis pleased, by his very fine efforts, as he grew older.
He completely rejected
anything that could sound insulting to anyone.
No one felt a young man of such noble manners could be born of the stock
of those who were called his parents.
The name John,
refers to the mission which he received;c
the name Francis
to the spread of his fame which quickly reached everywhere,
once his turning to God was complete.d
Thus,
he used to keep the feast of John the Baptist
more solemnly than the feasts of all other saints,
because the dignity of this name
- In 1C 13, Francis’s mother tried by "gentle words" to dissuade "her son from his intention," and, although unsuccessful, she "broke his chains and let him go free." In this text, Francis’s mother is much more positive about his call. She is thus presented in the classical role of a saint’s mother, e.g. the mothers of Saints Bernard and Dominic.
- In this text, as in AP, L3C, AC, paragraphs paralleling earlier texts are indicated in the margins by a reference to the text. Where a verbal dependence on an earlier text is present, the text is emboldened and the reference is found in the margin.
- The Hebrew name John was translated by Saint Jerome as "the grace of the Lord," or "grace is his." In this context, Thomas sees his baptismal name as referring to Francis’s prophetic mission. Cf. Jerome, Liber de Interpretatione de Nominibus Hebraicis 8,7; 9:25; Corpus Christianorum Latinum 3, 1972, 20.
- For an understanding of the name Francis, see 1C 120, as well as FA:ED I 290 b.
Vita Secunda Sancti Francisci, Fontes Franciscani, p. 445-446
2Quae mulier,
totius honestatis amica,
quoddam virtutis insigne praeferebat in moribus,
sanctae illius Elisabeth,
tam impositione nominis ad filium quam
et spiritu prophetali,
aliquo similitudinis privilegio gaudens.
3Nam Francisci magnanimitatem et morum.
honestatem admirantibus convicinis,
quasi divino instructa oraculo,
sic aiebat:
« Quid putatis iste filius meus erit?
Meritorum gratia,
Dei filium ipsum noveritis affuturum ».
4Haec revera nonnullorum erat opinio,
quibus, grandiusculus factus, studiis valde bonis placebat Franciscus.
5Relegabat
semper a se omne quod apud aliquem sonaret iniuriam,
et urbanis adolescens moribus, omnibus videbatur non illorum parentum,
qui dicebantur eius, prosapia genitus.
6Ioannis proinde nomen
ad opus ministerii pertinet quod suscepit,
Francisci vero
ad dilatationem famae suae, quae de ipso,
iam plene ad Deum converso, ubique cito pervenit.
7Celeberrimum ideo supra omnium festa sanctorum
festum Ioannis Baptistae ducebat,
cuius dignitas nominis