poverty, that you always loved and perfectly served, to true and infinite riches, from this death in time to everlasting life. There you will forever behold face to face the Lord your God whom you have loved in this world with so much desire and love."

After saying these things he said to him openly: "Father, you should know the truth: unless the Lord sends his own remedy from heaven to your body, your sickness is incurable and, as the doctors already said, you do not have long to live. I told you this to comfort your spirit, that you may always rejoice in the Lord, ^{Phil 4:4} inside and out; so that your brothers and others who visit you, may find you always ^{Phil 4:4} rejoicing in the Lord, and that, after your death, for seeing this and for others hearing about it, your death may be, like your life and manner of living, a perpetual remembrance as it was and always will be."

Then blessed Francis, although in greater pain than usual, seemed to put on a great joy of soul on hearing that Sister Death was imminent. He praised God with great fervor of spirit, telling them: "If it pleases my Lord that I am to die soon, call Brother Angelo and Brother Leo that they may sing to me about Sister Death."

When these two brothers came to him, filled with grief and sorrow and with many tears, they sang the Canticle of Brother Sun and the other creatures of the Lord, which the Saint himself had composed. And then, before the last stanza of this canticle he added some verses about Sister Death:

"Praised be You, My Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death
from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm."

124
HOW HE BLESSED THE CITY OF ASSISI WHEN HE WAS BEING TAKEN TO SAINT MARY TO DIE THERE

While he was still staying in that palace, the most holy father was already assured of his imminent death, both by the Holy Spirit and the prognosis of the doctors. He felt himself growing steadily worse and his physical strength waning. He had himself carried on a litter to Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, so that there the life of his body would come to an end where he had begun to experience the light and life of his soul.

When those who were carrying him arrived at the hospital halfway between Assisi and Saint Mary, he asked those carrying the litter to place it on the ground. Since he could hardly see because of

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