Christ-like, he revealed the secrets of divine judgments and the divine will, and perceived in the Word the future as if it were the past. ¹⁸⁴ As Brother Thomas of Celano writes of him, when he once heard of the boundless excesses of some brothers and of the bad example they gave to lay people, he was overcome by grief and turned himself completely to Christ. Then some others arrived unexpectedly and told him about the holy way of living of some other brothers, the edification of lay people, and their conversion to the state of penance. The lover of the good and of the salvation of souls rejoiced on hearing this. Enlightened by a heavenly revelation he understood the rightness of divine justice which embraces and blesses good people and rejects and curses the evil.

¹⁸⁸ In great force and strength of spirit, he cursed those who apostatized from the profession of the life they promised and defamed the religion by their perverse deeds. He blessed the ones who kept their promises and edified their neighbors by the example of a holy life and caused the religion to spread the fragrance of a good reputation. All who heard him realized that a blessing or a curse pronounced by Saint Francis on earth came from God and was ratified in heaven.

¹⁹¹ The brothers who were really wise, and truly loved Christ, realized that his words and deeds came from Christ and His Spirit. Those who welcomed him and listened to him, welcomed and listened to Christ speaking in him. The upright and pure of heart listened to him and followed him without hesitation.

¹⁹⁴ But those who love themselves, inflated with human knowledge, who seek their own interests rather than those of Jesus Christ, trembled with fear where there was no fear. They did not accept him, because they did not call upon God. How could they believe? They desired and grasped at human glory since they were not seeking the glory which comes from God alone. For God scatters the bones of those who seek to please men. They will be put to shame because God has rejected them.

¹⁹⁹ "For anyone who prefers learning to holiness," Saint Francis said to the brothers, "will never prosper. Whoever loves human praise is a slave to lies. But God who is truth will destroy those who cultivate lies."

²⁰² Knowing the future through the Holy Spirit, he would say: "With the pretext of preaching and edifying others, the brothers shall abandon their vocation, that is, pure and holy simplicity, prayer, humility, and our Lady Poverty. It will happen that, because they believe themselves inflamed with the devotion and love of God, they will remain cold, empty of charity. And so they will be unable to return to their vocation, as they have wasted the

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