The Little Flowers of Saint Francis

IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED AND OF HIS VIRGIN MOTHER MARY.
IN THIS BOOK ARE CONTAINED CERTAIN LITTLE FLOWERS, MIRACLES AND DEVOUT EXAMPLES OF THE GLORIOUS LITTLE POOR MAN OF CHRIST SIR SAINT FRANCIS AND SOME OF HIS HOLY COMPANIONS. TO THE GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.

Chapter 1
THE FIRST TWELVE COMPANIONS OF SAINT FRANCIS^a

We must first consider how the glorious Sir Saint Francis was conformed to the blessed Christ in all the acts of his life; as Christ at the beginning of His preaching chose twelve apostles ^{Mt 19:27} to despise all worldly things, and to follow Him in poverty and in the other virtues; in the same way Saint Francis chose at the beginning of the foundation of the Order twelve companions who possessed highest poverty. And just as one of the twelve Apostles, the one called Judas Iscariot, became an apostate from the apostolate, betraying Christ, and hanging himself by the neck, so one of the twelve companions of Saint Francis, who was named Brother John of Cappella, became an apostate and finally hung himself by the neck. And to the chosen this is a great example and cause for humility and fear, considering that no one is certain of persevering to the end in the grace of God. And as those holy Apostles were admirable to the whole world for their holiness and humility, and full of the Holy Spirit, so these holy companions of Saint Francis were men of such holiness, that from the time of the Apostles the world did not have such admirable and holy men. For one of them was caught up to the third heaven ^{2 Cor 12:2} like Saint Paul, and this was Brother Giles. One of them, that is Brother Philip the Tall,

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