St Francis of Assisi – Part 12 – Francis Receives the Stigmata

By David Torkington -
On leaving Rome in 1223 Francis made for the Rieti Valley and back to the hermitage of Fonte Columbo where he had written his rule. It was here that he had an idea which was to stain the memories and the imaginations of everyone for centuries to come with the mystery of the Incarnation. 

 As Christmas drew near the following year he approached John Vellita who owned land in the vicinity of Greccio, and asked him for permission to use a cave on his property to re-enact the birth of Brother Jesus at Bethlehem. There was an ass and an ox in the cave and a manger with a statue of the Christ-child lying in the straw.  St Francis was deacon at the Mass and spoke with such love and tenderness that many believed that the statue came alive as he cradled it in his arms. 

 Whether this was true or not one thing was for sure, Francis had brought back to life the humanity of Jesus Christ in the minds and in the imaginations of his contemporaries.  read on ....

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