About the holy man Brother Baptist of Norcia, priest

The venerable Father and holy man Brother Baptist of Norcia was in the Province of Saint Francis. He was born to honest parents. In his boyhood he went to school until he learned to read and write well. Then he was put to the wool shop. However when he reached the age of about sixteen years the youth began the Fraternity with other boys where he fell in love with God to the extent that he rarely went to the shop but remained withdrawn to that Fraternity, applying himself to reading devout books. He said the Rosary of Our Lady with much devotion.

He was physically handsome, tall and with a face that looked like an Angel. He was so well behaved, humane and modest that everyone wanted to see him. When his father became aware that he was so inclined and dedicated to spiritual things, a notion occurred to him and he said to himself, “One day this boy will become a Friar.” Because he felt as though he would die of sorrow if the boy were taken from him, he tried to tie him to the world and give him a girl to be his wife. However, when the devout boy became aware of this, a great fear entered his heart about losing his virginity. He asked the advice of some Religious and of his confessor advised whether it was permissible for him to leave the wife that his father had got for him against his will. They answered that it was not only permissible but even of great merit to leave her for the love of God. He did not need to hear any more. The following night, without telling anyone, he left home and took the habit in the Franciscan Order where he lived some years with much austerity. When the Fathers his good mind they tried to have him study. However he had come to the Order not to study but to serve God. They didn’t have the strength to make him study.

It pleased the Lord God that Congregation of Capuchins came. Because of this the servant of God Brother Baptist, along with the venerable Father Francis of Iesi left secretly and took the Capuchin habit and were in the same fraternity for some months in the friary at Camerino. Then Father Louis of Fossombrone sent them to the Province of Saint Francis and assigned them the friary at Foligno.

In that Congregation he led a life that was more angelic than human for he occupied himself continuously in holy prayers. He was very austere regarding his body. In dress he never wanted to use more than two garments, as the Rule allows, although he rarely had them. Once he was washing his tunic. I was wondering very much why he didn’t wash it all but only the top half. When I asked him, “Father, why don’t you wash it all?” he replied, “If you do not know what it does to wash clothes in strong lye as they Friars do, I do because that was my background. There is nothing that will wear out clothes more than washing them too many times. I have worn this tunic for fourteen years. I had washed it as the Friars do it would not have lasted four.” He was also very austere about food for while he was young he hardly ever ate more than once a day. He did the forty-days of Saint Michael with great devotion and used to fast on bread and water on the vigils of Our Lady.

He was very zealous about poverty. He never wanted to get involved in buildings. He gave the example of the time when he was young in a poor little friary. He was very zealous about poverty. He never wanted to get involved in buildings. He gave the example of the time when he was young in a poor little friary. The Friars decided to leave that place and enlarge another one that was in the same city. Those Religious began to cut down the forest in that poor little friary in order to take the wood from there to the bigger house. As the Lord God allowed, when one of the trees fell, a branch struck the Superior of those Friars on the cheek. It injured a little, however since they could not heal it all they could do at that time was shave off his beard. The injury got worse and his head became swollen. So, he was in his cell, sick when the evening Angelus rang and a colossal stag with big antlers came into the dormitory and let out such a loud call at the door of that sick Superior’s cell that shook the whole friary. Frightened at this, the Religious ran to his cell and they all saw the big stag. They picked up some sticks and hit it. However, leaping about it jumped out through the window of the dormitory. Going into the cell of the sick man they found he could barely speak. Trembling, he said, “The stag! The stag!” After comforting him somewhat, they all went back to bed wondering if it had been a stag that belonged to one of the lords of the city. They locked up the friary well so that it could not come in again. At four o’clock in the morning, there it was again, was knocking ceaselessly at his door with its antlers. Woken by the din, the Friars got up and came running again and saw the same stag in the dormitory. Once more it jumped out the window. Then they understood clearly that it wasn’t a stag but the infernal enemy appearing in that form. For the friary was built on cliffs. If it had been a real stag, it would have died after jumping and falling from such a height. They also understood this by another sign too because when they opened the cell they found the sick man almost dead. He could no longer speak at all and within a short time passed away to the next life. The matter was seen in a bad light, for if he had been the real reason that they had to abandon that poor little friary, Our Lord did not allow this and he would have died condemned by the just judgement of God.

So this servant of God said, “When those Friars began to lose the spirit completely they tried to abandon all the devout friaries and build bigger, sumptuous ones near to cities. Because he was very zealous he always kept to poor little friaries and rarely spoke with anyone except about necessary and spiritual things. If it had not been for his infirmity, he was always in choir with the others at the times for the Office. He was supremely displeased with those Friars who avoided the choir for the slightest thing. He said that it is a sign of little spirit. He hardly ever missed Mass. When it was finished he always withdrew to holy prayer.

He was Novice Master almost continuously in the devout friary of Monte Malbe near the city of Perugia. While he was Guardian he never wanted two of anything, not matter how insignificant they were. Once some small plates were brought to them because they only had bowls. During the times of fasting they ate the uncooked salad and the minestra from the same bowls. This caused no small upheaval in my presence and there was a great struggle to have those plates accepted. The holy man said, “If the bowls are enough, the plates are superfluous. Having superfluous things is not permissible for Friars.”

He was very zealous about holy honesty. Once he was assigned as to hear the confessions of certain holy women. However, the servant of God, although he was old, went to them with such a fear of staining the beauty of holy virginity in some way that he resisted the Superiors very much. They were amazed about this, since he was such a holy man and very zealous about obedience and he had dared to answer back. They felt it was an immoderate excuse and enjoined the task upon him under the pain of excommunication. Trusting in holy obedience the servant of God heard their confessions for some months. Then he managed to have himself removed from that.

Another time, at the General Chapter at Naples, he was made confessor of the Capuchin nuns in the monastery at Naples. When the servant of God heard of this he began to weep uncontrollably. When the venerable Father Bernardino became aware of this, he had him absolved from this office since he was aware of the man’s holiness. However the Father General made a great scene about this in the refectory. IN order to test him further he asked him if he had some fault and to answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This put the holy man into a great stuggle within his mind. He said to himself, “If I say ‘yes’ I will be lying. If I say ‘no’ I excuse myself.” Therefore he replied, “I am amazed that I have not done worse.” He wanted to imply that human frailty is such that it is no wonder that it errs. Rather it is a grace of God because according to human frailty he would have done every kind of evil. Everyone was very edified by this.

Because of his zeal for poverty he could not listen hear that Friars left friaries to build other more comfortable ones. He said, “No one has ever taken delight in buildings who has not received punishment from God. Nothing has ruined the Order more than excessive buildings. For a larger building requires many Friars and from this comes familiarity with seculars. From this comes friendship and from friendship comes time-wasting and missing holy prayers and devotions. Also it is necessary to increase the number of Friars to fill those friaries and those who are unsuitable are received with indifference. Thus the Order is filled with useless Friars who ruin the Order and scandalise the seculars with their bad example. And where there are many Friars, little is not enough and poverty is brought down. Because of too much asking the seculars are scandalised and lose devotion. From their withdrawal come illicit stores and provisions. Thence the Friars begin to receive bonds, bequests, burials and deposits of money. When it arrives to this, observance of the Rule is lost completely. It is very important that Religious be seen rarely by seculars. We see this, for example, in the city of Perugia, which is so devoted to us. When two Friars leave Monte Malbe, on entering the city the people from everywhere are moved by the desire to see them, just as if they were Apostles of Christ. This happens because they see us rarely. Once I had gone three or four months without ever leaving the site of the Friary – neither my Friars nor me. The quantities of goods that came to the friary were such that in order not to offend holy poverty, since it seemed to me that too much to receive everything, I went to great lengths to send these things back. From this one sees the importance of good example. The devotion of seculars comes derives from it. From that comes true observance of the Rule because they bring us what we need which otherwise we would have to get in some illicit way. By having recourse to exemptions it would be necessary to have procurators and receive money. The devotion seculars have towards us frees us from all these things. Therefore it is good that the Friaries are some distance from the cities in order to be more remote. Know that solitude is the mother of the spirit and conversation with secular sit the mother of every vice. The secular can be a devout as he likes. However when he deals closely with the Friars for some time, he loses the devotion. Therefore buildings are dangerous because it is necessary to be continuously involved with seculars and prayer is missed completely. I have seen many who have seen this badly at the time of death. All those who do not take account of holy prayer and who are not zealous about coming to choir rarely persevere in the Order. On the other hand, those who are zealous about these things, as faulty as they may be God never abandons them. By attending holy prayer it is almost impossible that they won’t become good Religious since the divine worship has the power anyone who does it with zeal.”

When this servant of God went on a journey he always kept short distance from his companion, saying his devotions. He never missed the Rosary of Our Lady and when he found young ones who missed the Office of Our Lady of grace, he reprimanded them firmly, saying to them, “My son, you will not persevere in the Order if you are not devoted to Our Lady who is the mother of everyone, but particularly of her devotees.” When his companion would have said some vane word, he immediately raised his voice and said, “We are entering chatter. Let us do something good. There is nothing that inflames us more in the love of God like speaking about Him often. And there is nothing that takes the spirit from us as much as speaking about the things of the world.”

I was present at Monte Malba when he was Guardian there and needed to send two Friars for some undertaking. Turning to me, he said, “You could not believe how unwillingly I send Friars our of the Friary. I am really very sorry to have sent those poor Friars.” I asked him, “Why are you so sorry about it?” He told me, “Because little good can be done along the road. And being Guardian I am obliged to guide my subjects along the way of perfection. Each time I provide them an occasion to detach their minds from some good thought or from meditation on the things of God I am obliged to render an account of it. This is the office of the Superior: to guide ones subjects according to the will of God and give them the opportunity to love God as much as possible and to remove them from all the things that stop them loving God. As Superior I have no authority over subjects except as an agent and minister of God in the matters relating to His service. Thus no one can perform this office well if he is not united with God and enlightened by Him. Nor is there any task in this world for which we must give stricter account to God than the care of souls. Nonetheless it is difficult to know how to discern whether we command subjects on God’s part or for our own sake; according to our feelings or according to the observance of the Rule and commandments of God; for the greater benefit of their souls and to fulfil certain desires of our own. You know well what the Rule says, ‘The Friars are obliged to obey their Ministers in the all the things they have promised the Lord to observe.’ This then is my office and that of any other Superior: to use great diligence so that the Friars observe the rule, particularly this precept on which all laws depend, that is, they might love God, using all the means necessary to come to that love. Because I would have given those poor Friars better opportunity to love God if I had kept them quiet in the Friary rather then send them on a journey, therefore this is what sorrows me about having sent out those poor Friars.”

This servant of God was very close to Father Francis of Iesi from whom he learnt to give himself to holy contemplation. Before that he very much occupied himself with vocal prayers. However when he heard him speak so highly about the things of God he became so fired up about holy contemplation that he always stayed with his mind lifted up in God.

This servant of God strongly reprimanded those bold persons who trusted too much in themselves. He said, “Every evil comes from this. All the good we attribute to ourselves we rob from God. Everything against the will of God that we want for our own comfort comes from pride. I maintain that humility is nothing other than a perfect resignation of oneself to the will of God and to know in truth how we depend upon God for our being and doing. Perfect humility will be to know that God works all the good in us and to attribute it to Him. There is no thing necessary for our salvation that will not be furnished by God. So when you are troubled do not seek consolation from men. Do not even ask it of God. Rather, desire that God do in you what pleases Him, for seeking consolation is nothing other than trying to ease the temptation that God allows us for our good.”

It pleased the Lord God to reward this servant of His. For when he was in the devout friary of Monte Malbe with his beloved companion Brother Francis of Iesi, in the month of January, both of them fell seriously ill. Just as the holy Apostles Peter and Paul who loved one another in life and were not separated in death, so it happened to these servants of God. Brother Francis fell ill at night after Matins and lived two more days. He died on the third day at the hour of None. Brother Baptist was at his funeral. He was healthy the following day. The third day he fell ill in the evening. He lived tow more days and died at the hour of Vespers on the third day. When he saw Brother Francis dead he immediately began to prepare himself for death. Even through we all tried to console him he faded. This was because he had received a revelation from God that they had to die together. Therefore he was could feel happy as he thought about that horrifying and frightening passage of death.

While he lay sick, to give him a little hope I said to him, “Do not worry. With the grace of God you will get better.” He replied, “Yes, yes, still give the sign.” He meant that we should have prepared what we had to say at his funeral, putting the bookmark in the Breviary. Brother Rufino of Milan was the infirmarian was there. The servant of God began to say, “Brother Rufino, do you see that beautiful light?” When Brother Rufino said he could not see it, he said with great joy, “It is still beautiful.” I said to him, “Are you afraid of death?” He answered, “Not I.” Then after a little while he began to say, “Holy Brother Francis! Holy Brother Francis!” Because of this they thought he saw Brother Francis of Iesi in glory. Then he began to say straight away, “Sancta Maria, succurre miseris!” With these devout words that happy soul passed away to its Creator. He was buried in the same friary together with Brother Francis.

To the praise and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.