About the holy and devout boy Brother Bernard of Assisi, priest

Brother Bernard was from the city of our Seraphic Father Saint Francis. He was born to parents who were quite good citizens. He was the only son of his father who loved him tenderly. When we read about Saint Nicholas or Saint Ambrose we see that while still in swaddling clothes they gave signs of being numbered among the elect of God and of being very privileged with certain particular gifts from His Majesty that He usually doesn’t give to many. The same happened with this devout boy, beloved of God. For Brother Bernard was so gracious in his appearance and honest by nature that we when the people saw him they all said, “He is an earth borne Angel.” He attended school and became a very good grammarian. At the age of twelve years, since his mother had died, the devout boy was so angelic and devout in his conversation that the whole city believed that he just had to turn out to be a Religious. He was so zealous about honesty that he never conversed with anyone, but above all he fled youth and the conversation of women. Rather, when the devout boy returned from school he immediately withdrew to his room, where he did his devotions before the evening meal. Because his father saw that he was so devout he gave him every opportunity. So in his room he had a little altar made, adorned with statues, a crucifix, cloths and other adornments. At that little altar the devout boy prayed before an image of the Mother of Jesus Christ, commending himself with many tears to the Lord God, to Our Lady and to Saint Francis to give him the grace to avoid sin and especially to preserve him in holy virginity which he never wanted to stain. However when he saw the dangers of this world he assiduously prayed to His Majesty to show him the way he had to take and if he should become a Religious. To better restrain the flesh he slept nearly always on a table and quite often on the floor of his room. When he came out to leave for school he turned down the bed as if he had slept there so that the maid would not become aware of it. Because his father attended to temporal matters he was unaware of these things. He had great freedom to do what he wanted without anyone knowing. Hence many times he beat himself with the discipline so much that the young boy was completely black and blue.

It happened once that he was looking at the relics of Father Saint Francis on display in the Convento. There he saw the sackcloth he wore. Because of this the notion entered him of wearing such sackcloth to the degree that he acquired a very harsh one via some Nuns who were his relatives. He put it on in such a way that it appeared that he only wore his ordinary clothes.

It please the Lord God that the Capuchin Friars took up the friary of Le Carcerelle by order of Brother Louis of Fossombrone. Brother Louis of Capranica came and they took up the place. The first acquaintance the poor Capuchins had in that city was Louis Birello. Since he belonged to the Third Order and a very devout man, together with his children John Mary and Francis they welcomed them into their house and gave them every assistance. Because of this the devout boy began to see them going through the city questing alms. They were barefoot and poorly dressed in the time of great cold. So he burned with an immense desire to follow Father Saint Francis in that habit and in that austerity so that he no longer felt at home, weeping day and night because of that great desire. However because he was a timid boy he did not feel confident to reveal his good desire to anyone. However when he became aware that they visited the house of the said Louis he took courage and one day he went to find Francis, who like him was also young, and he said to him secretly, “I want to become a Capuchin but I do not know how to do it. I am aware that they visit your house. If you can help me I will always be most obliged to you. However for love of my father I beg you to keep it secret. Greatly inspired by God Francis consoled him and said to him, “Leave it to me so that I may have you received secretly.” It happened that not long after that Father Eusebius of Ancona was in his house. He was Vicar of the Province of Saint Francis. This venerable Father received the devout boy Brother Bernard, since he was seventeen years old when he came. When they removed his secular clothes to cloth him with the habit they found against his skin that sackcloth that he wore in such a way so that now one would have been able to know. That venerable Father was amazed at this since he was so young and delicate. He felt the boy would never have been able to endure such a harsh hairshirt for long without becoming ill so he removed it and did not want him to wear it any more as all his skin had been affected, since he had been raised so delicately so that he appeared no more than milk and blood. Later more Friars tried to wear it. However none of them could wear it more than three days although they were mature, austere and tough men. That devout boy used to wear it continuously and while wearing close fitting secular clothes that aggravated it.

Dressed therefore in the holy habit, the devout youth Brother Brnard was assigned to the devout and holy friary of Bargo San Seplocro called Monte Casale under the discipline of the great servant of God Brother Vincent of Foiano who fasted continuously on bread and water. This was in accord with the mind of Brother Bernard because our Seraphic Father Saint Francis had been there and also because it was very solitary and withdrawn in the Apennine. What was even more in accord with his desire was that his Master Brother Vincent was one of the most austere Friars that has even been in the Congregation of Capuchins. Brother Bernard had arrived in the friary of Monte Casale when he was told, “This is the cell where Father Saint Francis staid.” With the permission of his Master he often withdrew to that cell and poured out many tears.

Being a holy man, his Master showed him the way of heaven. This was very much in accord with his desire for Brother Bernard desired nothing other than to suffer for the love of Christ, imitating Saint Francis with harsh penances. Hence he was so afire with the love of God that until his death he did little else than pray, during which he always poured out tears. When he began to fast, his Master allowed him to be able to fast most of the time on bread and water. He remained so steadfast in that first impression his Master gave him that after he had been professed for some years, his Superiors became aware that if they had left him to the penance that he wanted to do in his fervour, he would become infirm within a short time, since he was so delicate and young. However Father Francis of Iesi removed him from Borgo and put him under the care of the holy man Brother Baptist of Norcia. Like a good shepherd, he kept his eye on him and found that he slept little but prayer continuously in his cell and wept continuously. At the table he pretended to eat so as not to be stopped. When the Master became aware of this he commanded him to eat. However he ate so little, and then only touched some plain foods and some wine. Because of this, the Master prohibited him from fasting without his permission, especially on bread and water. However because in his novitiate he had conceived such a great spirit so that if his Superior had not taken him from prayer he would never have eaten more than a little bread and water once a day in order to have more time to stay at prayer. Although the Superior would command that he should eat what he needed in everything and he was very zealous about obedience, nonetheless he was so used to it that he was unable to take more. When he commanded him to eat, he ate. However when the Master said nothing, he went back to the same way. His desire to suffer was such that once when his Master commanded him to eat some fresh beans, he thought about how he could obey and do penance at the same time. So he ate them whole, pod, shell and all. Because of this, as we will said in its place, at his death Our Lord gave him a small penance for it, for allowing him as a youth to be deceived by the devil under the appearance of good: thinking he was doing the right thing, he did not obey simply. The same in regard to sleep. He so allowed himself to be dominated by the fervour, sweetness and great love that he felt at prayer that if the Friars had not cared to make him sleep, he would have been on his knees night and day a never stopped beating his breast and weeping. Because of this he came to such serenity of mind and purity of heart that he hardly ever thought of anyone else but God. His mind was so firmly set in holy contemplation that he was occupied in God when eating, sleeping or attending to the other needs of nature. When he woke up he immediately began to say within himself, “O God, my every good, forgive the offences I have done.” Although anyone who knew him since he was a boy would have thought that he had never sinned mortally. Such was the good life that he led in this house of his father. Nonetheless he regarded himself as the greatest sinner in the world. He was so mortified that he rarely and hardly ever rejoiced about anything he saw or heard. However, when he heard talk about God he entered into such fervour that he felt that we would want to die. His face was so gracious and he was so well behaved that no one – neither seculars nor Friars – could ever boast of being able to see his eyes or have him say a single word of gossip. However he conversations were brief and rare either about God or doing penance.

He had these two things carved into his heart: abstinence and prayer and when he was not stopped by obedience he spent all his time at prayer. When sometimes the Superiors sent him to his town in order to console his father , the most they were able to draw from his lips was in a soft voice, “May God give you peace!” He did this in order to observer the Rule, for as I have heard from his own mouth, “I became a Friar with the intention and determination to observe the Rule to the letter, as our Father Saint Francis wants.” When his relatives asked him something he answered “yes” or “no’ with such modesty as soon as he heard it. However when he spoke with his sister he always reprimanded her about show with a few modest and softly spoken words, while adding to these that if she wanted to save herself she had to observe the commandments of God. He had such regard in that town that when he returned there they may such a fuss around him as if he were some great personage. When some of them said to him, “Brother Bernard, you are young. You need to be careful about doing so much penance that you will not be able to last.” He replied, “Well how much of it did Our Lord Jesus Christ do and our Father Saint Francis? I have taken a vow to follow them. One can’t go to heaven without effort. When I became a Friar I promised to God to observe the Rule as much as I could according to my strengths helped by His grace. Until now the Lord Jesus Christ has given me the grace. Until my death He will give me the grace to observe all that I have promised him. Who was weaker and more infirm Saint Francis? Nonetheless he did such great things that he enlightened the whole world, though not with his physical strength. Rather the Lord worked in him. For Him nothing is impossible! When I became a Friar if someone would have said to me, “I will give you one hundred scudi if you go barefoot as much as Saint Francis, I would not have gone more than two steps. To me that seemed so impossible! Now I go barefoot all the time over mountains and plains. The power of God is great. He does what He likes and is always wonderful in his creatures.”

When he was travelling he never wanted to take anything because his eagerness to observe the Rule according to the letter, as if this was his primary purpose. Once when he was in the friary of Monte Malbe he had to go to an ordination with some other clerics. Because it was a time of fasting and they left early in the morning, each of them took something eat along the journey at the proper time. Turning to Brother Bernard they said to him, “Take something too. We will not give you any of ours.” Brother Bernard replied, “The Gospel doesn’t speak in that way. Rather, our Lord says the contrary to his Apostles: Take nothing for the journeyand we have promised this.” Laughing at this reply his companions said to him, “We will see what happens when it comes the time to eat! The Lord says that we should not tempt him. Since we can provide for ourselves humanly we should not expect miracles. If you won’t take anything, that is your problem.” Brother Bernard replied, “This is something I would like to see, that the Lord would allow me to go without bread!” And so, as he was leaving he didn’t want to take anything. However, when hunger overtook them on the journey they all sat down and said to one another, “What will Brother Bernard eat?” He answered, “Now you will see what I will eat.” Looking around he saw a little hut on the side of the road that no one would have thought was inhabited. Brother Bernard went and knocked on the door of that house. A man came out and gave him four loaves. And they all affirmed that you would not have found such beautiful loaves in all of Perugia. Returning to his companions with great joy he also sat down and ate some of the bread that the Lord God had provided for him so mercifully. Everything thought this was miraculous, that the Lord did not want to defraud the trust of his servant who served him with such simplicity.

It pleased the Lord God that he was ordained a Priest. And if early the providence of God was evident in all his actions, it was more so now when he began to say Mass. He celebrated it with such devotion that he seemed like an Angel at the altar rather than a man. Once Mass was finished he withdrew to his usual contemplation and so immersed himself in considering the kindness of Our Lord who was so generous towards His creatures that rivers of tears poured from his eyes.

That holy soul could not be kept within the prison of that poor body for a long time. For his fervour and his physical weakness were such that it was not humanly possible that he could last for very long. Since he was so governed by the spirit that he never gave his flesh any respite.

So he fell gravely ill in the friary at Narni. A very experienced infirmarian came on his way to Assisi for the Indulgence. When he found him so ill he took care of him. He did as much as possible to restore him to health. However since the Lord God wanted to take His servant to Himself He didn’t want those medicines to hinder his passage. Instead they were all in vane and to no advantage. Being so well prepared, having received all the most holy sacraments, that happy soul passed away to its Creator. He was buried outside the chapel since no tombs had yet been made there.

Not long after a woman came. She was a long way from the friary. When she asked for Brother Bernard she was told he had died. She immediately began to weep very copiously. Throwing herself down on his grave she kissed the ground. With many tears she told the Friars, “Blessed son, Brother Bernard. It is not possible that you will not be canonised in heaven since Our Lord has shown how pleasing this servant of His has been to Him. Know that he did a miracle for me.” She told them everything. However the negligence of the Friars about committing this miracle to memory was such that I have been unable to obtain full information about it. For this reason I am not writing about it. It seems to me I can only write about what happened to that infirmarian. For just as he said to many trustworthy Friars, the soul of Brother Bernard appeared to him seven days later. Calling him by name with a very pleasant voice he said to him, “May God merit you for the charity I received from you in my infirmity?” The infirmarian marvelled over that voice while he saw nothing and replied, “Who is speaking to me?” The blessed soul said, “Know that I am the soul of Brother Bernard of Assisi.” The infirmarian replied, “Oh beloved Brother, are you saved?” Brother Bernard answered, “By the grace of God I am saved and now I am going to paradise. However, because I hesitated sometimes in obedience, since I felt that my judgement was better than that of the Superior regarding the sounder observance of the Rule, and because I thought sometimes that if I did something differently than what the Superior had commanded of me that it would be for the greater honour of God, God held me back. His justice is infinite. Therefore for seven days I could not see His face without purgatory. This is the seventh day now and I have seen it and am perfectly happy and blessed. Now I am going to heaven. Moreover I tell you that ten Friars until now have died before me in the Province of Saint Francis. Eight of them have gone to heaven without even touching purgatory. One has gone to purgatory and one is damned.

When they heard this many Friars of the Province took a count of the number of Friars who had died and they found there were ten as Brother Bernard had said. They believed that the one who was damned was Brother Silvester, a lay Friar who wanted to ruin the Church of Porcaria and who died a sudden death, as will be described in its turn.

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