On stores and the about the miracles that happened because God provided for them in the needs

29 Trust in Divine Providence 30 The Angel of the Lord succours Saint Francis and his companions 31 The Lord provides for the needs of the first Capuchins: a) at Sansepolcro b) at Ferrara

(29) As we said above the first Fathers founded themselves on the document that our Father Saint Francis gave, especially that the Friars Minor should trust in Divine Providence since Our Lord promised Saint Francis to provide all the necessary things for his Order. Nor would He ever fail them when the true observers of the Gospel of Christ trust in His goodness.

As it is written in the Legend of the Three Companions our Father said that Our Lord appeared to him in the beginning in the crucified form when he wanted God to reveal to him the way of life for himself and for his Order.

Our Lord said to him, “Francis, your Rule and the way of life for you and for those who will want to follow you will be my life that I led in the world. The way of life will be to live according to the Gospel. Therefore found yourself in me along with all those who will want to follow you because in these latter days I have begged from my Father to give me a people that trusts in me alone. Just as I rest in my Father and the Father in me, so this people will rest in me. I have chosen you as head of this people because you are a lowly man so that the works that I perform for you everyone will know that they do not come from you but from me and that I can do all that I want. Therefore this will be your Rule: to love according to the Holy Gospel and to place all your hope in me. Do not wish for any earthly inheritance nor wish to possess any earthly thing. Your inheritance, and that of those who will want to follow you, will be my Name. The more you distance yourself from the things of this world, the more the world will come after you to give you some of its things for My Name.

The more your draw near to the world, the more the world will avoid them because I want the life I and my Apostles led preserved in your Order until the day of Judgement. Then anyone who wants to know what my life was will know it in your Friars who will observe the Rule that I will give you.”

That which Our Lord showed him by revelation He has proven by example to the true observers of the Rule. When human means could not provide for them, the Lord God has provided for them miraculously.

(30) So the Three Companions tell that when Father Saint Francis went with his twelve companions to Rome to have the Rule confirmed, when they were returning toward the valley of Spoleto, some of them withdrew one Friday to a part far from any dwellings. Assailed by great hunger the poor fellows could not longer walk. They became sad and dejected. Through this temptation they cooled from their first fervour and began to wonder whether it would be possible to adhere to such a harsh life. The Supreme Creator always has compassion on human frailty. He sent them an Angel in the form a handsome youth. He greeted them and asked why they were so melancholy. They answered, “Because we are hungry.” The Angel said, “Are you not true observers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for true observers trust totally in the providence of Jesus Christ who always provides for them without fail.” As he said these and similar words to them the felt so on fire within their hearts. They felt their strength return as if they had been refreshed by all the finest dishes possible. The youth gave them some bread and disappeared. At this they went down in their knees and with immense fervour promised again to observe the Holy Gospel and to never falter again in any temptation. When they ate the bread they were all completely refreshed and their hearts were on fire.

(31) Because of this our early Fathers did not want to keep stores of any necessary for more than three or four days or a week. Therefore, since the friaries were a long way from the towns, it happened that they suffered over the necessary things in times of rain or snow when they could not go out to beg.

a) Our Lord always provided for them miraculously as He did in the friary of Borgo Sansepolcro, called Monte Casale. Our Father Saint Francis lived there. His cell is still there as well as the rock where he slept. It is a very cold place in the Apennines, about three miles form the city. Brother Eusebius of Ancona, the Father Vicar of the Province, found himself there because of the snow. Father Anthony of Cetona was the Guardian. Both were mirrors of holiness. A very heavy fall of snow took place. Not only were they unable to go out of the house but they couldn’t even open a window because the wind immediately filled everything with snow. Because it is a valley enclosed by mountains all around, the wind brought so much snow to some places that it was not humanly possible to pass without dying since some gullies were weighed down with more than a lance length of snow. When the poor fellows found themselves without bread or anything else to eat, the Father Guardian called two of the strongest and said to them, “My sons, you see how we are. If you have the courage, try to see if it is possible to be able to get to the city for alms. If you see that you can’t, come back. Do not put yourselves in peril. I give you the merit of obedience.” When those legitimate sons of Saint Francis heard this, kneeling down they offered themselves to make the attempt.” Because there was a little bread, enough for two Friars, the Guardian wanted them to eat it because of the fast so that they could better resist the cold. However when father Eusebius saw those Friars who were eating because they wanted to go to the city, he did not want the poor Friars to put themselves into to danger of death. Instead he had all the Friars called into the church and gave them a devout talk about the providence of God who never fails His servants. Rather, when they lack human support God always provides for them miraculously. Therefore they commended themselves devoutly to Our Lord Jesus Christ. “Let us not worry because without doubt He will provide for us this morning. If there are some vegetables and cucumbers because these will supplement what little bread there may be.”

It was truly a miracle of God. They cook some beans and gave a bowl of them to each and every Friar. The divided the bread into so many pieces. After doing the blessing they ate the bowl of beans gladly. They were so refresh that it seemed to each of them that with that morsel of bread they had never eaten better. They knew that they had not been fed by the adequacy of the food but by the grace of God. They all said, “If our Lord gives us this food, we have little to bother about.”

The miracle that happened next was no less wonderful. While the snow and bad weather intensified, many people in the city of Borgo heard a voice: “The poor Friars of Monte Casale are dying of hunger!” It was an amazing thing. For that evening a Monk from the Congregation of Saint Romuald was looking out the window. Smiling, he said, “O what dark and terrible weather. Go and tell the Friars at Monte Casale that the Angel may provide for them this time!” He wanted to imply that their life was an indiscretion. Although there was a storm that made the streets impassable because of the snow and the great wind that was blowing, nonetheless very early in the morning there was hubbub in the city because of the voice they heard during the night. At once they organised fifteen young men from among the leaders of Borgo. Dressed well with boots, caps and other protective clothing they all took shovels and clear the road of snow. Within a short time the collected two loads of goods and provided two mules – the strongest and best there were. Having placed the goods on the mules, with shovels some went ahead and others came behind the mules clearing the road as they went. All affirmed that it went like a breeze for they were unaware of any obstacles except when they got near to the friary.

When the reached the chestnut grove at Monte Leone near the friary, the Perugian Brother Angelus of Poggio di San Martino in Colle began to hear the sound. He tried many times to open a window to put his head out so that he could understand what the noise might be. This was impossible because the strong wind filled the air with snow. He wondered if it was some poor wayfarer who would die out in that valley so he ran at once to Father Eusebius to tell him that he felt he should go to see if he could give some assistance so that the person might not perish. At this all the Friars got up and opened the door of the refectory to see if they could go out. In the little yard outside the door they found half a lance of snow that the wind had brought there. Because they didn’t have water, Brother Angelus tried three times earlier to make a way with a shovel to get to the well. However it had proven impossible. For as soon as he removed a lot of snow, thinking he had cleared that part of the way, the wind filled it with more than before. He was compelled to drink melted snow.

It pleased the Lord God that while the Friars were discussing id they should go to help the poor man, there was a quick knock at the door. When Brother Angelus opened the door and saw the young men and the provisions that the Lord God sent them, and when all the Friars came running, they were so filled with compunction that they couldn’t speak to one another as the saw the heartfelt devotion of the young men. Ice hang from every hair on the mules, so to speak. Seeing this the lit a big fire and warmed up the saddle blankets and put them back on the mules. The young men also warmed up well and had breakfast. Because of their great devotion they said with tears, “Do not worry Fathers if the snowfall is higher than these mountains. You will never want for anything. We have seen a very obvious miracle of God. We got here without any harm in such a short time, it was as if we flew. Attend to serving God and pray for us. While Borgo has bread, so will you.”

The poor Friars were so edified that they prayed especially for the city for many days. While the bad weather lasted, they did not need to leave the house because the provisions lasted the whole time.

Another time there was a very heavy fall of snow when the Guardian of the house was the holy man Brother Bartholomew of Spello. A farmer lay comfortably in his bed one night in the village of Efra. He heard a voice that spoke to his mind, “You are sleeping very well in your bed and the Friars at Monte Casale have not bread. See to it that tomorrow you take them some.” Because of this, early next morning he got some bread, as much as he could carry. When he arrived at the friary the Friars were amazed that he hadn’t perished because the area is so mountainous and steep that one cannot pass there until summer. He told the Friars how God had visited him during the night. It was amazing because the Friars didn’t have a single morsel of bread.

b) The same thing happened in the friary at Ferrara when there were fourteen friars in the fraternity. One Friday in summer, at the hour after Sext when they pray before the meal, as they were going to prayer the cellarer told the Guardian that there was not enough bread for the next morning. The Guardian replied, “Let us pray fervently that God will provide for us.” While the Friars were praying there was a knock at the door. When the porter went he found no one at the door. He was wondering about this and as he was looking around to if anyone was there he saw many loaves bread and some wine that had been brought there. Stunned by this he called the Father Guardian and all the Friars. After looking around very carefully they couldn’t find anyone. Thinking that God had sent them the bread and wine, and it was, they took it with great joy they and all thanked God together because He had provided for them so miraculously.

It would be too much to want to tell about all the times that the Lord God provided for the needs of his servants.