Eloquence of the Light

-St. Bonaventure, Life of St Francis of Assisi 

-St. Bonaventure, Life of St Francis of Assisi 

the servant and friend of the Most High,

the founder and leader of the Order of Friars Minor,

the practitioner of poverty, the model of penance,

the herald of truth, the mirror of holiness

and the exemplar of all Gospel perfection,

foreordained by grace from heaven,

in an ordered progression

from the lowest level reached the very heights.

This remarkable man—

rich in poverty, exalted in humility,

full of life in the midst of mortification,

wise in simplicity,

outstanding for the excellence of the total conduct of his life-

this remarkable man God made remarkably renowned

in his life

and incomparably more renowned

in his death.

When this blessed man

traveled away from this world,

his sacred spirit,

as it entered his home of eternity,

was glorified by a full draft from the fountain

of life

and left certain signs of future glory

imprinted on his body,

so that his most holy flesh,

which had been crucified along with its passions

and transformed into a new creature,

might bear the image of Christ's passion

by a singular privilege

and prefigure the resurrection

by this unprecedented miracle.”

-St. Bonaventure, Life of St Francis of Assisi 

His limbs were so supple and soft to the touch that they seemed to have regained the tenderness of childhood and to be adorned with clear signs of his innocence. The nails appeared black against his shining skin, and the wound in his side was red like a rose in springtime so that it is no wonder the onlookers were amazed and overjoyed at the sight of such varied and miraculous beauty. His sons were weeping at the loss of so lovable a father but were filled with no little joy when they kissed on his body the seal-marks of the supreme King. This unprecedented miracle turned their grief into joy and transported into amazement their attempts at comprehending it. So unique and so remarkable was the sight to all who observed it that it confirmed their faith and incited their love. It was a matter of amazement to those who heard of it, and aroused their desire to see it.”

-St. Bonaventure, Life of St Francis of Assisi 

Submission under the Pope determines who is within the Church or not. And submission under the pope is necessary for the salvation of the faithful, as stated by Fifth Lateran Council:

the holy man began

to reflect the light radiating from the face of God

and to sparkle

with many great miracles

so that the sublimity of his holiness,

which, while he was still in the flesh,

had been known to the world as a guide for conduct

through examples of perfect righteousness,

now that he is reigning with Christ

was approved from heaven

as a confirmation of faith

through miracles performed by the divine power.

In different parts of the world,

his glorious miracles

and the abundant blessings obtained through him

inflamed many to devotion to Christ

and incited them to reverence for his saint.

The wonderful things

which God was working

through his servant Francis-

acclaimed by word of mouth

and testified to by facts—

came to the ears

of the Supreme Pontiff, Gregory IX.

That shepherd of the Church was fully convinced of Francis's remarkable holiness, not only from the miracles he heard of after the saint's death, but also from his own experience during his life, having seen with his own eyes and touched with his own hands; consequently he had no doubt that Francis was glorified in heaven by the Lord. In order to act in conformity with Christ, whose vicar he was, after prayerful consideration he decided to glorify him on earth by proclaiming him worthy of all veneration. In order to certify to the whole world the glorification of this most holy man, he had the known miracles recorded and attested to by appropriate witness. These he submitted to the examination of those cardinals who seemed less favorable to his cause. This material was examined carefully and approved by all. With the unanimous advice and assent of his confreres and of all the prelates who were then in the curia, he decreed that Francis should be canonized. He came personally to Assisi in the year of the Lord's Incarnation 1228 on Sunday, July 16, and inscribed our blessed father in the catalog of the saints, in a great and solemn ceremony that would be too long to describe.”

-St. Bonaventure, Life of St Francis of Assisi