BROTHER FIRE | Saint Francis of Assisi | EP. 5 - The holy rule of life | Christian cartoons

St. Francis of Assisi presents The Holy Rule of Life Here in the Book of the Gospels, these words are written. It is said that we are the salt of the earth. But what use is the salt if it stays in the shaker? Just turn it over and salt the earth with the flavor of Christ. In this way you can illuminate the world. But the light that you bear should not be hidden. That light must be like a beacon, and that beacon will be as the light of Christ. His great deeds will be the lamp that enlightens all those who dwell in the house of the Lord. Rebuild my church, Brother Francis. You must rebuild my church, my son, and never rest. That is your calling. Stay strong, my brothers. We don't have much further to walk. What will we do once we get there, Brother Francis? Tonight we shall dwell down there with the Hermit of Galgano. In the morning we will set out for Maremma. Then we will continue our walk to the sea, and with God's help we'll go to Rome. Ah, there is Galgano. He is working in his garden. No, that man isn't Galgano. Then where is he, Brother Francis? I don't know. Galgano died thirty years ago. He lived here, at the site of a great miracle. Greetings to you, blessed pilgrims of the Lord, and welcome to my humble hermitage. Sadly, I do not have much to offer you. But we have bread to offer you. Thank you for your gift, pilgrims. Would you be so kind as to tell us about Galgano? It would be my great joy. Won't you enter? This is the story of a great prodigy. Rest and listen to his tale. Galgano was a very skilled horseman, and wielded his sword like an archangel. He was called the Hawk. One day he was ambushed by a group of bandits. Stand and deliver. If you're looking to fight me, you should have brought more men. Go for it! He fights like a demon. I think we better run. And hurry, villains! Galgano was born a wealthy man. His father was a noble, a Guidotti, who had died when Galgano was still an infant. And so did his mother, who gave her life for him. He lived a spoiled life, and he became the sole heir of his family fortune. Galgano spent his young life eating and drinking in cheerful company. And every girl in the country dreamed of one day becoming his bride. You have stolen my heart from me, Loretta. I bet you say that to all the girls. When he was thirty years old and had matured, Galgano dreamt of seeing an archangel, the archangel Michael. At the time, he gave no importance to it. But one day, while traveling, he had the dream again. Greetings, Galgano. I'd like you to see something. When they arrived at the base of a bridge and dismounted from their horses, the archangel asked him to cross over the bridge, which spanned a raging river by only thin ropes. At this moment came a terrible storm, and the wind shook the bridge without mercy. Cross now, mortal. It was a very brave man began to cross, despite the danger. But as he crossed the bridge, the storm suddenly stopped, and on the other side appeared a cave, where the archangel Michael waited for him. Galgano followed him and entered a long, dark labyrinth. On the other side of the cave, he found the hill where we now stand. This is where he saw the Lord's apostles, each with an open book in their hands. And from the books, a great and powerful light beamed. This powerful light slowly grew brighter and brighter, until he was completely enveloped in it. Then Galgano awoke. He understood that God had called him to the very sight he saw in the dream. He mounted his horse and dropped the reins, allowing the animal to travel where it wished. And the horse brought him here, to this very hill. And so Galgano kneeled, and lifting his head to the sky, he asked the Lord, My Lord, what do you want from me? Why have you brought me here? And the Lord answered, Abandon all you have and dwell in this place in silence and penitence. Welcome all who come to your door, and break bread with them. Galgano understood at last that he had not been dreaming at all, and that what he had heard was in fact the voice of his Lord and Savior. He then drew his sword and buried it here, in this sacred ground, where it lies to this day. Then he knelt in front of it, as though it were the cross. Round this he built a structure of branches and rocks, to encase the sword, and stayed here praying for three years. And then he quietly died. But from the day of his death, and for the next thirty years, pilgrims from all over the world have come to visit this wondrous place, for Galgano died as a saint, inspiring all Christians. Eventually, the most pious of Christians built a church in this place. And though some have tried, no one has ever managed to draw the sword. This looks like a good place for us to rest. What is it you want? Would you allow us to draw some water from your well? We need all the water we have. Now leave our property at once! But we're very much in need of some water. We still have a very long journey ahead of us. Are you deaf, Friar? I told you to get off our lands! We're going. But remember, you should thank the Lord for the water you refused us. You again, you little thief! Take that! And that! I'll teach you to steal my milk! And I have to teach you a lesson you'll never forget! Yeah, let's go! Where did he go? He headed over to the ruins. He's as good as always. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. He is exalted forever. Exalted, and we will praise His name. Stop right there! Where do you think you're going? It's all over. Let's go home. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to... It's a child! Is he dead? Hopefully he's just fainted. His head is bleeding. He's alive! Are you Gentleman Friars? Thank you, thank you very much. You saved my life. Give him some more water. He's lost blood and needs to drink. Thank you. I'm feeling better. What's your name, my little one? My name is Augustus and... Who are they? Those are the men who tried to kill me. Because I stole some milk from their goat. Kill you for stealing milk? I drank some milk from their goat and now they want to kill me. Help me, please. Explain yourself. What kind of way is this for Christian men to behave? Get out of our way. That boy stole from us. How incredibly brave, drawing a sword on a defenseless man. Did you also forget that the boy is a son of God? Who are you to take a life that God has given? I'm not afraid of you or your vile threats. Now, why don't you Friars run off to the church and leave the boy to us? If not, we'll whip you like donkeys. Andrew, you and the other Friars begin to walk away from here with the boy. Relax. There will be no more violence here today. Come on, you old nag. Move it! Don't you frighten, Augustus. What's going on here? Come on! Now I'm stuck as well. Glad I could convince you. Farewell, brothers. Thanks for the little talk. Ah! So now where are we heading? Look, there's some fishermen. Maybe they can give us directions. Excuse me. What do you want? We're looking for the Cardinal. Yes, he lives around here, but do you have permission to speak with him? It was the Cardinal that summoned me. Go on, then. He is at the end of the beach. You'll find him just over the dunes. Thank you. And now, for the next order of business, I wrote the Bishop of Salerno, and he wishes to know if you would consider a visit from him next Friday. It depends on my health. If I'm feeling up to it, then I'd be happy to. He says don't worry about the time or place. He'll come to you whenever you would like. He's at your disposal. It's your decision. Excuse me. What do you beggars want? Can't you see the Cardinal's enjoying a relaxing day at the beach? For goodness sakes, José. Sometimes I wonder about you. These beggars, as you call them, are the friars of my ward, Brother Francis, the Holy Friar of Assisi. It's good to see you. And you as well, Brother Francis. But why have you come up here? You could have just ridden me. I thought this to be an important matter, and I very much desired to get your personal opinion. But Francis, I could have written that to you in a letter, my son. You know that sometimes letters can fall by the wayside. I would never delay responding to you, Francis. I'm sorry you've had to make this trip. And I'm sorry for seeming impatient, but I really felt this important enough not to wait. Sorry, but the Cardinal has no time for you. Are you talking for me now, José? I always have time for Brother Francis. I have one rule for all my brothers, and all who agree will wear the habit. In this way, all those who wish to become my friars will remember how they vowed to live. But surely your rules as written are too strict. Instead of joining with you, young people will run away from you. It is not I who wish this, but the Lord, and it must be like this if we really want to rebuild His Church. True, with over 500 monks, you'll need to have your rules written down. Once they are written down, will you accompany me to see the Pope for their approval? I will, Francis. Your rules will be like a crutch that helps the monks walk. The rule of my brothers is to live in obedience, chastity, and without holding possessions, according to our Lord Jesus Christ, who said if you want to be perfect, sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and you will have your reward in Heaven. Then come follow me. The friars who have pledged to join the Brotherhood and Allegiance will wear a single tunic, tied together with a simple rope, and those friars will work, and when necessary, they will beg in recognition that our Lord was poor and lived off alms, as did the Blessed Virgin and His disciples. Please, come forward, all of you. There are twelve of you, twelve including Francis. Twelve as worthy apostles. You've done very well. Brother Francis, the laws that you wish to impose remind me of a dream I had once. The sky was raining stones, all over my beloved Basilica of St. Giovanni in Laterano. We were being shaken by a terrible earthquake. It seemed as if nothing could save us from destruction. But in my dream, I saw in front of me a little man dressed like you, in only rags. He didn't seem to care about what was happening around him. He walked slowly, with courage, indifferent to his danger. This man was doing what I could not do. Then he began to hold the basilica in order to stop it from collapsing. It was only a dream. But then, wasn't Moses also guided by God through dreams? I believe he was. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I hereby recognize you and your rule, and acknowledge your obedience to the Church. Looks like the Pope himself has decided to recognize the friars of Brother Francis of Assisi. Brother Francis is like a prophet to the people of Assisi. He went to Rome and asked the Lord for Pope Innocent III to approve the rule of the friars who live with Brother Francis. The rule of the friars is this, to live in obedience, chastity, and without any possessions of their own. And follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ that says, if you want to be perfect, sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor. Then, come and follow me, and you will have your reward in heaven. He also said to deny yourselves and take up the burden of his cross. Therefore, this is a joyous day for Assisi, made even more joyous because of the glory of our Pope and the strength of spirit of Brother Francis, as well as the profound greatness of their ideas and the beauty of his love for the Word of God. I went to see the Pope, and he welcomes all my brothers, not just those who accompanied me, but all of them. All those who pray, live, and beg for the poor and the lepers. And he has blessed me, and he has blessed all of you. And above all, he has blessed the rule that we all observe. And with the bishop as my witness, and all of you as my witnesses, if we fail to uphold our rules, you may feel free to reproach and insult us. We do not want and cannot receive money or anything for ourselves. My brothers will own a single tunic. You will never see us dressed in anything else. My brothers and I will never live in the lap of luxury. We will live in simple huts and in hovels, in humble tents such as those of the lepers. If you come to see that we are not doing this, then I ask you now to come and see our little chapel. And if we have gone against our vows, you may beat us, because we will have broken sacred vows to our Lord. They will work all day, seldom resting. When not working, they will pray. No one will be considered superior to the other, as all the brothers will be equal, and they shall be the poorest of the poor. Hooray for Brother Francis! Praise Jesus! It is a joyous day, my brothers, for all of us. Thank you, my brother. And thank you also, Brother Massius. Thank you for always standing by my side with your wisdom. And also thank you, Bernard. And you, Ernesto. And you, Benedict. Brother Francis! Your words are like fire. Thank you, Clara. But my words are those of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many women who also wish to take your vows. We long to be brothers as well. Then you are truly blessed, Clara. Still, you're a mere girl. It's too early to talk about such things. But your desire makes me happy. When you grow up, we shall be happy to welcome you among us.