St. Francis

...He set out exultingly for Apulia, but never reached the front. At Spoleto he was taken ill again, and as he lay there a heavenly voice seemed to tell him to turn back, "to serve the master rather than the man." Francis obeyed. At first he returned to his old life, but more quietly and with less enjoyment. His preoccupation was noticed, and he was told he was in love. "Yes," he replied, "I am going to take a wife more beautiful and worthy than any you know." He began to give himself much to prayer and to have in his soul a contempt of transitory things, and a desire to sell his goods and buy the precious jewel of the gospel. He knew not yet how he should do this, but by certain strong inspirations our Lord made him understand that the spiritual warfare of Christ is begun by mortification and victory over one's self. Riding one day in the plains of Assisi he met a leper, whose sores were so loathsome that, at the sight of them he was struck with horror. But overcoming himself, he dismounted, and as the leper stretched out his hand to receive an alms, Francis, whilst he bestowed it, kissed the man and embraced him with great tenderness.

Henceforward he often visited the hospitals and served the sick, as if in them he served Christ himself, kissing the hands of the lepers with great affection and humility. He gave to the poor sometimes his clothes and sometimes money. He made a journey to Rome to visit the tombs of the apostles, and finding a multitude of poor before the door of St Peter's, he gave his clothes to one whom he thought to be most in need, and clothing himself with the rags of that poor man he remained all day in the company of those beggars. One day as he was praying in the church of St Damian, outside the walls of Assisi, he seemed to hear a voice coming from the crucifix, which said to him three times, "Francis, go and repair My house, which you see is falling down." The saint, seeing that church was old and ready to fall, thought our Lord commanded him to repair that. He therefore went home, and in the simplicity of his heart took a horseload of cloth out of his father's warehouse and sold it, with the horse, at Foligno...

(From Butler's Lives of the Saints)

Sermon to the Birds

My little sisters, the birds, much bounden are ye unto God, your Creator, and always in every place ought ye to praise Him, for that He hath given you liberty to fly about everywhere, and hath also given you double and triple rainment; moreover He preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to Him for the element of the air which He hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sow, God clotheth you, you and your children; wherefore your Creator loveth you much, seeing that He hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praises unto God.