" Saint Francis of Assisi lay on his deathbed. He was singing, and singing so loudly that the whole neighborhood was aware. Brother Elias, a pompous but prominent member of the Franciscan order, came close to Saint Francis and said, ‘Father, there are people standing in the street outside your window.’ Many had come. Fearing that the last moment of Francis’ life had come, many who loved him had gathered together around the house. Said this brother Elias, “I am afraid nothing we might do could prevent them from hearing you singing. The lack of restraint at so grave an hour might embarrass the order, Father. It might lower the esteem in which you yourself are so justly held. Perhaps in your extremity you have lost sight of your obligation to the many who have come to regard you as a saint. Would it not be more edifying for them if you would, er, die with more Christian dignity?” “Please excuse me, Brother,” Saint Francis said, “but I feel so much joy in my heart that I really can’t help myself. I must sing!” And he died singing. In the whole Christian history, he’s the only one who has died singing. Many Zen people have died singing, but they don’t belong to Christianity. He is the only Zen master amongst Christian saints. He didn’t care a bit about Christian dignity. Saint Francis of Assisi has a different vision - he is just ordinary. He says, “Please excuse me, Brother, but I feel so much joy in my heart that I really can’t help myself. I must sing!” In fact, it is not that Francis is singing, Francis has become the song. That’s why he cannot help, he cannot control. There is nobody left to control it. If the song is happening it is happening. It is not within control, it can’t be, because the controller has disappeared. The self, the ego, no more exists. Saint Francis does not exist as an individual. There is absolute silence inside. Out of that silence this song is born. What can Francis do? That’s why he says, “I can’t help it. I must sing!” And he died singing. And there can be no other better death. If you can die singing, that proves that you lived singing, that your life was a joy and death became the crescendo of it, the culmination. Saint Francis of Assisi is a Buddha. The characteristic of a Buddha is that he is ordinary, that he has no ideas about himself of how he should be, that he simply is spontaneous, that whatsoever happens, happens. He lives on the spur of the moment, that is his authenticity. You can call it his characteristic, but what kind of characteristic is this? It is simply that he has no character, he has no strait-jacket of a character around himself, he has no armor, he does not live from the past, that he does not know what Christian dignity is. He lives in the moment like a child."
It’s not true that he’s the only one who died singing. Many, many other Christians have died singing! I know families gather around their loved ones as they are close to going home. They sing favourite hymns and sometimes the one who’s dying is able to join in singing as they are going home to heaven. Especially those who were being tortured and killed for their faith- hundreds and thousands of these died singing! From the earliest days when we were killed in the arenas, jails and dungeons by the Roman Empire, to the Reformation times when they were killed by the Roman Catholics, Lutheran, Reformed, and the Anglican churches. All of these governmentally endorsed churches joined their faith practices to a temporal state government and therefore the local church was corrupted. But there still were faithful followers of Jesus who loved him most of all! These were some of the people who died singing, because they love the Lord Jesus. Many of the martyrs of the Radical Reformation also died singing! They composed a Hymnal called the Ausbund, containing many of these Martyrs songs. The Swiss Brethren collected these songs, and the hymnal was first published in the 1500s, so it is almost 500 years old. It is still being used by some churches today, those who are descendants of the Anabaptists. Some of these martyr stories are told in the book called the Martyrs Mirror. There are places around the world today were Christians are still being killed for their faith in Jesus, and I have heard recent testimonies of Christians dying singing in the last century. For some of the more recent stories, check out the ministry called Voice of the Martyrs. Some of these died under communism, some under naziism, Islam, Hinduism etc. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and all of your mind, with all of your soul and with all of your strength! Turn your eyes upon Jesus- look full in his wonderful face! & The things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace! 💙🙏🏽💙
Reader is to close to mic, he is hard to understand so often that I find it to difficult to follow.....I've listened near 40 minutes and I can honestly say that I'm not even sure I'm listening to a biography of St. Francis....I don't know what any of this is about.
The book, as all Chesterton books, is difficult to understand. We can’t be doing anything else. Similar to Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. That can be off-putting. It would be better if it was broken down into chapters?
Chapter 1: 0:00
Chapter 2: 17:35
Chapter 3: 50:25
Chapter 4: 1:18:34
Chapter 5: 1:42:30
Chapter 6: 2:15:16
Chapter 7: 2:46:42
Chapter 8: 3:18:50
Chapter 9: 3:49:20
Chapter 10: 4:17:57
Thank you!
Thanks be to God for His saints and His Church.
Don't forget Jesus
Thank you, God, for teaching us about Jesus through your Church and your saints. St. Francis, pray for us.
Period sis
What a jewel of a book!
Thank you so much for the reading of this most excellent book.
Thank you for this excellent reading.
Simply brilliant, Christus Rex.
Thank you for this!!!
" Saint Francis of Assisi lay on his deathbed. He was singing, and singing so loudly that the whole neighborhood was aware. Brother Elias, a pompous but prominent member of the Franciscan order, came close to Saint Francis and said, ‘Father, there are people standing in the street outside your window.’ Many had come. Fearing that the last moment of Francis’ life had come, many who loved him had gathered together around the house.
Said this brother Elias, “I am afraid nothing we might do could prevent them from hearing you singing. The lack of restraint at so grave an hour might embarrass the order, Father. It might lower the esteem in which you yourself are so justly held. Perhaps in your extremity you have lost sight of your obligation to the many who have come to regard you as a saint. Would it not be more edifying for them if you would, er, die with more Christian dignity?”
“Please excuse me, Brother,” Saint Francis said, “but I feel so much joy in my heart that I really can’t help myself. I must sing!”
And he died singing. In the whole Christian history, he’s the only one who has died singing. Many Zen people have died singing, but they don’t belong to Christianity. He is the only Zen master amongst Christian saints. He didn’t care a bit about Christian dignity.
Saint Francis of Assisi has a different vision - he is just ordinary. He says, “Please excuse me, Brother, but I feel so much joy in my heart that I really can’t help myself. I must sing!” In fact, it is not that Francis is singing, Francis has become the song. That’s why he cannot help, he cannot control. There is nobody left to control it. If the song is happening it is happening. It is not within control, it can’t be, because the controller has disappeared. The self, the ego, no more exists. Saint Francis does not exist as an individual. There is absolute silence inside. Out of that silence this song is born. What can Francis do? That’s why he says, “I can’t help it. I must sing!”
And he died singing. And there can be no other better death. If you can die singing, that proves that you lived singing, that your life was a joy and death became the crescendo of it, the culmination.
Saint Francis of Assisi is a Buddha. The characteristic of a Buddha is that he is ordinary, that he has no ideas about himself of how he should be, that he simply is spontaneous, that whatsoever happens, happens. He lives on the spur of the moment, that is his authenticity. You can call it his characteristic, but what kind of characteristic is this? It is simply that he has no character, he has no strait-jacket of a character around himself, he has no armor, he does not live from the past, that he does not know what Christian dignity is. He lives in the moment like a child."
It’s not true that he’s the only one who died singing. Many, many other Christians have died singing! I know families gather around their loved ones as they are close to going home. They sing favourite hymns and sometimes the one who’s dying is able to join in singing as they are going home to heaven. Especially those who were being tortured and killed for their faith- hundreds and thousands of these died singing! From the earliest days when we were killed in the arenas, jails and dungeons by the Roman Empire, to the Reformation times when they were killed by the Roman Catholics, Lutheran, Reformed, and the Anglican churches. All of these governmentally endorsed churches joined their faith practices to a temporal state government and therefore the local church was corrupted. But there still were faithful followers of Jesus who loved him most of all! These were some of the people who died singing, because they love the Lord Jesus.
Many of the martyrs of the Radical Reformation also died singing! They composed a Hymnal called the Ausbund, containing many of these Martyrs songs. The Swiss Brethren collected these songs, and the hymnal was first published in the 1500s, so it is almost 500 years old. It is still being used by some churches today, those who are descendants of the Anabaptists. Some of these martyr stories are told in the book called the Martyrs Mirror. There are places around the world today were Christians are still being killed for their faith in Jesus, and I have heard recent testimonies of Christians dying singing in the last century. For some of the more recent stories, check out the ministry called Voice of the Martyrs. Some of these died under communism, some under naziism, Islam, Hinduism etc.
Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and all of your mind, with all of your soul and with all of your strength! Turn your eyes upon Jesus- look full in his wonderful face! & The things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace!
💙🙏🏽💙
X❤❤
Heard about St Francis when I visited Assisi with my ex girlfriend, and this novel through Henry Miller, and what a masterpiece
Thank You.
Thank you!
the sentence beginning at 1:00:38 reads "acted" not "hated" as in the audio :-)
How many commenters here are seminars.....
🎶🎵Hungry Heart 🎶🎶
His followers 1:20:01
lovely
Bookmark 39:26
2:02:13
2:06:45
2:13:50
Thx reader ( ozzy)
Bennet Foddy?
Jesus
Reader is to close to mic, he is hard to understand so often that I find it to difficult to follow.....I've listened near 40 minutes and I can honestly say that I'm not even sure I'm listening to a biography of St. Francis....I don't know what any of this is about.
The book, as all Chesterton books, is difficult to understand. We can’t be doing anything else. Similar to Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. That can be off-putting. It would be better if it was broken down into chapters?
It is giving the full context of the matter so it can be made fully clear. I recommend reading along
For simple and direct, read Jorgensen. Chesterton is a philosopher, historian, and analyst.. Pick the version of biography that you prefer.
Take a valium...
Zizek called him a natural Hegelian, he's describing the world before he can meaningfully describe the man.
yee yee
I have no idea who this guy is... but I can't say he's not interesting.
This sounds like a comedy accent.
Lol!!
This book is kind of bad, you listen for 30 minutes to get 1 min into the story of St Francis :(