In honor of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis we present the following excerpt from The Major Life of Saint Francis by Saint Bonaventure:

Even as a young men Francis had an open-handed sympathy for the poor which God had inspired in his heart. This bore him company as he grew up and filled his heart with such generosity that he refused to turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and resolved to give alms to everyone who approached him, especially if it was for the love of God.

One time he was caught in a rush of business and, contrary to his custom, he sent away a beggar who had begged an alms for love of God without giving him anything. Then he realized what he had done an he ran after him immediately and gave him generous alms. There and then he promised God that he would never again refuse anyone who asked for love of Him, as long as he had anything to give. He kept this resolution with unwearyingly fidelity until the day he died and he was rewarded with a wonderful increase of grace and love for God. Afterwards when he had put on the person of Christ Jesus to perfection, he used to say that even when he was in the world, he could scarcely ever hear anyone mention the love of God without being deeply affected.

His good life, his gentleness and patience, his almost superhuman readiness to oblige, together with his generosity which exceeded his means, and his pleasant manner were so many indications which marked him out as a young man. They seemed to be almost a foretaste of things to come, indicating that the abundance of God’s blessings would be heaped upon him more plentifully that ever in the future.

Indeed, one citizen of the town, a very simple man who appears to have been inspired by God, took off his cloak when he met Francis in Assisi one day and spread it under his feet, saying that he deserved the respect of everybody because he would do great things and be honored by the whole Church.