At the cell of Cortona, the
blessed Father was wearing a new mantle which the friars had been at some
trouble to obtain for him. A poor man
came to the dwelling, weeping for his dead wife and his wretched orphaned
family. To whom the compassionate saint
said, “I give you this mantle on the condition that you will not surrender it
to anyone unless they buy it from you and pay you well for it.” The friars, hearing this, ran together to the
poor man to take the mantle away from him.
But the poor man, gathering boldness from the face of Francis, with
clasped hands was carrying it away as his own.
At last the friars redeemed the mantle, procuring that the due price
should be given to the man.
-Mirror of Perfection Section III, Chapter 31
At times, providing for the needy requires imagination
and a sneaky nature. Francis, taking
advantage of his popularity, used it for the sake of a needy man. Manipulation is not always wrong, if it is
used for the benefit of those around us.
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