Ministering to Thieves

Above the Borgo San Sepolcro some friars lived in a hermitage, and to them, from time to time, came certain thieves, who used to lie in the woods and steal from those who passed by.  Some of the friars used to say that it was not good to give hem assistance, but others gave out of compassion, so that they might admonish them to repentance.  At one time Francis came to that place and the friars asked it it was right to give charity to the thieves.

 Francis said to them, “If you will do as I tell you, I trust in the lord that you will gain their souls.  Go, get some good bread and good wine and carry these to the wood in which they live and shout out to them, ‘Brother thieves, come to us, because we are friars and we will bring you good bread and good wine.’  They will come and you should spread a cloth on the earth and place on it the bread and wine and serve them humbly and joyfully until they have eaten.  But after the meal you will speak to them of the Word of the Lord, and finally you shall ask of them for the love of God that they will promise you this first petition, that they will not strike nor do evil to any one, in his body.   For if you ask all things as once, they will not hear you, but on account of your humility and charity they will immediately promise you this.  Then on another day on account of their good promise, you will carry to them with the bread and wine some eggs and cheese.  And you will serve them until they have eaten and after the meal you will say to them, ‘Why do you stay here all day to die of hunger and to bear so much adversity, and do many evil things for which you will lose your souls, unless you be converted to the Lord? It is better that you should serve the Lord, who will give you the necessities of the body in this life and in the end will save your souls.’  Then the Lord shall inspire them.  For the sake of the humility and charity you have shown them, they will be converted.” 

            And so the friars did all these things as the holy Father instructed them; and those robbers, through the grace and mercy of God, heard and kept letter by letter and point by point all things which the friars humbly asked of them.  Rather, on account of the humility and kindness of the friars toward them, they began to humbly serve the friars themselves, carrying on their shoulders their wood up to the hermitage.  And some of them at last entered religion.  But the others, confessing their faults, did penance for their sins, promising in the hands of the friars for the future that they would live by the labor of their hands, and never gain do such deeds.

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section IV, Chapter 66

In the twelfth century, thieves were actually brigands, and were quite dangerous.  They would attack people on the roads and attempt to obtain whatever wealth they could, often with complete disregard to lives.  This ministry Francis sent his brothers on was dangerous, even deadly.  But given the right approach, the most evil people can be delivered from their evil lives and brought to life.

The greatest ministry is accompanied with the greatest danger.  And there is no ministry without risk.