Francis' Beatitudes

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
A servant of God cannot know how much patience and humility he has within himself as long as he is content.  When the time comes, however, when those who should make him content do the opposite, he has as much patience and humility as he has at that time and no more.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
There are many who, while insisting on prayer and obligations, inflict many abstinences and punishments upon their bodies. But they are immediately offended and disturbed about a single word which seems to be harmful to their bodies or about something which might be taken away from them.  These people are not poor in spirit, for someone who is truly poor in spirit hates himself and loves those who strike him on the cheek.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.
These people are truly peacemakers who, regardless of what they suffer in this world, preserve peace of spirit and body out of love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed are the clean in heart for they shall see God.
The truly clean of heart are those who  look down upon earthly things, seek those of heaven, and, with a clean heart and spirit, never cease adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true.

Blessed is that servant who no more exalts himself over the good the Lord says or does through him than over what he says or does over another.
A person sins who wishes to receive more from his neighbor than what he wishes to give of himself to the Lord God.

Blessed is the person who supports his neighbor in his weakness as he would want to be supported were he in a similar situation.
Blessed is the servant who returns every good to the Lord God because whoever holds onto something for himself hides the money of his Lord God within himself, adn what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.

Blessed is the servant who does not consider himself any better when he is praised and exalted by people than when he is considered worthless, simple, and looked down upon, for what a person is before God that he is and no more.
Woe to that religious who has been placed in a high position by other and who does not want to come down by his own will.
Blessed is that servant who is not placed in a high position by his own will and always desires to be under the foot of others.

Blessed is the religious who has no pleasure and delight except in the most holy word and deeds of the Lord and, with these, leads people to the love of God with gladness and joy.
Woe to that religious who delights in idle and empty words and leads people to laughter with them.

Blessed is the servant who, when he speaks, does not disclose everything about himself under the guise of a reward and is not quick to speak, but who is wisely cautious about what he says and how he responds.
Woe to that religious who does not hold in his heart the good things the Lord reveals to him and does not reveal them by his behavior, but, under the guise of a reward, wishes instead to reveal them with his words. He receive his reward and his listeners carry away little fruit.

Blessed is the servant who endures discipline, accusation and reprimand from another as patiently as he would from himself.
Blessed is the servant who, after being reprimanded, agrees courteously, submits respectfully, admits humbly and makes amends willingly.
Blessed is the servant who is not quick to excuse himself, and endures with humility, shame, and reprimand for a sin, when he did not commit the fault.

Blessed is the servant who has been found as humble among his subjects as he was among his masters.
Blessed is the servant who always remains under the rod of correction.

Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and cannot repay him as well as when he is well and can repay him.

Blessed is the servant who loves and respects his brother as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him, and who would not say anything behind his back that he would not say with charity in his presence.

Blessed is the servant who has faith in the clergy who live uprightly according to the rite of the Roman Church.
Woe to those who look down upon them for even though they may be sinners, no one should judge them for the Lord alone reserves judgment on them to himself.

Blessed is the servant who stores up in heaven the good things which the Lord shows to him and does not wish to reveal them to people under the guise of a reward because the Most High himself will reveal his deeds to whomever he wishes.
Blessed is the servant who safeguards the secrets of the Lord in his heart.


-An excerpt from Francis' Testament