“When he was returning from overseas with Brother Leonard of Assisi as his companion, it happened that he was riding for a while on a donkey because he was fatigued and weary. But his companion, following along behind, was not a little weary himself and giving in to human weakness began to say within himself: "His parents and mine never played together as equals. And look-he is riding and I am on foot leading his donkey" While he was thinking this, the holy man all at once got down from the donkey and said: "Brother, it is not right that I should ride and you should go on foot, for in the world you were more noble and more powerful than I" The friar was dumbfounded at this and blushed, realizing he had been caught. He fell at Francis's feet and, bathed in tears, exposed his thought naked to the saint and begged his forgiveness.”
“Once while his vicar was holding a chapter, Francis was praying in his cell, as the go-between and mediator between the friars and God. One of them, hiding behind the mantle of some excuse, would not submit himself to the discipline of obedience. Seeing this in spirit, the holy man called one of the friars and said to him: "Brother, I saw the devil on the back of that disobedient friar, holding him tightly by the neck. Driven by such a rider, he had spurned the bridle of obedience and was giving rein to his own inclination. But when I prayed to God for the friar, the devil suddenly went away in confusion. Go and tell the friar to submit his neck to the yoke of holy obedience without delay!" Admonished by this intermediary, the friar immediately was converted to God and cast himself humbly at the feet of the vicar.”
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