Saint Francis Determines to Live the Gospel Life

When Francis had now finished the work of repairing Saint Damian's church, he was wearing a hermit's dress, and going about with a staff in his hand, and shoes on his feet, and girded with a leathern girdle. One day, on hearing at Mass the words spoken by Christ to the disciples whom He sent forth to preach - namely, that they should carry neither gold nor silver, nor wallet or scrip, nor staff on the way, nor have shoes, nor yet two tunics - and understanding these things more clearly afterwards from the priest [with whom he was living], he was filled with joy unspeakable, and said: 'This is what I long to fulfill with all my might. . . .' Thenceforth, therefore, he used neither staff, shoes, wallet, nor scrip; and made himself a very mean, coarse tunic; and casting away the girdle, he replaced it with a rope. Moreover, applying all his heart's zeal to the words of new grace, how he might fulfill them in deed, he began, by Divine instinct, to be a proclaimer of Gospel perfection, and with simplicity to preach repentance publicly.

- text taken from Franciscan Days: being selections for every day in the year from ancient Franciscan writings, translated and arranged by Alan George Ferrers Howell