Dominus conduxit me inter Mos, et feci misericordiam cum Ulis (Test 2): Francis of Assisi and Mercy

17 Franciscan Studies 64 (2006) Dominus conduxit me inter illos, et feci misericordiam cum illis (Test 2) FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND MERCY “The conversion of Francis began with a heroic act of mercy that was itself a merciful gift of God.”1 Introduction Since the early 13th century thousands of men and women have been drawn to the example and spiritual dynamism of St. Francis. This interest has generated thousands of stories, articles, songs, plays, studies, and books that attempt to capture the “essential” spiritual identity of the Saint from Assisi. Important themes such as minority, conversion, prayer, and poverty have at various times been presented as key in any understanding of Francis and his relationship to God and to his brothers and sisters in the movement that bears his name. Others such as penance, fraternity, love for the Church, strong Marian devotion, total self-giving, and the centrality of the evangelical life can easily be added to the list. And yet, as he prepared to welcome Sister Death and reflected on God’s presence in his life, Francis identified the experience of showing mercy to lepers as the most significant event in his spiritual awakening . The central place that lepers continued to have in Francis’s life and in the life of the early fraternity demonstrates quite clearly the lasting impression the experience left on the Saint. It is important, therefore, that the event that Francis identified as so significant to his spiritual development be given its proper place in any discussion of his spirituality. With this in mind, this article examines the verse of the 1 Tito da Ottene, Il Testamento di San Francesco (Genoa: Scuola Tipogragica Sorriso Francescano, 1957), 15: “La Conversione di Francesco Inizia da un Atto Eroico di Misericordia Che è Esso Stesso un Dono Misericordioso di Dio.” 18 MICHAEL J. HIGGINS Testament in which, in reference to lepers, he states: “Dominus conduxit me inter illos, et feci misericordiam cum illis” (v. 2) – “The Lord led me among them, and I made mercy with them” – and the important role that the experience of the showing of mercy played in his conversion . The Testament Esser reports that the Testament was dictated by Francis to an unnamed “friar capable of writing”2 most likely as they were making their way to Assisi towards the end of the Saint’s life. He also maintains that its manuscript tradition is among the most solid of any of the Franciscan sources. This is due in no small way to the important role it played in the evolution of the early Franciscan movement and the polarizing positions that groups of friars were embracing even before the Saint’s body found its final resting place in the basilica that bears his name. The editors of the most recent translation of Francis’s writings point out that the title of the document most likely refers to a last will and testament that Francis wished to leave for his friars. They also mention that a recent study suggests “a biblical interpretation . . . an expression of God’s covenant (testamentum) with the poor Francis and his brothers.”3 Francis himself refers to the document as a remembrance, admonition, exhortation, and my testament which I, little brother Francis, make for you, my blessed brothers, that we might observe the Rule we have promised in a more Catholic way (Test 34). Following Francis’s own description of the work, the document can be considered a last exhortation from the Saint to his followers based on his personal experiences of God and an admonition and ex2 Kajetan Esser, Gli Scritti di S. Francesco d’Assisi: Nuova Edizione Critica e Versione Italiana , trans. Alfredo Bizzotto and Sergo Cattazzo (Padua: Messaggero di S. Antonio, 1982), 583. “. . . un frate capace di scrivere.” 3 Cf. note a. in Regis J. Armstrong, J. A. Wayne Hellmann, and William J. Short, eds., Francis of Assisi: Early Documents 1 (Hyde Park, New York: New City Press, 1999), 124. Hereafter, these three volumes will be identified as FAED, followed by vo. and page numbers . The editors refer to the study done by Auspicius van Corstanje in The Covenant with God’s Poor (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1966). FRANCIS...