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gracious look that he saw the Seraph gave him.a The Seraph’s beauty was beyond comprehension, but the fact that the Seraph was fixed to the cross and the bitter suffering of that passion thoroughly frightened him. Consequently, he got up both sad and happy as joy and sorrow took their turns in his heart. Concerned over the matter, he kept thinking about what this vision could mean and his spirit was anxious to discern a sensible meaning from the vision. Ps 143:4 [Vulgate, Ps 142:4]
While he was unable to perceive anything clearly understandable from the vision, its newness very much pressed upon his heart. Signs of the nails began to appear on his hands and feet, just as he had seen them a little while earlier on the crucified man hovering over him.
95His hands and feet seemed to be pierced through the middle by nails, with the heads of the nails appearing on the inner part of his hands and on the upper part of his feet, and their points protruding on opposite sides. Those marks on the inside of his hands were round, but rather oblong on the outside; and small pieces of flesh were visible like the points of nails, bent over and flattened, extending beyond the flesh around them. On his feet, the marks of nails were stamped in the same way and raised above the surrounding flesh. His right side was marked with an oblong scar, as if pierced with a lance, and this often dripped blood, so that his tunic and undergarments were frequently stained with his holy blood.b
Sadly, only a few merited seeing the sacred wound in his side during the life of the crucified servant of the crucified Lord. Elias was fortunate and did merit somehow to see the wound in his side.c Rufino was just as lucky: he touched it with his own hands. 1 Jn 1:1 For one time, when the same brother Rufino put his hand onto the holy man’s chest to rub him,
- The "seraph" or "seraphim" belong to the highest choir of angels. These angels, most intimately present to God, are found in the biblical tradition, especially in visions of God. Cf. Is 6:1-13; Ez 1:5-14, 1:22-25; and Rv 4:6-9.
- For extensive study on the stigmata see Octavian Schmucki, The Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi: A Critical Investigation in the Light of Thirteenth-Century Sources. Translated by Canisius Connors. (St. Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute, 1991).
- In Book Two, Thomas gives importance to Elias Buonbarone (+1253), who was born in either Assisi or in Cortona. Shortly after the first missionary Chapter in 1217, Elias departed for the Holy Land to serve as Minister for the new venture. Later, during his own 1219-1220 visit in the East, Francis met Elias and brought him back to Italy. In 1221, after the death of his first vicar, Francis appointed Elias. Elias presided at the Chapter of Mats in 1221, which furthered the missionary activity of the Order into Germany. After Francis’s death, the Pentecost Chapter of 1227 elected John Parenti, Minister from Spain, to be the Minister General. Elias was engaged by Gregory IX to oversee the building of a new basilica in honor of the new saint. In 1232, Elias was elected to succeed John Parenti. During his tenure as Minister General, Elias promoted theological studies and missionary expansion into Asia and Africa. In 1239, the brothers, distressed by his abuse of authority and his autocratic use of visitators, requested Pope Gregory IX to depose Elias from his office. After he was removed, Elias sided with the Emperor Frederick II in his political dispute with Gregory IX. Gregory IX excommunicated him. Elias died reconciled and absolved in Cortona on April 22, 1253.
Vita Prima, Fontes Franciscani, p. 370-371
4Gaudebat quoque plurimum et vehementius laetabatur in benigno et gratioso respectu, quo a Seraphim conspici se videbat, cuius pulchritudo inaestimabilis erat nimis, sed omnino ipsum crucis affixio et passionis illius acerbitas deterrebat.5Sicque surrexit, ut ita dicatur, tristis et laetus, et gaudium atque moeror suas in ipso alternabant vices.6Cogitabat sollicitus, quid posset haec visio designare, et ad capiendum ex ea intelligentiae sensum anxiabatur plurimum spiritus eius.
—7Cumque liquido ex ea intellectu aliquid non perciperet et multum eius cordi visionis huius novitas insideret, coeperunt in manibus eius et pedibus apparere signa clavorum, quemadmodum paulo ante virum supra se viderat crucifixum.
95 1Manus et pedes eius in ipso medio clavis confixae videbantur, clavorum capitibus in interiore parte manuum et superiore pedum apparentibus, et eorum acuminibus exsistentibus ex adverso. 2Erant enim signa illa rotunda interius in manibus, exterius autem oblonga, et caruncula quaedam apparebat quasi summitas clavorum retorta et repercussa, quae carnem reliquam excedebat. 3Sic et in pedibus impressa erant signa clavorum et a carne reliqua elevata. 4Dextrum quoque latus quasi lancea transfixum, cicatrice obducta, erat, quod saepe sanguinem emittebat, ita ut tunica eius cum femoralibus multoties respergeretur sanguine sacro.
5Heu quam pauci, dum viveret crucifixus servus Domini crucifixi, sacrum lateris vulnus cernere meruerunt! 6Sed felix Helias, qui, dum viveret sanctus, utcumque illud videre meruit; sed non minus felix Ru