The Admonitions V – LET NO ONE BE PROUD, BUT BOAST IN THE CROSS OF THE LORD

ADMONITIONS V – LET NO ONE BE PROUD, BUT BOAST IN THE CROSS OF THE LORD
St. Francis of Assisi
Consider, O human being, in what great excellence the Lord God has placed you, for He created and formed you to the image of his beloved Son according to the body and to His likeness according to the Spirit. (1 Gn 1:26)

And all creatures under heaven serve, know, and obey their Creator, each according to its own nature, better than you. And even demons did not crucify Him, but you, together with them, have crucified Him and are still crucifying Him by delighting in vices and sins.

In what, then can you boast? Even if you were so skillful and wise that you possessed all knowledge (1 Cor13:2), knew how to interpret every kind of language (1 Cor 12:28), and to scrutinize heavenly matters with skill: you could not boast in these things. For, even though someone may have received from the Lord a special knowledge of the highest wisdom, one demon knew about heavenly matters and now knows more about those of earth than all human beings.

In the same way, even if you were more handsome and richer than everyone else, and even if you worked miracles so that you put demons to flight: all these things are contrary to you; nothing belongs to you; you can boast in non of these things.

But we can boast in our weaknesses and in carrying each day the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 12:5; Lk 14:27)

Source: St. Francis of Assisi, The Saint, Early Documents