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The Miracles of Saint Francis

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Hello, this

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is Jana and welcome to

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Story Nori.

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I am here with a story about Saint Francis

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of Assisi.

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Of all the saints, Saint

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Francis of Assisi stands out for

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his deep love for animals and

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nature.

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His day is celebrated on the 4th of October

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and it's a time when people around the world

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remember his teachings of peace and

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kindness towards all creatures.

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Saint Francis was born in the Italian

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city of Assisi in 1181. His

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father was a wealthy silk merchant. He

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went against his parents' wishes, gave

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up all his wealth and became

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a travelling monk, known

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as a friar. In this episode,

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I will tell you about a few of the miracles

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of Saint Francis, including ones

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involving birds, a fish

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and a wolf. He was travelling

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near his hometown when he came

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across a large gathering of different birds.

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There were doves, rooks and

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other species.

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Seeing these

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birds, Francis, who had a deep

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affection for all creatures, felt

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an urge to approach them. He

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left his companions behind and

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ran towards the birds. The

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birds did not fly away, but waited

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for him. So he greeted

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them warmly. Filled

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with happiness at their unusual behaviour,

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Francis spoke to them about God.

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reminding them of how blessed

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they were. He told

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them that they should always praise God

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for providing them with everything they needed,

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like feathers and wings.

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He admired how they lived freely in the

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air without any worries, trusting

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in God's care. The

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birds in their own way responded

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with joy. They stretched

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their necks, spread their wings,

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and looked at Francis with curiosity.

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Francis walked among them, touching

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them gently, and after blessing

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them, he let them fly away.

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He realized that he

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should have preached to the birds earlier, since

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they were such

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attentive listeners. From

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that day,

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Francis made it a point to

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encourage all creatures, whether

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they were animals, birds, or

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even inanimate objects,

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to love and

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praise their Creator. If he

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ever saw a fish that had been caught,

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he would, if he could,

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release them back into the water,

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playfully warning them to be more careful

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next time. Francis once

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sat in

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a boat by a port on the lake

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when a fisherman called a large fish

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known as a tent and

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kindly offered it to him. With

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joy, Francis took the fish,

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affectionately naming it Brother.

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Instead of keeping it, he gently

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placed

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the fish back into the water.

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As he began to pray, the tent

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stayed nearby, playfully

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swimming close to the boat. It

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didn't swim away until Francis

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finished his prayer and allowed

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it to leave.

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St Francis was in the city of Agobio

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when a fierce wolf began terrorising

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its inhabitants. It

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wasn't just attacking animals, but

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people too, causing everyone

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to be scared. Because

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of this wolf, the townspeople

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were afraid to even leave the city. Being

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sorry for the townspeople, St

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Francis decided to face the wolf, even

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though everyone warned him not to. As

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he approached the wolf, it

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charged at him with an open mouth. But

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St Francis calmly made the sign of the

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cross

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and asked the wolf to come closer.

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St Francis spoke to the wolf, telling

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him he had done wrong by hurting

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God's creations and people. He

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offered to make a deal. If

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the wolf stopped harming anyone, the

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townspeople would provide food, so

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the wolf wouldn't go hungry.

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The wolf signalled its agreement on modern.

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St Francis wanted a promise from the wolf,

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so he asked the wolf to

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give him its paw as a sign

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of loyalty.

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And the wolf did. With

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the wolf beside him, St

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Francis then walked into the city

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to finalise the peace agreement.

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The townspeople were amazed, and

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the word quickly spread about the miracle.

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After gathering the townspeople, St

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Francis began to speak. He

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talked about how God sometimes allows

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hardships, like the wolf's attacks,

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because of humanity's sins. He

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urged the people to turn back to God,

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repent for their sins.

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St Francis then told the crowd that

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the wolf promised not to harm

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them or their children. animals. He

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asked the townspeople to promise in return

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to feed the wolf every day.

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Everyone agreed. To

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make sure the wolf would keep its side of the bargain,

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St. Francis

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asked it to confirm its promise in front of everyone.

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The wolf did so by kneeling

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and showing signs of submission.

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Witnessing this extraordinary event,

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the townspeople were filled with amazement

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and gratitude. They

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praised God for sending St. Francis

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to save them from the wolf.

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The wolf lived peacefully among the people

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for the next two years,

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visiting houses without causing harm

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or fear.

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Even the local dogs didn't bark at it.

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The wolf became a gentle reminder of St.

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Francis's teachings and miracles.

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And that

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was the story of the miracles

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of St. Francis. Read

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by me, Jana, for StoryNori.com.

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And if I ever see a wolf, I'm

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making myself scarce.

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you