The night
before meeting with Saint Francis of Assisi to determine whether or not to
approve Francis’ Rule of Radical Poverty, Pope Innocent III had a dream. Pope Innocent
dreamt he stood looking out over the Lateran Church and watched with fear as
the proud building shook, the tower swung, and the walls began to crack.
Suddenly, a small common looking man came towards the Lateran. He was dressed
in peasant garb, was barefoot, and wore a rope around his waist for a belt.
Rushing to the falling Church, he set his shoulder in under the wall and with a
mighty push straightened the whole falling church, so that it again stood
aright. The pope then recognized the man as Francis of Assisi.
In the chapel of San Damiano, St Francis
was told by Our Lord "Francis, Go and rebuild my Church, which you
can see has fallen into ruin.
May
newly elected Pope Francis have the strength to work for the building up of the
Church especially in calling home those who have fallen away, for the glory of
God and salvation of souls.
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