When the Roses Bloom
"One Day when St. Clare and St. Francis were walking from Spello to Assisi, the had great unrest in their hearts. For on their way they had entered a house, where they had asked for and been given a little bread and water. While they were there, they had drawn looks of malice from the people, and were forced to endure all sorts of whispering, with jokes and veiled insinuations. So they went on their way in silence. It was the cold season of the year, and the land all around was covered with snow. Soon the horizon began to grow dark. Then Francis said: 'Did you understand what the people were saying about us?' Clare gave no answer. Her heart contracted as if pressed by pincers, and she felt close to tears. 'It's time to part,' Francis said finally. Then Clare fell on her knees in the middle of the road. After a while she got hold of herself, stood up, and went on with her head lowered, leaving Francis behind. The road led through a forest. All at once she lost the strength to leave him like this, without hope or comfort, without a word of farewell. She waited. 'When will we see each other again?' 'In summer when the roses bloom.' Then something wonderful happened. All of a sudden it seemed to both of them as if there were countless roses all around--on the branches of the juniper bushes and on the frost-covered hedges. Recovering from her astonishment Clare rushed up, plucked a bunch of roses, and laid them in Francis's hands. From that day on St. Clare and St. Francis were never separated again." --An old Franciscan legend
Like many stories surrounding historical figures, they cannot not be authenticated and therefore labeled "legends." Thankfully, the stories from the four Gospels of the New Testament can be authenticated by comparing them to one another. God knew our penchant for embellishing stories so He made sure to give us no reason to label the New Testament Gospel a legend. We are even warned through John in Revelation 22:18 not to add to the prophecies revealed to him. We must apply this warning to all of God's revealed truth.
"One Day when St. Clare and St. Francis were walking from Spello to Assisi, the had great unrest in their hearts. For on their way they had entered a house, where they had asked for and been given a little bread and water. While they were there, they had drawn looks of malice from the people, and were forced to endure all sorts of whispering, with jokes and veiled insinuations. So they went on their way in silence. It was the cold season of the year, and the land all around was covered with snow. Soon the horizon began to grow dark. Then Francis said: 'Did you understand what the people were saying about us?' Clare gave no answer. Her heart contracted as if pressed by pincers, and she felt close to tears. 'It's time to part,' Francis said finally. Then Clare fell on her knees in the middle of the road. After a while she got hold of herself, stood up, and went on with her head lowered, leaving Francis behind. The road led through a forest. All at once she lost the strength to leave him like this, without hope or comfort, without a word of farewell. She waited. 'When will we see each other again?' 'In summer when the roses bloom.' Then something wonderful happened. All of a sudden it seemed to both of them as if there were countless roses all around--on the branches of the juniper bushes and on the frost-covered hedges. Recovering from her astonishment Clare rushed up, plucked a bunch of roses, and laid them in Francis's hands. From that day on St. Clare and St. Francis were never separated again." --An old Franciscan legend
Like many stories surrounding historical figures, they cannot not be authenticated and therefore labeled "legends." Thankfully, the stories from the four Gospels of the New Testament can be authenticated by comparing them to one another. God knew our penchant for embellishing stories so He made sure to give us no reason to label the New Testament Gospel a legend. We are even warned through John in Revelation 22:18 not to add to the prophecies revealed to him. We must apply this warning to all of God's revealed truth.
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