# Matins Nocturn 2 reading for St. Francis of Paola, Confessor (Apr 2) —
# pre-1955-but-post-1617 (no SanctiM/04-02*.txt at all).
# web/www/horas/Latin/Sancti/04-02.txt, English/Sancti/04-02.txt.
# Lectio4-6 is this saint's own proper text, one continuous vita account,
# no internal break, combined into a single reading; Lectio7-9 are
# Common-of-a-Confessor (skipped). No responsory given in the source.
id: st-francis-of-paola
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    text:
      la: >-
        Francíscus Paulæ, quod est Calábriæ óppidum, loco húmili natus est; quem paréntes, cum diu
        prole caruíssent, voto facto, beáti Francísci précibus suscepérunt. Is adoléscens divíno
        ardóre succénsus in erémum secéssit, ubi annis sex, victu ásperam, sed meditatiónibus
        cæléstibus suávem vitam duxit. Sed cum virtútum ejus fama lóngius manáret, multíque ad eum
        pietátis stúdio concúrrerent, fratérnæ caritátis causa e solitúdine egréssus, ecclésiam
        prope Paulam ædificávit, ibíque prima sui órdinis fundaménta jecit.


        Erat in eo mirífica loquéndi grátia: perpétuam virginitátem servávit: humilitátem sic cóluit,
        ut se ómnium mínimum díceret, suósque alúmnos Mínimos appellári volúerit. Rudi amíctu, nudis
        pédibus incédens, humi cubábat. Cibi abstinéntia fuit admirábili: semel in die post solis
        occásum reficiebátur, et ad panem, et aquæ potum, vix áliquid ejusmodi obsónii adhibébat,
        quo vesci in Quadragésima licet: quam consuetúdinem, ut fratres sui toto anni témpore
        retinérent, quarto eos voto adstrínxit.


        Multis miráculis servi sui sanctitátem Deus testári vóluit, quorum illud in primis célebre,
        quod a nautis rejéctus, Sicíliæ fretum strato super flúctibus pállio cum sócio transmísit.
        Multa étiam futúra prophético spíritu prædíxit. A Ludovíco undécimo Francórum rege expetítus,
        magnóque in honóre est hábitus. Dénique annum primum et nonagésimum agens, Turónis migrávit
        ad Dominum: cujus corpus dies úndecim insepúltum, ita incorrúptum permánsit, ut suávem étiam
        odórem effláret. Eum Leo Papa décimus in Sanctórum númerum rétulit.
      en: >-
        This Francis was born of humble parents at Paola, a town in Calabria. His parents, who had
        long been childless, obtained him, after making a vow, by the prayers of blessed Francis.
        While he was yet a lad, the love of God moved him to withdraw into a desert place, where he
        lived for six years, hardly as to the body, but sumptuously in meditation on things
        heavenly. Nevertheless, when the fame of his holy life was noised abroad, and many betook
        themselves to him, that they might learn godliness, he was drawn out of the desert by love
        to his neighbour, and built a church near Paola, wherein he laid the first foundations of
        his Order.


        In his words there was a wonderful charm; he kept his virginity always inviolate; he was so
        great a lover of lowliness that he used to call himself the last of all, and would that his
        disciples should be called the Minimi, which is, being interpreted, the Least of the
        brethren. His raiment was coarse; he went always bare-footed; and he slept on the ground.
        The extreme smallness of the amount of food which he took was extraordinary. He ate only
        once a day, and that after sunset. Then he took only bread and water, with scarcely any of
        such condiment as is allowed in Lent. He bound his disciples by a fourth vow, added to those
        of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, to observe the same rule of eating as himself.


        It was the will of God to make the holiness of His servant manifest by many miracles. The
        most notorious of these is that on one occasion when some seamen refused to take him over
        the Straits of Messina, he spread his cloak upon the sea, and crossed over on it with his
        companion. In the spirit of prophecy he foretold many things to come. Louis XI, King of
        France, held him in great worship, and bade him to his court. At last, at Tours, in the
        ninety-first year of his age, he departed hence to be ever with the Lord: his body remained
        unburied for eleven days after his death, but it not only showed no signs of corruption but
        even gave forth a sweet savour. Pope Leo X caused him to be numbered among the Saints.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
