San Damiano

Chapter 12 Nurse and Patient One day in summer Francis of Assisi came out from the city gate and walked down the mountain on his way to Portiuncula.

He took a path that he loved well because it led him by the chapel of San Damiano, where, long ago, the good priest had hidden him from his father's anger, and where many times, in that first year of trouble, he had found shelter and comfort.

he loved the little chapel the more because he had helped to rebuild it he knew the very stones that he had laid with his own hands now the place was dear to him for another reason for house and garden and little chapel belonged to a sisterhood whose leader sister ciara had come to him in the early days at the portiuncula asking that she might live the same life of poverty and service as that of the little poor men to her and to all her company francis had been friend and father and it made him happy that his old refuge had become their home from the gate of san damiano francis could see the whole valley where the august air quivered with heat and the river bed lay white and dry the little huts in the plain were hidden in deep forest and he thought how cool the shadow of the oaks and tall walnut trees would be at the end of his long journey hot as it was he did not take the shortest road but turned into a footpath that led to the leper hospital he was barefooted and bareheaded his robe was the colour of the dusty path he walked with bent head wearily for he was not strong and the air at the foot of the mountain was still and close Under the trees men and women were resting through the hottest hours, and the children were playing quietly.

A baby lay sound asleep on the brown grass, where the shadow of broad vine-leaves fell across its face.

A tired-looking donkey nibbled sadly along the hedgerows, which were dry and dusty, for the August rains had not begun.

He doesn't want this, and his dad is angry.

Francis, even at this time, desired to be able to assist the rebuilding of the actual church of San Damiano in Assisi.

He goes and he takes his own dad's kind of cloth, and that which he would sell, and he kind of like stole it.

And then he would like sell it and give it to the church.