42. In praise of brother fire
The extraordinary ability of Francis to praise God in all creatures is dramatically illustrated in his praise of brother fire. Francis suffered from a disease in his eyes so that his eyesight deteriorated badly. Celano says of Francis at this time: 'He could not look at the light of the day because of the great pain caused by the eye disease'. His brothers had put a hood over his head and they sewed a piece of wool and a linen cloth to the hood to cover his eyes. In this condition he was brought to a doctor who treated diseases of the eyes. The medical treatment for this disease was most painful because the treatment consisted of applying a piece of iron heated in a fire to the veins around the eyes. Francis agreed to have the treatment and as he waited he said to the fire: 'My Brother Fire, noble and useful among all the creatures the Most High created, be courtly to me in this hour. I have loved you for a long time and I still love you for the love of that Lord who created you'. Celano reports that as the doctor prepared to apply the heated iron to Francis's eyes all the brothers ran away. This was a most normal reaction and it illustrates to what a degree Francis had been so remade by grace that he could calmly sit before the fire and speak to it as one of God's creatures. He had reached a point of development in his life when he saw as God did; in the act of creating the world and its creatures, God saw that everything is very good.
