Admonition XV: Peace Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God [Mt 5:9].

Francis was called a man of peace and apart from being able to be at peace with a wild wolf he also settled a dispute between the Bishop and Mayor of Assisi. What made him a man of peace? It has already been pointed out that Francis was conscious of the presence of the Lord. This awareness stemmed from his meeting the Lord in the person of the leper. So God was in a way more real to Francis than were his companions and the people to whom he preached. But while he was conscious of the presence and reality of God, he was also aware that before God he was a sinner. So he warned us not to be upset by any injury done to us but to think rather of our own sins. By growing in his relationship with God and aware that the Lord forgave his sins and welcomed him, Francis was at peace in himself. Hence in this Admonition he says: 'Those people are truly peacemakers who, regardless of what they suffer in the world, preserve peace of spirit and soul out of love of our Lord Jesus Christ'. We know that when we become absorbed in anything, be it what we are reading, when watching a sporting event, or busy at work, we can lose track of time and we can put aside for a time any thought of hurts or injuries done to us. For the moment we are absorbed in what we are doing. The mind and heart of Francis was centred on the Lord so that he could put aside all other concerns. In this way he preserved peace in himself by remaining in the presence of God.