Admonition XXVIII: Hiding the good that it not be lost

Francis exhorts us 'to store up in heaven the good things which the Lord shows' to us. We have seen how Francis so hid the wonder of the stigmata on his body that not even his companions knew about these marks on his body. Why would Francis think this is important? We are so accustomed to think of the wonders in the lives of the saints that we can ignore what was simple and ordinary. In the life of Francis, his encounter with the leper started him on the way to becoming an extraordinary saint of God. But everyone during life meets the equivalent of a leper. The thing we dread most in life is the leper in our life. This experience may come in facing sickness, suffering, loss, danger, or some shock. In our own human and weak way we try to meet these experiences as Francis did and try to see in them a meeting with the Lord. We know that the Lord showed much to Francis but clearly Francis did not speak of these things as is clear from this Admonition. We should not allow ourselves to doubt that the same Lord offers us a closeness, acceptance and love similar to that shown to Francis. Francis concludes this Admonition with words that are a comfort to us: 'The Most High himself will reveal His deeds to whomever He wishes. Blessed is the servant who safeguards the secrets of the Lord in his heart'.