Post #6038

The Heretics awaited him with joy and were already singing the triumph: the Catholics trembled at it, not having the faith of the Saint, nor the esteem they owed him; nevertheless they hoped a lot, seeing the miracle of the fishes. The Saint was all in fasts and prayers, and he did not doubt the divine assistance. On the appointed morning, he celebrates Holy Mass and, coming to the square with the Blessed Sacrament accompanied by his Religious, he goes in front of Bonville's house, who in contemptuous air goes to meet him with his mare. He had not given her food for three days and here in the face of the Adorable Sacrament he presents her with fodder. But the Saint after a brief exhortation to the immense people who came to have great faith and devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament, calls the stupid animal in a loud voice, and commands him to come and worship her Creator hidden under the sacramental species. Oh prodigy! the donkey soon leaves the fodder, advances, kneels and lowers her head, and in that act of reverence she stops, until the Sacred Host was brought back to the Church, recognizing in it that Man-God who gives a such a horse was already recognized as a child in the crib. This miracle was repeated by the Saint in France. The triumph of the Catholics and the confusion of the Heretics was what it should be. Bonville, astonished by this fact and touched by grace, renounced the error with much greater glory than the Catholic Dogma, as he was among the most accredited and powerful Patarines; and he then lived in penance the rest of his life, and died with great hope of his salvation. It seemed that such evident proofs of Catholic truths should make all Heretics change their minds of their error; but ordinarily they are Heretics of will, rather than of intellect and they do not believe, since they do not want to believe, not because they are not persuaded of their deceptions [...] Thus from the empire evidently shown by Anthony on the fish of the sea and on the beasts of the earth , drew the hardened Heretics that therefore it was necessary to give him death, otherwise all convinced by his sermons would have abandoned the Heresy. Having established this and choosing the way, they are made to him with lying courtesy to invite him to dine with them in order to poison him. The very abstinent Saint, hoping to find a good opportunity among the foods to earn them for the Church and for God, accepts and goes. As soon as the tables were placed, God revealed to him the warped betrayal and meekly reproached them with the custom of the Heretics of wanting to win with cunning and violence. Nothing disturbed these, although shamed by the unveiling of their arts, “What are you complaining about? - they said - Isn't it written in the Gospel, to which you profess your entire faith, isn't it written, that the ministers of the divine word will not be hurt by poison? Not just to hurt you, but we have prepared it for you only to honor your Gospel itself". The Holy One addressed to God: "Confuse - he said - Lord, the wicked who mock Your infallible word, with Your power"; and having made the sign of the Cross on the poisoned food, he ate them without the slightest harm. At so much prodigious light the most blinded eyes finally opened, and the Saint who had found Rimini a heretic, left her Catholic and religious.