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Sylvester was one of the first 12 followers of St. Francis
of Assisi and was the first priest in the Franciscan Order. A descendant of a
noble family, Sylvester once sold Francis stones which were to be used to
rebuild a church. When, a short while later, he saw Francis and Bernard of
Quintavalle distributing Bernard's wealth to the poor, Sylvester complained that
he had been poorly paid for the stones and asked for more money.
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Though Francis obliged, the handful of money he gave
Sylvester soon filled him with guilt. He sold all of his goods, began a life of
penance and joined Francis and the others. Sylvester became a holy and prayerful
man, and a favorite of Francis-a companion on his journeys, the one Francis went
to for advice. It was Sylvester and Clare who answered Francis' query with the
response that he should serve God by going out to preach rather than by devoting
himself to prayer.
Once in a city where civil war was raging, Sylvester was commanded by Francis to
drive the devils out. At the city gate Sylvester cried out: "In the name of
almighty God and by virtue of the command of his servant Francis, depart from
here, all you evil spirits." The devils departed and peace returned to the city.
Sylvester lived 14 more years after the death of Francis and is buried near him
in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
Sylvester probably would have asked a higher price for his stones if he had
thought Francis had the money. In today's world he might have written the
difference off on his taxes as a charitable contribution, but that wasn't an
option in his day. Quite understandably, he asked for payment from the money
Francis was handing out so freely. So why did he later feel guilty? Perhaps he
realized that, like many of us, he placed a higher value on lesser things.
Lord God, through the intersession of Servant of God Sylvester of Assisi may we move closer to God.