The Advances of Grace

[ c. 13th Century ~ ]

Francis had two goals before him: one was to stay alive long enough to please God and prove his life's worth; and the other, was to die piously, that he may be blessed with the providence of his Heavenly Father thereafter eternally.

His reform was entirely personal. Francesco was not ambitious for the souls of other men, as he did not trust in their ability to hold onto them.

Although he considered men’s fate to be of their own deciding, he also recognized that only by the advances of Grace does any man really continue his existence.

His faith embraced the flowers at his feet; it would celebrate the twig-legged sparrows as they pecked the dew from their engorged bulbs.

In a green glade sanctuary Francis committed his soul for the good of all, and with the self-centred confidence of a holy-man, he completely believed that he alone could lift up the hearts of men and save them from themselves.

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances