A golden treatise of mental prayer/Of the birth and education of Blessed Alcantara and of his entering into religion
CHAPTER I.
OF THE BIRTH AND EDUCATION OF BLESSED ALCANTARA AND OF HIS ENTERING INTO RELIGION.
This blessed Saint was born at Norba Cassarea, vulgarly called Alcantara, in the year of our Lord 1449, in the reign of Pope Alexander the Sixth, and Ferdinando, Catholic King of Spain. His father was called Bachilier Garavito, and his mother Maria Villela de Senabria, both of good quality, but especially honored for their virtues.
They brought up their young son in the fear of God, and sowed in him the seeds of virtue; they put him to school where, as he profited in learning, so his obedience towards his parents did likewise increase. Although he was a child, yet he withdrew himself from the common sports of children, and sorted himself amongst men, whom he saw inclined to devotion. In these his tender years, he addicted himself to the works of mercy: he applied himself seriously to learn the Christian doctrine; he often visited churches, and holy places, he frequented the sacraments, and continually employed himself in good works: all which did abundantly presage his future sanctity; but more confirmed it, by that which followed immediately, for he was scarce sixteen years of age, when, before he knew, he began to loath the world, and when the young sparks of his virtues began to break into a tiame of devotion. He opened the doors of his soul to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost: and as he excelled his fellow students in science, so he knew that all science, was ignorance without the right knowledge of God. Therefore, from that time forward he applied his mind to heavenly wisdom, and busied himself chiefly to know what should be most acceptable to his Sacred Majesty.
About that time, there was a famous and reformed monastery of Franciscans in the province of St. Gabriel, three miles from Valentia, whither he addressed himself, there to bring his good desires to a joyful period. But as he went along towards this place, he came to a great river, called Tiartar, which, without boat, was impossible to be passed over. He seeing this unexpected bar, to stop his happy journey, looked about, hoping to espy some waterman, who might carry him over, but when he could see none to give him any assistance, he cast his eyes to heaven, and with great anxiety lamented this unhappy hinderance. Behold ! upon the sudden (as he himself related,) he was miraculously transported on the other side of the river, without any notable motion, that he could perceive.
This miracle was not unlike to that, when the river Jordan stood still for the children of Israel to pass; or when St. Peter walked upon the waves of the sea; and, indeed, it was no small beginning of Almighty God's many favors, exhibited to this blessed saint.
This obstacle being removed, he passed the other part of his way (the Holy Ghost being his guide) without any difficulty, and at length arrived to his desired harbor, this solitary monastery, situated amongst great rocks, which they commonly call Los Manxeredes, where he came to the fathers, and asked the habit of St. Francis of them, who did grant it to him with as much charity, as he begged it with humility.
But, when this blessed Saint considered his poor habitation, sequestered from the company of men, and abstracted from all worldly tumults; and when he saw himself vested in his penitential weed, we may well imagine with what meditations he spurred himself forward in Almighty God's service. He spake to his own soul these or the like words: behold, thou hast now accomplished thy desire, thou art now arrived to the land of promise, and climbed up to the highest mountain of Almighty God's favor to mortal man in tliis vale of misery, (that is,) the sacred state of a religious life, where, by how much more thou art sequestered from the pleasures of the flattering world, the more thou enjoyest the freedom of thy spirit. Thou art now come to the house of God, in which it is better for thee to be an abject than to dwell in the courts of princes. All occasions of offending thy Creator are now taken away, thy soul is now sure not to be defiled with the pitch of evil conversation. Thy company now are terrestrial angels, who, though they live on earth, yet they have their conversation in heaven, all whose actions incite thee to nothing else but to aspire unto perfection. Thou findest here no snares to entangle thee into worldly vanities, no flatterers to applaud thee when thou dost offend, or any thing else to withdraw thy affection from the cross of Christ. Thy beloved spouse hath brought thee now into this holy desert, to recreate thy soul with his heavenly consolations here abstracted from all worldly tumults, it may attend only to divine wisdom, and the noise of all temporal cares, being hushed and silent, it may be wholly employed in sacred contemplation, and ravished with eternal pleasures. Almighty God hath now wafted thee over this troublesome sea, and placed thee here, in the quiet harbor of thy salvation, in which state, in respect of thy former, thou art far more sure to fall more seldom, rise sooner, stand more securely, live more sweetly, and die more confidently. Go to, I say, why standest thou still? why earnest thou hither? Consider thy coarse habit, and see what penance it exacteth? Look upon the place, and reflect what spirit it teacheth thee? be courageous and make no delay, thy death is certain, and thy hour uncertain, the judge is at hand. Alas! the pleasure of this world is short, but the punishment for it perpetual. A little suffering here and infinite glory hereafter. Thus, this new soldier of Christ spent his time, in holy discourses, sometimes of the majesty of Almighty God, sometimes of his own misery: although his precedent conversation to religion was a mirror of perfection, yet he stood not still in that grace he had already gotten, but continually aspired to higher, in which he far excelled his fellow novices. Two virtues were chiefly eminent in him: simplicity and purity. He likewise had a perfect oblivion of all worldly things. He greedily desired, and willingly accepted of the inferior and basest employments of the monastery. Neither did he esteem it a dishonor to him to cast himself at the feet of the friars, but was most willing to serve everyone at their beck. In this his first year, he laid such grounds of humility, that in his whole life after, he was a rare example and pattern of this virtue. Neither when he was promoted to superiority, did he leave off his humble exercises. Thus going from grace to grace, from virtue to virtue, his good example was a burning lamp to give others light, to imitate his virtues, that the whole monastery began every day more and more to flourish in regular observance, and in the opinion of the world, to get a great name of sanctity.