To All the Faithful: From Writings by Saint Francis of Assisi (vegetarian), Part 2 of 2

“[…] Let every creature which is in Heaven and on Earth and in the sea and in the abysses render praise to God and glory and honor and benediction; for He is our strength and power who alone is good, alone most high, alone almighty and admirable, glorious and alone holy, praise worthy and blessed without end forever and ever. Amen.

But all those who do not do penance and who do not receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, but who give themselves to vices and sins and walk after evil lust and bad desires and who do not observe what they have promised, corporally they serve the world and its fleshly desires and cares and solicitudes for this life, but mentally they serve the devil, deceived by him whose sons they are and whose works they do; blind they are because they see not the true Light, – our Lord Jesus Christ. They have no spiritual wisdom, for they have not in them the Son of God who is the true wisdom of the Father: of these it is said: ‘their wisdom was swallowed up.’ They know, understand, and do evil and wittingly lose their souls. Beware, ye blind, deceived by your enemies – to wit, by the world, the flesh and by the devil – for it is sweet to the body to commit sin and bitter to serve God because all vices and sins come forth and proceed from the heart of man, as it is said in the Gospel.

And you have nothing of good in this world or in the future. You think to possess for long the vanities of this world, but you are deceived; for a day and an hour will come of which you think not and do not know and are ignorant of. The body grows feeble, death approaches, neighbors and friends come saying: ‘Put your affairs in order.’ And his wife and his children, neighbors and friends, make believe to weep. And looking, he sees them weeping and is moved by a bad emotion, and thinking within himself he says: ‘Behold, I place my soul and body and my all in your hands.’ Verily, that man is unfortunate who confides and exposes his soul and body and his all in such hands. Therefore, the Lord says by the Prophet: ‘Unfortunate be the man that trusts in man.’ […]”