All holy Virtues, God keep you, God from whom you proceed and come
In all the World there is no-one who can possess any one of you
without first dying to themselves.
Anyone who possesses one and does
not offend against the others
possesses all.
Anyone who offends against one possesses
none
and violates all.
Each one of you puts vice and sin
to shame:
:-:-:-:
Holy Wisdom puts Satan and all
his wiles to shame.
Pure and holy Simplicity puts all
the learning of this World,
all natural wisdom, to shame.
Holy Poverty puts to shame all greed,
avarice and
all the anxieties of this life.
Holy Humility puts pride to shame
and all the in habitants of this world and
all that is in the World.
Holy Love puts to shame all the
temptations of the devil
and the flesh and all natural fear.
Holy Obedience puts to shame all
natural and selfish desires.
She mortifies our lower nature
and makes it obey the Spirit
and our brothers and sisters
Obedience subjects us to
everyone on earth
and to all the beasts as well and to the wild animals
so that they can do what they like with us,
so far as God allows them.
. by St Francis