Saint Francis and the wolf

When saint Francis was living in the town of Gubbio, a big and wild wolf appeared in the surroundings. It devoured many animals and even killed some humans. The inhabitants of Gubbio had started going out with weapons, but if somebody encountered the beast while he was alone, he would not be able to defend himself. Thus, the majority of the population would stay inside their houses, such was the fear of the wolf. So, saint Francis decided to face the situation and look for the animal. He crossed himself and left, confiding in God. 

The friar made for the place where the wolf used to live, and many people had come to see that event. The animal walked towards Francis with its mouth wide open, ready to attack him, but the saint told it: “Come here, brother wolf! I order you, on Christ’s behalf, not to harm any animal nor human from now on!”. And the wolf shut its mouth immediately, sat down at Francis’s feet and became as mild as a lamb. Francis spoke to it again: “Brother wolf, you caused terrible damage here, killing the creatures of God, and now the whole town hates you. But now I want to make peace between them and you. I promise you that from this moment the people of Gubbio will feed you, so you will not be hungry, but you must promise me that you will not attack them any more”. The wolf lowered its head, meaning that he agreed. Then, saint Francis went around the town to announce the new deal, with the wolf next to him, mild as a little lamb, and the people hailed this event as a miracle. 

From that moment the wolf never attacked any animal or human, and the inhabitants of Gubbio always fed it, and it would enter their houses as a pet. It  lived for two years in Gubbio, and when it died, from old age, the people were very sad, also because the wolf reminded them of the good friar Francis. 

Tags: animals; wolf; peace; saints.