Gift Theory
If God allowed Saint Frances of Rome to see hell, He must have had her best interests at heart.
“… All of these souls were held together in one huge vat, which was filled with bodily fluids of the most unspeakable filth and foulness. A band of reptilian demons stood all around this disgusting bath, ready to submerge any soul which attempted to escape from it. Whenever this happened, they would seize the head of the would-be fugitive in their clawed and scaly hands and thrust it deep under the abominable fluid, holding it down without mercy. And all the while, they would sneer and laugh callously …”
Perhaps you weren’t expecting to run into a band of reptilian demons today, but now that I’ve got your attention, feel free to wish me a happy birthday! I plan to enjoy a nice dinner and some raspberry cheesecake with my husband and son later this evening, but first I’m posting this article in honor of Saint Frances of Rome (1384-1440), whose feast day is today.
As for the text quoted above, it comes from a recent translation of Saint Frances of Rome’s mystical visions. You can locate the excerpt (if you dare!) on page 41 of The Visions of Saint Frances of Rome: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven Revealed, compiled and translated by Fr. Robert Nixon, O.S.B. and published by Tan Books.
More on that in a moment.
Despite her connection to my birthday, I never really made an effort to learn about Saint Frances of Rome until last summer, when I offered to review a collection of her Eucharistic visions for Catholic Mom. Translated by the same Fr. Nixon who decoded the reptilian demons text, the book gave me a good opportunity to get to know Saint Frances better, and as I did, I found her both intriguing and intimidating.
Intriguing because we know so much about her life, thanks to her spiritual director, Canon Giovanni Matteotti, who apparently took notes every chance he got. Intimidating because I can’t imagine coming even close to the holiness and charity she incorporated into her everyday existence as a wife and mother.
As a woman of means, Saint Frances of Rome could have lived comfortably, praying at home, minding her own business, and rarely missing a meal. Instead she shared everything she had—time, resources, food, compassion—with those in need. God saw her efforts and rewarded her, not with greater prosperity but with frequent mystical ecstasies: dramatic visions of heaven, saints, miracles, and more. He also provided her with her own bright and powerful angel, visible only to her, to light the way as she traveled through the city helping others—hence Saint Frances of Rome’s designation as the patron saint of motorists.
Despite her family’s wealth, life was far from easy for Frances. She faced a variety of troubles, including severe illness, persecution, derision from her peers, the austerities of war, loss of property, the death of her son, the banishment of her husband, and a number of terrifying demonic attacks, all documented by Canon Matteotti. His records show that throughout her life, Frances bore each new trial with humility and patience, always staying focused on the needs of others.
Like other mystics, whenever Frances experienced an ecstatic vision her entire body would go completely still, as if the physical realm had been put on hold. She would cease to respond to her surroundings, and those who saw her in this state would often wonder if she had died.
One day when Frances stopped near a stream to pray, she went into a deep trance and fell into the water. When members of the community found her—several hours later, according to Canon Matteotti—her body lay motionless, floating in the stream as if dead. Frantic, her friends and neighbors pulled her out, praying she hadn’t drowned. But she was alive, uninjured, and completely dry.
Frances was blessed over the years to have the privilege of receiving the Eucharist more often than her peers, but one ill-tempered priest found this so unacceptable that he made a devious attempt to prevent it. Instead of offering Frances the true Body of Christ, he took it upon himself to place an unconsecrated host on her tongue.
Immediately Frances knew something was wrong. She always felt a deep sense of spiritual wholeness after receiving the Eucharist, but on this occasion she felt nothing. When she voiced her distress to Canon Matteotti, he confronted the priest, who admitted what he had done and begged for forgiveness.
Canon Matteotti tells of other grace-filled events in the life of Saint Frances of Rome, and when we try to reconcile these beautiful moments with her frightful visions of hell, we might have some questions. Like, how do we get from the quiet virtue of a saintly woman to a disgusting pool of filth surrounded by sneering demon-lizards? Or, why would God want a gentle soul like Saint Frances of Rome to witness the torture of souls in a putrid vat?
Interestingly, the putrid vat is just one image from an extended series of visions that Frances received—all in the same night, it turns out—revealing one brutal torment after another, with each chamber of hell more repulsive than the last and filled to the brim with wretched souls.
According to Canon Matteotti, Frances could barely take it all in, and if you read his account from beginning to end, you’ll likely feel the same way. Halfway through, it gets almost comical. I mean, if you think boiling in a cauldron of black tar with your mouth full of dung is bad, just wait until you meet the WRITHING MAGGOTS and SCALP-EATING SERPENTS in the next room!!
We should note that Saint Frances of Rome’s visions, as well as those of any mystic after Saint John the Evangelist, fall into the category of private revelation and should not be viewed as dogmatic. But we can look to them for insight, especially when we consider them within their historical context.
With this in mind, how do we make sense of the filth and suffering in Saint Frances of Rome’s visions of hell?
First, no hiding under the bed. Scripture makes it clear that hell is real, eternal, and extremely unpleasant. Jesus talked frequently about fiery Gehenna, and whether Frances’ horrific visions give an accurate account of what happens there or not, at least she tried to warn us. If we never turn to God and never choose to repent, we’ll pay a price, and it might involve maggots. Thank you, Saint Frances, for the reminder.
Second, although we can’t know the mind of God, as people of faith we trust that He knows what He’s doing. If God allowed Saint Frances of Rome to see hell, He must have had her best interests at heart.
We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
When I think of Saint Frances of Rome’s life—her selflessness, her virtue, her desire to know God—I can’t help wondering if those horrific visions of hell were a gift, not just to us, but to her.
Hear me out.
Even non-believers will tell you that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, and my gift theory plays out the same way. Maybe God saw so much promise in Frances, so much potential for the glory of sainthood, that He allowed her to suffer through those awful visions of hell because her suffering—when she embraced it and offered it back to Him—could purify her soul even further, making it more beautiful, more luminous, and even more fit for the highest realms of heaven.
For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like fuller’s lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2b-3)
The refiner’s fire: a painful but transformative gift, and a blessing for those willing to endure it.
From Saint Frances of Rome’s visions we learn that glorious things and horrific things can take up space in the mind of a single person, including (or especially) one destined for sainthood. Like joy and sorrow, sickness and health, or labor and rest, opposing things can exist side by side, shaping us, purifying us, burning us like the refiner’s fire, and melting away our imperfections to prepare us for heaven.
Happy Birthday! And thank you for the gift of our book club!
Wow! That's quite an attention getter (the start of the article)