While he himself and a
companion traveled to the Orient in order to approach the Sultan, he sent 6 of
the brethren to the Mohammedans in the West; Votalis, Berard, Peter, Accursius,
Adjutus, and Otho.
On the journey, Vitalis,
the superior, fell sick in Spain, and when his illness refused to mend, he
submitted to the will of God and remained behind, while he permitted his
brethren under the guidance of Berard to proceed.
At Seville, in southern
Spain, which the Mohammedans occupied at the time, St Berard and Companions
preached fearlessly in the mosque that the teaching of Mohammed was falsehood
and deceit, and that salvation could be found only in the Faith of Christ.
Burning with rage, the
Mohammedan ruler, who had been listening to them, ordered that their heads be
cut off at once. But his son, who was with him, appeased the anger of his
father, and at his suggestion the friars were permitted to sail across the sea
to Morocco.
This was quite in
accordance with their wishes, since there among the Saracens they were right in
the midst of the Mohammedan people. Coming upon a group of Saracens, Berard,
who had a good command of the Arabic language, began at once to preach the
Faith of Christ to them.
On another day when King
Miramolin and his suite appeared on the scene, he again fearlessly preached the
doctrine of Christ and called Mohammed an imposter. The king gave orders that
Berard and his companions should be expelled from the country; but they escaped
from their guards and returned a second and then a third time.
Then it happened that on
their way through the desert St Berard and Companions came upon the royal army,
which was nearly perishing because of thirst and could find no water anywhere.
Berard prayed, struck his staff upon the ground, and at once a spring bubbled
forth, which refreshed and saved the entire army.
More gently disposed
because of this miracle, the king ordered the brethren to appear in his
presence, and promised them wealth, positions of high honor, and all the
conveniences of life if they would remain with him and become Mohammedans. But
the champions of the Faith answered:
"We despise all those
things for the sake of Christ."
They proceeded to urge upon
the king the necessity of his conversion to their Faith. Stung by
disappointment as well as by their audacity, Miramolin then seized his sword
and split the head of everyone in turn.
Thus St Berard and
Companions obtained the martyr's palm on January 16, 1220. Pope Sixtus IV
canonized them in 1481 after many miracles had occurred through their
intercession.
*from: The Franciscan Book
of Saints, ed. by Marion Habig, ofm.
