A Dominican monk who during his life had only committed small sins became ill while in Bologna. When the pain began increasing more strongly, he asked God to show him how long he would have to endure this sickness before he could be freed from it in the next world.
God sent an angel who told him that he would have to suffer for 12 months before ascending to heaven’s realm. This seemed much too long to the monk as he was unaware of having committed major sins, so he begged God with tears of regret to grant him greater mercy than what the angel had told would befall him.
The angel then appeared a second time and told him that God heard his prayer and granted him half of the time. Still not satisfied, the monk prayed for even less time of sickness, and the angel gave him the message that he was granted three months.
This great mercy gave the sick monk the courage to again ask God to reduce his suffering or make it shorter. Once again, the angel appeared and gave him the choice of either endure the worst pain until the evening mass or to remain as now for the next three months. The monk chose the first choice.
Suddenly his eyes sprang from their sockets, his strength and voice disappeared and he was unable to either move or speak. A sound came from him as though all of his bones were breaking in pieces.
According to the monastery rules by which all of the brothers must gather by one who is dying, all of the monks were called and kept watch by the sick monk until the bells rang for the evening mass. Then the monk’s eyes returned to their sockets, his body became as white as snow and his muscles were again healed. He then told what had happened to him, and then died; his soul ascended straight to heaven.