Near the end of the reign of St. Olaf, a young man named LaFrance was growing up in Italy. Born in Pavia, he began school early and in spite of his age soon excelled in scholarship beyond the wisest master. His knowledge was, however, more worldly than spiritual, although he received the ordination as priest.
Already as a boy, he left his home, crossed the Alps and came to Avranches in Normandy where he founded a school. After having worked here for a few years, he realized that he was had left the ways of holiness far behind, so he resolved the give up the world and its joys.
Without one word of his intentions to anyone, he stole away covered in a wide priest’s robe, making his way to Rouen. Arriving near the river Rille one evening, he was waylaid by robbers who stole his clothing. After pulling his hood over his face, they left him lying in a thorn bush with hands bound. In this need, he turned to God in praise and dedicating his service if he would be rescued.
Around morning, merchants came by where he laid. LaFrance heard the rumble of the wagon wheels and peoples’ voices, and so called loudly for help. He was heard and freed, and then after answering their questions about how he had come to be in such a situation he asked them to show him the way to a solitary and little-known abbey. They told him that recently a knight named Herluin had used his wealth to found a monastery where he himself, after receiving ordination, served as abbot. The abbey was remote and poor, and called Bec.
LaFrance was shown the way to the newly founded abbey, and then parted from his rescuers. Arriving at Bec, he was promptly accepted by the abbot. No one knew who he was and what meaningful strength they had in him, as he was humble, modest and subjected himself to the instruction of his superiors.
And so it happened that during a lecture that he made to the convent, he pronounced a long syllable as required by the grammatical rules, the prior corrected him by incorrectly maintaining that the syllable should be spoken short. LaFrance accepted the unwarranted correction quietly, since he was quite aware of holy Benedict’s order that the grammatical rules of Donat must not be broken.
After remaining in Bec for three years, the rumor spread that he was bored, and so students clamored from all sides to him. The abbey gained no small advantage from this, as wealthy people paid meaningful amounts to board their sons. The abbot, recognizing the blessings LaFrance brought to his foundation, promoted him quickly to prior.
At this time, William the Bastard reigned in Normandy and was a descendant of Rolf, who was baptized as a Christian and made his residence at Rouen, marrying a daughter of the French king. From Rolf descended the earl of Rouen as well as the previously mentioned William, who married Matilda, a daughter of Duke Baldwin of Flanders.
At the same time William’s uncle, Malgerius was archbishop of Rouen. He was highly educated but, as shown clearly by his privileged birth, he tended to worldly pleasures; specifically, the hunt. Because of this impropriety, the church in Rome penalized him by relieving him of his office. His nephew, Duke William had often tried, first with friendly words but soon by serious criticism, to bring him to the right course.
Malgerius answered from his side with another accusation by accusing William of being publicly incestuous by living in a forbidden marriage with Matilda, a near relative. He finally actually banned the couple, but William won out in Rome and had Malgerius removed and the pious Maurelius promoted to archbishop in his place.
Maurelius, formerly a monk in Fécamp, was a fierce ascetic and led an exemplary life. One holy text says of his passing that he suffered a severe illness and lay dead for half a day. When the brothers were sent to bring him into the church, he sat up again and said:
“Hear the last words of your Father and hold them in your hearts! When my soul left my body, it received marvelous escort and heard words sweeter than pure honey. It appeared to me as though I was led eastwards through Africa and Asia and over the sea to Jerusalem. There, we visited the Holy Lands and then we crossed the Jordan. To console me, my guide said that I would soon come to the gate to Paradise.
“On the other side of the river a glowing messenger came toward us and proclaimed that it was God’s command that for the minor sins for which I had forgotten topay penance I must pay with bodily suffering. Immediately I was surrounded with a crowd of devils with glowing irons. They had frightful faces and spit flames from mouth and nose so that the earth and sky seemed to stay in bright flames.
“This view frightened me so that neither heaven nor earth offered me a safe escape. But the Almighty in heaven rescued me and gave me life again to stand before you as witness how important it is never to forget what displeases God. But now, I will sleep since it is sweet to go to God.”
With these words, he leaned back and was dead. His body was taken to St. Mary’s Cathedral, and miraculous signs appeared over his grave.
Returning now to William, it can be reported that he as well as his wife, as she was struck by Malgerius’ accusations, erected a monastery. William built his in Caen, furnished it richly and commemorated it to the memory of St. Stephan, the first martyr, and appointed LaFrance as the new abbot. Not long thereafter William conquered England by defeating Harold Godwinson, Godwin’s son. This event resulted in LaFrance being appointed archbishop of Canterbury. The holy man showed himself capable of every office: prudence, steadfastness and faith in God characterized him, as the following story shows.
On a saint’s day as the archbishop himself celebrated the mass in his cathedral, the diaconate that was to serve him suddenly was transformed into madness by a demon just as LaFrance was about to raise the consecrated wafer of the Eucharist. The possessed man grabbed him by the shoulders, but the man of God remained unshaken; with one hand he shielded the holy wafer while taking the diaconate with the other hand and throwing him to the floor.
The sick man was then grasped and taken to the hospital, where he remained possessed for a number of days; the devil drove him to speaking evil of his brothers. The monks who cared for him, made fun of his talk and asked him once, how he liked this or that brother. “Speak not of him,” replied the sick man, “then he will not dare to appear before me.” The monks told that brother of this talk, and the brother became fearful because he had a guilty conscience and was not sufficiently prepared to depart from his earthly life.
He was advised to immediately confess to the archbishop, and then to seek out the possessed brother. He followed the advice, received absolution and then went before the sick man. “Your words haven’t proven true,” the brothers told the possessed one. “You said that this brother would not be brave enough to come before you; what can you accuse him of now?”
The possessed brother shook his head and called out, “Fie on the bad people! How have you changed so quickly!? You were heavy with sins, but now they are all lifted and now you have become cleansed.” After four days, the sick man was with God’s grace and through the prayers of the archbishop again healed.
This tale proves that everything that is forgiven through confession and absolution is hidden from the devil. The evil spirits themselves admit this, not only in this life as the story above shows but also on the other side, for which the next story shows the proof.
In York, England, there once lived a 14-year-old boy named William. On Easter Monday at the ninth hour he went to sleep and when he again opened his eyes he saw next to him two superhuman beings; on his right a heavenly angel, and on his left a fearful shadow. The latter filled the boy with great fear, but the angel spoke to him with encouraging words and told him to let the fear go; these two spirits that were visible to William are the ones that accompany every person from birth until death: a good one sent by God, and an evil, unclean one. The former is prepared to encourage good works, the other prepared to tempt overstepping of godly laws.
The boy’s soul was then led through raw and sad states; God’s angel always led the way, while the unclean spirit all the time attempted to cross his path. William saw how the souls of sinners were tormented according to the measure of their differing burdens. For example, the greedy were forced to sit on hot stools while evil spirits continuously threw glowing coins into their mouths. The lewd and lecherous were tied to a burning wheel that turned perpetually as their arms were tortured as fiery spikes pierced their flesh. People unsympathetic to the poor were subject to unbearable hunger or deadly cold as food and clothing lay close by that they were unable to reach.
Finally, the boy was led to a bottomless pit that spread before him. The black spirit on his left said, “I am the one who led you to evil deeds, but sadly I no longer know the sins that you committed in the past winter since the Easter confession stole them from me. Nonetheless I have so many accusations to bring against you that you will have to pay for them for eternity.” At that moment, the angel advised the boy to make the sign of the cross, which would cause the pit to close its mouth.
Meanwhile, William’s soul was beset with new doubts as the angel left him in the darkness. But he soon returned and led the boy to a friendlier area filled with scent and light. Before him was a glowing city with so much room that all people of the world filled hardly a tenth of it. All of the residents enjoyed a heavenly happiness, although some were more blessed than the others.
Twelve gates led into the city, as stated in the holy texts (Apocrypha 21, 12). The angel said, “If you behave well and love God above all else, then you will have a room ready here.” On the south side of this beautiful city, William saw a magnificently furnished altar surrounded by a crowd streaming with a heavenly glow. In their midst stood a lord so regally clothed and crowned as no mortal tongue could describe him. The angel said, “This Crowned One is your namesake William who the Jews crucified in Norwich on Good Friday. But for now, you have seen enough…”.