Mount Alverne, Italy — 14 September 1224
Mystical light, visitation
Brother Leo saw a ball of light suspended above St. Francis of Assisi while he conversed with an invisible being. “He heard voices which made questions and answers; and he remarked that Francis, who was prostrate, often repeated these words: ‘Who are you, o my God? And my dear Lord? And who am I? a worm, and Thy unworthy servant.’ He also saw him put his hand out three times into his bosom, and each time stretch it out to the flame. The light disappeared, the conversation ceased.” This kind of narrative bridges the gap between lights and objects that fly through the atmosphere, reports of luminous orbs at ground level and “earth lights” over special spots. Here we have a ball of light (observed by an external witness) over a man who appears ii§ communication with it, hence the relevance to our study.
Source: Father Candide Chalippe, The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi (Teddington: Echo Library, 2007), 191-2. Case: W059