Vigils Reading – St Martin of Tours

ST MARTIN AND THE PAUPER

By St Sulpicius Severus

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One day, at the gate of the city of Amiens, Martin met a poor man who was

naked. Martin’s clothing was reduced to his armor and his simple military

cloak. It was the middle of a winter which had been more severe than usual,

and, indeed, many had perished from the extreme cold. Those who had passed

that way had been begged by the pitiable pauper to have compassion on him,

but all had gone by. Martin, however, filled with God’s grace, saw that it was for

him, when others had denied their mercy, that the suppliant was being reserved.

Yet, what should he do?

He had nothing except the cloak he was wearing; he had already devoted

the rest of his clothing to similar purposes. Then, drawing the sword which he

was wearing, he cut the cloak in two; one part he gave to the pauper; in the other

he again dressed himself. Meanwhile, some of the bystanders began to laugh,

for it was an inelegant figure Martin cut, dressed in half a garment. Yet, many,

of saner mind, sighed deeply. When they, who had more to give, might have

clothed the pauper with out making themselves naked, they had done nothing of

the sort.

When night had come and he was deep in sleep, Martin beheld Christ,

clothed in that part of his own cloak with which he had covered the pauper. He

was bidden to look attentively upon the Lord and to recognize the garment he

had given. And soon, to the throng of angels standing about, he heard Jesus

saying in a clear voice: Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with this

cloak.

The Lord, in declaring that it was He who had been clothed in the person

of the pauper, was truly mindful of His own words uttered long ago: As long as

you did it to one of these my least, you did it to me. Further, to strengthen the

evidence of such a good deed, he deigned to show Himself in the very garment

the pauper had received.

The blessed man was not puffed up with human pride because of this

vision. Rather, recognizing God’s goodness in his own act, he was baptized

without delay. He was then eighteen.