The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi - + Saints' Works

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THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI me a greeting, that we are to say: "The Lord grant you peace!" · Let all the friars beware of themselves, so that they receive almost none of the churches, the poor tiny dwellings and all (the buildings), which are constructed on their behalf, unless they would be, (such) as befits holy poverty, which we have promised in the Rule, always boarding there as exiles and pilgrims (cf. 1 Pet 2:11). · I firmly precept 482 all the friars by obedience, that wherever they are, they do not dare to seek any letter 483 in the Roman Curia, by means of themselves nor by an interposed person, nor on behalf of a church nor on behalf of another place nor under the appearance of preaching nor on behalf of a persecution of their bodies; · but wherever they have not been received, let them flee into another land to do penance with the blessing of God. III. And I firmly want to obey the Minister general 484 of this fraternity and any guardian, whom it will have pleased him to give me. · And I want to be so captive in his hands, that I would not be able to go or do beyond obedience and his will, because he is my lord. · And although I am simple and infirm, nevertheless I want to always have a cleric, who will perform the Office for me, 485 as it is contained in the Rule. · And all the other friars are bound to likewise obey their guardians and perform the Office according to the Rule. · And those, who would be found, that do not perform the Office according to the Rule, and want to vary it in another manner, or are not Catholics, 486 let all the friars, wherever they are, be bound by obedience, that wherever they have found any of these, they ought to present them before the nearest custos of that place, where they found him. · And let the custos be firmly bound by obedience to guard him strongly, just like a man in chains day and night, so that he cannot be snatched from their hands, until he in person presents him into the hands of his minister. · And let the minister be firmly bound by obedience to send him by means of such friars, that day and night guard him as a man in chains, until they present him before the lord of Ostia, 487 who is the lord, protector and corrector of the whole fraternity. · And let friars not say: "This is another Rule," because this is a remembrance, an admonition, an exhortation and my testament, which I, tiny Friar Francis, make for you, my blest friars, for the sake of this, that we might observe the Rule, which we have promised the Lord, in a more Catholic way. IV. And let the Minister General and all the other ministers and custodes be bound by obedience, not to add to these words nor take away. · And let them have this writing with them employs the imperfect subjunctive in the initial clause, indicates that the friars should have recourse to begging, not on every occasion that they do not receive alms in exchange for their work, but only if this is a habitual circumstance of their work. 482 see fn. 7. 483 i.e. any legal grant of right or privilege, which would distinguish them from the poor. 484 For an explanation of this and the other offices mentioned below, see the introduction to "The First Letter to the Custodes" [EpCust I]. 485 St. Francis was so debilitated by a illness of his eyes, that he could no longer see well enough to recite the Divine Office; for an explanation of the Office see fn. 278. 486 The Office prescribed by the Rule was that of the Roman Church; hence St. Francis judges rightly that those who dissent from the liturgical tradition of the Roman Church are not Catholic, in as much as it was upon Peter, the Founder of the Roman Church, that Christ established His Church for all peoples, and it is from this same Apostle that the liturgical traditions of the Roman Church originate. 487 The lord Cardinal of Ostia, was at this time the representative of the Order in the Papal court. Page - 106
THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI always, next to the Rule. 488 · And in all the chapters that are convened, when they read the Rule, let them also read these words. · And all my friars, cleric and lay, I firmly precept by obedience, to not place glosses upon the Rule, not even by saying in these words: "Thus they intend to be understood." · But as the Lord granted 489 me simply and purely to dictate and write the Rule and these words, so you should understand them simply and without gloss and observe them with holy work until the end. 490 · And whoever has observed these, may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father and on earth with the blessing of His Beloved (dilectio) Son with the Most Holy Spirit and all the Virtues 491 of Heaven and all the saints. · And I Friar Francis, your tiny servant, in as much as I am able, confirm for you, inside and out, that most holy blessing. St. Francis' last Will written for St. Clare [UltVol] St. Francis' most devoted disciple was St. Clare of Assisi. She founded a monastery of nuns at San Damiano shortly after St. Francis had founded the Order of Friars Minor. St. Francis counseled them throughout his religious life and shortly before dying left this brief exhortation to impress upon them the importance of their own vocation. Like "The Form of Life given to St. Clare" [FormViv], this short note has been preserved in the Rule of St. Clare for nearly eight centuries. 492 There, in her Rule, St. Clare testifies that St. Francis wrote this Last Will shortly before his own death on Oct. 3, 1226 A.D.. 493 It is St. Francis' classic exhortation to the observance of most high Poverty. I, tiny 494 Friar Francis, want to follow the life and poverty of Our Most High Lord Jesus Christ and of His Most Holy Mother and to persevere in it until the end; · and I beg you, my ladies, and I give you counsel, that you live in this most holy life and poverty always. · And guard yourselves very much, lest by the doctrine or counsel of anyone you retreat from this in any manner forever. 488 Hence, the custom of keeping and reading this Testament immediately after that of the Rule. 489 St. Francis refers here to that special light God gave him to compose the final version of the Rule, the Regula Bullata. 490 On this phrase see fn. 84. 491 For "Virtues" see. fn. 236. 492 Rule of St. Clare, VI,3; cf. K. Esser, p. 585. 493 loc. cit.; cf. K. Esser, p. 587. 494 lit. parvulus the diminutive form of the Latin parvus (small); this appellation appears elsewhere whenever St. Francis addresses his friars, cf. Test III,8; IV,7; EpOrd 3; EpCust I,1. Page - 107
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Page 83 and 84: eighth year of Our Pontificate. 347
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