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

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THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI Christ, · who said: "If you want to be perfect, go" and "sell" all (cf. Lk 18:22) "that you have, and give it to the poor and you shall have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mt 19:21). · And "If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny his very self and take up his cross and follow Me" (Mt 16,24). · Likewise: "If anyone wants to come to Me and does not hate father and mother and wife and sons and daughters, and moreover even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Lk 14:26) · And: All, who forsake father and mother, brothers and sisters, wife or sons, homes or fields for My sake, shall accept a hundredfold and shall posses eternal life (cf. Mt 19:29; Mk 10:29; Lk 18:29) Chapter II On the reception and clothing of the friars If anyone, wanting to adopt 353 this life by divine inspiration, has come to our friars, let him be received kindly by them. · And if he has been firm (in his resolution) to adopt our life, let the friars beware much of themselves, lest they allow themselves to enter into his temporal affairs, but let them present him before their Minister (provincial), as soon as they are able. · Let the minister indeed receive him kindly and encourage him and explain to him diligently the tenor 354 of our life. · Which when done, let the aforesaid, if he wants and can spiritually 355 (do so) without impediment, sell all his (possessions) and strive to pay 356 them all out to the poor. · Let the friars and the minister of the friars beware of themselves, that they in no manner allow themselves to enter into his affairs · nor receive any money, neither through themselves nor through an interposed person. 357 · If however they are in need, the friars can receive other necessities for the body, except money, for the sake of necessity as other poor (can). · And when he has come back, let the minister grant him the clothes of probation for one year, namely two tunics without a capuche and a cord and breeches and a caperone (which hangs) down to the cord. 358 · With the year and end of probation indeed finished, let him be received to obedience. 359 · Afterwards it shall not be licit for him to enter another religion 360 nor 'wander outside of obedience' by the mandate 361 of the lord Pope and according to the Gospel; because "no one 256-258. 353 see fn. 260. 354 i.e. its austerity and demands. 355 i.e. moved by divine grace, and not self-coerced in order to please men. 356 see fn. 264. 357 The precept about money refers to Chapter VIII of this rule; the strictures regarding the reception of the new member are intended to both discourage unworthy candidates from joining and the ministers from accepting them. 358 For an explanation of these vestments see fns. 266-270. 359 i.e. to the profession of the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity; cf. fn. 271. 360 cf. fn. 156. Since religious life is a pursuit of perfection, the Church rarely permitted religious to change from stricter orders to lest strict ones. St. Francis includes this regulation because the observance of the religious life taught by Our Lord cannot possibly, in itself, be less perfect than any other form. For a fuller treatment of this see St. Bonaventure's Apologia Pauperum. 361 This is a reference to Pope Honorius III's Cum secundum consilium (Sept. 20, 1220 A.D.), which prescribed a one year probation prior to admission to vows, and a subsequent stability in the Order; it thus serves to date this Rule's final composition after this date; cf. K. Esser, p. 531. Page - 84
THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI putting the hand to the plow and looking backwards is fit for the Kingdom of God" (Lk 9:62). · If however anyone has come who cannot give his own (possessions) without impediment 362 and he has a spiritual will, 363 let him forsake 364 these, and (this) suffices for him. · Let no one be received against the form and arrangement of Holy Church. 365 Indeed let the other friars, who have promised obedience, have one tunic with a capuche and another without a capuche, if the necessity has arisen, 366 and a cord and breeches. · And let all the friars wear cheep vestments, and let them be able to patch these with sacks and other pieces (of cloth) with the blessing of God; because the Lord says in the Gospel: "Those who are in precious garments and among delights" (Lk 7:25) and "those who are dressed in soft (clothes), are in the houses of kings" (Mt 11:8). · And though they be called hypocrites, let them not however cease doing good nor seek costly clothes in this world (saeculum), so that they can have (their) raiment 367 in the Kingdom of Heaven. Chapter III On the Divine Office and fasting The Lord says: "This kind" of demon "cannot go forth except in" fasting and prayer (cf. Mk 9:28); · and again: "When you fast do not make yourselves sad like hypocrites" (Mt 6:16). On this account let all the friars, whether clerics or lay, perform 368 the Divine Office, 369 the praises and the prayers, 370 in the manner they ought to perform it. · Let the clerics perform the Office and say on behalf of the living and the dead (what) is according to the custom of the clergy. · And for the failing and negligence of the friars let them say every day a Miserere mei Deus (Ps 50) with a Pater noster; 371 · and on behalf of the departed friars let them say the De profundis (Ps 129) with a Pater noster. · And let them be able to have only the books necessary to fulfill their office. 372 · And let it be licit for the lay (brothers, who) know how to read the Psalter, to have 373 one for themselves. · Indeed let it not be licit to the other (brothers, who) do not know how to read, to have a book. · Let the lay (brothers) say the Credo in Deum 374 and twenty-four 362 e.g. in those cases in which property rights were shared with others. 363 i.e. good will. 364 i.e. renounce his own rights to them. 365 i.e. against ecclesiastical law. 366 St. Francis uses the perfect subjunctive si necesse fuerit, here translated as "if the necessity has arisen," to indicate that the second tunic should not be granted in view of future necessity, but only after such necessity has occurred. 367 A reference to the white stole of glory worn by the Saints in heaven (cf. Apoc 7:9-10,13-17). 368 see fn. 277. 369 see fn. 278. 370 A reference to the customary prayers of the Order, e.g. "The Praises to be said at every hour" [LaudHor]. 371 i.e. the Our Father. 372 Whether that be only for the liturgical Office or also for the duties of preaching, teaching, or hearing confession, etc. is not clear; the use of eorum, (translated here as "their") in this context implies the latter. 373 i.e. to have the use of one; for the meaning of "Psalter" see fn. 280. 374 The Apostles Creed. Page - 85
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Translator's Forward THE WRITINGS O
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Page 83: eighth year of Our Pontificate. 347
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