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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI persecute you "in one city, flee to another" (cf. Mt 10:23). · "Blessed are you" (Mt 5:11), "when men have hated you" (Lk 6:22) "and cursed you" and do persecute you (cf. Mt 5:11) "and have separated you and reproached you and cast your name out as evil" (Lk 6:22) "and when they have said every evil against you, lying, on account of Me" (Mt 5:11). · "Rejoice on that day and exult" (Lk 6:23), "since your wage is great in heaven" (cf. Lk 12:4), and I "say to you My friends, do not be afraid of them" (cf. Lk 12:4), · "and do not fear those who kill the body" (Mt 10:28) · "and after" this "have nothing more to do" (Lk 12:4). · "See, that you are not disturbed" (Mt 24:6). · For "in your patience you shall possess your souls" (Lk 21:19), · and the one who "will have persevered until the end, he shall be saved" (Mt 10:22; 24:13). Chapter XVII On preachers Let no friar preach against the form and arrangement of Holy Church nor unless it has been conceded to him by his minister. 414 · And let the minister beware of himself, lest he indiscreetly concede (this) to anyone. However let all the friars preach by works. · And let no minister or preacher appropriate to himself the office of minister or the office of preaching, but in whatever hour it has been enjoined upon him, let him without any contradiction surrender his office. Whence I beseech in the Charity, which God is (cf. 1 Jn 4:16), 415 all my friar preachers, prayers, workers, clerics as much as lay (brothers), that they strive to humble themselves in all things, · not to glory nor rejoice in themselves nor to exalt themselves interiorly because of the good words and deeds, indeed because of no good thing, which God does or says 416 or works at any time in them and through them, according to what the Lord says: "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you" (Lk 10:20). · And let us know firmly, that nothing pertains to us, except vices and sins. · And we ought to rather rejoice, "when" we would fall "into various temptations" (cf. Jm 1:2) and when we would sustain whatever kind of difficulties of soul or body, or of tribulation in this world for the sake of eternal life. Therefore let all the friars beware of all pride and vainglory; · and let us guard ourselves from the wisdom of this world and from "the prudence of the flesh" (Rm 8:6); · for the spirit of the flesh wants and strives much to have words, but little towards work, · and it seeks not religion and sanctity in the interior spirit, but wants and desires to have a religion and sanctity appearing outwardly to men. · And these are those, concerning whom the Lord says: "Amen I say to you, they have received their wage." (Mt 6:2). · But the spirit of the Lord wants the flesh to be mortified and despised, vile and abject. · And that it strive towards humility and patience and a pure and simple and true peace of spirit. · And always above all things (this spirit) desires the divine fear and the divine wisdom and the divine love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And let us render all good things to the Lord God, the Most High and Highest, and let us recognize that all good things are His and because of all things let us return thanks to Him, from whom all good things proceed. 417 · And may He Himself, the Most High and Highest, the only 414 see fns. 323 and 324 for the recent decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council in this regard. 415cf. Ps. Alcuin, Sermo in Assumptione B.V.M. in Marianum 27 (1965) 29, l. 484s. 416 cf. fn. 5. 417 cf. Missale Romanum (1961): Oratio Dominicae V p. Pascha. Page - 94
THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI True God have and let there be rendered unto Him and let Him receive all honors and reverences, all praises and blessings, all thanks and glory, of whom is every good, who alone is good. (cf. Lk 18:19). And when we ourselves see or hear (anyone) speaking or doing evil or blaspheming God, let us speak well and do good and praise God (cf. Rm 12:21), "who is blest throughout the ages" (Rm 1:25). Chapter XVIII How the ministers are to assemble together In any year whatsoever let the minister be able to assemble with his friars—wherever it has pleased them (to do so)—on the Feast 418 of Saint Michael the Archangel, to treat with those things which pertain to God. · For let all the ministers, who are overseas and beyond the Alps, 419 once in three years, and the other ministers once a year, come to the Chapter at Pentecost at the Church of Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, 420 unless it has been ordained otherwise by the Minister and servant of the whole fraternity. Chapter XIX That the friars are to live as Catholics Let all the friars be Catholic, live and speak as Catholics. · If anyone indeed has wandered from the Faith and from Catholic life in what he has said or in what he has done and has not amended himself, let him be entirely expelled from our fraternity. · And let us regard all clerics and all religious as lords in those things which pertain to the salvation of the soul and do not deviate from our religion; 421 and let us venerate their state and office and ministry in the Lord. Chapter XX On (the Sacrament of) Penance and the reception of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ And let my blest friars, clerics as much as lay (brothers), confess their sins to the priests of our religion. · And if they have not been able (to do this), let them confess to other discrete and Catholic priests, knowing firmly and mindful, that from whatsoever Catholic priests they will have received Penance and absolution, they shall without doubt 422 be absolved from their 418 September 29; the end of the year in the Medieval, agricultural calendar; for annual chapters see. fn. 321. 419 i.e. at the time of this Rule's composition this would refer respectively to the Near East and to Northern and Western Europe. 420 This little church, a mile south of Assisi, is where St. Francis was inspired to found the Order in 1208 A.D.; for triennial chapters see fn. 318. 421 For the use of "religion" in this and the next paragraph, see fn. 156. 422 The Latin phrase procul dubio translated here as "without doubt" means more precisely "far Page - 95
Page 1 and 2:
The Writings of St. Francis of Assi
Page 3 and 4:
THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSI
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Translator's Forward THE WRITINGS O
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
22:21). Chapter XII. On recognizing
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
The Canticle of Brother Son or The
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
A Letter to Clerics [EpCler I] Firs
Page 35 and 36:
A Letter to Clerics [EpCler II] Lat
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44: THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSI
Page 73 and 74: A Prayer before the Crucifix [OrCru
Page 81 and 82: Chapter X On the admonition and cor
Page 83 and 84: eighth year of Our Pontificate. 347
Page 93: Chapter XV That the friars are not
Page 101 and 102: things throughout the ages. Amen. C
Page 111 and 112: Fragments of other rules [Frag] THE
Page 115 and 116: II. From the writings of Hugo of Di
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?