In regno Cypri quidam frater minor rogauit dictam dominam, quod ipsa consuleret ei, quid deberet facere super aliquibus dubiis consciencie sue, specialiter super obseruancia regule ordinis sui. Que quidem domina cum staret quadam die orando in sancta ciuitate Iherusalem pro fratre supradicto, Christus apparuit ei et alloquebatur eam, dicens multa de ordine minorum, et in fine comminatur omnes religiosos proprietarios eterna morte.
The Origin of the Franciscan Rule
Christ reveals that the rule of St. Francis was divinely inspired and intended to lead souls to perfect love.
Infinite thanks, humble service, praise, and honor be to God in His eternal power and majesty, who is one God in three persons! It pleased His immense goodness that His most worthy humanity should speak to a person who was at prayer, saying this: "Listen, you to whom it has been given to hear and see spiritual things, and keep these words of mine carefully in your memory." There was a man named Francis. When he turned away from worldly pride, greed, and the vicious pleasures of the flesh toward a spiritual life of penance and perfection, he gained true compunction for all his sins and a perfect will to amend his life, saying:1 There’s nothing in this world I’m not willing to gladly let go of for the love and honor of my Lord Jesus Christ. There’s nothing in this life so hard that I wouldn’t gladly endure it for the sake of His love, doing everything I can for His honor, according to the strength of my body and soul. And I want to lead and strengthen everyone else I can, so that they might love God above all things with their whole heart.✦ The rule of this Francis, which he himself began, wasn't dictated or composed by his own human intellect and prudence, but by me, according to my will. Every word written in it was inspired in him by my Spirit, and later he brought that rule forward himself and offered it to others. In the same way, all other rules that my friends began, lived out, and kept—and which they effectively taught and passed on to others—weren't dictated or composed by their own intellect and human wisdom, but by the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit. The brothers of this Francis, who are called Minors, held and kept his rule well for some years, living very spiritually and with devotion, according to my entire will.
The Adversary and the Corruption of the Order
The devil introduces a corrupting influence into the order through a brother who seeks worldly honor and personal gain.
Because of this, the devil—that ancient enemy—felt great envy and turmoil, since he couldn't overcome those brothers with his temptations and deceits. The devil therefore searched diligently, so that he might find one person in whom he could mingle his own malignant spirit with that person's own will. He finally found a cleric who was thinking to himself like this: “I would gladly be in a position where I could have worldly honor and the pleasure of my own body, and where I could gather enough money that I would lack nothing for all that pertains to my needs and my pleasures.” “Therefore, I want to join the Order of St. Francis, and I’ll pretend to be very humble and obedient.” And so, with that intention and will, the aforementioned cleric entered the order, and the devil immediately entered his heart. And so, the cleric became a brother in that order. The devil thought to himself, 'Just as Francis wants to draw many out of the world through his humble obedience to receive great rewards in heaven,' In the same way, this brother of mine—who will be called the Adversary because he will be an adversary to Francis’s rule—will draw many from Francis’s order away from humility toward pride, from reasonable poverty toward greed, and from true obedience toward doing their own will and following the desires of the body.' When that Brother Adversary joined the Franciscan Order, he immediately began to think to himself, prompted by a diabolical instinct: “I’ll act so humble and obedient that everyone will think I’m holy.” “When others are fasting and keeping silence, I’ll do the opposite with my special friends—eating, drinking, and talking so secretly that none of the others will know or suspect a thing.” Under the rule, I'm not allowed to handle money or own gold or silver, so I want a special friend to keep my money and gold in secret for me, so I can use it however I like. I also want to study the liberal arts and sciences so that I can gain some honor and status within the order, by owning horses, silver vessels, fine clothes, and precious ornaments. And if anyone criticizes me for these things, I'll answer them that I do this for the honor of my order. If I could still work and do enough to become a bishop, I would be truly happy and blessed in the kind of life I could lead then, because I would be in my own freedom and have every pleasure of my body.'
The Final Judgment of Religious
Christ warns that those who violate their vows of poverty will face judgment, while those who remain faithful will be rewarded.
Now listen to what the devil has done within this Order of Francis. It's truly the case that there are more brothers in the world who follow the rule the devil taught the Adversary—whether in deed, or in will and desire—than there are those who keep the rule that I myself taught to Brother Francis.2 Know, however, that even though these brothers—those of Francis and those of the Adversary—are mixed together as long as they live in the world, I will separate them after death. I am their judge, and I will judge the brothers of Francis's rule to remain with me, together with Francis, in eternal joy. But those who belong to the rule of the Adversary will be judged to eternal punishment in the depths of hell, if they refuse to correct themselves and humbly make amends before they die. This shouldn't be surprising, because those who ought to be setting examples of humility and holiness for worldly people are the very ones providing them with vile and debased examples through their own pride and greed. So, let these brothers know for certain that both they and all other religious whose rule forbids them to own anything, yet who still hold property against their rule—thinking they can appease me by offering me a portion of it—are giving me gifts that are abominable and hateful, and they aren't worthy of any good reward. It is more pleasing and acceptable to me that they diligently observe the holy poverty they professed according to their rules, than if they were to present me with all the gold, silver, and every other metal in the world. You should also know, you who hear my words, that you wouldn't have been permitted to know this vision I've spoken of, if it weren't for one good servant of mine who, with all his heart, sincerely prayed to me for that friar minor. He was someone who, out of divine love, wanted to offer that same friar some advice that would be useful for his soul. Once these things had been seen and heard, the vision disappeared.
Read the original Latin
Infinita graciarum accio et humile seruicium, laus atque honor sit Deo in sua potencia et maiestate eterna, qui est vnus Deus in tribus personis!
Cuius immense bonitati placuit, vt sua dignissima humanitas ad vnam personam in oracione existentem loqueretur sic dicens:
"Audi tu, cui datum est audire spiritualia et videre, et diligenter tene in memoria tua hec verba mea.
Homo quidam erat nomine Franciscus. Qui dum se conuertit a mundana superbia et cupiditate et a carnis viciosa delectacione ad spiritualem vitam penitencie et perfeccionis, tunc optinuit veram contricionem omnium peccatorum suorum et perfectam voluntatem se emendandi dicens:
'Nichil est in hoc mundo, quod non volo libenter dimittere propter amorem et honorem Domini mei Ihesu Christi.
Nichil eciam est tam durum in hac vita, quod non volo gratanter sustinere propter eius caritatem, faciendo propter eius honorem omnia, que ego potero, iuxta meas vires corporis et anime.
Et omnes alios, quoscumque potero, volo ad hoc inducere et roborare, vt Deum super omnia diligant toto corde.'
Istius Francisci regula, quam ipse incepit, non fuit dictata et composita ab ipsius humano intellectu et prudencia sed a me secundum meam voluntatem.
Quodlibet enim verbum, quod in ea scriptum est, a Spiritu meo fuit sibi aspiratum et postea ipse aliis regulam protulit illam et porrexit.
Ita eciam omnes alie regule, quas amici mei inceperunt et ipsi pesonaliter tenuerunt et seruauerunt aliisque eas efficaciter docuerunt et porrexerunt, non fuerunt dictate et composite ab ipsorum intellectu et humana sapiencia sed aspiracione eiusdem Spiritus Sancti.
Istius Francisci fratres, qui minores dicuntur, tenuerunt et bene seruauerunt illam regulam eius per aliquos annos et valde spiritualiter et deuote secundum omnem meam voluntatem.
De quo dyabolus, hostis antiquus, magnam inuidiam et turbacionem habuit ex eo, quod dictos fratres temptacionibus et fraudibus suis deuincere non valebat.
Quesiuit igitur dyabolus diligenter, vt posset vnum hominem inuenire, in quo suum malignum spiritum cum ipsius hominis voluntate posset commiscere. Qui tandem vnum clericum inuenit sic intra se cogitantem:
'Ego libenter vellem esse in statu tali, vbi possem habere mundi honorem et corporis mei delectacionem et vbi possem tantam pecuniam congregare, quod nichil deficeret michi de omnibus, que ad necessitatem et delectacionem meam pertinerent. Ego igitur intrare volo ordinem Francisci et fingam me valde humilem et obedientem.'
Et sic cum ista intencione et voluntate prefatus clericus intrauit dictum ordinem statimque dyabolus intrauit in cor eius. Et sic dictus clericus factus est frater in dicto ordine.
Considerauit autem dyabolus taliter intra se: 'Sicut Franciscus multos vult trahere de mundo cum sua humili obediencia ad recipiendum magna premia in celo,
ita iste frater meus, qui Aduersarius nominabitur ex eo, quod Francisci regule aduersarius erit, multos de ordine Francisci trahet de humilitate ad superbiam, de racionabili paupertate ad cupiditatem, de vera obediencia ad faciendum propriam voluntatem et ad sequendum corporis delectacionem.'
Frater Aduersarius autem predictus cum intrauit ordinem Francisci, statim cepit sic intra se cogitare ex dyabolico instinctu:
'Ego me ostendam ita humilem et obedientem, quod omnes me reputabunt sanctum. Quando alii ieiunant et silencium tenent, tunc ego cum specialibus sociis contrarium faciam, videlicet comedendo et bibendo et loquendo ita occulte, quod nullus aliorum hoc sciat nec intelligat.
Ego eciam secundum dictam regulam non possum licite pecuniam tangere neque aurum vel argentum possidere, et ideo aliquem specialem amicum habere volo, qui pecuniam et aurum meum teneat secrete secum ex parte mea, vt illa pecunia vtar ego ad voluntatem meam.
Ego eciam addiscere volo artes liberales et scienciam ad hoc, vt ex illa honorem et dignitatem aliquam habere valeam in ordine, habendo equos et vasa argentea ac pulchras vestes et preciosa ornamenta.
Et si aliquis me pro istis arguerit, respondebo ei, quod facio hoc propter honorem ordinis mei.
Si eciam ego adhuc tantum laborare et facere possem, quod fierem episcopus, tunc vere felix essem et beatus pro tali vita, qualem tunc ducere possem, quia tunc ego essem in propria libertate mea et haberem omnem delectacionem corporis mei.'
Audi modo tu, quid dyabolus fecerat in predicto ordine Francisci. Nam vere ita est, quod plures sunt illi fratres in mundo, qui tenent aut opere aut voluntate et desiderio regulam predictam, quam docuit dyabolus fratrem Aduersarium, quam illi, qui seruant regulam illam, quam ego ipse edocui fratrem Franciscum.
Scias tamen, quod, quamuis isti fratres, scilicet Francisci et fratris Aduersarii, commixti sunt, quamdiu viuunt in mundo, attamen ego separabo eos post mortem, quia iudex eorum sum, et iudicabo fratres regule Francisci ad permanendum mecum simul cum Francisco in eterno gaudio.
Illi autem, qui sunt de regula fratris Aduersarii, iudicabuntur ad penas eternales in profundo inferni, si ante mortem noluerint se corrigere et humiliter emendare.
Nec est mirandum de hoc, quia illi, qui deberent mundanis hominibus dare humilitatis et sanctitatis exempla, ipsi prebent eis exempla vilia et ribaldica cum sua superbia et cupiditate.
Et ideo sciant certissime dicti fratres, quod tam ipsi quam alii ceteri religiosi, quibus regula prohibet habere proprium et tamen habent aliquod proprium contra regulam suam, volentes per hoc me placare, quod inde aliquam partem michi conferunt, eorum munera abhominabilia michi sunt et exosa nec aliqua remuneracione bona sunt digna.
Magis enim michi gratum et placitum est, quod paupertatem beatam, quam professi sunt secundum regulas suas, diligenter obseruent, quam quod totum aurum et argentum ac eciam omnia metalla, que in mundo sunt, michi presentarent.
Scias eciam tu, que verba mea audis, quod non fuisset tibi licitum istam prefatam visionem scire nisi propter vnum bonum seruum meum, qui ex toto corde suo pro illo fratre minore sinceriter me rogauit.
Qui desiderabat eidem fratri consulere aliqua consilia vtilia sue anime ex diuina caritate." Hiis autem visis et auditis hec visio disparuit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.22.37 — And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'contricionem' is rendered as 'compunction' per the lexicon policy, as it refers to the grace-pierced sorrow for sin.
- 2 ↩The 'Adversary' (Aduersarius) here refers to a specific, historically contentious figure within the Franciscan tradition, often identified as Brother Elias of Cortona.
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