Chapter 8
1Let all the brothers always be bound to have one of the brothers of this Order etc.
2In the eighth chapter is found useful information about the election of the general minister, the government in general, and a suitable way of electing the general minister, the servant of those who profess the evangelical life. 3The general miniser, according to the kind and humble way of life of Christ serving his disciples, is elected in a general chapter to the overall government, and he should be, in accord with the significance of his name, in the midst of his brothers as he that serves, a mirror and form of humility, poverty, and of all perfect virtues.
4Both the one in charge and those who obey are bound to be conformed to Christ and imitate his life, as Saint Basil teaches in his Rule:
5It is certain that the one in charge, who within reason is not present to a brother, brings on himself a grave and inevitable anger. 6For his blood will be required from his hand, and he is to direct an obedient subject in such a way that no command, even the most difficult, causes sadness because the reward for him is great in heaven. 7Therefore, may the hope of glory rejoice the obedient so that the work of God is done in all joy and patience.
8Let not the dignity make the one in charge proud so that he is cut off from blessed humility, or puffed up lest he falls into the snare of the devil, but let him know with the utmost certainty that the care of many is a service of many. 9Acordingly, he who serves many wounded, wipes away the discharge of an injury, and provides help suitable for the trouble of a subject, ought not to regard his service as an occasion for pride but rather of humility and anxiety; he is deputed much more to heal the weaknesses of the fraternity, he is the servant of all, and has to render an account for all in meditation and anxiety. 10In this way he is moving in the direction laid down by the Lord who said: If any of you desire to be the first, he shall be the last of all and the minister of all.
11The one in charge of the brotherhood should conform himself to Christ the good shepherd in everything and for all things, and he must take watchful care in everything he does and says, knowing that all look on him as an exemplary model and what he says and does they regard as definitive and a law. 12Love distinguishes a genuine pastor. 13Christ, the good shepherd, was crucified for love and if this love fills the heart of a pastor it will guard him from all pride and human fear. 14Filled with a holy fear of the Lord, he will be patient and experience joy in all his work; strengthened by a trust of hope he will long for what is heavenly and despise what is lesser, counting it as dung. 15In this way he will show he is diligent on earth for the evangelical life, as Saint Macarius in his Prima epistola, when questioned about perfection, wrote to the coenobites. 16He says:
Desiring to walk in the footsteps of the Lord, he is to withdraw totally from all carnal delights, and show to the brotherhood that he offers himself, having left, in accord with the Gospel, father and mother and children and sisters, family connections, riches, glory, nobility, and coming to the fraternity he must give up also his soul. 17What is giving up the soul other than for someone to give totally to the brotherhood the perfect offering of himself; he does not follow in any way his own will, but devotes himself through the prelate to the words of God, always adorns his soul in the pure intentions of the commands and thinks of them as his own; he does not have anything at all under his personal control, not even the clothing he wears to cover himself, so that he is always able to be without care or worry. 18When all the brothers among themselves obey those in charge joyfully, then in simplicity, purity, unanimity, and innocence of heart with all humility, the brothers rightly and pleasantly come together as one, as the Lord said: If any of you desire to be the first, he shall be the last of all and the minister of all.
19And Saint Basil in another chapter of his Rule describes what kind of person the one who serves and is in charge should be:
20You who have gained honour before Christ by giving up all earthly possessions must, with much care and searching of mind, 21find someone who is above all not thinking of deviating from your way of life, is very perceptive and expert in leading and directing those journeying to God, is adorned with virtues, whose own works bear testimony of his love for God, has a perfection and knowledge of the divine Scriptures, is not preoccupied with the cares of life, without love of money, without troubles and curiosity, 22is tranquil, a friend of God, a lover of the poor and poverty, not irascible, not remembering malice, much concerned for the edification of those near him, without vain glory, without pride, not a flatterer nor fawning admirer, joyful not changing and honours nothing more than God.
Words of Basil.
23On this there is written in the Prima Legenda: A certain brother said to blessed Francis: ‘Father you will pass on, and the family of your followers will be left behind in this vale of tears’.
24Saint Francis with many sighs replied: ‘Son, I find no one adequate to be the leader of such a varied army, or the shepherd of such a widespread flock. But I would like to paint one for you, or make one by hand, as the phrase goes, to show clearly what kind of person the father of this family should be. 25He must be a very dignified person, of great discernment, and of praiseworthy reputation. He must be without personal favourites, lest by loving some more than others, he create scandal for all. He must be a committed friend of holy prayer, who can distribute some hours for his soul and others for the flock entrusted to him. Early in the morning, he must put first the sacrament of the Mass, and with prolonged devotion commend himself and his flock to divine protection.
27‘After prayer, he must make himself available for all to pick at him, and he should respond to all and provide for all with meekness. He must be someone who does not create sordid favouritism toward persons, but will take as much care of the lesser and simple brothers as of the learned and greater ones. 28Even if he should be allowed to excel in gifts of learning, he should all the more bear in his behaviour the image of holy simplicity, and love and nourish the virtue of lady poverty. 29He should loathe money, the principal corrupter of our profession and perfection, and not adopt the abuse of using a money pouch; he must offer himself to all as an example of holiness and regular observance. 30For himself a habit and a little book should be enough, and for the brothers’ needs he should have a pen case and a seal.
31‘He should not be a book collector, or too intent on reading, so that what he gives to study may not take away from his holiness and office. Let him be someone who comforts the tempted and the afflicted, is a refuge for the troubled, a doctor who offers with kindness health-giving remedies to the sick, by his meekness and gentleness teaching the impudent and proud to savour what is lowly, not to seek what is theirs, that he might gain souls for Christ. 32He is to show heartfelt kindness to sinners and apostates, so that as a good shepherd he might lead back to the fold the sheep that were lost, conscious that the temptations are strong that can lead to such a situation.
33‘I want all to honour him as standing in Christ’s place, and I wish that all his needs be provided for with every kindness. 34He should not enjoy honours, or delight in approval more than insults. 35If he should need more substantial food when he is sick or tired, he should not eat it in secret but in a public place, so that others may be freed from embarrassment at having to provide for their weak bodies. 36It especially pertains to him to discern what is hidden in consciences and to draw out the truth from its hidden veins, not lending an ear to gossips; he should be anxious to hear the counsels of those who love justice and holiness. 37He must be one who would never allow the desire for preserving honour to weaken the strong figure of justice, and he must feel such a great office more a burden than an honour. 38And yet, excessive meekness should not give birth to slackness in the subjects, nor loose indulgence to a breaking down of discipline, so that, loved by all, he is feared, nonetheless, by those who work evil.
39‘I would like him to have companions endowed with honesty, who, like him, show themselves an example of all good works: stern against pleasures, strong against difficulties, and yet friendly in the right way, so that they receive all who come to them with holy cheerfulness.
40‘There,’ he concluded, ‘that is the kind of person the general minister of the Order should be.’
41And whoever is great in this way always teaches and announces by deed and word the will of Christ the Lord who dwells in him, and so they are strictly bound to obey him as a dispenser and minister of God. 42For he that hears him hears Christ, and he who despises him despises Christ.
43When he dies, let the election of his successor be made by the provincial ministers and custodians in the Chapter of Pentecost, at which all the provincial ministers etc.
44The brothers are bound to have one general and servant of the whole fraternity whose election must be made by the provincial ministers and custodians, nor are they able to elect one who is not a professed brother of the Order, whom, without wavering, all must strictly obey. 45Just as all the faithful are bound to show the highest obedience and reverence to the Supreme Pontiff, so all the brothers are bound to obey their general. 46And just as the election of the Supreme Pontiff pertains to the cardinals, so from the Rule the election of the general pertains to the ministers and custodians alone. 47But should the cardinals be killed by some tyrant or impeded in some other way from holding an election, the bishops, other Christian princes and all the clerics must effectively, as far as they can, see to it that an election is held and the Church not left without a pastor. 48Similarly, when, because of some stumbling-block, the ministers and custodians are not able to hold an election, the brothers are bound to make every effort to get a general.
49That only one custodian from each province goes to the general chapter is due to the authority of a privilege asked for from the Church for the sake of some compromises and apparent spiritual advantages. 50Christ told Saint Francis that he wanted the Rule, revealed to him by Christ, to be observed to the letter, to the letter, to the letter, and without gloss, that is, faithfully, truly, and for a love for the glory of God. So in his Testament he forbade the asking of letters from the Church and he commanded that the Rule be observed ‘simply and without gloss’. 51We should not then doubt that it would have been better, more useful, more pleasing and meritorious before God to observe the Rule on this point and in others simply and literally, rather than under the pretext of spiritual advantage to obtain such dispensations against the intention of the founder and the prohibition in his Testament. 52For frequently there are many custodians in a province, who in discretion, prudence and virtue of spirit are not only equal to the ministers but sometimes exceed them and whose understanding of conditions in the Order is no less. 53If the ministers and custodians would gather together for that time and did bring with them other obsequious companions, the number of brothers would not be excessively increased in the general chapter. 54At the time of Saint Francis five thousand brothers came together in Assisi for a general chapter. 55From a rightful joining of the custodians in a chapter of Pentecost, since many provinces have three custodians and others have four, thirty ministers together with custodians would not exceed four hundred brothers and then, with greater value and merit from the work, the Rule would be observed simply in what it lays down.
56The intention of the Rule is that a General Chapter is to be celebrated.
57It is the task of the chapter to order whatever can guard more perfectly the purity and holiness of the Religion. 58What can be expressed in such a general decision is to be observed and accepted by all superiors and subjects, 59This is even more applicable to superiors who are under a heavier obligation, by the gifts received from God and by carrying out the office of God’s providence, to bring forth multiple fruit of good works and to enlighten their subjects by a virtuous example.
60The authority to set the place and time for the celebration of a General Chapter resides in the minister general, but the power to elect a successor or another, should the one in charge not be suitable for the service and common welfare of the brothers, resides within a General Chapter, that is, in the ministers and custodians. 61Hence, they can and are bound to elect another as custodian in the name of the Lord, when a general has contracted an incurable sickness or when he himself indicates other reasons why it is impossible for him to serve the brothers, or when they know of other just and fitting reasons why it would be better for the minister and the Order for him to give up the office.
62The Rule speaks of a custodian as a minister and servant, because the titles of humility harmonize with the works and teaching of Christ and are known to be lovable.
63In the Earlier Rule was written: ‘Let no one be called “prior”, but let everyone in general be called a lesser brother. Let one wash the feet of the other’.
64Just as Saint Francis wanted his brothers to be called Lesser Brothers in imitation of and reverence for the humility of Christ, so too he took humble names for all the permanent carers and offices, such as guardians, custodian, minister and servant, 65so that each single brother might know and understand that all arrogance, pre-eminence, elation, bragging, and ambition are contrary to pride in the truth of the name and the highest promise of life. 66He did not want the brothers to look on all the offices of the brothers as dignities and prelacies, but they are to be accepted as signs of lowliness, humility and service, so that while they carried them out they would seem unworthy to themselves and be more deeply humiliated.