Chapter 9

1The brothers may not preach in the diocese of any bishop etc.

2Saint Francis shows in this chapter that Christ taught him the authority of the Church is to be held in highest veneration and reverence, as are all prelates and priests. 3So those who hold the office of preaching in his Religion, the wiser they are than other brothers, the more fully and effectively they are to show, with humility and all honour, subjection to the prelates and to all priests no matter how simple.

4He says of this in his Testament: Since

the Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith in priests who live according to the rite of the holy Roman Church because of their orders that, were they to persecute me, I would still want to have recourse to them. 5And if I had as much wisdom as Solomon and found impoverished priests of this world, I would not preach in their parishes against their will. 6And I desire to respect, love and honour them and all others as my lords.

7By reason of their office and from their continual care, competence and knowledge, bishops and rectors of churches should know better than any stranger when, how and by whom their subjects are to be admonished; nor should anyone put a sickle into another’s harvest.

8Hence he says in the Earlier Rule:

Let no brother preach contrary to the rite and practice of the Church or without the permission of his minister. 9Let the minister be careful of granting it without discernment to anyone. 10Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds. 11No minister or preacher may make a ministry of the brothers or the office of preaching his own, but, when he is told, let him set it aside without objection. 12In the love that is God, therefore, I beg all my brothers – those who preach, pray, or work, cleric or lay – to strive to humble themselves in everything, not to boast or delight in themselves or inwardly exalt themselves because of good works and deeds or, for that matter, because of any good that God sometimes says or does or works in and through them, 13in keeping with what the Lord says: Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you.

14We may know with certainty that nothing belongs to us except our vices and sins. 15We must rejoice, instead, when we fall into various trials and, in this world, suffer every kind of anguish or distress of soul and body for the sake of eternal life.

16Therefore, let all the brothers, beware of all pride and vainglory. Let us guard ourselves against the wisdom of this world and the prudence of the flesh. 17The spirit of the flesh very much desires and strives to have the words but cares little for the activity; it does not seek a religion and holiness in an interior spirit, but wants and desires to have a religion and a holiness outwardly apparent to people. 18They are the ones of whom the Lord says: Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 19The Spirit of the Lord, however, wants the flesh to be mortified and looked down upon, considered of little worth and rejected. It strives for humility and patience, the pure, simple and true peace of the spirit. 20Above all, it desires divine fear, divine wisdom and divine love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

21Let us refer all good to the Lord, God Almighty and Most High, acknowledge that every good is his, and thank him, from whom all good comes, for everything. 22May he, the Almighty and Most High, the only true God, have, be given, and receive all honour and respect, all praise and blessing, thanks and glory, to whom all good belongs, he who alone is good.

23When we see or hear evil spoken or done or God blasphemed, let us speak well and do well and praise God who is blessed forever.

24Saint Francis wrote this in the Earlier Rule.

25Foreseeeing future events, he used to say: ‘There are many, still in the Religion, who would willingly climb to the heights of knowledge but that person will be blessed who makes himself barren for the love of God’. 26And again: ‘Those brothers of mine who are led by curiosity for knowledge will find themselves empty-handed on the day of reckoning’.

27When they have preached and learn that some have been edified or converted to penance, they become puffed up or congratulate themselves for someone else’s gain. For those whom they think they have edified and converted to penance by their words, the Lord edified and converted by the prayers of holy brothers, although they are ignorant of it. This is the will of God so that they do not take notice of it and become proud.

28I wish they would grow stronger in virtue, so that when the times of tribulation arrive they may have the Lord with them in their distress. 29For a tribulation is approaching, when books, useful for nothing, shall be thrown into cupboards and into closets.

30He foresaw in the future that receiving money, sumptuous buildings, pride in knowledge, privileges, familiarity with nuns and pride would be destructive and fatal plagues in his Religion, and he wanted all his brothers not only to be far from these but completely alien to them. 31So in no way did he want any of his brothers, no matter how expert in knowledge, to preach to the people unless he has been first examined and approved by the minister who then gives him the office of preaching.

32Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, and in short all the doctors, have written at length to show the innumerable evils that took root in the Church from an ambition to teach before being willing to learn, and to sanctify and enlighten others before being enlightened and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ’s anointing that teaches everything concerning a perfection of the virtues. 33But brothers moved by other reasons from the force of a privilege requested, take the examination for preachers in their provincial chapters and receive the office of preaching by an authority they say was kindly granted to all provincial ministers by papal authority for the spiritual gain of souls. 34Without an anointing of the spirit and a perfect possession of virtues, preaching is not able to be chaste and cleansed from every stain of error, pure from all vanity, from longing for gathering alms, from filthy lucre and bodily impurity, and unless it is circumspect, discreet, prepared with fitting foresight, useful, fruitful for wiping out vices and planting virtues in the hearts of listeners. 35For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?

36He exhorts those who lawfully accept the office of preaching that their language be well-considered and chaste for the benefit and edification of the people, containing nothing vain or curious, false or doubtful, superfluous or useless. 37This happens when they announce to their hearers vices and virtues, so that they are cleansed from vices, reconciled and justified by the virtues without which salvation is not possible and which are necessary for salvation in every believer. 38The depraved, weighed down by sin, go down in a moment to the eternal distress of the infernal punishments due to them. 39This is why it is first of all necessary to be purged of all filth of flesh and spirit, and then, secondarily to put on and be adorned with holy virtues, namely, faith, humility, obedience, charity, truth and peace so that clothed in a wedding garment we are not excluded from the kingdom.

40This form of preaching that he commends and teaches by exhortation was prophesied by Isaiah and taken up by the apostles in the Letter to the Romans; he puts it forward as useful and necessary, for in it are contained in brief all the works of faith, truth, hope, grace and the good will of charity as well as all causes of damnation and salvation, of punishments and reward: 41Our Lord when on earth kept his word brief. 42Christ was made man and offered on the cross for us, swallowed up by death, rose, and gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples and made them certain of the glory of the eternal kingdom which they preached and promised to those who believed and loved Christ. 43Whoever keeps the commandment has life eternal: This is the commandment that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he has given commandment to us. 44Christ Jesus for us is resurrection through faith and the life of grace and glory through charity. 45And this is the brief word that the Lord gave on earth.