Chapter 12
1Let those brothers who wish by divine inspiration to go among the Saracens or other non-believers ask permission, etc.
2Those who have attained, as a gift from God, true purity of heart and body by observance of evangelical poverty, humility and obedience, 3look with opened eyes from every angle on the breadth, the height, the sublimity, and depth of the infinite love of the Father, the immolated Word and the Holy Spirit, revealed and put before the faithful for their imitation in the cross to be adored and in the most sacred death of Christ, by the power and merit of which is given to the human race to be able to rise from the death of sin and hell to a life of grace and glory. 4The pure in heart turn their eyes and raise them to reflect on this fiery, inextinguishable and insuperable sending; they are filled with the fire of a most ardent desire of affection, and, with fiery desires and insatiably, they long for and are made worthy to be partakers of the sufferings of their Redeemer.
5Sant Francis, enkindled with this charity that casts out fear and that many waters cannot quench nor floods drown, made a chapter on perfect charity the end of his rule. 6Just as he, on fire with the perfect charity of Christ, wanted most strongly with his whole heart and with all his strength to offer himself as a living sacrifice to the Lord by the flame of martyrdom, that he might merit to become a companion and partaker in the life but also in the death of his Lord and Master, 7so he put this before his brothers for them to choose and imitate as the completion of all perfection, so that he might inspire them to share in the death of Christ who had called them to profess and live out his life.
8For he understood, as Christ taught him, that, when the perfect love of Christ had inspired his brothers to die for Christ, then the fruits, the correct way of life and grace of the life and Rule revealed to him would be multiplied in the world. 9He would move them with desires and draw them irresistibly with strong convictions to go among the Saracens or other non-believers, so that, by their lives, actions and the witness of their blood to Jesus Christ, they might call back to true life those held by the death of sin and subject to everlasting damnation.
10In the Earlier Rule, confirmed for him by Pope Innocent, there is written on this point:
11The Lord says: Behold I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be prudent as serpents and simple as doves. 12Let any brother, then, who desires to go among the Saracens and other non-believers, go with the permission of his minister and servant. 13If he sees they are fit to be sent, the minister may give them permission and not oppose them, 14for he will be bound to render an accounting to the Lord if he has proceeded without discernment in this and other matters.
15As for the bothers who go, they can live spiritually among the Saracens and non-believers in two ways. 16One way is not to engage in arguments or disputes but to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake and to acknowledge that they are Christians. 17The other way is to announce the Word of God, when they see it pleases the Lord, in order that [unbelievers] may believe in almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Creator of all, the Son, the Redeemer and Saviour, and be baptized and become Christians 18because no one can enter the kingdom of God without being reborn of water and the Holy Spirit.
19They can say to them and the others these and other things which please God because the Lord says in the Gospel: 20Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 21And: Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the saints and angels.
22Wherever they may be, let all my brothers remember that they have given themselves and abandoned their bodies to the Lord Jesus Christ. 23For love of him, they must make themselves vulnerable to their enemies, both visible and invisible, because the Lord says: Whoever loses his life because of me will save it in eternal life. 24Blessed are they who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 25And if they have persecuted you, they will be persecuting me. 26If they persecute you in one town, flee to another. 27Blessed are you when people hate you, speak evil of you, persecute, expel, and abuse you, denounce your name as evil and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. 28Rejoice and be glad in that day because your reward is great in heaven. 29I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of them and do not fear those who kill the body and afterwards have nothing more to do. 30See that you are not alarmed. 31For by your patience, you will possess your souls. 32Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.
33He teaches those who profess and imitate the perfection of the life of Christ following his example out of perfect charity, to be on fire, more than all others, with zeal for the salvation of souls and by prayers, an example of holiness of life, by a word of preaching, and a ready acceptance of death, when necessary, to aspire with all their strength, not only for the faithful but also for non-believers, so that they may be converted to Christ. 34For their conversion and salvation they should be open to and offer themselves for travelling, works, difficulties and persecutions and martyrdom. 35But this is not for everyone, but only for those who are moved to this by an inspiration of the Spirit of Christ, who work with fervour and have accepted from heaven the ability for and gift of such a ministry. 36The ministers, therefore, without whose obedience it is not lawful for anyone to go to such arduous work, must examine and weigh the request with all diligence, lest the desire of those wanting to go arises from levity or some human will and does not come from divine inspiration. 37Only divine inspiration and election make a person suitable and capable and give him the endurance and perfection for such an office. 38And just as no one is to go unless sent by authority, so the ministers are bound first of all to make sure that the person to be sent is suitable, because if they hold back those to be sent and who are so inspired, or give permission to go to any who ask without reason, they incur the displeasure and judgment of God on both counts.
39The holy man, Brother Peter John, says on this:
I judge that this is not put here only as a concession, but also deliberatively or for encouragement, or even prophetically, because just as the apostles were first sent to faithful Jews, among whom they were born, and after the death of Christ when the Jews to some degree had been attracted to Christ, they were sent to the Gentile nations of non-believers. 40So, in my judgment, the Order, after preaching to the Latin faithful, is to be sent to nations of non-believers so that as through the person of Christ suffering in his assumed flesh, about the beginning and middle time of the Church, the world was converted, so through the life and rule of Christ that will be endured in his members the fulness of the Gentiles should come in and all Israel should be saved, 41as is expressly foretold in Revelation at the opening of the sixth seal and with the sixth angel sounding the trumpet. 42Hence, Francis, the angel of the sixth seal, having in himself the sign and stigmata of the living God, decided, in the theme of this mystery in the sixth year of his conversion, to go to the Saracens,.
43Perhaps, because this will begin to be fulfilled in the thirteenth centenary of the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, in accord with his appearance to the Magi in the thirteenth day of his life, and his sending Barnabas and Paul to the Gentiles in the thirteenth year after his passion, 44so Francis, in this mystery, in the thirteenth year of his conversion went again to the Saracens, where he suffered much and finally was presented to the Sultan and was much honoured by him.
Words of Peter John.
45Truly, according to the exposition of Joachim on the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation, the angel having the sign of the living God will be a Supreme Pontiff who will renew all things, like Ezra after the destruction of the city and temple. 46The opinion quoted above will have a different effect than the words imply because he will choose people from the states of Christ. 47The renewal of the life of Christ concerns the ones through whom the conversion of the ones signed will occur. 48The name of the Order will deceive many and will cause darkness by a Jewish carnal expectation, so that they will not recognize in the elect the spirit of the Founder, and while venerating the name and habit, they abandon the fruit and virtual perfection of the habit and name, to be converted to what they will regard as a dishonour and abuse of their state. 49Hence, to the angel of Philadelphia is said: Behold, I come quickly, hold fast what you have, lest another take your crown; truth is not changed by human understanding and diverse opinions. 50But the promises made to Saint Francis are not void when they are not fulfilled as we expect. 51However, those who have the same Spirit from a gift of divine grace receive the fulfilment in a higher way according to the purpose of God.
52For according to the Apostle not all are Israelites that are of Israel, neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children, 53but in Isaac shall your seed be called, that is to say, not they that are the children of the flesh, are the children of God, but they that are the children of the promise are accounted for the seed. 54The children of the promise are all who, through the Spirit of Christ, accept the gift and grace of the same perfection that he received gratis from Christ and did not stop cooperating faithfully and humbly until the end with the grace received. 55However, this is the judgment because he that was born according to the flesh persecuted him that was after the spirit, so also it is now. 56But what does Scripture say? Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman will not be heir with the son of the free, etc.
57In addition to these points, I command the ministers through obedience to petition from our Lord the Pope for one of the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, etc.
58The beginning of this Rule is in accord with its ending. 59In the beginning of the Rule Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to our Lord Pope Honorius and his successors canonically elected and to the Roman Church and all present and future, like limbs of him who is the head, are understood to be bound to do this with him and under him, 60so now at the end, he, to whom all and every one of the brothers from papal and ecclesial authority were obliged to obey, commands the ministers through obedience, that they petition from our Lord the Pope for one of the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, who would be the governor, protector and corrector of this fraternity, 61so that always submissive and subject at the feet of the same Holy Church, etc.
62He wants to have one of the Cardinals as a moderator between the Order and the Supreme Pontiff since the Order is not sufficient for its own government and the Supreme Pontiff is always too preoccupied with the care and governing of all the churches. 63This Lord Cardinal is to bring to the Supreme Pontiff the business of the Order, and by his authority, whenever the general and the Order have need of his help and favour for its development and good state, 64or when it is notably at fault, especially concerning the three things already mentioned, namely, if it were not submissive and subject to the Holy Roman Church and to its feet, that is, to the bishops and clerics, and because of this less than steadfast, or from some other particular or universal reason and cause is found or appears to have gone astray in any way from the Catholic Faith, or if it has drifted away from the humility and poverty they have professed and from the pure and faithful observance of the Gospel: 65then he must take the greatest care that such evils are plucked out and quickly destroyed from the Order; he is bound to carry this out with an intention and a swift and effective action of governing, protecting and correcting, as the father, lord and master after the Supreme Pontiff, because of the office he has accepted and that has been imposed on him; he is bound to do this with diligent care and the utmost vigilance, 66in such a way that he punishes and corrects with a rigid and severe discipline in so far as there is a deviance and discord in the Religion from the true and holy observance of the poverty, humility and the Gospel it has professed.
67Strongly protecting those under his care with a shield of good will and authority lest they be infected with any error in actions or faith, but by the example of life and by preaching the truth he corrects and leads back those in error and who go astray, 68and under his leadership and direction they, more than all others, will persevere till the last day obedient and subject at the feet of the Holy Roman Church.
[EPILOGUE] 1By the gift of God, the wise man, Peter John, at the end of the words he wrote On the Rule said the following:
2Note that just as this Rule like a true sphere does not touch the surface of the ground other than at the point of simple and necessary use, and the whole of it revolves in circular motion around Christ and his Gospel, as around its inner centre, so like a circle its starting point is also its finishing. 3As it began with the Gospel and obedience to the Apostolic See, it finishes in the same way.
4These twelve chapters of the evangelical Rule are the twelve stars on the head of the woman, that is, the evangelical Religion adorned with the brightness and solar warmth of Christ.In these lie the twelve lights of our study.
6They are also twelve loaves laid out for us on the table of the Lord, because in these is the solid nourishment of our life. 7There are also twelve apostolic foundations of the new Jerusalem because in these is the basic reality of our Order, even though the seraphic government is distinct in a wonderful way by having as it were two seraphs each having six wings.
8On this, so that something may clarify this briefly for you, note that the first six chapters correspond in a mystical sense with the works of the first six days. 9In the first chapter the light of the definition of the Rule appears. 10In the second, the firmament of the most firm profession and the division of the lower waters, that is, the giving up and casting away of all that is temporal, having retained for oneself only what is spiritual and above. 11In the third, having rejected the waters of carnal moisture by a fast of mortification, our earth becomes a paradise of divine worship. 12In the fourth, from a total rejection of money, there appears sunlight in the sky. 13In the fifth, by a work of hands, fish swim in the sea, in such a way, however, that by preferring the spirit of prayer and devotion they fly like birds in the sky. 14In the sixth there is made a man, poor, a stranger and humble in the image of the mendicant and poor man Christ, our God.
15They are in harmony also with the seven ages of the world and the six ecclesiastical times. 16For just as in the first time of the Church the evangelical law began, a law that has to be explained until the end, so it is in the first chapter of the Rule. 17Also in the second, the martyrs reject the life of the body for an eternal life, so in the second chapter a secular life is rejected for a religious life. 18Just as in the third, ecclesiastical worship flowered under Constantine, so in the third chapter of the Rule statutes for divine praises, fasting, and the evangelical life are given and flower. 19As in the fourth, the anchorites left all, so in the fourth chapter money, cursed by the Apostle Peter on account of Simon, is left completely. 20And in the fifth, there began the monks engaged in work with their hands, so too in the fifth chapter. 21In the sixth, the mendicancy of Christ enters the world under Francis.
22In the last six chapters the kingdom of the Church of God is represented mystically. 23Just as, firstly, the Church was washed from its sins by the passion of Christ and its sacramental application, however, with the penitential satisfaction of the martyrs imposed on it until the times of Pope Sylvester. 24From then, General and provincial Councils were solemnly celebrated in the Church of Christ, the primacy of the Supreme Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic See shining forth. 25Then chaste cloisters of enclosed people began to shine more fully. 26And, finally, at the end after a fuller opening of the sixth seal we look for the conversion of non-believing nations and also of the Jews with the renewal of solemn martyrs. 27And by the angel of the sixth seal the twelve tribes of Israel were marked with the sign of Tau and an innumerable crowd of the nations will be brought forward and placed beside the throne of the Lamb, which is the same thing as his ecclesiastical and Apostolic See. 28In this way the last six chapters of the Rule contain an order you can easily understand.
29This has been written by the man who more than all others of his times loved, commended and defended his Order, and whom Christ loved and made to shine in a singular way by his wisdom. 30He was the humblest of men, full of virtue, and shone after his death with many miracles. 31But everyone who fears God and loves God should think diligently and pay attention to what things the enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary. 32Because his brothers and his Order repaid him and all who loved him evil for good and hatred for love, piercing his soul during his life, and digging up his bones after his death, and burnt him, as it is said, with the fire of infamy and with material fire. 33And they treated badly whoever followed him with Christian devotion, stripping him of the name Catholic against the sentence of the Church and of a General Council, they cast him into an old pit, and, acting out of envy and satanic evil, condemned him three times as a heretic in their General Chapters.
35From its beginning Satan desired to sift this Religion and to disturb it with a sevenfold temptation similar to the first; 35and they turned away through disbelief, irreverence and hardness of heart from the pure intention and faithful obedience of the Founder and provoked him with their inventions. 36And they congratulated one another on their prudence. 37There were few in number who stayed with him while he was a pilgrim and poor traveler. 38After his departure from this world to Christ, whom he loved and whom he carried in a crucified form pierced in body and soul, they praised him with their lips but in describing his deeds they lied about him. 39And they separated his holy Testament from the Rule, not understanding that the Rule without the Testament is like a crown of stars without the head of the woman and without being clothed with the sun, like the loaves of proposition away from the holy table, like a good work without a right intention, like writing without a Catholic and faithful interpretation, like a bride without her own adornment and her lawful husband, and like an heir making himself unworthy by disobedience for a paternal blessing and inheritance.
40Just as evil, when it is not quickly checked, increases greatly, so disbelief and disobedience grew into presumption and impatience, and so they afflicted the firstborn and beloved child of the father. 41The killing, with lying defamation, of the just and innocent man who was walking rightly and faithfully, increased the sin of the successor and his companions. 42But the end did not come in the second tribulation, for Brother Crescentius, as implied in his name, increased the evils of Brother Elias into detraction and hatred of the saints, and he defamed, scattered and condemned Catholics as heretics. 43It was a day of bitterness and sorrow, not worthy of praise, when they despised the father and governor given to them from above, covered his sunny rays with black clouds and thick darkness, and embittered those enlightened by him. 44They did not stop censuring him until he came to rest in a room of the King and was made famous by Christ, the King of glory, with apostolic miracles that blocked the mouths of his detractors.
45Alas, after this there increased in Italy, in Provenza and in other places tyrannical battles against those striving to observe the innocence and purity of the professed life, and they cried out under the altar of God once, twice and three times: 46You who sit on the throne of judgment, how long do you not judge and revenge our blood that is poured out? 47In sure hope, they were told to rest in the first robe and to wait until the number of their fellow-servants and brothers reached the perfection of their state. 48After these things, after a dispute of opinions against those rebelling against the light and disbelieving the truth, there arose a terrible division. 49And darkness covered heaven and earth, and here and there many were ensnared, captured and perished.
50The very force of the rule of Christ and the apostolic life is holy and tolerates with difficulty the use of its name by those who do not follow its way of life. 51The name of divine virtue is the Gospel of Christ and a way of life promised in accord with its perfection, and those who vow and observe it, fight strongly against Satan, the world and the flesh. 53To such people everything under heaven is vile and torments are light, because, in hope and love, they are already there where there are sure and eternal goods that Christ has prepared for them from the beginning of the world, he who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
53He appeared to Saint Francis and said to him Follow me and keep to my footsteps; walk in my paths that all my apostles have trodden, they who were true lovers of my life and perfection.
54He who was a humble and most ardent imitator of Christ, says, towards the end of the Earlier Rule, of the praise and exhortation that all the brothers can use: 55‘All my brothers can announce this or similar exhortation and praise’ etc. until the end.
56Later, at the end of the Earlier Rule, he says of the admonition of the brothers: ‘All my brothers: let us pay attention to what the Lord says: Love your enemies’ etc and what comes after this until the end of the Earlier Rule. 57It ends: ‘Glory to the Father and let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.’