About the use of necessary things

38 Object for personal use 39 All things are in common 40 It is unfitting to have things for ones own use

(38) Our Father Saint Francis did not want his Friars to keep anything for their own use except that the Rule grants them. This was clear when in Our Lady of the Angels he allowed a small psalter to a Priest. Then later when he reconsidered, he realised that he had granted it against the Rule. In order to correct this mistake he called the Friar back to the same place where he had granted it him. Kneeling there he told him his fault, saying to him, “I have granted you something I could not grant because according to their Rule the Friars Minor cannot have anything else than the habit, tunic, cord, underwear and breviary. Also when Blessed Leo saw that beautiful vision in which many Friars Minor were crossing a river. Those who had full pockets drowned. Those who carried nothing crossed the river easily. Because he carried the breviary Brother Leo was in danger of drowning. When he told Father Saint Francis about the vision, he replied to him, “Beloved, all the Friars who get tangled up in the things of the world sink into the abyss of hell during the passage of death.”

(39) Therefore the early Fathers of our Congregation knew about the strictness of poverty which the Rule calls ‘most high.’ Therefore they used all diligence to observe the Rule about poverty according to the clear intention of Father Saint Francis. So in regard to necessary things that the Rule allows us their practice was to hold these things in common just as the Three Companions tell. In the beginning Father Saint Francis and the whole Order had in every friary a little room where they kept some habits. No one kept a habit for his own use except the one the Guardian assigned him. They did the same with the breviaries. They kept these in common. When a Friar had to go on a journey he took the breviary that came to hand. When he returned he returned it to its place. The Capuchins did it this way for a long time. They kept everything in common except the breviary. However they generally kept the underwear, habits and other things in common. When someone needed a book, a change of underwear or sewing thread he always asked permission. Regarding the underwear usually there was a general permission that they be kept in one place and when the need occurred each Friar took them.

(40) They said that having something in particular is something that very much runs the risk of having a disordered attachment. Often there were examples of this with some, especially Lay Friars, who kept the Little Office of Our Lady or some booklet or some other things. When the Superiors took these things from them they became so upset that they left the Congregation. Nor is it allowed to keep unusual Agnus Dei, rosaries, little crosses and the like. These unnecessary things hinder the spirit very much. Many simple Friars keep them without showing them to their Superior and who incur the risk of ownership. Many abuses also came about at Chapter time by having to carry bags, or by weighing down seculars who carried the bags for them. An unencumbered Friar who possesses nothing has ample scope to remain tranquil and is always be more accepting of holy obedience. It is totally the opposite for Friars who take too much delight in similar trifling things, especially the things that they keep out of curiosity rather than usefulness or need. At Chapter time when they change friaries or travel you would never have found anyone who carried bags except the preachers. Some had a little bag with books, though only a few. This instilled great devotion in the seculars and the Friars travelled more quickly and expeditiously. They didn’t have knives, but when they stopped to eat a little bread, anyone who needed a knife borrowed one from the seculars. Generally they carried the bread in their sleeve. Because Our Lord told the Apostles not to carry a stave, many of them were adamant about not taking staves. Some old Friars who could not do without carried a cane. Before they died they always gave back the breviary, the Rule, the discipline and the handkerchief to the Father Guardian. These were the great wealth of these servants of God who passed unencumbered to their Creator since they had nothing to hold them back.