Chapter 3

Text: Clerics are to perform the divine office according to the Ordo of the Holy Roman Church.

Liturgical prayer and mental prayer

Scrupulous Brother – What does the term Divine Office mean?

Mature Brother – The Four Masters say that it refers to both the things contained in the breviary and those in the missal. Therefore the brothers should carefully study the rubrics and observe them inviolably. They should also observe uniformity in the office and Mass any variation to which disturbs the peace of the community and is a scandal to seculars.

Scrupulous Brother – Have we any concession regarding the Divine Office?

Mature Brother – Innocent VIII permitted that when a brother omitted something from the Divine Office, but not through malice, he could make up for this by saying any Psalm, or Our Father, or Ave Maria and Alexander IV permitted the same. Leo X allowed brothers who were legitimately occupied to say the office ahead of time or later without scruple. This meant that they could say Matins before midnight and the Hours during the day up to Vespers. It sufficed that in that case they consider saying them with more devotion and quiet. Note that whoever is not impeded or occupied should say the Office at the proper time. It is better for anyone who is occupied to anticipate the time because it is prudent to anticipate rather than delay, which amounts to negligence.

Scrupulous Brother – Are the brothers always obliged to say the office in the choir?

Mature Brother – Martin V says that those brothers who do not have a reasonable excuse should assemble in the choir before the office begins to prepare their hearts for the Lord.

Scrupulous Brother – Quote some good document about this for those who are scrupulously devout.

Mature Brother – I say that a brother should recite the office like an angel of God and always think that he is standing before the eyes of the divine majesty. Let him go into the choir at the first sound of the bell for office, and after genuflecting, prepare his heart for the Lord, observing all the ceremonies and rubrics with the greatest diligence. Let him stand upright, look at the book with the highest thoughts, making the profound bows, being mindful of the brother who did not bow at the Gloria Patri, who appeared after his death, while he was in Purgatory, standing on a very high pillar in the middle of the ocean and having to bow one hundred times during the day and a hundred times during the night in the greatest agony and torment, in fear of falling until he had completed the inclinations that had been omitted.

He should recite the psalms with the highest devotion and attention with uncovered head at the prescribed times and when the office is finished he should not leave the church immediately but stay for a while to praise the Lord.

Never omit the Office for the Dead when it is prescribed in the calendar. With respect to the brothers who have died remember the brother who was in Purgatory in very great torment and God applied the Masses which were offered for him to the brothers for whom he had failed to offer the Masses he should have offered as he revealed following his death.

When you need to say the office outside choir, say it standing still. If you are forced to walk, summon up all the devotion that you can. It is better to say the office at home, before going on a journey. When Saint Francis was on a journey while he was sick he used to dismount from his donkey in pouring rain and standing still said the office and he used to say to his companion: “My dear brother, if the body looks for shade, springs and other comforts when it wants eat in quiet and repose much more should the soul take its food by saying the office with devotion.” Never omit the office of devotion. At night do not leave the church after Compline. Pass in front of the Blessed Sacrament with the greatest reverence, genuflect and say: Adoramus te Christe.

When a brother wants to undertake a journey let him first hear Mass. This was the intention of Saint Francis as his first companions indicate.

Those who are priests who want to undertake a journey should do as was said above.

On the greatest solemnities let them prepare to receive grace from God and indulgences with the greatest care, abstinence, vigils, and prayers.

Those who serve Mass should observe modesty and maturity when going to serve and do so with all devotion since they are performing a work of angels.

Let prayer be always said in the church with the others but better than the others since it is one of the main foundations of the spiritual building. Saint Francis placed great hope in prayer because in prayer the soul is united to God, receives divine illumination, exposes our heart’s desire to God, receives grace, strengthens all good resolutions and makes marvellous profit. Therefore, this is often recommended and repeated in the Rule.

He prayed willingly with his arms extended as his companions say. He had a special love for the saving sign of the cross and held it in his heart and he earnestly begged the brothers to pray and he used to say: “It is necessary that we conform ourselves to the Son of God interiorly and exteriorly. Therefore, like the most pious Redeemer, while he hung on the cross to clear away our sins and to reconcile us miserable sinners to the Father with his arms spread out in the form of a cross he often raised his eyes to heaven exposing the wounds, pain and anxiety he suffered. His tearful prayers were pleasing to God as the Apostle says.

Thus we will be true lovers of the Son of God in the observance of this gospel Rule and be interiorly conformed to him through the real observance of godlike virtues, especially of the three which are the main foundation of our perfection, namely obedience, poverty and chastity and exteriorly conformed to him through shabby clothing and austerity of lifestyle. Then when praying let us extend our arms in the shape of a cross and raise our eyes to the Father of mercies in memory of his crucified only beloved Son, displaying before him through the shape of a cross an image similar to another crucified Christ, and by bearing his stigmata spiritually in our hearts through heartfelt sorrow and compassion towards the most bitter cross which he carried in his body, our prayer and petitions will be pleasing to God and bring most efficacious graces. This will occur through the spiritual and physical image of his most beloved Son that he will behold in us since by that raising up of our arms in the shape of a cross the eternal Father always sees the image and likeness of his crucified Son in us. Therefore, his most clement eyes cannot but look upon that image of the cross which will remind him of the extraordinary and inestimable charity which led his most sweet Son to the cruellest death on the cross, an oblation and sweet smelling offering of gentleness.”

Saint Francis exhorted the brothers to pray with these and similar words…

Libraries and the use of books

Scrupulous Brother – The use of the breviary is permitted to us by the Rule, is the use of other books allowed?

Mature Brother – As has been said above because the office of preaching has been imposed on us the use of books to fulfil that office is also allowed as Nicholas III says.

Innocent IV says that the use of books is to be had in common not individually. This was the intention of Saint Francis as the Pisan says, quoting Brother Leo to the extent that even breviaries were to be held in common, and not individually. Brother Leo was in danger of drowning just because of the breviary, when others drown because of having many books, as he saw in a vision. Ubertino says that Saint Francis used to say expressly that whoever wanted to be a genuine friar minor should not have books or anything else set aside for his own use except the clothing which the Rule permitted. Thus, he never wanted to allow any brother, no matter how friendly he was towards him, to have any book for his personal use.

The Pisan tells how when Saint Francis returned from overseas a minister asked him about his intention regarding the chapter about poverty. He replied: “It is my intention that a brother should not have anything more than the habit, tunic, underwear and cord as the Rule states.” The minister said: “What am I to do since I have many books?” Saint Francis replied: “I cannot nor do I wish to go against my conscience, nor the perfection of the gospel which we have promised. You wish to appear minor brothers and followers of the gospel, but you do not wish to be such in your actions.” Thus, following his death, he appeared to a brother saying that there never was a brother who had books who following his death was not upset that he had them. See in the Conformità, Franciscus regulator, where there is a horrifying sentence passed on those who have books.

The ancient preachers had a small handwritten book or two, without any ornamentation. The confessors had an examination of conscience book. I do not know how those who have a number of superfluous books which are ornate in their binding, bookmarks, covers, and the like can feel safe, for, contrary to the Rule, such things require money. They are unwilling to lend them to others and so they show that they have dominion over their use.

The Divine Office of the brothers and penitential fasting

Text: Let the lay brothers say 24 Our Fathers for Matins.

Mature Brother – Note also that they must say the Hail Marys, that is, first say the Our Father for that Hour and then the other Hail Marys, according to the author of the book called Speculum fratrum Minorum. Brandolino agrees with this.

Note also that in the first Rule Saint Francis imposed on lay brothers that they say seven Our Fathers with Eternal rest each day for the dead, which they should observe with all diligence, knowing the intention of their saintly Father, even if the later Rule does not say this.

Text: And they shall fast. The whole of this text is clear.

Those brothers who followed reasonable suggestions in addition to the fast that was laid down by the Rule and the holy Church observed other fasts such as the Lent of the Holy Spirit, of the Assumption of Our Lady, and the Fridays in March eating bread and water. Others ate nothing on these days. They did these and other things to please God.

Scrupulous Brother – Do you think that whoever does not observe this Lent sins?

Mature Brother – I do not think so, simply because Saint Francis leaves it up to the brothers freely. However, he may sin per accidens and according to the circumstances, that is if there was contempt or if he was healthy and robust and did not want to observe it out of gluttony or sensuality. At a General Chapter Saint Bonaventure decreed that to merit the blessing of the Lord and to avoid many inordinate things the brothers should be satisfied with one meal.

Note that the obligatory fasts must be observed according to the rigour of the Rule, avoiding any dispensation that is requested without a legitimate reason, and superfluous taking of food, since it is easy to break the fast.

The virtues of the friar minor when he goes about in the world

Text: I counsel, admonish and exhort my brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ that when they go about in the world.

Mature Brother – Since we read that Saint Francis sent the brothers out into the world two by two following the example of the Lord, they must never go alone, nor separate from one another.

Text: They shall not quarrel or argue or judge others.

Such imperfections are bad in all Christians, especially in minor brothers, both because they should avoid mental disturbance, and because of scandal to seculars. If some injury is done to someone, he should immediately forgive for the love of Jesus Christ and treat the offender better than he treats the other brothers. Whoever does the opposite is not a genuine minor brother.

Text: But let them be meek, peaceful, modest, gentle and humble, speaking courteously to everyone as is becoming.

These virtues and all the others should shine collectively in the minor brother, especially when he is out, in word, gesture and conduct and he should be on his guard not to set a bad example to seculars. Thus Saint Francis curses those brothers who set a bad example to seculars saying; “By you, most holy Lord, and by the whole court of Heaven, and by me, your little one, may they be cursed who break up and destroy by their bad example what you built up earlier and destroy by their bad example what you raised up earlier, and do not cease to build up, through holy brothers of this Order.”

Text: They should not ride on horseback unless compelled by manifest necessity or by infirmity (equivalent precept), that is we should not ride horses as Saint Bonaventure says and he means neither horses, mules, donkeys nor ride in carriages or the like, and as Saint Bonaventure and Martin V say, except in cases of evident and unavoidable necessity, that is because of a long and difficult journey, or urgent business, illness of the like.

Peter John says that the brothers are not allowed to ride just for any little thing or for something that is not appropriate to our station, even more for comfort or recreation, or to stir up things or quarrel, or to quest, or to undertake private affairs for themselves or seculars outside of obedience. Even someone who is sick and weak cannot excuse himself of sin on such occasions because journeys and undertakings which are not necessary should be omitted as soon as possible rather than go against the Rule.

Note also that on holidays of obligation they should not travel on horseback or on foot on unnecessary journeys. Both the superior who grants permission and the subject who asks permission sin mortally and even more when the subject insists. I do not think it to be a legitimate reason, as some do, to travel on the day following the feast if fasting can be observed, especially if the journey is not necessary.

The general statutes state that no one should ride without the permission of the Guardian and Discreets, charging their consciences, prescribing that they have permission in writing and that the Guardians demand to see the written permission. If they have to ride during the journey they are to explain the necessity to the Guardian immediately on arrival at the place and anyone who does otherwise, or grants permission is to fast on bread and water for a whole day.

Therefore, the brothers should travel on foot and not ride as Jesus Christ did who rode on a donkey only once to fulfil Scripture. When he sent the disciples out into the world to preach he sent them on foot not on horseback.

Text: Whatever house they enter they shall first say: “Peace to this house.” And according to the Holy Gospel, they may eat of whatever food is set before them which it is lawful for them to eat.

Saint Bonaventure says that by saying “they may” this does not command but permits. Therefore, whoever wishes to abstain from such food is not going against the Rule. It also says “they may” not simply but according to the Holy Gospel, thus modifying the permission so that all is done according to the rule of gospel propriety. This is only permitted to those who have been sent to preach. Thus, those who do not go about for the salvation of souls do not have this permission. Since this statement is taken from chapter ten of Saint Luke: Eat such things as they give, and there immediately follows: “Cure the sick who are there” it is certain that this means spiritually. Thus, the way to heal souls is not by using very delicate food which those who send the invitation do not use, because this will not heal souls but through bad example turn them from holiness to infirmity. Thus, where those who run the house abstain from meat it is not legitimate for the brothers to eat it, and where there is excess of food the way of gospel holiness is not promoted. This is what Saint Bonaventure says.

The companions of Saint Francis say that, although he did not simply prohibit eating meat, so that they could eat it outside the house and in the homes of seculars, yet it was not his intention that the brothers eat meat as their common ordinary food when they could live on bread and watered wine and on a common dish of the poor. To do otherwise is not to understand the mind of Saint Francis regarding apostolic life.

Thus, the things that seculars seek with solicitude are prohibited to us, especially those without which nature can be sustained and which other poor people do not use or even rarely see. Thus to seek out these things or buy them with money would not only be against the purity of the Rule but also a scandal to seculars. Therefore, just as the brothers should dress in shabby clothing, so they should eat plain and poor food such as other poor people eat when they are really unfortunate. Saint Francis reprimanded brothers who set out more food than usual at Christmas because of the visit of a minister, and he said that they had acted against poverty and on that day the Queen of the world only had bread and the Lord of the universe lay in a crib like a poor person. This is in the Leggenda antique…