Translated from the Critical Latin Edition, edited by Fr. Kajetan Esser, O.F.M.
Die opuskula des hl. Franziskus von Assisi. Neue textkritische Edition.
Editiones Collegii S. Bonaventurae ad Claras aquas, Grottaferrata (Romae) 1976.
A Publication of The Franciscan Archive
A WWW Resource on St. Francis and Franciscanism
http://www.franciscan-archive.org
Edition 2000
A Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
[SalBMV]
St. Francis was and is a most ardent devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1 He composed this salutation, which is modeled after the Angelic Salutation, to greet Her every day by recalling the mighty deeds that God had wrought in Her and for Her. Like St. Francis' other prayers, the date of the composition of this Salutation is unknown. 2
Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Theotokos, who are the Virgin made church · and the one chosen 3 by the Most Holy Father of Heaven, whom He consecrated with His Most Holy Beloved (dilectio) Son and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete; · in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good. · Hail His Palace; Hail His Tabernacle; Hail His Home. · Hail His Vestment; Hail His Handmaid; Hail His Mother · and 4 hail all you holy virtues, which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit are infused into the hearts of the faithful, so that from those unfaithful you make them faithful to God.
A Salutation to the Virtues
[SalVirt]
A striking characteristic of St. Francis' spirituality is his devotion to virtue. He personified the virtues in speech so as to stir himself and his friars to their imitation in life. And he also commanded his friars to preach about them to the faithful (cf. RegB IX). These praises are first mentioned in the historic record in Bl. Thomas of Celano's Vita Secunda written in the winter of 1246-7 A.D.. 5 The date of composition, however, is unknown. 6
Hail, Queen Wisdom, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy-Pure Simplicity. 7 · Lady Holy Poverty, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Humility. · Lady Holy Charity, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Obedience. · Most holy virtues, the Lord salute all of you, He from whom you come and proceed.
There is scarcely no man in the whole world, 8 who can have one of you, before he dies. · He who has one and offends not the others, has all. · And he who offends one, has none and offends all (cf. Jm 2:10). And any one whatever confounds vices and sins.
Holy Wisdom confounds Satan and all his wickednesses. · Pure Holy Simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6) and the wisdom of the body (cf. Rm 8:7). · Holy Poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this age. 9 · Holy Humility confounds pride and all the men, who are in the world, and likewise all the things, which are in the world. · Holy Charity confounds all the diabolic and carnal temptations and all carnal fears. · Holy Obedience confounds all things corporal, both carnal and one's own willings · and holds the body mortified in obedience of spirit 10 and in obedience to one's brother · and is subject and submissive to all the men, who are in the world · and not to men alone, but even to all the beasts and wildlife, · so that they may do with him, whatever they will, as much as has been given them from above by the Lord (cf. Jn 19:11).
The Testament of Saint Francis
[Test]
St. Francis dictated his last will and testament, at the Portiuncula, just a few days before he passed from this world to the Father, in the evening of the first Saturday of October, 1226 A.D.. 11 In this writing St. Francis strove to explain to his friar-sons the spirit of the Franciscan vocation, so that throughout the centuries they would have no doubts as to how to imitate him in his following of the poor Crucified Christ. 12 Traditionally the Testament of St. Francis is read by Franciscans immediately after the reading of the Regula Bullata, as St. Francis himself requested at the end of this his Testament. 13
I. Thus did the Lord grant to me, Friar Francis, to begin to do penance: that when I was exceedingly in (my) sins, to see the lepers seemed a bitter thing to me. · And the Lord Himself led 14 me among them and I worked mercy with them. · And when I was fleeing from them, because that seemed to me a bitter thing, it was changed for me into sweetness of soul and body; and afterwards I stayed for a little while and (then) I went forth from the world (saeculum). 15 · And the Lord granted me such faith in churches, that thus I would pray simply and say: · We adore Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, and for 16 all Thy churches, which are in the whole world, 17 we also bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world. · Afterwards the Lord granted me and grants so much faith in priests, who live according to the form of the Holy Roman Church, on account of their state (in life), that if they would stir up a persecution against me, I want to have recourse to them. · Even if I would have as much wisdom, as Solomon had, and would come upon the little poor priests of this age, in the parishes, where they linger, I do not wish to preach beyond their will. · And they and all other (clerics) I want to fear, love (amor), and honor, as my lords. · And I do not want to consider sin in them, because I discern 18 in them the Son of God, and they are my lords. · And I do (that) on account of this, because I see nothing corporally in this age of the Most High Son of God Himself, except His Most Holy Body and Most Holy Blood, which they receive and which they alone minister to others. · And these Most Holy Mysteries 19 I want above all things to honor, to venerate and to be placed in precious places. · Wherever I will have found written the Most Holy Names and His words in unlawful places, I want to gather them together and I beg, that they are gathered together and placed together in an honorable place. · And all theologians 20 and those, who minister the most sacred divine words, we ought to honor and venerate, as those who minister to us spirit and life (cf. Jn 6:64).
II. And after the Lord gave me some friars, 21 no one showed me, what I ought to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me, that I ought to live according the form of the Holy Gospel. · And I had it written in a few words and simply and the Lord Pope 22 confirmed it for me. · And those who were coming to receive life, used to give "all that they possibly had" (Tob 1,3) to the poor; and they used to be content with one tunic, patched inside and out, with a cord and breeches. · And we did not use to want to have more. · We clerics used to say the Office along with the other clergy, 23 the lay brothers used to say the Pater Noster; 24 and we used to remain 25 quite freely in the churches. · And we used to be idiots and subject to all. · And I used to work with my hands, and I want to work; and all the other brothers I firmly want, that they work at their job, because this pertains to honesty. · Those who do not know how, let them learn, not for the sake of the cupidity to receive a price 26 for work, but for the sake of the example (it gives) and to repel idleness. · And when the price for the work would not be given to us, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, 27 by asking for alms door to door. · The Lord revealed to me a greeting, that we are to say: "The Lord grant you peace!" · Let all the friars beware of themselves, so that they receive almost none of the churches, the poor tiny dwellings and all (the buildings), which are constructed on their behalf, unless they would be, (such) as befits holy poverty, which we have promised in the Rule, always boarding there as exiles and pilgrims (cf. 1 Pet 2:11). · I firmly precept 28 all the friars by obedience, that wherever they are, they do not dare to seek any letter 29 in the Roman Curia, by means of themselves nor by an interposed person, nor on behalf of a church nor on behalf of another place nor under the appearance of preaching nor on behalf of a persecution of their bodies; · but wherever they have not been received, let them flee into another land to do penance with the blessing of God.
III. And I firmly want to obey the Minister general 30 of this fraternity and any guardian, whom it will have pleased him to give me. · And I want to be so captive in his hands, that I would not be able to go or do beyond obedience and his will, because he is my lord. · And although I am simple and infirm, nevertheless I want to always have a cleric, who will perform the Office for me, 31 as it is contained in the Rule. · And all the other friars are bound to likewise obey their guardians and perform the Office according to the Rule. · And those, who would be found, that do not perform the Office according to the Rule, and want to vary it in another manner, or are not Catholics, 32 let all the friars, wherever they are, be bound by obedience, that wherever they have found any of these, they ought to present them before the nearest custos of that place, where they found him. · And let the custos be firmly bound by obedience to guard him strongly, just like a man in chains day and night, so that he cannot be snatched from their hands, until he in person presents him into the hands of his minister. · And let the minister be firmly bound by obedience to send him by means of such friars, that day and night guard him as a man in chains, until they present him before the lord of Ostia, 33 who is the lord, protector and corrector of the whole fraternity. · And let friars not say: "This is another Rule," because this is a remembrance, an admonition, an exhortation and my testament, which I, tiny Friar Francis, make for you, my blest friars, for the sake of this, that we might observe the Rule, which we have promised the Lord, in a more Catholic way.
IV. And let the Minister General and all the other ministers and custodes be bound by obedience, not to add to these words nor take away. · And let them have this writing with them always, next to the Rule. 34 · And in all the chapters that are convened, when they read the Rule, let them also read these words. · And all my friars, cleric and lay, I firmly precept by obedience, to not place glosses upon the Rule, not even by saying in these words: "Thus they intend to be understood." · But as the Lord granted 35 me simply and purely to dictate and write the Rule and these words, so you should understand them simply and without gloss and observe them with holy work until the end. 36 · And whoever has observed these, may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father and on earth with the blessing of His Beloved (dilectio) Son with the Most Holy Spirit and all the Virtues 37 of Heaven and all the saints. · And I Friar Francis, your tiny servant, in as much as I am able, confirm for you, inside and out, that most holy blessing.
St. Francis' last Will written for St. Clare
[UltVol]
St. Francis' most devoted disciple was St. Clare of Assisi. She founded a monastery of nuns at San Damiano shortly after St. Francis had founded the Order of Friars Minor. St. Francis counseled them throughout his religious life and shortly before dying left this brief exhortation to impress upon them the importance of their own vocation. Like "The Form of Life given to St. Clare" [FormViv], this short note has been preserved in the Rule of St. Clare for nearly eight centuries. 38 There, in her Rule, St. Clare testifies that St. Francis wrote this Last Will shortly before his own death on Oct. 3, 1226 A.D.. 39 It is St. Francis' classic exhortation to the observance of most high Poverty.
I, tiny 40 Friar Francis, want to follow the life and poverty of Our Most High Lord Jesus Christ and of His Most Holy Mother and to persevere in it until the end; · and I beg you, my ladies, and I give you counsel, that you live in this most holy life and poverty always. · And guard yourselves very much, lest by the doctrine or counsel of anyone you retreat from this in any manner forever.
Dictated Works
Among the writings that can be identified as having being brought into being through some action of St. Francis, are a small collection of writings which K. Esser terms Opuscula Dictata. 41 These include: "The Blessing given Friar Bernard" [BenBern], "The Blessing sent in writing to St. Clare and her sisters" [BenCl], "The Letter written to the citizens of Bologna" [EpBon], "The Written Letter of St. Clare on fasting" [EpCl], "The Letter written to Lady Jacoba" [EpJac], "The Letter sent to the Friars in France" [EpFranc], "The Testament given at Siena" [TestSen], and the short exhortation "On True and Perfect Gladness" [VPLaet].
However, all but the first and final two of these are simply excerpts from the writings of other authors testifying that St. Francis did in fact write something. Therefore these citations are actual "Reported Works" and serve to keep up the expectation of scholars that someday more writings of St. Francis will be found. 42 The three dictated works "The Blessing given Friar Bernard" [BenBern], "The Testament given at Siena" [TestSen], and the short exhortation "On True and Perfect Gladness" [VPLaet], are actual dictated statements made by St. Francis, and thus are included in this translation.
The Blessing given Friar Bernard
[BenBern]
Friar Bernard was the first companion of St. Francis. Before joining the Order he had been a respected lawyer in the city of Assisi. Upon seeing St. Francis remarkable conversion to a life of evangelical simplicity he himself sold all his possessions and gave them to the poor. Throughout his life St. Francis cherished his friendship and courage. From the internal evidence it can be supposed that St. Francis wrote this letter during the last years of his life, either at a time when death seemed near, or after he had resigned his office of Minister general. The unanimous testimony of the early sources state that the place and date of composition were the very last days of the Saint's life, while he lay dying at the Portiuncula (late Sept. to Oct. 3, 1226 A.D.) 43
Write as I tell you: · The first friar, whom the Lord gave me, was friar Bernard, and: (it was he) who began and fulfilled most perfectly the perfection of the Holy Gospel by distributing all his own goods to the poor; · on account of which and on account of many other prerogatives, I am bound to love him more than any other friar of (this) entire religion. 44 · Whence I want and precept, 45 as I am able, 46 that, whoever be Minister general, 47 that he love and honor him as my very self, · and let all the other Ministers provincial also hold 48 him as (they would) me.
The Testament made at Siena
[TestSen]
Sometime between April and May of 1226 A.D., while St. Francis visited the city of Siena, he fell so ill that all presumed he would shortly die. It was at that time that he dictated this short version of his last will and testament to Friar Benedict of Pirato. 49
Write this way: I bless all my friars, who are in (our) religion 50 and who will come even until the end of the world (saeculum) . . . · Since on account of my weakness and the pain of my infirmity I cannot manage to speak, in these three words I am briefly making clear my will to my friars, · that is: that, in remembrance of my blessing and my testament, they love (dilectio) one another, · that they always love and observe our lady, Holy Poverty, · and that they be 51 faithful and subject to the prelates 52 and all the clerics of Holy Mother Church.
On true and perfect gladness
[VPLaet]
This famous story, told in Chapter 8 of the Fioretti (the Little Flowers of St. Francis) with much embellishment, has its origin in a very simple and short version, which K. Esser considers to have originated with St. Francis. Though seemingly simplistic, the teaching presented here by St. Francis is of the stature of St. John of the Cross' doctrine of the Nada. It is a profound explanation of Christ's sayings: "Where your heart is, there your treasure will be." And "Do not rejoice in this, but rather that your names are written in Heaven." The time of composition is sometime after the beginning of 1220 A.D. 53
The same (fr. Leonard) 54 recalled there that one day blessed Francis, while at St. Mary's (of the Angels), called friar Leo and said: "Friar Leo, write." · Who responded: "Behold I am ready." · "Write—he said—what is perfect gladness?" · A messenger comes and says that all the masters 55 of Paris have entered the Order, write, "not true gladness." · Likewise that all the prelates beyond the Alps, archbishops and bishops; likewise that the King of France and the King of England: write, "not true gladness." · Likewise, that my friars went among the infidels and converted them all to the Faith; likewise that I have from God this grace, that I heal the infirm and work many miracles: 56 I say to you that in all these things there is not true gladness. · But what is true gladness? · I return from Perugia and in the dead of night I come here and it is winter time, muddy and what is more, so frigid, that icicles have congealed at the edge of my tunic and they always pierce my shins, and blood comes forth from such wounds. · And entirely (covered) with mud and in the cold and ice, I come to the gate, and after I knock for a long time and call, there comes a friar and he asks: "Who is it? I respond: "Friar Francis." · And he says: "Go away; it is not a decent hour for traveling; you shall not enter." · And again he would respond to (me) insisting: "Go away; you are a simpleton and an idiot; you do not measure up to us; we are so many and such men, that we are not in need of you!" · And I stand again at the gate and I say: "For the love (amor) of God take me in this night." · And he would respond: "I will not! Go away to the place of Crosiers 57 and ask there." · I say to you that if I will have had patience and will not have been disturbed, that in this is true gladness and true virtue and soundness 58 of soul.
FOOTNOTES
1. cf. 2 Celano 198.
2. cf. K. Esser, p. 550.
3. lit. electa, "the elect" woman: a reference to Mary's predestination. In the second part of this sentence, the Latin phrase in qua, translated here as "in whom," means more precisely in this context "Thou the woman in whom."
4. This conjunction of Mary's prerogatives and the mediation of grace is an explicit reference to Our Lady's intimate role in mediating the graces of the Holy Spirit, Her divine Spouse, cf. the Marian Antiphon from the "Office of the Passion of the Lord" [OffPass].
5. 2 Celano 189.
6. cf. K. Esser, p. 562, 550-2.
7. cf. 2 Celano 189.
8. see EpMin, fn. 75 for St. Francis' usage of "world" here and in the next paragraph.
9. cf. RegB X,7.
10. i.e. an obedience that is in the heart, and not only in outward appearances.
11. cf. K. Esser, p. 583.
12. There was such a reverence for this last will and testament of St. Francis that the Order itself requested a papal decision regarding its status. Pope Gregory IX in Quo elongati (Sept. 28, 1230 A.D.) declared it to bind the friars spiritually, not canonically.
13. Although in the General Constitutions of 1506 A.D. the weekly reading of the Testament was prescribed, it had long been the custom; cf. K. Esser, p. 567.
14. lit. conduxit, "to lead" by one's personal presence; hence St. Francis is confessing that the Lord led him by traveling with him among the lepers. Similarly the Latin phrase cum illis translated here as "with them," is not an ablative of means, but of accompaniment; hence St. Francis is confessing that without the lepers he could not have practiced mercy.
15. "To forsake the world" is an ancient Christian theme referring to the abandonment of the manner of living common among human society and the setting out to follow Christ as a religious, by observing the evangelical counsels; in this regard cf. also the note in Translator's Foreword regarding saeculum.
16. The Latin text of this prayer is: Adoremus te, Domine Jesu Christe, et ad omnes ecclesias tuas, quae sunt in toto mundo, et benedicimus tibi, quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. Here the Latin preposition ad, can mean either: "facing" or "at". Likewise the Latin conjunction et, can mean "and", "even" or "also". Some manuscripts insert hic before the first et, while others omit the second et. The customary rendering of this prayer in English is We adore Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, here and at all Thy churches which are in the whole world, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world. Other possibilities arise from the various usages of et and ad in this prayer: We adore Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, (here) (even/and) (at/facing) all Thy churches, which are in the whole world, (and/also) we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world. The rich meaning of this prayer is thus very fruitful for devotion; cf. Breviarum Romanum (1961): Festo in Exaltatione sanctae Crucis, ad Matutinum, Antiphon VII.
17. see EpMin, fn. 75 for the usage of "world" in this prayer.
18. On account of the sacramental character of Sacred Orders.
19. In general "the Holy Mysteries" refer to the Sacraments; here St. Francis is speaking of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
20. In St. Francis' day theologians were the men who both believed and studied Catholic teaching.
21. lit dedit mihi de fratribus, an latinized Italian idiom, equivalent to "gave me some friars." This phrase recalls St. Francis' identification of God as King, and of himself as God's vassal.
22. Pope Innocent III, who died in 1216 A.D..
23. lit. secundum alios clericos, a phrase that can be rendered "according to the manner of the other clergy" or "along with the other clergy." The former would refer to the use of the Gallican Psalter, which prevailed in the earliest years of the Order, before changing to the Roman Psalter in accordance with the Rule; the later would refer to the friar's lack of liturgical books, which were very costly.
24. The "Our Father", because the lay brothers usually did not know how to read.
25. On account of the poverty and small numbers of the first friars, they lived in local churches.
26. The early Franciscans received food and other necessities in exchange for their work.
27. To resort to begging is to "have recourse to table of the Lord," because Our Lord himself was fed by others during His public ministry. St. Francis' construction of this sentence, which employs the imperfect subjunctive in the initial clause, indicates that the friars should have recourse to begging, not on every occasion that they do not receive alms in exchange for their work, but only if this is a habitual circumstance of their work.
28. see Adm, fn. 6.
29. i.e. any legal grant of right or privilege, which would distinguish them from the poor.
30. For an explanation of this and the other offices mentioned below, see the introduction to "The First Letter to the Custodes" [EpCust I].
31. St. Francis was so debilitated by a illness of his eyes, that he could no longer see well enough to recite the Divine Office; for an explanation of the Office see RegB, fn. 30.
32. The Office prescribed by the Rule was that of the Roman Church; hence St. Francis judges rightly that those who dissent from the liturgical tradition of the Roman Church are not Catholic, in as much as it was upon Peter, the Founder of the Roman Church, that Christ established His Church for all peoples, and it is from this same Apostle that the liturgical traditions of the Roman Church originate.
33. The lord Cardinal of Ostia, was at this time the representative of the Order in the Papal court.
34. Hence, the custom of keeping and reading this Testament immediately after that of the Rule.
35. St. Francis refers here to that special light God gave him to compose the final version of the Rule, the Regula Bullata.
36. On this phrase see EpFid I, fn. 14.
37. For "Virtues" see. OffPass, Psalm 1, fn. 24.
38. Rule of St. Clare, VI,3; cf. K. Esser, p. 585.
39. loc. cit.; cf. K. Esser, p. 587.
40. lit. parvulus: the diminutive form of the Latin parvus (small); this appellation appears elsewhere whenever St. Francis addresses his friars, cf. Test III,8; IV,7; EpOrd 3; EpCust I,1.
41. K. Esser, pp. 589-604.
42. It should be noted that the citation which K. Esser includes under the title "The Letter sent to the Friars in France" [EpFranc] does contain the actual quote of one phrase of the letter by St. Francis: "Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit"; cf. op. cit., pp. 598-9.
43. cf. K. Esser, p. 591.
44. see EpOrd, fn. 86.
45. see Adm, fn. 6.
46. Inasmuch as St. Francis would no longer be Minister general, after his resignation, he could not strictly give his friars a command, but only admonish them as the founder of the Order.
47. For an explanation of the offices of Minister general and Minister provincial, see the introduction to "The First Letter to the Custodes," [EpCust I].
48. lit. teneant, "to hold, keep, preserve, remember," etc.
49. cf. K. Esser, pp. 600 and 599 respectively.
50. see EpOrd, fn. 86.
51. lit. exsistant, which means more exactly "to stand forth, arise, come into existence"; cf. Frag II, 10.
52. see fn. 6.
53. Friar Leo accompanied St. Francis daily after his return from the Holy Land at the beginning of 1220 A.D., as his personal secretary and chaplain; cf. K. Esser, pp. 601-3.
54. i.e. Friar Leo.
55. i.e. professors of theology.
56. lit. miraculis, "miracles" in the proper sense; compare Adm V,7.
57. St. Francis is referring to the Hospital of Fontanelle, run by the Order of Crosiers. It was only a short distance from St. Mary's. Hospitals in the Middle Ages where the places for the infirm, the elderly, and travelers; cf. K. Esser, p. 602, n. 41.
58. lit. salus, see EpAnt, fn. 23 for the various meanings of this word.