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Title: |
Rite Expiatis
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Descr.: |
On St. Francis Of Assisi
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Pope: |
Pope Pius XI
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Date: |
April 30, 1926
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To
Our Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops,
Bishops, and Other Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the
Apostolic See.
1.
To the great Jubilee which was celebrated in Rome and is now
extended to the whole world for the period of this year, which
served to purify souls and called so many to a more perfect way of
life, is now to be added, as a fulfillment of the fruits received
or expected from the Holy Year, the solemn commemoration which
Catholics everywhere are preparing to celebrate, the Seventh
Centenary of the blessed passage of St. Francis of Assisi from his
exile on earth to his heavenly home. Since Our immediate
Predecessor has assigned this Saint, who was sent by Divine
Providence for the reformation not only of the turbulent age in
which he lived but of Christian society of all times, as the
patron of "Catholic Action," it is only right that Our
children who labor in this field according to Our commands should
in union with the numerous Franciscan brotherhood call to mind and
praise the works, the virtues, and the spirit of the Seraphic
Patriarch. While doing this, they must reject that purely
imaginary figure of the Saint conjured up by the defenders of
modern error or by the followers of luxury and worldly comforts,
and seek to bring Christians to the faithful imitation of the
ideal of sanctity which he exemplified in himself and which he
learned from the purity and simplicity of the doctrines of the
Gospels.
2.
It is Our desire that the religious and civic festivals to be held
during this Centenary, as well as the conferences and sermons to
be given, should aim at celebrating this anniversary with
expressions of true devotion, without making the Seraphic
Patriarch either totally different from other men or unlike the
historical figure he actually was, but showing him a man gifted by
nature and grace which admirably assisted him in reaching himself
and in rendering easy for his neighbors the highest possible
perfection. If some dare to compare one with another the heavenly
heroes of sanctity destined by the Holy Ghost each to his own
special mission among men - these comparisons, the fruit for the
most part of party passions, are valueless and are at the same
time an insult to God, the author of sanctity - it seems necessary
for Us to affirm that there has never been anyone in whom the
image of Jesus Christ and the evangelical manner of life shone
forth more lifelike and strikingly than in St. Francis. He who
called himself the "Herald of the Great King" was also
rightly spoken of as "another Jesus Christ," appearing
to his contemporaries and to future generations almost as if he
were the Risen Christ. He has always lived as such in the eyes of
men and so will continue to live for all future time. Nor is it
marvelous that his early biographers, contemporaries of the Saint,
in their accounts of his life and works, judged him to be of a
nobility almost superior to human nature itself. Our Predecessors
who dealt personally with Francis did not hesitate to recognize in
him a providential help sent by God for the welfare of Christian
peoples and of the Church.
3.
Notwithstanding the long time that has elapsed since the death of
the Seraphic Father, the admiration for him, not only of Catholics
but even of non-Catholics, continues amazingly to increase for the
reason that his greatness appears to the minds of men with no less
splendor today than it did long ago. We, too, most ardently pray
for the strength of his virtues which have been so powerful, even
at the present hour, in remedying the ills of society. In fact,
his work of reform has permeated so deeply Christian peoples that
besides re-establishing purity of faith and of morals it has
resulted in this, that even the laws of justice and of evangelical
charity now more profoundly inspire and guide social life itself.
4.
The nearness of so great and happy an event as this Centenary
carries with it the counsel that We avail Ourselves of your
services, Venerable Brothers, as the messengers and interpreters
of Our words to arouse in Christian peoples that Franciscan spirit
which differs no wise from evangelical ideals and practices, to
help in recalling to memory on such a timely occasion the
teachings and example of the life of the Patriarch of Assisi. It
is a pleasure for Us to compete, as it were, in devotion towards
the Saint with Our Predecessors, who never permitted any centenary
of the principal events of his life to pass by without exhorting
the faithful to celebrate it, confirming their exhortations by the
teaching authority of the Apostles which they possessed.
5.
In this regard We recall with pleasure - and many others who are
now well on in years will remember the same facts - what love for
St. Francis and his work was begotten among the faithful, and
throughout the whole world, by the encyclical Auspicato written by
Leo XIII forty-four years ago, on the recurrence of the Seventh
Centenary of the Saint's birth; and how, at that time, the love
thus born was manifested in a multitude of demonstrations of piety
and in a happy renaissance of the spiritual life. We do not see
why the selfsame results should not crown the coming celebrations
which are equally as important as the preceding ones. The present
condition of the Christian peoples should give us much more hope
that such will be the case. On the one hand, no one is unaware of
the fact that today spiritual values are much better appreciated
by the masses than formerly; also that the people, taught by the
experience of the past not to expect peace and security if they do
not return to God, look to the Catholic Church as the one source
of salvation. On the other hand, the extension to the whole world
of the Jubilee Indulgences happily coincides with this centennial
commemoration which itself cannot be separated from the spirit of
penance and love.
6.
The terrible conditions existing in the times when St. Francis
lived are well known to you, Venerable Brothers. It is quite true
that then the faith was more deeply rooted in the people, as is
proven by the holy enthusiasm with which not only professional
soldiers but even citizens of every class bore arms in Palestine
to free the Holy Sepulcher. However, heresies gradually arose and
grew in the vineyard of the Lord, propagated either by open
heretics or by sly deceivers who, because they professed a certain
austerity of life and gave a false appearance of virtue and piety,
easily led weak and simple souls astray. They went about, too,
amid the multitudes spreading the destructive flames of rebellion.
If some of these men, in their pride, believed themselves called
by God to reform the Church to which they imputed the faults of
private persons, even going to the length of rebelling against the
teachings and authority of the Holy See, later they openly
manifested the real intention by which they were inspired. It is a
notorious fact that before long the greater part of these heretics
ended their careers in licentiousness and vice, and succeeded in
embroiling the state in difficulties and in undermining the
foundations of religion, of property, of the family, and of
society. In a word, what happened then is precisely what we see
recurring so often in the course of the centuries; rebellions
leveled against the Church are followed or accompanied by
rebellions against the state, the one receiving aid and comfort
from the other.
7.
Although the Catholic faith still lived in the hearts of men, in
some cases intact and in others a bit obscured, however lacking
they might have been in the spirit of the gospels, the charity of
Christ had become so weakened in human society as to appear to be
almost extinct. To say nothing of the constant warfare carried on
by the partisans of the Empire, on the one hand, and by those of
the Church on the other, the cities of Italy were torn by
internecine wars because one party desired to rule, refusing to
recognize the rights of the barons to govern, or because the
strong wished to force the weak to submit to them, or because of
the struggles for supremacy between political parties in the same
city. Horrible massacres, conflagrations, devastation and pillage,
exile, confiscation of property and estates were the bitter fruits
of these struggles.
8.
Sad indeed was the fate of the common people, while between lords
and vassals, between the greater and the lesser, as they were
called, between the owners of land and the peasants existed
relations in every sense of the world foreign to the spirit of
humanity. Peace-loving people were harassed and oppressed with
impunity by the powerful. Those who did not belong to that most
unfortunate class of human beings, the proletariat, allowed
themselves to be overcome by egotism and greed for possessions and
were driven by an insatiable desire for riches. These men,
regardless of the laws which had been promulgated in many places
against vice, ostentatiously paraded their riches in a wild orgy
of clothes, banquets, and feasts of every kind. They looked on
poverty and the poor as something vile. They abhorred from the
depths of their souls the lepers - leprosy was then very
widespread - and neglected these outcasts completely in their
segregation from society. What is worse, this greed for wealth and
pleasure was not even absent, though many of the clergy are to be
commended for the austerity of their lives, from those who should
have most scrupulously guarded themselves from such sin. The
custom, too, was prevalent of monopolizing wealth and piling up
large fortunes. These fortunes were often acquired in divers and
sinful manners, sometimes by the violent extortion of money and
other times by usury. Many increased and swelled their patrimony
by an illicit trade in public of and emoluments, in the
administration of justice, and even by the procuring of immunity
from punishment for persons convicted of crime.
9.
The Church was not silent under these circumstances; neither did
it spare its edicts of punishment; but of what use was all this
when even the Emperors drew down on themselves the anathemas of
the Holy See, and, to the great scandal of all, contumaciously
despised these decrees? Even the monastic life, which had brought
so many spiritual fruits to maturity, tarnished now by the dirt of
this world, possessed no longer the strength to resist and to
defend itself. If the founding of new religious orders brought
some small help and strength to the maintenance of ecclesiastical
discipline, certainly a much stronger flame of light and love was
necessary to reform human society which had been so profoundly
disturbed.
10.
To bring light to the people of this world which We have
described, and to lead them back to the pure ideals of the wisdom
of the Gospels, there appeared, in the Providence of God, St.
Francis of Assisi who, as Dante sang, "shone as the sun"
(Paradiso, Canto XI), or as Thomas of Celano had already written
of a similar figure, "he shone forth as a resplendent star on
a dark night, like the morning which spreads itself over the
darkness." (Legenda I, No. 37)
11.
As a youth, St. Francis was expansive and high-strung, a lover of
luxurious dress. He was accustomed to invite to magnificent
banquets the friends he had chosen from among the fashionable and
pleasure-loving young men of the town. He walked through the
streets with them, singing gaily. But even at that time in his
life he became known for the integrity of his moral life, his
correctness in conversation, and his utter disdain of wealth.
After his imprisonment in Perugia, which was followed by a long
illness, he felt himself, not without a certain sense of
astonishment, completely transformed. However, as if he desired to
flee from the hands of God, he went to Puglia on a military
mission. On this journey he felt himself commanded by God in
unmistakable terms to return to Assisi and learn there what he
must do. After much wavering and many doubts, through divine
inspiration and through having heard at solemn Mass that passage
from the Gospels which speaks of the apostolic life, he understood
at last that he, too, must live and serve Christ "according
to the very words of the Holy Gospels." From that time on he
undertook to unite himself to Christ alone and to make himself
like unto Him in all things. In "all his efforts, public as
well as private, he turned to the Cross of Our Lord, and from the
moment he began to live as a soldier of Christ, the divers
mysteries of the Cross shone round about him." (Thomas of
Celano, Treatise on Miracles, No. 2) Truly he was a brave soldier
and knight of Christ because of the nobility and generosity of his
heart; wherefore to prove that neither he nor his disciples were
ever to be separated from Our Lord, he always had recourse to the
Gospels as to an oracle whenever he had to make a decision on any
matter. The rules of the Orders founded by him were made to agree
most scrupulously with the Gospels, and the religious life of his
followers with the life of the Apostles. For this reason at the
very beginning of his Rule, he wrote: "This is the life and
rule of the Friars Minor, to observe the holy Gospel of Our Lord
Jesus Christ." (Beginning of Rule of the Friars Minor)
12.
In order not to prolong this subject unduly, let us see now with
what exercise of perfect virtue Francis prepared himself to follow
the counsels of divine mercy and to make himself a capable
instrument for the reformation of society.
13.
It is not hard to imagine, although We know it is a very difficult
task fitly to describe, the love of evangelical poverty which
burned within him. Everyone knows how he, because of the noble
character bestowed on him by nature, loved to befriend the poor,
and how, as St. Bonaventure has said, he was so filled with
kindness that being "no mere hearer of the Gospel" he
had decided never to deny help to the poor, especially if they in
asking for assistance did so with the plea "for the love of
God." (Legenda Maior, Chap. I, No. 1) Divine grace completed
in him the work of nature and brought him to the highest
perfection. Having on one occasion refused alms to a poor man, he
forthwith repented and felt impelled to go and seek him out so
that by the very abundance of his charity he might succor this man
in his poverty.
14.
On another occasion he was with a party of young men, singing in
the streets after a gay banquet, when he stopped suddenly and, as
if lifted outside himself by a wonderful vision, turned to his
companions who had asked him if he was thinking of getting married
and quickly replied, with some warmth, that they had guessed
rightly because he proposed to take a spouse, and no one more
noble, more rich, more beautiful than she could possibly be found,
meaning by these words Poverty or the religious state which is
founded on the profession of poverty. In fact, he had learned from
Our Lord Jesus Christ Who, "although he was rich made Himself
poor for us" (II Corinthians viii, 9) that we, too, should
become rich by His poverty, which is, in truth, divine wisdom; a
wisdom which cannot be overthrown by the sophistries of human
wisdom, a wisdom which alone can renew and restore all things. For
Christ has said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit; if thou
wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me."
(Matt. v, 3, and Matt. xix, 21)
15.
Poverty, which consists in the voluntary renunciation of every
possession for reasons of love and through divine inspiration and
which is quite the opposite of that forced and unlovable poverty
preached by some ancient philosophers, was embraced by Francis
with so much affection that he called her in loving accents, Lady,
Mother, Spouse. In this regard, St. Bonaventure writes: "No
one was ever so eager for gold as he was for poverty, nor more
jealous in the custody of a treasure than he was of this pearl of
the Gospel." (Legenda Maior, Chap. VII) Francis himself,
recommending and prescribing for his followers in the rule of his
Order the exercise of this virtue in a very special manner,
manifested the high esteem he had for poverty when he wrote these
expressive words: "This is the sublimeness of the highest
poverty which made you, my dearest brothers, heirs and kings of
the Kingdom of heaven, which made you poor in things of this world
but enriched you with all virtue. This should be your heritage; to
which, giving yourselves up entirely in the name of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, nothing else will you desire forever under heaven."
(Rule of Friars Minor, Chap. VI)
16.
The reason why Francis particularly loved poverty was because he
considered it a special virtue of the Blessed Virgin, and because
Jesus Christ on the Cross, even more especially chose poverty for
His spouse. Since then poverty has been forgotten by men and has
appeared to the world both irksome and foreign to the spirit of
the age.
17.
Often when thinking of these things, St. Francis used to break
down and shed bitter tears. Who would not be moved at this
spectacle of a man who was so much in love with poverty that he
appeared to his former boon companions and, to many others
besides, bereft of his senses? What are we to say then of the
generations following him which, even if they are very far from an
understanding and practice of evangelical perfection, yet are
filled with admiration for so ardent a lover of poverty, an
admiration that is continually on the increase and which is
particularly noteworthy in the men of our own day? Dante
anticipated this admiration of posterity in his poem "The
Nuptials of St. Francis and Poverty," in which poem one finds
it difficult which to admire more, the remarkable sublimity of the
ideas expressed or the beauty and elegance of the style. (Paradiso,
Canto XI.)
18.
The high ideals and generous love of poverty which possessed the
mind and heart of Francis could not be satisfied by a mere
renunciation of external wealth. Could one ever succeed in
acquiring true poverty, following the footsteps of Jesus Christ,
if he did not make himself also poor in spirit by means of the
virtue of humility? Francis well understood this truth; he never
separated one virtue from the other and greeted them both warmly:
"Holy Lady Poverty, may the Lord save you and your sister,
Holy Humility.... Holy Poverty destroys all cupidity and avarice
and anxiety for the things of this world. Holy Humility destroys
pride, all men who are of the world, and all the things which are
in the world." (Opusculum, Salutatio Virtutum, p. 20 et seq.,
edition 1904)
19.
The author of that golden book The Imitation of Christ describes
St. Francis in a word when he calls him "humble."
"For how much so ever each one is in thine eyes, O Lord, so
much is he and no more, saith the humble St. Francis."
(Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chap. 50) In fact, it was the
supreme wish of his heart to carry himself always with humility,
as the least and last among men. Therefore, from the very
beginning of his conversion, he ardently desired to be looked down
upon and to be despised by all. Later on, although he became the
Founder, the writer of their Rule, and the Father of the Friars
Minor, he insisted that one of his followers should become the
superior and master on whom even he was to depend. At the earliest
possible moment, steeling himself against the prayers and wishes
of his disciples, he desired to give up the supreme government of
his Order "in order to practice the virtue of holy
humility" and to remain "with her till death, living
more humbly than any other friar." (Thomas of Celano, Legenda,
Chap. II, No. 143)
20.
Cardinals and great lords often offered him hospitality but he
abruptly refused all such invitations. Though he exhibited the
greatest esteem for all men and rendered each man every possible
deference, he looked upon himself as a sinner, considering himself
as only one among many sinners. In fact, he believed himself the
greatest of all sinners. He was accustomed to say that if the
mercy shown him by God had been given to any other sinner, the
latter would have become ten times holier than he, and that to God
alone must be attributed whatever was found in him of goodness and
beauty, for from God only was it derived. For this reason he tried
in every possible way to hide those privileges and graces,
especially the stigmata of Our Lord imprinted on his body, which
might have gained for him the esteem and praise of men. When at
times he was praised, either in public or in private, he not only
refused to accept such praise but protested that he was worthy
only of contempt and abuse and was really saddened thereby.
Finally, what must we say about the fact that he thought so humbly
of himself that he did not consider himself worthy to be ordained
a priest?
21.
On this selfsame foundation of humility he desired that his Order
of Friars Minor should be founded and built. He repeatedly taught
his followers, in exhortations begotten of a truly marvelous
wisdom, that they should glory in nothing, and above all not in
their acquisition of virtues or in the possession of divine grace.
He admonished them too, and even, on occasion, reproved those
friars who because of their duties as preachers, men of letters,
philosophers, superiors of convents and provinces, were exposed to
the dangers of vain glory. It would take too long to go into
details; this is enough to prove our point that St. Francis,
following the example and words of Christ (Matt. xx, 26, 28; Luke
xxii, 26), considered humility in his followers as the distinctive
mark of his Order - namely, "he insisted that his disciples
be called 'Minors,' and the superiors of his Order 'Ministers.' He
did this in order both to make use of the very language of the
Gospels which he had promised to observe and to make his disciples
understand by the name which they bore that they must go to the
school of the humble Christ in order to learn humility." (St.
Bonaventure, Legenda Maior, Chap. VI, No. 5)
22.
We have seen how the Seraphic Father, motivated by the idea of
perfect poverty which had taken complete possession of his soul,
made himself so small and humble as to obey others (it would be
better to say almost everyone) with the very simplicity of a
child, for the reason that he who does not deny himself and give
up his own will, certainly cannot be said to have renounced all
things or to have become humble of heart. St. Francis by his vow
of obedience consecrated gladly and submitted fully his will, the
greatest gift which God has bestowed on human nature, to the will
of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.
23.
What evil they do and how far from a true appreciation of the Man
of Assisi are they who, in order to bolster up their fantastic and
erroneous ideas about him, imagine such an incredible thing as
that Francis was an opponent of the discipline of the Church, that
he did not accept the dogmas of the Faith, that he was the
precursor and prophet of that false liberty which began to
manifest itself at the beginning of modern times and which has
caused so many disturbances both in the Church and in civil
society! That he was in a special manner obedient and faithful in
all things to the hierarchy of the Church, to this Apostolic See,
and to the teachings of Christ, the Herald of the Great King
proved both to Catholics and non-Catholics by the admirable
example of obedience which he always gave. It is a fact proven by
contemporary documents, which are worthy of all credence,
"that he held in veneration the clergy, and loved with a
great affection all who were in holy orders." (Thomas of
Celano, Legenda, Chap. I, No. 62) "As a man who was truly
Catholic and apostolic, he insisted above all things in his
sermons that the faith of the Holy Roman Church should always be
preserved and inviolably, and that the priests who by their
ministry bring into being the sublime Sacrament of the Lord,
should therefore be held in the highest reverence. He also taught
that the doctors of the law of God and all the orders of clergy
should be shown the utmost respect at all times." (Julian a
Spira, Life of St. Francis, No. 28) That which he taught to the
people from the pulpit he insisted on much more strongly among his
friars. We may read of this in his famous last testament and,
again, at the very point of death he admonished them about this
with great insistence, namely, that in the exercise of the sacred
ministry they should always obey the bishops and the clergy and
should live together with them as it behooves children of peace.
24.
The most important side of his obedience, however, is shown by the
fact that as soon as the Seraphic Patriarch had drawn up and
written out the rules of his Order, he delayed not even an instant
in presenting himself personally, together with his first eleven
disciples, to Innocent III, in order to gain the Pope's approval
of his Rules. That Pontiff of immortal memory, moved deeply by the
words and presence of the humble Poverello, embraced Francis with
great affection and, divinely inspired, sanctioned the Rules
presented to him. He also gave to Francis and to his co-laborers
the faculty to preach penance. History attests that Honorius III
added a new confirmation to this Rule, after it had been somewhat
modified, in answer to the prayers of St. Francis.
25.
The Seraphic Father commanded that the Rule and the Life of the
Friars Minor should be the following: to observe the "holy
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ" living in obedience, without
possessing any property, and in all chastity, and this not
according to one's own whims or individual interpretation of the
Rule, but according to the commands of the Roman Pontiffs,
canonically elected. For those who eagerly longed "to follow
this manner of life...they had to be, first, diligently examined
by the Father Ministers concerning their Catholic Faith and their
reception of the sacraments of the Church; whether they believed
all these things and were firm in their intention to profess them
until death." Those who had already become members of the
Order must for no reason leave except it be "by order of Our
Lord, the Pope." To the clerics of the Order it is prescribed
that they celebrate "the divine office according to the
calendar of the Roman Church"; to the friars in general it
was commanded that they should not preach in the territory of a
bishop without his permission, and that they should not enter, not
even for reasons of their ministry, the convents of sisters
without a special faculty from the Apostolic See. No less
reverence and docility towards the Apostolic See is shown by the
words which St. Francis uses in commanding that a Cardinal
Protector should be appointed for the Order: "In obedience, I
enjoin the Ministers to ask the Lord Pope for one of the Cardinals
of the Holy Roman Church to be the guide, protector and corrector
of this Brotherhood; so that subordinate at all times and
submissive, at the feet of the same Holy Roman Church, and thus
firm in the Catholic Faith,...we shall observe, as we have
faithfully promised to do, the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus
Christ." (Rule of Friars Minor, passim)
26.
We must speak also of the "beauty and cleanliness of
purity" which the Seraphic Father "loved
singularly," of that chastity of soul and body which he kept
and defended even to the maceration of his own flesh. We have
already seen that as a young man, although gay and fashionable, he
abhorred everything sinful, even in word. When later on he cast
aside the vain pleasures of this world, he began to repress the
demands of his senses with great severity. Thus at times when he
found himself moved or likely to be influenced by sensual feeling,
he did not hesitate to throw himself into a bush of thorns or, in
the very depths of winter, to plunge into the icy waters of a
stream.
27.
It is also well known that our Saint, desiring to call back men so
that they would conform their lives to the teachings of the
Gospel, used to exhort them "to love and fear God and to do
penance for their sins." (Legend of the Three Companions, No.
33 et seq) Moreover, he preached and invited all to penance by his
own example. He wore a hair shirt, he was clothed in a poor rough
tunic, went about barefoot, he slept resting his head on a stone
or on the trunk of a tree, ate so little that it was barely
sufficient to keep him from dying of starvation. He even mixed
ashes and water with his food in order to destroy its taste. He
passed the greater part of the year in fasting. Besides all this,
no matter whether he was well or ill, he treated his body with the
greatest severity; he used to call his body "my brother the
ass"; nor could he be induced to give himself any relief or
rest, not even when, as during the last years of his life, he was
suffering greatly, the sufferings of one nailed to a cross, for he
had become like unto Christ because of the stigmata which he bore.
Neither did he neglect to inculcate austerity of life in his
disciples, and, in this only did "the teachings of the Holy
Patriarch differ from his own actions," (Thomas of Celano,
Legenda II, No. 129) he advised them to moderate a too excessive
abstinence or punishment of the body.
28.
Is there anyone who cannot see that all these virtues proceeded
from the one and same fountain of divine love? In truth, as Thomas
of Celano writes, "he was ever afire with divine love and
longed to perform deeds of great heroism; walking with a strong
heart in the way of the divine commandments, he eagerly desired to
reach the highest perfection"; and St. Bonaventure testifies
that "he seemed like a burning coal alive with the fire of
God's love." (Legenda Maior, Chap. IX, No. 1) Wherefore there
were those who "seeing him raised so rapidly to a state of
intoxication of divine love" burst into tears. (Legend of the
Three Companions, No. 21) This love of God he poured out in love
for his neighbor, and conquering himself loved with a special
tenderness the poor and, among the poor, the most miserable of
all, the lepers, whom as a youth he had so abhorred; he dedicated
completely both himself and his disciples to their care and
service. He also wished that a brotherly love similar to his own
should reign among his disciples; because of this his wish, the
Franciscan Brotherhood grew to be "a noble edifice of
charity, from the living stones of which, gathered from every part
of the world, there was built a dwelling for the Holy Ghost."
(Thomas of Celano, Legenda I, No. 38 et seq)
29.
It is Our pleasure, Venerable Brothers, to detain you somewhat
more at length in a study of these his sublime virtues, for the
reason that, in our times, many infected by the false spirit of
secularism, habitually attempt to strip our saintly heroes of the
true light and glory of their sanctity. These writers view the
saint merely as models of human excellence or as professors of an
empty spirit of religion, praising and magnifying them exclusively
because of what they have done for the progress of arts and
sciences, or because of certain works of mercy which they have
accomplished and which have proven helpful to the fatherland and
to mankind. We do not cease to wonder how an admiration of this
kind for St. Francis, so false and even contradictory in itself,
can in any way help his modern admirers who devote their lives to
the search for riches and pleasure or who decked out in finery
frequent public places, dances and theaters, or who roll in the
very mud of voluptuousness, who ignore and cast aside the laws of
Christ and His Church. In this context the following warning is
very significant: "He who pretends to admire the good works
of a saint must at the same time admire the homage and love due to
God. Therefore either imitate that which you praise or do not
permit yourself to praise that which you do not care to imitate.
He who admires the good works of the saints must also distinguish
himself by the holiness of his own life." (Roman Breviary,
7th of November, Lesson IV)
30.
St. Francis, trained in the manly virtues We have written about,
was called providentially to a work of reform for the salvation of
his contemporaries and to assist in the work of the Church
Universal.
31.
In the Church of St. Damian where he was accustomed to pray, he
heard three times a voice from Heaven saying: "Go Francis,
rebuild my house which is falling down." (St. Bonaventure,
Legenda Maior, Chap. II) But Francis, because of that deep
humility which made him think himself incapable of accomplishing
any great work whatsoever, did not understand the meaning of these
mysterious words. Innocent III, however, discovered their import
through the miraculous vision in which Francis was shown in the
act of supporting on his shoulders the Church of the Lateran which
was falling to the ground. The Pope then understood clearly that
the mission of St. Francis was a very special one, given to him by
a most merciful God.
32.
The Seraphic Father founded two Orders, one for men and the other
for women, both made up of aspirants to evangelical perfection. He
then began a visit to the cities of Italy announcing, either
personally or through the first disciples who had come to him, the
foundation of his two Orders, preaching penance to the people in
few but fiery words, gathering by this ministry and by his words
and example almost unbelievable fruits. In all the places where he
went to perform the functions of his apostolic ministry the people
and clergy came out in procession to meet Francis, and there was
much ringing of bells, singing of popular songs, and waving of
olive branches. Persons of every age, sex, and condition flocked
to him and, by day or night, surrounded the house where he lived
so that they might have a chance of seeing him when he went out,
of touching him, speaking to him, or listening to his words. No
one, even if he were grown gray in habits of vice and sin, could
resist the preaching of the Saint. Very many people, even some of
mature age, vied with one another in giving up all their earthly
goods for love of the evangelical life. Entire cities of Italy,
reborn to a new moral life, placed themselves under the direction
of Francis. The number of his sons grew beyond reckoning. Such was
the enthusiasm which filled all to follow in his footsteps that
the Seraphic Patriarch himself was often obliged to dissuade many
and turn aside from the proposal to leave the world both men and
women who were willing and ready to give up their conjugal rights
and the joys of domestic life.
33.
Meanwhile the principal desire which filled these new preachers of
penance was to help bring back peace not only to individuals but
to families, cities, and even nations, torn by interminable wars
and steeped in blood. If at Assisi, Arezzo, Bologna, and in many
other cities and towns it was possible to bring about a general
era of peace, at times confirmed even by solemn treaties, this was
due altogether to the superhuman power of the eloquence of these
rough men.
34.
In this work of reform and of bringing about a universal peace,
the Third Order assisted greatly. The Third Order is indeed a
religious Order but an altogether new type of community at that
time, for while it possesses the spirit of a religious order, it
does not obligate its members to take vows. It offers to both men
and women, living in the world, the means not only of observing
the laws of God but of attaining Christian perfection. The Rules
of this new order may be reduced to the following principal
articles. No one was accepted as a member unless he were of an
unquestioned Catholic faith and obedient in all things to the
Church; the manner of receiving candidates from each of the sexes
into the Order; admission to religious profession was permitted
after a year of novitiate, subject to the consent of the wife in
the case of husbands and of the husband in the case of wives; love
of purity and poverty, especially in the use of clothes, and of
modesty in feminine attire; that the Tertiaries should abstain
from feasting, from immodest shows and balls; abstinence and
fasting; confession and communion three times a year, taking care
to make peace with everyone beforehand and to restore the goods
rightly belonging to others; not to bear arms except in defense of
the Roman Church, of the Christian faith, and of one's own
country, or with the consent of one's Minister; the recitation of
the canonical hours and other prayers; the duty of making a last
will and testament three months after admission into the Order; to
restore as soon as possible peace among one's brethren or among
those outside the order if any trouble had arisen; what to do in
case the rights and privileges of the Order had been violated; not
to take an oath except in case of urgent necessity recognized by
the Apostolic See. To these rules were added others of no less
importance; for example, on the duty of hearing Mass; of attending
meetings called on certain fixed days; on the giving of alms by
each according to his ability to help the poor and, especially,
the sick; on the performing of the last rites for dead members; on
the manner of exchanging visits in case of illness; on the manner
of bringing back to the ways of virtue those who had fallen or
were obstinate in sin; on the duty of not refusing the offices and
functions assigned to each and to fulfill these with care; on the
manner of settling disputes.
35.
We have dwelt on these matters somewhat in detail to show how
Francis either by his own apostolate or by that of his disciples
and, by the institution of the Third Order, laid the foundations
of a new social order built on lines in strict conformity with the
very spirit of the Gospels. Omitting everything in these Rules
which relates to the liturgy and to spiritual formation, despite
the fact that these matters are of primary importance, everyone
can understand how from the other prescriptions of the Rules there
should result such an order both in public and private life as to
bring about a new type of civic intercourse. We will not call this
merely a brotherly fellowship based on the practice of Christian
perfection, but rather a shield of the rights of the poor and the
weak against the abuses of the rich and the powerful, and all this
without prejudice to good order and justice. From the association
of the Tertiaries with the clergy there necessarily resulted this
happy consequence, that new members were permitted to participate
in the same exemptions and immunities which the latter already
enjoyed. The Tertiaries no longer were called upon to take the
so-called solemn oath of vassalage, neither were they conscripted
for military service, nor had they to go to war or to bear arms,
for in this the Rule of the Third Order was opposed to the feudal
law, and by their membership in the Order they achieved a liberty
which was otherwise impossible under the conditions of servitude
under which they had lived. When they were set on and harassed by
those whose every interest it was to cause conditions to return to
their former state, they had as defenders and patrons the Popes
Honorius III and Gregory IX who overcame every obstacle put in
their way and prohibited such attacks by the severest punishments.
36.
From this source, therefore, there arose that profound impulse
toward a saving reform of human society, toward that vast
expansion and growth among Christian nations which had its
beginnings in the new Order of which Francis was the Father and
Teacher. Innocence of life, too, blossomed forth once more in
union with the spirit of penance. From this source arose that
ardent zeal which impelled not only pontiffs, cardinals, and
bishops to accept the badge of the Third Order, but also kings and
princes who imbibed, together with the Franciscan spirit,
evangelical wisdom and, from among whom, some rose even to the
glory of sainthood. The noblest virtues, too, came back into
public esteem and honor. In a word, the "face of the earth
itself was changed."
37.
St. Francis, "a man who was truly Catholic and
apostolic," in the same admirable fashion that he had
attended to the reformation of the faithful, so likewise set about
personally and commanded his disciples to occupy themselves before
everything else with the conversion of the heathen to the Faith
and Law of Christ. Nor need We dwell at length on a subject so
well known to all. Moved by an ardent desire to spread the Gospel
and even to undergo martyrdom, he did not hesitate to go to Egypt
and there bravely to appear in the very presence of the Sultan. In
the annals of the Church, too, are not the names of those numerous
apostles of the Gospel who, from the beginning, that is to say, in
the springtime of the Order of Minors, found martyrdom in Syria
and Morocco recorded in words of highest praise? With the passing
of time this apostolate had been developed with much zeal and
often with great shedding of blood by the numerous Franciscan
brotherhood, for many lands inhabited by the heathen have been
entrusted to their care through the express commands of the Roman
Pontiffs.
38.
No one will therefore marvel that throughout the whole period of
seven hundred years just ending the memory of so many benefits
derived from him has never been lost at any time or in any place.
On the contrary we find that his life and work, which as Dante
writes can be sung better by those who enjoy the glories of heaven
than by human tongue, has raised and exalted him century after
century in the devotion and admiration of all so that not only is
his greatness increasing in the Catholic world because of a
remarkable appreciation of his great sanctity, but he is also
surrounded by a certain civic cult and glory by reason of which
the very name Assisi has become well known to the peoples of the
whole world.
39.
Shortly after his death, churches dedicated to the Seraphic Father
and admirable for the beauty of their architecture and treasures
of art began to rise, due to the wishes of the people to honor
him. The most famous artists competed one with another as to who
should succeed in portraying with the greatest perfection and
beauty the likeness and life of Francis in paintings, in statues,
in engravings, and in mosaics. Thus Santa Maria degli Angeli was
built on that very plain where Francis "poor and humble
entered rich into heaven." Churches, too, were built at the
place of his glorious burial as well as on the hills of Assisi,
and to these pilgrims flocked from everywhere in small parties or
in large groups, in order to recall for the benefit of their souls
the memory of so great a saint and to admire these immortal
monuments of art. Moreover, there arose to sing the praises of the
Man of Assisi, as We have already seen a poet who has no equal,
Dante Alighieri. He was followed by others both in Italy and
elsewhere who brought glory to literature by exalting the grandeur
of the saint.
40.
Especially in our days Franciscana have been studied more
profoundly by the learned and a great number of works printed in
various languages have seen the light of day. The talents, too, of
artists who have made works of great artistic value have succeeded
in arousing an almost limitless admiration for St. Francis among
our contemporaries despite the fact that sometimes this admiration
is not based on a true understanding of the Saint. Some admired in
him the character of the poet by which he so wonderfully expressed
the sentiments of his soul, and his famous Canticle became the
delight of learned men who recognized in it one of the first great
poems of the early Italian language. Others were taken by his love
of nature, for he not only seemed fascinated by the majesty of
inanimate nature, by the splendor of the stars, by the beauty of
his Umbrian mountains and valleys, but, like Adam before his fall
in the Garden of Eden, Francis even spoke to the animals
themselves. He appears to have been joined to them in a kind of
brotherhood and they were obedient to his every wish. Others
praised his love of country because in him Our Italy, which boasts
the great honor of having given him birth, found a more fruitful
source of blessings than any other country. Others, finally, honor
him for that truly singular and catholic love with which he
embraced all men. All of this is quite admirable but it is the
least that is to be praised in our Saint, and it all must be
understood in a correct sense. If we stop at these aspects of his
life and look upon them as the most important, or change their
import so as to justify either our own morbid ideas or excuse our
false opinions, or to uphold thereby some of our prejudices, it is
certain that we would not possess a genuine picture of the real
Francis. As a matter of fact, by his practice of all the virtues
in a heroic manner, by the austerity of his life and his preaching
of penance, by his manifold and restless activity for the
reformation of society, the figure of Francis stands forth in all
its completeness, proposed to us not so much for the admiration as
for the imitation of Christian peoples. As the Herald of the Great
King, his purposes were directed to persuading men to conform
their lives to the dictates of evangelical sanctity and to the
love of the Cross, not that they should become mere friends or
lovers of flowers, birds, lambs, fishes or hares. He seemed filled
with a great and tender affection for animals, and "no matter
how small they were" he called them all "by the name of
brother and sister" - a love which if it is kept within
bounds is assuredly not prohibited by any law. This love of
animals was due to no other cause than his own love of God, which
moved him to love these creatures because he knew that they had
the same origin as he (St. Bonaventure, Legenda Maior, Chap VIII,
No. 6) and in them all he perceived the goodness of God. St.
Francis, too, "saw the image of the Beloved imprinted on all
things, and made of these things a ladder whereby to reach His
throne." (Thomas of Celano, Legenda, Chap. II, No. 165)
41.
Why then forbid Italians to glory in him who was an Italian, who
even in the sacred liturgy is called the "light of the
Fatherland"? (Breviary of Friars Minor) Why prevent the
defenders of the rights of the people preaching the love of
Francis toward all men and especially toward the poor? The former
admirers of St. Francis, impelled by an excessive love of their
own nation, should take care not to boast of him as a mere sign
and banner of their newborn love of country, thus lessening his
glorious title of "Catholic Champion." The latter should
take care not to hold him up as a precursor and defender of
errors, which of course he was very far from being. May it please
Heaven that they who, through devotion to the Saint either find
pleasure in these lesser praises of the man of Assisi or labor
with zeal to promote the success of this Centenary, all worthy of
Our praise, may, by the happy recurrence of his feast, draw from
his life strong motives to examine more profoundly the true
picture of this great imitator of Christ and thus themselves
aspire to higher ideals.
42.
Meanwhile, Venerable Brothers, We have good reasons for rejoicing
because We see how through the united efforts of all good men to
celebrate fitly the memory of the Holy Patriarch during this year
which marks the Seven Hundredth Anniversary of his death, both
religious and civic solemnities are being prepared in every part
of the world and especially in that very district which, while
living, he honored by his presence, by the light of his sanctity
and the glory of his miracles. It is with great pleasure, too,
that We see you giving in this an example to your own clergy and
people. From this hour onward there is presented to Our soul, or
better still We can almost see with Our very eyes, the great
throngs of pilgrims who will visit Assisi and the other nearby
sanctuaries of verdant Umbria, the rocky crags of Verna, the
sacred hills that look out on the valley of the Rieti, all spots
where Francis seems to live on teaching even now the lesson of his
virtues, from which places the pious pilgrims can scarcely return
home without being more and more filled with the Franciscan
spirit. To quote Leo XIII: "Concerning the honors that are
being prepared for St. Francis, it should be borne in mind that,
above all, these honors will be agreeable to him to whom they are
given only when they have been made fruitful by the one who
actually offers them. In this then alone can We hope for lasting
fruits, when those men who admire his great virtues seek to copy
in some way this man, and in imitating him make themselves
better." (Encyclical Auspicato, 17 Sept. 1882) Some will say,
perhaps, that to restore Christian society another Francis is
needed today. But We say, do what you can to make men take up
again with renewed zeal the ancient Francis as their teacher of
piety and sanctity; do what you can that they imitate and follow
the example which he has left us, that they accept him as a man
who was "a mirror of virtue, a path of righteousness, a rule
of morals." (Breviary of Friars Minor) If this be done, will
it not in itself be enough to heal and even put an end to the
corruption of our own times?
43.
First of all, then, the many children belonging to the Three
Orders must reproduce in their lives the glorious image of their
Father and Founder. They begin now "established in all parts
of the world" - as Gregory IX wrote to the Blessed Agnes,
daughter of the King of Bohemia - "every day the Almighty is
in many ways glorified by them." (de Conditoris Omnium, 9
May, 1238) On the one hand We sincerely rejoice that the Religious
of the First Order, which is called Franciscan, in spite of the
many unseemly vexations and spoilations which they have had to
suffer like gold which has passed through the crucible, have come
to realize each day more and more their pristine splendor. On the
other hand, We no less sincerely desire that they, by the example
of solid penance and humility which they give, shall become living
protests against the concupiscence of the flesh and the pride of
life so widespread among us. May it be their peculiar function to
call back their fellowmen to the Gospel law of life. With much
less difficulty will they attain this holy purpose if they
themselves observe strictly the Rule which their Founder has
called "the book of life, the hope of holiness, the substance
of the Gospel, the way of perfection, the key of paradise, the
pledge of an eternal alliance." (Thomas of Celano, Legenda,
Chap. II, No. 208) The Seraphic Patriarch will not cease to look
down from heaven and bless the mystical vine which he with his own
hands planted, and to nourish and strengthen its manifold roots
with the moisture and sap of brotherly love, so that all may
become "one heart and one soul," so that all may give
themselves up in all fervor to the restoration of Christian
society.
44.
The holy virgins of the Second Order who participate "in the
angelic life which was made known by St. Clare" by the
snow-like whiteness of their souls, should continue to spread
abroad, like lilies planted in the Garden of the Lord, a sweet
fragrance so pleasing to God. Through their prayers, may sinners
in much larger numbers hasten back to the merciful arms of Christ
Our Lord, and may Our Holy Mother the Church feel the increasing
joy of seeing her children restored to divine grace and to the
hope of eternal life.
45.
We turn finally to the Tertiaries, both to those who are living
together in regular communities and those who live in the world.
They, too, should try, with truly apostolic zeal, to promote the
spiritual welfare of Christian peoples. Their apostolate which, at
its origins, made them worthy to be called by Gregory IX
"soldiers of Christ and new Maccabees," will today also,
with no less efficacy, succeed in promoting the common good
provided they, although they have grown in numbers all over the
world, become like their Father, St. Francis, by giving proof of
innocence of life and integrity of morals.
46.
What Our Predecessors, Leo XIII in the letter Auspicato and
Benedict XV in the encyclical Sacra Propediem, wrote to all the
bishops of the Catholic world and which greatly pleased them, We
repeat and recommend to your pastoral zeal. We expect that you
will favor in every way within your power the Third Order of St.
Francis, either by yourselves or by means of trained priests and
eloquent preachers teaching the people the aims of this Order of
men and women who live in the world, how worthy it is of popular
esteem, how easy it is to enter this Order, to observe its holy
rules, and how abundant are the indulgences and privileges which
the Tertiaries enjoy. Finally, make known the great blessings
which flow from the Third Order to individuals and to the
communities where they live. You should urge those who have not
yet given their names to this immortal band of soldiers to do so
this year. As regards those who cannot, because of their age, join
the Third Order, they should be enrolled as "Cordigeri"
so that even from childhood they may become accustomed to the holy
discipline of this Order.
47.
It seems that God in His goodness and mercy has ordained that Our
pontificate shall not pass without the happiest fruits for the
Catholic Church, judging from the great and holy events in which
We have so often been called upon to participate. We, therefore,
view with great pleasure the preparations which are being made to
celebrate this solemn Centenary of St. Francis who "in his
life propped up the house and in his days fortified the
temple." (Ecclesiasticus i, 1) We take all the more pleasure
in this festival since from Our earliest years We have with great
devotion venerated St. Francis as Our patron. We have numbered
Ourselves, too, among his children, having received the badge of
the Third Order. In this year, therefore, which is the Seventh
Centenary of the death of the Seraphic Father, the Catholic world,
and in particular Our nation, Italy, should receive, through the
intercession of St. Francis, so great an abundance of blessings
that it will remain forever a year memorable in the history of the
Church.
48.
In the meantime, Venerable Brothers, We pray for you all heavenly
favors and as a pledge of Our love both to you, to your clergy,
and to your people, from the depths of Our heart, We impart, in
Our Lord, the Apostolic Blessing.
Given
at Rome, at St. Peter's, on the thirtieth day of April, in the
year 1926, the fifth of Our Pontificate.
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