Of Compassion toward One's Neighbor.

Day 21. Admonition18.

Blessed is the man who bears with his neighbor according to the frailty of his nature as much as he would wish to be borne with by him if he should be in a like case.

Perhaps we might say that this is a reminder to meet each other halfway.

We are blessed when we receive our neighbour kindly no matter what their state of mind.

Likewise we are blessed when they receive us kindly no matter what our state of mind.

Imperfect obedience

 

Admonition 3b day 6

Imperfect obedience

However, if a Superior orders a Subject to do something against their own soul they are allowed to disobey, but they must not leave their Superior, And if in consequence they suffer persecution from some of their companions, they must love them all the more for God’s sake.

 

For those who were willing to endure persecution rather than wish to be separated from their companions, truly abide in perfect obedience for they lay down their lives for their fellows.

For there are many Religious who in retrospect, see better things for themselves than their Superior commands, return to the vomit of their own self will. These are (like) murderers who by their bad example cause the loss of many souls.

 

“If however a Superior orders a subject to do something against their own soul” I would write ‘conscience’ here instead of soul.

If a  Superior in Religion asked, no, ordered a Subject to do something against their conscience then it must be something grave because I do not visualise a subject disobeying because of something trite. Francis tells us that “they are allowed to disobey” for, as we all realise, we do damage to ourselves when we act against our own conscience.  Francis says ‘must’; the subjects can disobey their Superiors but must remain with them, that is why the obedience is imperfect.

Consequently should the Subjects suffer persecution from their companions rather than be separated from them then they must love them all the more and in doing so lay down their lives for their companions.

In finishing, Francis considers that the Religious who look back on the lives they lived before they entered the Order and think they might have done better for themselves than their superior commands “return to the vomit of their own self-will” – and are murders because their bad example can lead to others losing their souls.

 

 

 

 

 

Of Perfect Obedience

Day 5

Admonition 3.a

Of Perfect Obedience

 The Lord says in the Gospels “…no one can be my disciple unless they relinquish everything they own...Luke 14:33” And again “… unless you surrender your lives to me you will lose them…Luke 9:24”

Those who relinquish everything they possess  for the sake of Christ and offer themselves in complete obedience to a Superior, lose both body and soul; and whoever says and does what they know is not contrary to their Superior’s desire is truly obedient, (and shall save their lives.)

If at any time a subject sees things that are better or more useful to their life than what their Superior commands them let them sacrifice those desires to God. Let them strive to fulfil the work given them to do by their Superior for this is true and charitable obedience, pleasing to both God and neighbour.

As is my custom I apply my little Latin against another translation to arrive at a unique English translation for the public Domain – this one is clumsy especially in the second paragraph where Francis attempts to say too much.

Here is Pascal Robinson’s “That man leaves all he possesses and loses his body and his soul who abandons himself wholly to obedience  in the hands of his superior, and whatever he does and says—provided he himself knows that what he does is good and not contrary to his [the superior’s] will—is true obedience.

Be the judge of whether or not I have made it more obscure than he

The Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi, newly translated into English with an Introduction and Notes by Father Paschal Robinson (Philadelphia: The Dolphin Press,1906).

According to the Office of the EFO the Admonitions are divided to give us 31 portions, so for the 5^th of any month Admonition 3 part one is given for meditation.

It is Francis, custom to begin his Admonitions with words to the effect of “The Lord says” and once he has cited what the Lord says Francis then explains the Gospel words as they apply to those living as Friars.

Giving up all our worldly goods for Jesus sake is like putting our trust in a Superior in religion,  trusting involves letting go of, relinquishing, ceding, our lives to another, in this case to the Superior who stands in the place of Christ to us.

Living a life obedient to our Superior, saying and doing on their behalf everything we know is according to their desire is to be truly obedient as to God and in doing so we shall save our lives. Furthermore true obedience, self-sacrifice involves giving up our concept of whatever might be better or more useful to our spiritual development in order to better devote ourselves to being true servants of God. This kind of obedience shows love as is pleasing to both God and our fellow humans.

Day 1. Admonition 1a. Of The Lord's Body.

 

Day 1. Admonition 1a.

Of The Lord’s Body.

The Lord Jesus said to His disciples: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No

man comes to the Father, but by Me. If you had known Me you would, without

doubt, have known My Father also: and from henceforth you shall know Him, and

you have seen Him. Philip said to Him: Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for

us. Jesus said to him: Have I been so long a time with you and have you not known

Me? Philip, he that sees Me sees [My] Father also. How can you say, Show us the

Father?”

1 The Father “inhabits light inaccessible,”2 and “God is a spirit,”3 and “no

man has seen God at any time.”4 Because God is a spirit, therefore it is only by the

spirit He can be seen, for “it is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing.”5

 

Francis quotes Jesus as saying “if you had known me” as in those who know Jesus know the Father, implying that those who do not know Jesus do not know His Father.

Despite his years as Jesus’ disciple, Philip seems not to have known Jesus because he does not know the Father. Jesus then tells Philip that in seeing and knowing Jesus he will both know and see the Father.

Perhaps, in analysing the Trinity as the Triune God and in attempting to organise the three persons' of God in an acceptable monotheistic form, we may miss the whole point. Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting (our)trespasses against (us), and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB)

 

I rather think that Francis was unknowingly leaning towards Panentheism, seeing God as both very nearby in Creation and yet much greater than it, we only need to read his Canticle of the Creatures to discern this:

There is only God whether in Jesus or the Spirit, our Deity can be seen and perceived in Jesus, and in the wind, blowing wherever it pleases (John 3:8); in the tallest trees and the deepest seas, in the hottest fire, our God is everywhere and in everything.

We shall stop with this because if we try to explain it further we return to the sticky web of Trinity