A LETTER TO A MINISTER
This letter was sent
to an unknown provincial who was having difficulty with the brothers who sin and who
desired to retire to a hermitage rather than continue in such a demanding ministry. This
work speaks eloquently of the Seraphic Father's compassion toward those who sin and those
who are called to minister to them.
To Brother N.,
minister: May the Lord bless you
I speak to you, as I
can, concerning the state of your soul. You should accept as a grace all those things
which deter you from loving the Lord God and whoever has become an impediment to you,
whether they are brothers or others, even if they lay hands on you.
And you should desire
that things be this way and not otherwise. And let this be an expression of true obedience
to the Lord God and to me, for I know full well that this is true obedience. And love
those who do these things to you. And do not expect anything different from them, unless
it is something which the Lord shall have given to you. And love them in this and do not
wish that they be better Christians. And let this be more valuable to you than a
hermitagc.
And by this I wish to
know if you love the Lord God and me, his servant and yours if you have acted in this
manner: that is, there should not be any brother in the world who has sinned, however much
he may have possibly sinned, who, after he has looked into your eyes, would go away
without having received your mercy, if he is looking for mercy. And if he were not to seek
mercy, you should ask him if he wants mercy. And if he should sin thereafter a thousand
times before your very eyes, love him more than me so that you may draw him back to the
Lord. Always be merciful to brothers such as these. And announce this to the guardians, as
you can, that on your part you are resolved to act in this way.
At the Pentecost
Chapter, however, with the help of God and the advice of the brothers, out of all the
chapters of the Rule that treat of mortal sin we shall make one chapter such as this:
If any one of the
brothers at the instigation of the enemy should sin mortally, he is bound by obedience to
have recourse to his guardian. And all the brothers who might know that he has sinned are
not to bring shame upon him or speak ill of him, but let them show great mercy toward him
and keep most secret the sin of their brother; because it is not the healthy wbo are in
need of the physician, but those wbo are sick (Mt 9:12). Likewise let them be bound by
obedience to send him to his custodian with a companion. And let that custodian mercifully
take care of him as he would like to be taken care of if he were in a similar position
(cf. Mt 7:12). And if he falls into some venial sin, let him confess this to a brother who
is a priest. And if there is no priest at hand, let him confess to his brother, until he
has contact with a priest who will absolve him canonically, as it has been laid down. And
the brothers who are not priests should have no power to enjoin any other penance except
this: Go and sin no more (cf. Jn 8:1 1).
Keep this writing with
you until the Chapter of Pentecost that it may be better observed, when you will be there
with your brothers. And you will take care to add, with the help of God, these things and
all else which is lacking in the Rule.
Compose a brief job
description for the Local Minister based on the contents of this letter. Make it
attitudinal and descriptive rather than task oriented. Compare and discuss the basic
qualities of a Franciscan superior and the distinctively Franciscan style of leadership.
It's a consoling fact
that even in Francis' day there were disruptive friars and problems in fraternity. How
does Francis encourage those in authority to deal with these problems? What does this
letter say about our dealing with problems, tensions, disruptive friars and sisters?
Compare your job
description with II Cel 185 to see how Celano describes a minister.
TOR RESOURCE MANUAL
pages 70-79
