RB Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 can be divided into two sections: Prayer and behaviour in the world
2. Part 1 consists of verses 1-9 and Part 2 is from verses 10-14
3. Part 1 is a revised version of ER 3.
4. V.1 begins with an address to the clerics. It leaves out ER 3.3 which says even the lay brothers should celebrate the Divine Office. Perhaps this was already in practice so there was no need to mention it. The emphasis of LR 3.1 is not so much the obligation to recite the Office but the form of Office that was to be used. ER 3.3 says “according to the custom of the clergy” which means the form used in each local Church. LR 3.1 says “rite of the Holy Roman Church”. In 1213 the liturgical reform of Innocent III regularized the Breviary and changes are reflected in LR. This would refer to the antiphonary, lectio but not the psalter. This meant having several books at the same time (ER 3.7)

•  “except for the Psalter” – meaning to use the breviary form and not the cathedral or monastic psalter which was longer. This was necessary for the itinerant life.

•  There were no special and complicated structures of Franciscan Office prayers – all were borrowed and adapted. Freeman & Sevenhoven say fear of separation from Rome, false certainty of right faith etc… made Francis accept the Office of Rome. Lex orandi, lex credendi. This is severely treated in Test. 29-33 where celebrating the Office NOT according to the 1223 Rule is to be punished through imprisonment because of division of faith, heresy and disobedience to Rome. The Office therefore became a symbol and means of unity with the right faith and right community. But in Letter to the Entire Order 3 9 Francis confessed that negligence or sickness (not reciting due to) is also sin. It even appears that Test.31 equates Divine Office with obedience.

•  The manner of reciting the Office for clerics is mentioned in Letter to the Entire Order 41-43 “harmony of words with mind and God….not melody”.

1. V.2 “they may have breviaries” not mentioned in ER. This innovation is an important development for the missionary life forseen by Innocent III.. Note it is the clerics who can possess them!
2. V.3 “The lay brothers should pray 24 Our Fathers”. This seems to include literate lay brothers. In ER 3.8,9 they could possess breviaries and only the illiterate brothers prayed the Our Fathers. So initially the clerics and lay-brothers had no distinction except in literacy; but now in LR the two distinct functions have separated the Order. Clericalisation of the Order is now evident. The Divine Office now became the obligation of the clergy alone. Francis in Test. 17 also says this division of Office and clerics. In the early days, Celano says there was not structured prayer but slowly the Office of local churches were adopted by illiterate clerics and lay brothers. In LR the Office of the Lateran was chosen and only clerics recited it. All lay brothers had to say the Our Father. Note that the Office was sung aloud in choirs in churches – what made Franciscans unique was probably the Office was recited outside churches when there was necessity. But the norm was in churches like the canons.

•  The number of Our Fathers are the same in ER but no more mention of Credo and Gloria . The ER version seems to be part of the Propositum Humiliatorum (Way of life for the Humiliati) approved by Innocent III in 1201 and used by Francis . Perhaps the 4th Lateran Council or Liturgical Reforms of Innocent III simplified the Office of the Our Fathers.

1. V.4 “They should pray for the dead” is a simplification of the ER 3.6 De Profundis (ps 129) and Our Father for clerics and ER 3.10 with 7 Our Fathers and Requem Eternam for the lay brothers. Once again this is probably a normalization of the rite by the liturgical reforms of Innocent III.
2. V.5 “They shall fast from All Saints to Nativity” is the same as ER 3.11 and was probably part of the penitential forms of life current in Medieval Italy.
3. V.6 “ Fast voluntarily from Epiphany…not obliged”. Originally this was part of the great fast in ER 3.11 which joined Great Lent and ended in Easter. Now it is separated from Great Lent and is not obligatory. Again this is probably due to the liturgical changes of Innocent III. Or maybe the practicality of itinerant life proved that it was not possible. This fast was to commemorate the 40 days fast of Christ (Mt 4,2)
4. V.7 “But they shall fast…” so the Great Lent was kept as obligatory in conforming with Church Law.
5. V.8 “At other times they are not obliged to fast except Fridays” repeats ER 3.12
6. V.9 “manifest necessity…not obliged to corporal fasting”. This is a mitigation obviously resulting from the practicality of itinerant life. All these show that Francis was flexible and responsive to the development of the Order's life and mission.

1. Part 2 is actually a summary of 3 other chapters of the Earlier Rule: namely 11, 14 & 15.
2. V.10 “counsel, admonish, exhort…go about the world…do not quarrel, fight with words (2Tim 2,14) or judge others”. Armstrong notes that this is the shift from the inner life to the outer life of friars. This verse is found in ER 1 4 .1-8 which is in the context of fraternal life “love one another”. Here “going about the world” in LR shows a shift to the “outside” probably is the result of the itinerant experience. ER 14 “going about the world” is more concerned with poverty, here in LR its concerned with behaviour not to other brothers but to other people – perhaps heretics and opponents of the Order?
3. V.11 “Rather let them be meek, peaceful and unassuming, gentle and humble, speaking courteously to everyone” Repeat of ER 11.9-12 which is in the context of fraternal life. This verse in LR is another instance where the missionary experience guided the formulation of this verse. ER 11 asks to be “modest” but LR is actually a simplification of the Beatitudes. Francis saw mildness and humility as virtues essential for the apostolic life (LR 10.1, ER 16.1) See also Salutation of the Virtues
4. V.12 “should not ride horseback unless forced by necessity or infirmity” is a simplification of ER 15 which is now in the missionary context. ER forbids the owning of animals or riding horses. LR only forbids riding horseback – perhaps a symbol of aristocracy or war.
5. V.13 “In whatever house they enter…peace to this house” (Lk 10,5) is a simplification of ER 14.2. Both are in the missionary context and refer to behaviour towards other people. The type of peace is explained in Admon. 15,1-2 and was a revelation from God to Francis as a greeting (Test 23).
6. V.14 “They are free to eat whatever food…” (Lk 10,8) is now placed in the context of the missionary life, and not with regard to fasting as in ER 3.13. This is an obvious result of the itinerant and missionary life which influenced the later development of the Order.

Conclusion

1. LR 3 is a compilation of ER 3,11,14,15.
2. The missionary context is now very important.
3. The normalization of the breviary stabilized the prayer life of the fraternity in mission, mobility from heavy books and the clericalisation meant avoiding problems of jealousy between the lay brothers.
4. Once mobility was established, mission can be carried out but this leads to comportment with others – the Beatitudes.
5. Mobility also meant not riding on horses although this would have speeded up the process.
6. Mobility also meant not being restrained by food! Fasting was normalized and mitigated in some instances.

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