Lesser Brothers

"In the name of the Lord begins the Life of the Lesser Brothers! The Rule and Life of the Lesser Brothers is this: to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of their own, and in chastity."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1223

* St. Francis called his friars, or brothers, "lesser," to locate them in society among the little people, the poor and lowly, who were called "minores," or  "lesser ones," in medieval Italy. The more affluent, or the nobility, were called "majores," or "greater ones."

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The Pursuit of Perfection

 

 

"What you hold, may you always hold,
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step,
Unswerving feet,
So that even your steps stir up no dust, May you go forward
Securely,joyfully, and swiftly,
On the path of prudent happiness,
Not believing anything,
Not agreeing with anything,
That would dissuade you from this resolution
Or that would place a stumbling block for you on the way,
So that you may offer your vows to the Most High
In the pursuit of that perfection
To which the Spirit of the Lord has called you."

St. Clare's "Second Letter to Agnes of Prague"

 

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