Lest You Remain

Obedience, Poverty, Chastity 1. In first place you ought to obey God, the Roman pontiff, the bishops, supe- riors of your Order; then, their vicars, local officials, the bell calling you to com- mon exercises. This you ought to do quickly, promptly, perfectly, patiently, humbly, decisively, perseveringly. Nor should you be ashamed to be subject—to men, since the Apostle [Peter] would wish us to be subject to al! creatures, more so to every authority (Rm 13:1-7; 1 Pt 2:13; 1 Tim 2:2). For there is no authority, he says, unless it is from God. He who resists this authority, resists the divine Will, which is the highest form of stupidity. You should assume the motive and example of obe- dience of our Redeemer himself, who “humbled himself, being made obedient unto death, even death on the Cross” (Philip 2:8) He who would refuse to imitate [Christ] would appear not to want to reign with Christ if he did not obey due author- ity who takes the place of Christ. The following order must be kept in obeying: the lesser power should yield to the greater power, nor should that lesser power attempt to weaken the greater. [Concerning what has been ordered:] if a previous order will clearly have been revoked, a later order should be given adherence. You should all respect the Ordinaries of the locality with due submission and be most ready to obey them. Nonetheless, in order to avoid confusion in jurisdiction and many dis- orders, only the superiors will attend to the just orders of the Bishops. The mem- bers, on the other hand, will obey the superiors and the laws without any reluctance and pretense. Nor should they believe they have any right or privilege to take the superior to an outside court. This is stated to avoid many quarrels, scandals and rebellions. If ever any [of these] controversies should happen, or any less notable deficiency, then it should be settled and corrected within the congregation itself, in an ordinary way, peacefully and justly. Through this rule we nonetheless do not intend to contradict anything of Canon law, nothing regarding the decrees and views of the Roman Church. If anyone among you has been found stubbornly dis- obedient, or a firebrand, or a wicked agitator of others, let him be restrained by the common action of all those who favor interior peace and good government (first, however, having given the possibility for a just defense and apology and due process of law having been kept). If necessary, even the force of civil authorities may be employed. Truly it is right that a servant of God be a peaceful man. Should he consider the person he should obey? Or shouldn’t he consider love on account of which he obeys? You should fulfill, with divine assistance, humbly and joyfully, all penances and mortifications assigned by a superior, although they may seem burdensome. You should not murmur against the superiors, or complain, but you should love and honor them. But if anyone should have been truly burdened by some superior, let him either endure patiently what he finds oppressive for the merit of eternal life, or by himself or through another present with greatest meekness and humility, a petition to the superior, by whom he is pressed, so that he might use due Program of Vigils 37