May the Lord give you peace...
Rule for those in Hermitages
The Rule given for those in Hermitages
St. Francis composed this brief regulation for the governance of the life of the friars who visited and/or lived in hermitages. The eremitic life was one of the central pillars of the early Franciscan Order. St. Francis himself is said to have spent 8 months every year in one hermitage or another. Indeed many of the most important graces which Christ gave him were associated with hermitages (e.g. the grace of the pardon of all his sins, the stigmata, the writing of the Regula Bullata.) And so it is not surprising that many of the reforms of the Franciscan order have also been closely associated with a return to the eremitic life. This reflects the predominance in the Franciscan vocation of prayer over external activity (cf.RegBV). This rule was written sometime between the winter of 1217-18 and Pentecost of 1221 A.D..
Let those friars, who wish to stay religiously in hermitages, be three or as much as four; let two of these be the mothers and let them have two sons or at least one. Those two, who are mothers, let them observe the life of Martha and let the two sons observe the life of Mary (cf. Lk 10:38-42) and let them have one cloister, in which each one has his own cell, in which to pray and sleep. And let them always say Compline of the day immediately after the setting of the sun; and let them strive to keep silence; and let them say their Hours; and let them rise for Matins and seek "first the Kingdom of God and His justice" (Mt 6:33). And let them say Prime at an hour that is suitable and after Terce let them be absolved from silence; and let them be able to speak and go to their mothers. And, when it pleases (them), let them seek alms from them just as poor children (do) for the sake of the love (amor) of the Lord God. And afterwards let them say Sext and Nones; and let them say Vespers at an hour that is suitable. And in the cloister, where they are lingering, let them not permit any person to enter nor let them eat there. Let those friars, who are mothers, strive to remain far from every person; and in obedience to their minister let them guard their sons from every person, so that no one can speak with them. And let those sons not speak with any person except their mothers and with the minister and their custos, when it pleases him to visit them with the blessing of the Lord God. Indeed let the sons, whenever they assume the office of the mothers, at those times when it has seemed to them necessary to alternate, strive to observe solicitously and studiously what has been said above.
