Letter to the Entire Order
Written during Francis of Assisi's final years as the Franciscan movement expanded rapidly across Europe, this letter addresses the entire brotherhood at a moment of institutional tension. The original band of twelve followers had grown into thousands of friars spread across multiple provinces, and questions arose about maintaining the radical poverty and simplicity that marked the order's founding. Francis penned this circular letter to reinforce the spiritual foundations of Franciscan life as administrative structures necessarily developed around the movement.
The letter centers on Francis's vision of how friars should relate to the Eucharist, to Scripture, and to the institutional Church. Francis calls for profound reverence toward the sacrament, insisting that friars should ensure proper vessels and clean linens wherever Mass is celebrated, and that they should venerate any place where the Eucharist is reserved. He extends this sacramental reverence to the written word of Scripture, commanding that any books or written words about God be honored and preserved from desecration. The letter also addresses the friars' relationship to clerical authority, urging them to show respect and obedience to priests regardless of personal worthiness, because they handle the sacred mysteries. Throughout, Francis weaves together themes of humility, reverence, and fidelity to the Church's sacramental life.
The letter has endured as a window into Francis's mature spirituality, revealing how the saint sought to preserve his movement's contemplative core while accepting its institutional development. It demonstrates Francis's integration of mystical devotion with practical ecclesiology, showing how reverence for the sacred can be maintained within established Church structures.
Who should read this: Those studying Franciscan spirituality or medieval religious movements will find essential source material here, as will anyone seeking to understand how contemplative reverence translates into concrete religious practice. This letter is less suitable for readers looking for Francis's more accessible nature mysticism or his biographical story.