The spiritual testament of Saint Francis to be a good Christian

[110] The Lord told me, Brother Francis, to start doing penance like this: when I was in sins I
it seemed too bitter to see the lepers and the Lord himself led me among them and I used mercy with them. IS
moving away from them, what seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of soul and body. And then, I stayed a
little and I left the world.
[111] And the Lord gave me such faith in the churches that I simply prayed and said: We worship you, Lord
Jesus Christ, also in all your churches that are in the whole world and we bless you, because with your holy cross you redeemed the world.
(* 111 *) We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all your churches
who are in the whole world,
and we bless you,
because with your holy cross you redeemed the world.

[112] Then the Lord gave me and gives me such great faith in priests who live according to the form of the saint
Roman Church, because of their order, that even if they persecute me, I want to resort to them. And if I had as much wisdom as Solomon had, and I met in poor priests of this world, in the
parishes in which they live, I don't want to preach against their will.
[113] And these and all the others I want to fear, love and honor as my lords. And I don't want to consider them
sin, because in them I recognize the Son of God and they are my lords. And I do this because, of the very highest Son of God, I see nothing else in this world, except in the world, except for the most holy body and the most holy blood that they receive and they alone administer to others.
[114] And I want these most holy mysteries above all other things to be honored, venerated and placed in places
precious. And wherever I find manuscripts with the most holy names and words of him in indecent places, I want to collect them, and I pray that they are collected and placed in a decent place.
[115] And we must honor and venerate all theologians and those who administer the most holy divine words, as well as
those who administer the spirit and life to us.
[116] And after the Lord gave me friars, no one showed me what I should do, but the Most High himself
revealed that I had to live in the form of the holy gospel. And I had it written in a few words and simply, and the Signor Papa confirmed it to me.
[117] And those who came to embrace this life, distributed to the poor everything they could have, and
they were content with a single frock, patched up inside and out, with the girdle and slings. And we didn't want to have more.
[118] We clerics said the office, in accordance with the other clerics; the laity said the Pater noster, and very willingly
we stopped in churches. And we were illiterate and submissive to everyone.
[119] And I worked with my hands and I want to work; and I firmly want all the other friars to work with one
work which is appropriate to honesty. Those who do not know, learn, not for greed to receive the reward of work, but to lead by example and keep idleness away.
[120] When we are not given the reward of the work, we resort to the Lord's table, asking for alms from door to door.
[121] The Lord revealed to me that we said this greeting: "The Lord give you peace!".
[122] Beware the friars of not accepting absolutely churches, poor houses and whatever else is being built
for them, if they were not as befits the holy poverty, which we promised in the Rule, always hosting you
as strangers and pilgrims.
[123] I firmly command out of obedience to all the brothers who, wherever they are, dare not ask for any letter.
[of privilege] in the Roman curia, neither personally nor through an intermediary, neither for a church nor for another place nor for the reason of preaching, nor for the persecution of their bodies; but wherever they are not received, they should flee to another land to do penance with the blessing of God.
[124] And I firmly want to obey the general minister of this fraternity and that guardian whom he will like
give me. And so I want to be a prisoner in his hands, that I cannot go or do beyond obedience and his
will, because he is my lord.
[125] And although I am simple and infirm, nevertheless I always want to have a cleric, who recites my office, as it is
prescribed in the Rule.
[126] And all the other friars are bound to obey their guardians and to recite the office according to the Rule. And if so
found friars who did not recite the office according to the Rule, and still wanted to change it, or were not
Catholics, all the friars, wherever they are, are required, out of obedience, wherever they found one of them, to deliver it to the
caretaker closest to the place where they found him. And the caretaker is firmly obliged, out of obedience, to keep it
severely, like a man in prison, day and night, so that he cannot be taken out of his hand until he is
deliver yourself in the hands of your minister. And the minister is firmly obliged, out of obedience, to have him escorted by means of such friars who guard him day and night as a prisoner, until they deliver him to the lord of Ostia, who is lord, protector and corrector of the whole fraternity.
[127] And let the friars not say: "This is another Rule" "This is another Rule", because this is a memory,
an admonition, an exhortation and my testament, which I, Friar Francesco Piccolino, make to you, my blessed brothers because we observe the Rule that we promised the Lord more catholicly.
[128] And the general minister and all other ministers and custodians are bound, out of obedience, not to add and not to
take anything away from these words.
[129] And always keep this writing with them together with the Rule. And in all the chapters they do, when they read the
Rule, read these words too.
[130] And to all my friars, clerics and lay people, I firmly command, out of obedience, that they do not insert explanations in the Rule and in these words saying: "Thus they must be understood" "Thus they must be understood"; but, as the Lord has given me to say and to write the Rule and these words with simplicity and purity, so try to understand them simply and without comment and to observe them with holy works to the end.
[131] And whoever observes these things, be filled in heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father, and on earth be
filled with the blessing of his beloved Son with the most holy Paraclete Spirit and with all the powers of heaven and with all the saints. And I friar Francesco Piccolino, your servant, for what little I can, I confirm to you inside and outside this most holy blessing. [Amen].