without discernment.a 6Even His written names and words are at times left to be trampled under foot; 7for the carnal person does not perceive the things of God. 1 Cor 2:14
8Are we not moved by piety at these things when the pious Lord puts Himself into our hands and we touch Him and receive Him daily with our mouth?b 9Do we refuse to recognize that we must come into His hands? 10Let us, therefore, amend our ways quickly and firmly in these and all other matters. 11Wherever the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ has been illicitly placed and left, let It be moved from there, placed in a precious place and locked up.c 12Likewise, wherever the names and written words of the Lord may be found in unclean places, let them be gathered up and put in a becoming place.
13All the clergy are forever bound to observe all these things above everything else. 14And whoever does not do so, let him know he must render an accounting on the day of judgment Mt 12:36 before our Lord Jesus Christ. 15Let those who make copies of this writing in order that it might be better observed, know they have been blessed by the Lord God.
- Indiscrete, the negative form of discrete, is best translated as "without discernment" rather than "without discretion." Discernere has the meaning of separating or distinguishing by knowing. Francis may well have been influenced by 1 Corinthians 11:29 in which Paul writes of discerning the Body of the Lord.
- In this passage Francis is obviously accentuating pietas, the ancient Roman virtue of showing respect towards one’s parents, family, or neighbor. From Francis’s perspective, the Lord is pious and, in the Eucharist, becomes the model of piety for us.
- This verse reflects Canon 20 of the Fourth Lateran Council: "We decree that in all churches the chrism and the Eucharist are to be kept in properly protected places provided with locks and keys, so that they may not be reached by rash and undiscerning persons and used for impious and blasphemous purposes."
Epistola ad clericos, Fontes Franciscani, p. 59-60
5Et a multis in locis vilibus c o l l o c a t u r e t relinquitur, miserabiliter portatur et indigne sumitur et indiscrete aliis ministratur.
6Nomina etiam et verba eius scripta aliquando pedibus conculcantur; 7quia animalis homo non percipit ea quae Dei sunt.
8Non movemur de his omnibus pietate, cum ipse pius Dominus in manibus nostris se praebeat et eum tractemus et sumamus quotidie per os nostrum? 9An ignoramus, quia v e n i r e d e b e m u s in manus eius? 10Igitur de his omnibus et aliis cito et firmiter emendemus; 11et ubicumque fuerit sanctissimum corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi illicite collocatum et relictum, removeatur de loco illo et in loco pretioso ponatur et consignetur. 12Similiter nomina et verba Domini scripta, ubicumque inveniantur in locis immundis, colligantur et in loco honesto debeant collocari.
13H a e c o m n i a u s q u e i n f i n e m u n i v e r s i c l e r i c i t e n e n t u r super omnia observare. 14Et qui hoc non f e c e r i n t, s c i a n t se d e b e r e coram Domino nostro Jesu Christo in die iudicii reddere rationem. 15Hoc scriptum, ut melius debeat observari, sciant se benedictos a Domino Deo, qui i l l u d fecerint exemplari.
