Admonition IV: Let no one make being over others his own

A strong tendency in our society is for personal independence, even for living on one's own in a unit or house. Perhaps we may not want to be in charge of other people but we can be reluctant to have other people over us. Be at as it may, it will always be necessary to have someone in charge of work, of government, and to be in management. It was the same for Francis. He founded an Order and was in charge of the Order he founded. He was its founding father. Like anyone else Francis had to work out how best to be a superior. In his fourth Admonition he shows how he worked this out; he then advises us how we to act when in charge. He said: 'Let those who are placed over others boast about that position as much as they would as if they were assigned the duty of washing the feet of their brothers'. More than that, he advises us not to be upset should we lose a position of authority. In fact, Francis resigned from being the head of the Order and asked that one of the brothers be appointed as his superior. He said that he would be happy to obey a novice who had just entered the Order if he were appointed his superior. Francis founded an Order that was to be a group of brothers but within this group he laid down that there be superiors to regulate the life of the Brothers. While Francis did go away to caves for times of payer, his life was a life of obedience. This is a long way from wanting an independent lifestyle. Francis gave a new way of life to the Church. He did not do this for the sake of being independent but for the sake of trying to live the Gospel in a literal way and to follow the footprints of the Lord who was obedient even to the point of death.