The Object

(1) Jesus said, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves Me, the Father will honour. John 12.24-26

(2) In the example of His own sacrifice, Jesus reveals the secret of bearing fruit. In surrendering Himself to death, He becomes the source of new life. Lifted from the earth on the Cross, He draws all people to Himself. Clinging to life causes life to decay; the life that is freely given is eternal.

(3) Jesus calls those who would serve Him to follow His example and choose for themselves the same path of renunciation and sacrifice. To those who hear and obey, He promises union with God.

The object of the Society of Saint Francis is to build a community of those who accept Christ as their Lord and Master and are dedicated to Him in body and spirit. They surrender their lives to Him and to the service of His people. We, who are members of The Third Order consist of those who, while following the ordinary professions of life, feel called to dedicate our lives under a definite discipline and vows. We may be female or male, married or single, ordained or lay.

(4) When Saint Francis encouraged the formation of The Third Order he recognised that many are called to serve God in the spirit of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience in everyday life (rather than in a literal acceptance of these principles as in the vows of the Brothers and Sisters of the First and Second Orders). The rule of The Third Order is intended to enable us in the duties and conditions of daily living, and for us to carry them out in this spirit.
 
The First Aim of the Order: To make our Lord known and loved everywhere

(5) The Order is founded on the conviction that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God; that true life has been made available to us through His Incarnation and Ministry; by His Cross and Resurrection; and by the sending of his Holy Spirit. Our Order believes that it is the commission of the church to make the gospel known to all and therefore accepts the duty of bringing others to know Christ, and of praying and working for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

(6) The primary aim for us as Tertiaries is therefore to make Christ known. This shapes our lives and attitudes to reflect the obedience of those whom our Lord chose to be with Him and sent out as His witnesses. Like them, we, by word and example, bear witness to Christ in our own immediate environment and pray and work for the fulfillment of his command to make disciples of all nations.
   
The Second Aim: To spread the spirit of love and harmony

(7) Our Order sets out, in the name of Christ, to break down barriers between people and to seek equality for all. We accept as our second aim the spreading of a spirit of love and harmony among all people. We are pledged to fight against the ignorance, pride, and prejudice that breed injustice or partiality of any kind.

(8) We as members of The Third Order fight against all such injustice in the name of Christ, in whom there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for in Him all are one. Our chief object is to reflect that openness to all which was characteristic of Jesus. This can only be achieved in a spirit of chastity which sees others as belonging to God and not as a means of self-fulfillment.

(9) We as Tertiaries are prepared not only to speak out for social justice and international peace, but to put these principles into practice in our own lives, cheerfully facing any scorn or persecution to which this may lead.

The Third Aim: To live simply

(10) The first Christians surrendered completely to our Lord and recklessly gave all that they had, offering the world a new vision of a society in which a fresh attitude was taken towards material possessions. This vision was renewed by Saint Francis when he chose Lady Poverty as his bride, desiring that all barriers set up by privilege based on wealth should be overcome by love. This is the inspiration for the third aim of the Society, to live simply.

(11) We as Tertiaries, though we possess property and earn money to support ourselves and our families, show ourselves true followers of Christ and of Saint Francis by our readiness to live simply and to share with others. We recognise that some of our members may be called to a literal following of Saint Francis in a life of extreme simplicity. All of us, however, accept that we avoid luxury and waste, and regard our possessions as being held in trust for God.

(12) Personal spending is limited to what is necessary for the health and well-being of us and of our dependants. We aim to stay free from all attachment to wealth, keeping ourselves constantly aware of the poverty in the world and its claim on us. We as Tertiaries are concerned more for the generosity that gives all, rather than the value of poverty in itself. In this way we reflect in spirit the acceptance of Jesus’ challenge to sell all, give to the poor, and follow Him.

The Three Ways of Service

(13) We as Tertiaries desire to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, whom we serve in the three ways of Prayer, Study, and Work. In the life of the Order as a whole, these three ways must each find full and balanced expression, but it is not to be expected that all members devote themselves equally to each of them. Each individual’s service varies according to their abilities and circumstances, yet as individual member’s our Personal Rule of Life must include each of the three ways.

The First Way of Service: Prayer

(14) We as Tertiaries seek to live in an atmosphere of praise and prayer. We aim to be constantly aware of God’s presence, so that we may indeed pray without ceasing. Our ever deepening devotion to the indwelling Christ is a source of strength and joy. It is Christ’s love that inspires us to service and strengthens us for sacrifice.

(15) The heart of our prayer is the Eucharist, in which we share with other Christians the renewal of our union with our Lord and Saviour in His sacrifice, remembering His death and receiving His spiritual food.

(16) We as Tertiaries recognise the power of intercessory prayer for furthering the purposes of God’s kingdom, and therefore seek a deepening fellowship with God in personal devotion, and constantly intercede for the needs of His church and His world. Those of us who have much time at our disposal give prayer a large part in our daily lives. Those of us with less time must not fail to see the importance of prayer and to guard the time we have allotted to it from interruption. Lastly, we are encouraged to avail ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through which the burden of past sin and failure is lifted and peace and hope restored.

The Second Way of Service: Study

(17) ‘This is eternal life: to know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’ John 17.3
True knowledge is knowledge of God. We Tertiaries therefore give priority to devotional study of scripture as one of the chief means of attaining that knowledge of God that leads to eternal life.

(18) As well as the devotional study of Scripture, we all recognise our Christian responsibility to pursue other branches of study, both sacred and secular. In particular those of us who accept the duty of contributing, through research and writing, do so for a better understanding of the Church’s mission in the world: the application of Christian principles to the use and distribution of wealth; questions concerning justice and peace; and of all other questions concerning the life of faith.

The Third Way of Service: Work

(19) Jesus took on himself the form of a servant. He came not to be served, but to serve. He went about doing good: healing the sick, preaching good news to the poor, and binding up the broken hearted.

(20) We as Tertiaries endeavour to serve others in active work. We try to find expression for each of the three aims of the Order in our lives, and whenever possible actively help others who are engaged in similar work. The chief form of service which we have to offer is to reflect the love of Christ, who, in His beauty and power, is the inspiration and joy of our lives.

The Three Notes of the Order

(21) Humility, love, and joy are the three notes which mark the lives of each of us as Tertiaries. When these characteristics are evident throughout the Order its work will be fruitful. Without them all that it attempts will be in vain.
 
The First Note: Humility

(22) We always keep before us the example of Christ, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and Who, on the last night of His life, humbly washed His disciples’ feet. We likewise seek to serve one another with humility.

(23) Humility confesses that we have nothing that we have not received and admits the fact of our insufficiency and our dependence upon God. It is the basis of all Christian virtues. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux said, `No spiritual house can stand for a moment except on the foundation of humility’. It is the first condition of a joyful life within any community.
 
(24) The faults that we see in others are the subject of prayer rather than of criticism. We take care to cast out the beam from our own eye before offering to remove the speck from another’s. We are ready to accept the lowest place when asked and to volunteer to take it. Nevertheless, when asked to undertake work of which we feel unworthy or incapable we do not shrink from it on the grounds of humility, but confidently attempt it through the power that is made perfect in weakness.

The Second Note: Love

(25) Jesus said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’ John 13.34-35

Love is the distinguishing feature of all true disciples of Christ who wish to dedicate themselves to Him as His servants.

(26) Therefore, as Tertiaries we seek to love all those to whom we are bound by ties of family or friendship. Our love for them increases as our love for Christ grows deeper. We have a special love and affection for members of our own Order, praying for each other individually and seeking to grow in that love. We are on our guard against anything which might injure this love and we seek reconciliation with those from whom we are estranged. We seek the same love for those with whom we have little natural affinity, for this kind of love is not a welling-up of emotion, but is a bond founded in their common union with Christ.

(27) We who belong to The Third Order are a Christian community whose members, although varied in race, education, and character, are bound into a living whole through the love we share in Christ. This unity of all of us who believe in Him will become, as our Lord intended, a witness to the world of His divine mission. In our relationships with those outside the Order we as Tertiaries show the same Christ like love, and gladly give of ourselves, remembering that love is measured by sacrifice.

The Third Note: Joy

(28) We as Tertiaries, rejoicing in the Lord always, show in our lives the grace and beauty of divine joy. We remember that we follow the Son of Man, who came eating and drinking, Who loved the birds and the flowers, Who blessed little children, Who was a friend to tax collectors and sinners and Who sat at the tables of both the rich and the poor. We delight in fun and laughter, rejoicing in God’s world, its beauty and its living creatures, calling nothing common or unclean. We mix freely with all people, ready to bind up the broken-hearted and to bring joy into the lives of others. We carry within us an inner peace and happiness which others may perceive, even if they do not know its source.

(29) This joy is a divine gift, coming from union with God in Christ. It is still there even in times of darkness and difficulty, giving cheerful courage in the face of disappointment, and an inward serenity and confidence through sickness and suffering. Those who possess it can rejoice in weakness, insults, hardships, and persecutions for Christ’s sake; for when they are weak, then they are strong.

The Three Notes

(30) The humility, love, and joy which mark the lives of us as Tertiaries are all God-given graces. They can never be obtained by human effort. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of Christ is to work miracles through people who are willing to be emptied of self and to surrender to Him. We then become channels of grace through whom His mighty work is done.

(31) There is no Principle for Day 31.