From the Preface to the First Rule of Saint Paul
of the Cross, priest.
(Lettere IV, pp. 217-221)
The beginning of the Congregation by divine inspiration
"About two years after the good God had converted
me to a life of penance, I, Paul Francis, poorest of men, a great sinner
and least servant of the Poor of Jesus, was travelling west along the
Genoa Riviera, when I noticed, on a hill above Sestri, a small church
dedicated to Our Lady of Gazzo.
As soon as I saw it, my heart longed for
it because of its solitude. For some time after that I continued living
as I had been, but with a growing inspiration to retire into solitude,
either there or somewhere else. This inspiration, accompanied by great
tenderness of heart, was given me by the good God.
At the same time, the
idea came ‘to me of wearing a poor black tunic of coarse cloth called
arbagio, the ordinary wool fabric found in this region, of going
barefoot, and of living in very deep poverty. In short, I was being
called by the grace of God to live a life of penance.
At times I had
another inspiration: to gather companions who would live in community
and promote in souls the fear of God. Then one weekday last summer, I
received Holy Communion with a deep sense of my unworthiness. Walking
along the street, I was as recollected as if I were at prayer. When I
came to a street corner to turn toward home, I was raised up in God in
the most profound contemplation, completely forgetful of everything
else, and with an immense sense of peace. I saw myself clothed in a
long, black garment, with a white cross on my breast, and below the
cross the holy name of Jesus written in white letters. Then I heard
these words spoken to me: This
signifies how pure and
spotless that heart should be which must
bear the holy name of Jesus graven upon it.
After these
visions of the tunic and badge, God gave me a more compelling desire to
gather companions and, with the approval of holy mother Church, to found
a Congregation called The Poor of
Jesus.
Then God infused into my soul a lasting impression of the
form of the holy Rule, which was to be observed by the Poor of Jesus and
by me his least and meanest servant. Understand that the purpose of this
Congregation, as God made it known to me, was simply this:
First, to
observe perfectly the law of God and his evangelical counsels,
especially by total detachment from all created things and the perfect
practice of holy poverty. This is essential for the observance of the
other counsels and for maintaining fervour at prayer.
Secondly, to be
zealous for God’s glory, to promote the fear of God in souls by
working for the destruction of sin; in other words, to be tireless in
acts of charity so that our beloved God may be loved, feared, served and
praised for- even and ever. Amen.
Furthermore, dearly beloved, you
should know that, according to the special inspiration God gave me, our
main purpose in wearing black is to be clothed in mourning for the
passion and death of Jesus. Therefore, let us never forget to be
constantly and sorrowfully mindful of him. Then, let each one of the
Poor of Jesus make it his duty to inspire in others meditation on the
sufferings of this Jesus of ours."
