Superiors should rarely command through obedience; they should not at first hurl the thunderbolt, which should be the last resort; nor should they too quickly lay their hands upon the sword. But if anyone does not fear the sword, if the subject delays to fulfill the precept of obedience, then he fears not God and has no reverence for authority, unless there be some good cause for the delay. The superior, therefore, must not be rash in commanding, for what is authority in the hands of a rash man but a sword in the hands of a madman? But what is more desperate than the case of a man who neglects and despises obedience?
St. Francis
Friday, January 11, 2008
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