The Rule Revision Commission has completed the revision of the first five chapters of The Rule. There has been a major rewriting of Chapter Five, “The Life of Prayer,” to be replaced by the title “Spiritual Life,” upon approval by the General Chapter, and will be based on the Interior Life section of the Documents of the 44th General Chapter. Other revisions pertain to specific articles in Chapters One to Four. New articles have been written reflecting the priority given by the 44th General Chapter’s to Association. The changes include articles that address the matters of identity and aging of the Brothers, and the integration of the 11 reference issues adopted to provide a consistent framework for the review.
Despite the necessity to maintain the strength of the present Rule and integrate insights from the Magisterium and the Institute which have been developed since 1987, there has been a conscious effort to be economical in expression even if clarity has not yet been fully achieved. The first five chapters of the 1987 Rule consists of 10,522 words.