Justice, ,Peace, & Integrity of Creation - ELECTION 2018

NOTE:  THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THE ELECTION - BUT THE SENTIMENTS REMAIN POINGNANT AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE ELECTION OF 2020.

Although this mime is somewhat cynical, it does express a certain amount of caution as we move toward the November elections.  Undoubtedly, we have already seen many political advertisements in the media.  We know that none of them depict the reality of our societal conditions right now nor the candidates they pander.  Oh, yes, each one has a small element of truth, usually just enough to make us think the entire ad is correct.  But, really——if all of the candidates are a bad as their opponents make them out to be, we are really in trouble.   (Well, we may be anyway.)

Our US Bishops have distributed a document entitled, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility.  The USCCB re-issues this document prior to each election cycle.  The Bishops address such questions as,

·         Why Does the Church Teach About Issues Affecting Public Policy?

·         Who in the Church Should Participate in Political Life?

·         How Does the Church Help the Catholic Faithful to Speak About Political and Social Questions?

·         What Does the Church Say About Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square? -Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

With a well-reasoned discussion and many citations from Church documents, we understand why the Church should be involved in the life of our society and not relegated to Sunday liturgy, as many have suggested; and why each of us has a responsibility to participate in our community’s political life, especially through our vote.

The other parts of the document are instructive about where the Church stands on many of the important issues of the day.

·         Part II - Applying Catholic Teaching to Major Issues: A Summary of Policy Positions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

·         Part III - Goals for Political Life: Challenges for Citizens, Candidates, and Public Officials

·         Notes and References

·         Major Catholic Statements on Public Moral Issue

The Bishops publish this well written guide to assist us in making the very difficult choices we face before we cast our ballot in each election cycle.  The important thing to remember is that we do have a right to vote—but each right has an accompanying responsibility:  we have the responsibility to vote.  A right is of little value if we don’t accept and act on the commensurate responsibility.

Of interest is that less than 60% of the electorate has voted in the last four US presidential elections; and, it is much less for the midterm elections, e.g., less than 40% (Pew Research, 2014) and a whole lot less for city, county, and school board elections.  [Illinois, ranking seventh in an M.I.T. study, had a voter turnout in 2016 of 63.36% (elections.mit.edu).  Denmark & Sweden have around 85%.  (IDEA website)].

Between understanding our choices and the historical performance in elections, we have an important obligation to be certain to vote and encourage all of our friends to do the same.   As the Bishops point out,

In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. "People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as committed and responsible citizens" (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 220). The obligation to participate in political life is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, "It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person. . . As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life" (nos. 1913-1915).  (“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility”; No. 13.)

So—we need to consider what kind of society we wish to have, based upon the teachings of our Catholic Magisterium.  We need to find candidates who conform to that ideal as closely as possible. Then, we need to express our opinion at the ballot box in November.  Get the sugar you want instead of the salt you don’t.

To prepare our consciences properly for this important responsibility, we should read Forming Consciences.  If the link doesn’t work, go to the USCCB website and look for Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.

Above all, VOTE!!

Pace e bene

Justice, Peace, & Integrity of Creation - INTEGRITY OF CREATION

We arrive at the third leg of our JPIC discussion with our consideration of Integrity of Creation.  Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Laudato Sí, covers this topic very thoroughly.  If you haven’t read it yet, you should.  A main point of the Pope’s explanation is the idea of integral ecology.  Of course, we Franciscans know this idea very well because of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures.

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing,
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.

So, what is our response as Secular Franciscans?  When we look at all the environmental problems, the injustice because of resource unbalance, and the breakdown of the social order, we understand that we have a solemn responsibility to help correct these issues affecting our “common home.”    Our action is to recycle, use water carefully and prudently, turn out lights not being used, lobby our energy companies to create clean energy, install solar panels on our homes, lobby our legislators to create protections for the environment and for the poor, dialogue with our city leaders to look at environmentally sound practices, e.g., elimination of plastic bags, help a food pantries and homeless shelters, and the list goes on.  We become advocates for our “common home” through our individual practices and our dialogue with others to make a difference in our own corner of the world.  No matter what our age or physical condition, we can do small things that will make a difference. 

As our Rule reminds us,

·         Let the Secular Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying their own material needs. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s children. (11)

·         A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ. (13)

·         Moreover, they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the imprint of the Most High,” and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship. (18)

So, let us continue to promote a balance of our use of resources for all who share our “common home.”  Let us continue to advocate for intelligent use of our natural resources that leaves a world of promise for our children and grand children and their children.  Let us “…come together to take charge of this home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly feast. In union with all creatures, we journey through this land seeking God, for “if the world has a beginning and if it has been created, we must enquire who gave it this beginning, and who was its Creator”. (Basil the Great) Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.” (Laudato Sí; 244)

Pace e Bene!

Reflections on the Rule - Chapter 2 - Article 9

Chapter Two:

The Way of Life

9.  The Virgin Mary, humble servant of the Lord, was open to His every word and call.  She was embraced by Francis with indescribable love and declared the protectress and advocate of his family.  The Secular Franciscans should express their ardent love for her by imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and confidently.

How appropriate that we begin our reflection of Article 9 of our Rule during the month of Our Lady of Sorrows.  You’ll remember that the Seven Sorrows are

·         The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2:34, 35)

·         The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13, 14)

·         The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45)

·         The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.

·         The Crucifixion.

·         The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.

·         The burial of Jesus.

Also, our Franciscan Crown Rosary celebrates the Seven Joys of Mary, which are

·         The Annunciation

·         The Nativity of Jesus

·         The Adoration of the Magi

·         The Resurrection of Christ

·         The Ascension of Christ to Heaven

·         The Pentecost or Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary

·         The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven

Why, you might ask, would we mention these two popular devotions to Mary in this reflection.  We all know the decades of the Rosary pretty well.  They recall for our meditation the important elements of Jesus life and Ministry, only the last two decades dealing specifically with Mary.  The Seven Joys and Sorrows encourage us to reflect on Mary’s experience as she was “…open to His every word and call.”   Through these experiences of Mary’s life, we come to better understand how her whole life was one of understanding and submission to God’s Will.  The Catechism helps us understand this idea when it states,

2674 Mary gave her consent in faith at the Annunciation and maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to the brothers and sisters of her Son "who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties."  Jesus, the only mediator, is the way of our prayer; Mary, his mother and ours, is wholly transparent to him: she "shows the way" (hodigitria), and is herself "the Sign" of the way, according to the traditional iconography of East and West.

2617 Mary's prayer is revealed to us at the dawning of the fullness of time. Before the incarnation of the Son of God, and before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father's plan of loving kindness: at the Annunciation, for Christ's conception; at Pentecost, for the formation of the Church, his Body.  In the faith of his humble handmaid, the Gift of God found the acceptance he had awaited from the beginning of time. She whom the Almighty made "full of grace" responds by offering her whole being: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." "Fiat": this is Christian prayer: to be wholly God's, because he is wholly ours.

Mary becomes our Mother because we continue to journey as a sister or brother of Jesus.  It was fitting that our Seraphic Father chose her as “…protectress and advocate of his family.”  And, we who follow St. Francis surely as much as he did “…embrace her with indescribable love.”  We might ask, “What does this indescribable love look like?”  Our General Constitutions give us an idea in Article 16:

1. Rule 9   Mary, Mother of Jesus, is the model of listening to the Word and of faithfulness to vocation; we, like Francis, see all the gospel virtues realized in her. The brothers and sisters should cultivate intense love for the most holy virgin, imitation, prayer, and filial abandonment.  They should manifest their own devotion with expressions of genuine faith, in forms accepted by the Church.

 2. Mary is the model of fruitful and faithful love for the entire ecclesial community.  Secular Franciscans and their fraternities should seek to live the experience of Francis, who made the Virgin the guide of his activity.  With her, like the disciples at Pentecost, they should welcome the Spirit to create a community of love.

 “Listening to the Word”    “Gospel virtues”  We are reminded of our slogan:  “Gospel to Life and Life to Gospel.”  That’s the way we are supposed to live.  And, Mary shows us the way. 

The Gospel reveals to us how Mary prays and intercedes in faith. At Cana, the mother of Jesus asks her son for the needs of a wedding feast; this is the sign of another feast - that of the wedding of the Lamb where he gives his body and blood at the request of the Church, his Bride. It is at the hour of the New Covenant, at the foot of the cross, that Mary is heard as the Woman, the new Eve, the true "Mother of all the living."   (CCC 2618)

The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith. By faith Mary welcomes the tidings and promise brought by the angel Gabriel, believing that "with God nothing will be impossible" and so giving her assent: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." Elizabeth greeted her: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." It is for this faith that all generations have called Mary blessed.    (CCC 148)

At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace…     (CCC 494)

Mary is the perfect model for us to follow Jesus.  As we follow Francis to learn how to follow Jesus in Gospel living, we find that Mary has already walked the path before us.  The Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows clearly show both sides of living the Gospel life.  In our devotion to her, we come to understand how both extreme joy and suffering are part and parcel of our life as Christians.  You can’t have one without the other.  The Resurrection is preceded by the Cross.

In following Mary, our lesson continues as we recognize her complete assent to God’s will through her understanding, acceptance and obedience to the message of the Annunciation.  Her fiat demonstrates her immense faith in what God promises and her willingness to give herself over to His Will—totally and completely.

As St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert….: "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith." Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary "the Mother of the living" and frequently claim: "Death through Eve, life through Mary."     (CCC 494)

By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity. Thus, she is a "preeminent and . . . wholly unique member of the Church"; indeed, she is the "exemplary realization" (typus) of the Church.    (CCC 967)

We can do no less as we follow St. Francis—complete and unencumbered faith in God’s Will and a fiat of our own to unreservedly follow the Gospel message.

[Mary’s] role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. "In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason, she is a mother to us in the order of grace."    (CCC 968)

OK. So, now that we understand how completely Mary followed Jesus in accepting God’s Will in her life, how do we, who are far from the unstained soul that she is, accomplish this goal?

The Secular Franciscans should express their ardent love for her by imitating her complete self-giving …

Oh, that’s not so bad—just completely give ourselves over to God—and by the way:

… by praying earnestly and confidently.

Yes, through earnest and confident prayer, we can understand better the Gospel sprit that we are to live out in our lives.  Through continual study of the Gospel and prayer about what we have learned, we can live by the principle of complete self-giving.  As we better understand how St. Francis followed our Lord, and as we attempt to follow in his footsteps, we more completely and follow the exemplar of Mary’s life as summarized in the Seven Joys and Sorrows.  

We pray the Rosary daily—not that “quick to get it over with” recitation; but, rather, a reverent, contemplative, and meaningful method outlined by Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II.

The centre of gravity in the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of Jesus. Sometimes, in hurried recitation, this centre of gravity can be overlooked, and with it the connection to the mystery of Christ being contemplated. Yet it is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and to his mystery that is the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of the Rosary. Pope Paul VI drew attention, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, to the custom in certain regions of highlighting the name of Christ by the addition of a clause referring to the mystery being contemplated. This is a praiseworthy custom, especially during public recitation. It gives forceful expression to our faith in Christ, directed to the different moments of the Redeemer's life. It is at once a profession of faith and an aid in concentrating our meditation, since it facilitates the process of assimilation to the mystery of Christ inherent in the repetition of the Hail Mary. When we repeat the name of Jesus – the only name given to us by which we may hope for salvation (cf. Acts 4:12) – in close association with the name of his Blessed Mother, almost as if it were done at her suggestion, we set out on a path of assimilation meant to help us enter more deeply into the life of Christ.   (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary; Pope St. John Paul II)

Both Popes encourage us to take time to reflect upon each of the mysteries—to contemplate the story being told during the mystery through recitation of Scripture—to allow a time of silence that will enhance our contemplation—to carefully and thoughtfully understand how this glimpse of the Jesus’ life can impact our own life.  The hurried, rapid fire, mindless recitation really undermines the entire idea of prayer that the Rosary is intended to be.  Yes, we should PRAY the Rosary, not SAY it!

As we continue to pray earnestly and confidently, we include the Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows of Mary, the Magnificat, Hail Holy Queen, Stabat mater, Consecration to Mary, and a whole host of other Marian Prayers.

Finally, as Franciscans, because Mary was “…embraced by St. Francis with indescribable love” we consider consecrating ourselves to Mary.  A good way to prepare for this consecration is the “33 Days to Morning Glory” by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. This free booklet includes meditations by St. Louis de Monfort, S.M.M., St. Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., St. Mother Teresa, MC, Pope St. John Paul II.  During the 33 days you are prepared to make your own consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary and allow her to help you give yourself over completely to Jesus. Totus Tuum becomes our motto as well.

Pace et bene.

Reflections on the Rule - Chapter 2 - Article 8

Chapter Two:

The Way of Life

8.  As Jesus was the true worshipper of the Father, so let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do. Let them participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist.  Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ. 

Prayer, contemplation, Sacraments, especially Eucharist, and liturgical prayer—these are the elements of Article 8 of our Rule— “…the soul of all [we] are and do.”  That gets right down to our very nature, doesn’t it?  Let’s take a brief look at what this means in our daily lives as Franciscans.

We know that St. Francis spent much time secluded from his friars immersed in prayer and contemplation.  We know that in one of these sessions near the end of his life, he was blessed with the Stigmata.  We also know that St. Francis was just following the example of Jesus who also would steal away from his Disciples and go to a private place to spend time in prayer and contemplation, especially before some other major event in his life. (CCC 2599 & 2602)   The most visible example of these prayer sessions is the glimpse that we get in the garden on Holy Thursday.  So, we have excellent examples from St. Francis and Jesus of just what the results of prayer and contemplation can accomplish.

Our Constitutions enlighten us further.

Article 12, 3. Rule 8   The brothers and sisters should love meeting God as His children and they should let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do. They should seek to discover the presence of the Father in their own heart, in nature, and in the history of humanity in which His plan of salvation is fulfilled.  The contemplation of this mystery will dispose them to collaborate in this loving plan.

Here we see that an essential aspect of our prayer and contemplation is to “discover the presence of the Father in [our] own heart...”  This kind of prayer is much deeper than a few Rosaries or Our Fathers.  We spend time in quiet solitude contemplating how God works in our lives and quiet the mind so that He can “talk” to us.  As we do this, we find the remainder of that second sentence becoming a part of our awareness of who we are.  We find ourselves not only loving God, but really, truly loving our neighbor with a deep agape and collaborating with God’s loving plan.  One follows the other.  (See Constitutions, Article 14.1 & 5)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the processes of contemplative prayer and would be well worth your time to review.   Consult Part Four, Chapter Three, Article I, Section III, Articles 2709—2719.  Incorporating this form of prayer into our daily routine will take us well beyond our usual repetition of formal prayers into a “state of being with God.”  As we set aside these quiet moments, we experience how the Holy Spirit works in our lives and changes us dramatically—like He did the Apostles.  In so doing, we discover how to become holy as Pope Francis is calling us to do in his recent apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et exsultate, which we are running in our Newsletter on page 3.

Article 8 of the Rule continues to encourage us to fully participate in the Sacramental life of the Church, especially the Eucharist.  We already know how important the Eucharist is to Franciscans.  St. Francis reminds us that the Eucharist is “the bodily presence of the most high Son of God in the world.”  In our prayer addendum to the Liturgy of the Hours for Thursday we pray, “O God, Francis and Clare had great awe and reverence for the Eucharist—may our devotion to Jesus’ Body and Blood be an example to those who aspire to the Franciscan life.”  Even the document Lumen Gentium from the Second Vatican Council tells us that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (LG 11)   Yes, the Eucharist is important.  But our Rule does ask us to participate in the sacramental life of the church.  That means the other six sacraments are important too.  Most of us will have participated in at least six of them, a few will have been ordained Deacons as well.  What we realize is the we receive much grace through all the Sacraments and, having received that grace, need to witness our faith through a radical change in our daily lives.    (See Constitutions, Article 14, 2-3; Article 53.2)

Finally, Article 8 of our Rule adjures us to “join in the liturgical prayer of the Church.”  Most months we begin our Gatherings with the Liturgy of the Hours.  Once again, our Constitutions remind us that there are other options:

The brothers and sisters, as well as the fraternities, should adhere to the indications of the Ritual with respect to the different forms of participating in the liturgical prayer of the Church, giving priority to the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours.  (Article 14.4)

The Ritual lists a number of these optional prayers which include, a shortened form of the Liturgy of the Hours, The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Office of the Passion, The Office of the Twelve our Fathers, other forms of liturgical prayer approved by the Spiritual Assistant, and Spiritual Prayer Forms for the liturgical seasons, e.g., The Way of the Cross and The Crown Rosary.  (pp. 103-104.)  Utilizing these other liturgical forms of prayer help to vary our talks with God and keep our prayer life fresh.  This variety helps us “relive the mysteries of the life of Christ,” thus bringing us closer to Him and his Way of Life.  As we become closer to Christ, we imitate our Seraphic Father and become better servants of our Lord, helping others who are the less fortunate of the world, not only in physical things but in spiritual things as well.

 Pace et bene.

Reflections on the Rule - Chapter 2 - Article 7

The Way of Life

7.  United by their vocation as "brothers and sisters of penance" and motivated by the dynamic power of the gospel, let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the gospel calls "conversion."  Human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily.   On this road to renewal the sacrament of reconciliation is the privileged sign of the Father's mercy and the source of grace.

 As we continue to consider our Way of Life, we recognize that we are part of the Church because of our Baptism.  When we Professed to live as Franciscans, we accepted a “more intimate” relationship with the Church, that is, we committed to be more faithful to the Church and its teachings.  Part of our responsibility, then, is to more fully understand what the Church says and what it teaches about the conditions of life and what our response as faithful Christians is supposed to be.

Eight hundred years ago, lay people wanted to join Francis’s new order.  Our Seraphic Father created a way in his Letter to All the Faithful in which he simply wrote:

1) love God 2) love one's neighbor 3) turn away from our sinful tendencies 4) "receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ" and, as a result of the above, 5) [produce] worthy fruits of penance – a renewed life characterized by charity, forgiveness and compassion toward others.

Thus, the Brothers and Sisters of Penance began their long journey in following the footsteps of St. Francis.  Today, we inherit that charism as the Secular Franciscan Order; we are a penitential order.  What does that mean to us in today’s world?

The interesting thing about penance is that is has a long history in Judaic-Christian practice.  We read about the people of Nineveh fasting and sitting in ashes to avoid the punishment that Noah preached; of David not eating and asking for forgiveness when his first born of Bathsheba was so ill; of several “40 days in the wilderness” – a retreat like experience; and the list goes on.  What this history is trying to tell us is that we do have that tendency to sin – to turn away from God and do things that are not so nice.  For some people it’s really big things like theft, murder, and other “big” sins.  For most of us it’s the irritated word or harsh comment or gossip that fills our day with activities.  But, we also have a history of returning to God in dramatic ways – of reconciling with Him who loves us so much.

What we who have perpetually professed as Franciscans is that we don’t want to be sinners– we want to be closer to God and his Church – we want to live a good life that recognizes the mercy and grace that God makes available to us every day.  We want to turn away from the error of sin and become more and more faithful in our activities with God.  Our response to this desire is the daily conversion outlined in this article of our Rule.

Our Constitutions reemphasizes the need for this daily conversion in a way hearkening back to the simplicity of St. Francis’ original thoughts:

1.         Rule 7  Secular Franciscans, called in earlier times "the brothers and sisters of penance," propose to live in the spirit of continual conversion.  Some means to cultivate this characteristic of the Franciscan vocation, individually and in fraternity, are: listening to and celebrating the Word of God; review of life; spiritual retreats; the help of a spiritual adviser, and penitential celebrations.  They should approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently and participate in the communal celebration of it, whether in the fraternity, or with the whole people of God.[1]

2.         In this spirit of conversion, they should live out their love for the renewal of the Church, which should be accompanied by personal and communal renewal.  The fruits of conversion, which is a response to the love of God, are the works of charity in the interactions with the brothers and sisters.[2]

3.         Traditional among Franciscan penitents, penitential practices such as fasting and abstinence should be known, appreciated, and lived out according to the general guidelines of the Church.      (Constitutions, Article 13)

Between Francis’ list and the list from the Constitutions, we see several ways that we can accomplish this pledge to daily conversion.  All these ideas are supported in the Catechism in several paragraphs, notably 1431-1432, 1434-1437, 1440, 1446, 1779, and 1989. 

All of this is well and good, but what does this mean in a practical way for each of us?

Well, we recognize that we have a tendency to sin – go against the will of God in our lives.  We are sorry for those times which are frequent in our daily lives.  We want to do something about it.  So,

·         We examine our lives daily, and endeavor to make amends.  We apologize to people whom we have harmed with our actions and words, we go to sacramental reconciliation regularly, and we live with the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in our hearts. 

·         We are seriously committed to the Church and its teachings and learn as much as we possibly can about what they mean and how to live them – but we also defend the Church when someone attacks it. 

·         We become more faithful in our lives as Christians.  We really “walk the walk” – Gospel to Life and Life to Gospel. 

·         We are concerned about all people but recognizing that we can’t go into the whole world, we work on that part of the world in which we are living. 

·         We reach out to people in need in our communities and work to make their lives easier to live helping them to find the resources that they need to find shelter, food, work, whatever. 

In essence, we take the answer of Jesus to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?” to its logical conclusion:  we love God greatly by thinking of others first and placing ourselves, in all humility, as last.  In following Francis, we make ourselves the “little poor ones” and serve others to the very best of our abilities. We become counter-cultural looking for ways of service to others and ways to inculcate peace into our community’s life.

So, let us examine our lives daily and truly, really make that conversion happen by turning our backs on materialism, snarkyness, envy, suspicion, gossip and all those other ways that we don’t love God and others.  Let us turn our faces toward God’s love and grace.  Let us take that love and grace to the world where we live and change it!

---

[1]     Ordo Poenitentiae.  Praenotanda 22 ff.

[2]     See Second Letter to All the Faithful 25 ff.