Tag Archives: franciscan

Francis of Assisi – “And the Lord gave me brothers…”

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It is later in the autumn of 1206 that with his decision to “leave the world” Francis began to be aware of the powerful Divine Presence in his life through, his work among the lepers near Assisi, and his habit of taking refuge in churches for prayer and rebuilding the structures.  At San Damiano he encountered the consoling presence of the Savior who had suffered and died for him. It was a presence he soon came to recognize in other church: “And the Lord granted me such faith in churches that I would pray simply and say: We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, in all you churches throughout the world, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.” (Testament 4-7).  Francis was at the beginnings of an inner peace. Continue reading →

Francis of Assisi: A Period of Crisis – Embracing the Leper

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There are three events that seem to highlight the “period of crisis” in Francis life during the period from late 1205 until the summer of 1206:

  • Francis’ experiences at the abandoned San Damiano chapel – especially his prayers before the cross
  • Francis’ “leaving the world” as he turns away from his family towards the Church and an unknown path with God.
  • Francis and the leper (or lepers)

There is no consensus on the order of the events – and there is some question about later embellishments of the event – and even questions about whether some accounts indicating a single event is actually a compilation of a series of experiences. But then the 13th century writers were not trying to capture “history” they were trying to tell their understanding of the “meaning” of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Continue reading →

Admonition Seventeen

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Each one of us is gifted and as St Paul instructs us, all the gifts are given in order to build up the community.  Some receive gifts that play out in a very public setting before tremendous numbers of people.  Certainly Rev. Billy Graham was so gifted. Some are gifted in ways that will never bring them before the public eye or even their own local community. They are said to “toil away in anonymity.”  Anonymity? I guess it depends on who you want to watch. If you are striving to return your gifts to God, then an audience of One is quite sufficient.

Admonition Seventeen: The Humble Servant of God

1 Blessed is that servant who no more exalts himself over the good the Lord says or does through him than over what He says or does through another.

2 A person sins who wished to receive more from his neighbors than what he wished to give of himself to the Lord God.

Admonition Sixteen

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An American tourist in Jerusalem met up with one of the Holy Land Custody friars.  The friar offered to show him around the monastery of which he was a part.  On their tour they came to the friar’s room; the tourist noticed no TV or radio, only one change of clothes, a towel and a blanket.  He asked, “How do you live so simply?”  The monk answered, “I noticed you have only enough things to fill a suitcase; why do you live so simply?”  To which the tourist replied, “But I’m just a tourist, I’m only traveling through.”  To which the friar said, “So am I, so am I.”

“Adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true” is the destination that Francis picked and then chose a road to journey there.  On the journey he saw the God living and true in all creation.

Admonition Sixteen: Cleanness of Heart

1 Blessed are the clean in heart, for they will see God.

2 The truly clean of heart are those who look down on earthly things, seeks those of heaven, and, with a clean heart and spirit, never cease adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true.

Admonition Fifteen

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The idea of peace in the Hebrew Bible is šālôm whose core meaning is “to be hale, whole, complete.” In one form or another the notions of wholeness, health, and completeness inform all the variants of the word. Peace is not simply the absence of war or conflict. Peace is a positive notion, a notion with its own goal and ends. The Jewish writers tended to use the term primarily for interpersonal or social relations where it comes very close to meaning “justice” and is connected to the covenant with God.  Just as the covenant is gift, so too when justice is done it is seen as God’s gift to the people, and the prosperity (šālôm) comes to the people when they live faithfully under God’s covenant. Continue reading →

Admoniton Eleven

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People of a certain age have children who are now adults.  Their kids are establishing careers, families, and planning for the future. They are more and more becoming their own persons – and the parent-child relationship is giving way to the peer-peer relationship – at least in some part and form. Some of my friends insist on the parent-child dynamic. Continue reading →

Clear Vision and Sure Steps

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There was once a trusting Franciscan guardian who took a young friar to live in his own lean-to down by the river.  For the first week the friar was ecstatic – his prayer life blossomed and he really felt he had taken a major step on his journey to God.

At the end of the week, the young friar washed his one habit and put it out to dry.  The next morning he was dismayed to find that some rats had torn his habit to shreds.  So he covered himself as best he could, went to a nearby village and begged for another.  A week later, after washing, the rats destroyed that habit as well.  So, the young friar got a cat – and presto – rat problem solved. But he found he had to beg for milk for the cat.  And all the begging was taking away from his life of prayer.  So he got a cow; but of course the cow needed hay.  And he needed fields to grow the hay and a barn to store the hay.  And that took away from prayer time and his journey to God.  So he hired people to farm and tend the animals, but then he found he was the de facto mayor/sheriff/paymaster of a small village. So he hired village administrators and a small police force. And there were town meetings – and on and on the story went. Continue reading →

Admonition Eight

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Someone once described the décor in my room in the friary as a wonderful example of “early American randomness.” Random?  Really? I suspect they really meant chaos in the mathematical sense – because there is always an order present – even if it is not readily apparent.  One of my friar brothers, in his life before joining the Franciscans, was a successful interior designer whose work brought beauty in to the world from the chaos of materials and ideas. His work has graced the cover of Architectural Digest several times. Another brother teaches at a noted school of medicine. Another is a cobbler, another a tailor, and another an elementary school teacher.  We have lawyers, dentists, business executives, musicians, academics, writes, cooks, social workers, counselors, and even a candlestick maker. All different gifts to build up the fraternity of men, who like Francis, on our best days work to build up the Church. Continue reading →

Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words

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“Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”  The words are often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi – and certainly reflects a part of the Franciscan charism – but…. he never said it.  People sometimes wonder why I am persistent in reminding people that this very popular expression is only a cliché and a pale image of St. Francis.  Well, that is because it is in these type of reductions we try to harness, control and make safe the life of the saint from Assisi instead of letting us be swept away by the full story. Continue reading →