Category: Franciscan

The Sultan and the Dilemma

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As the minister of my local Secular Franciscan fraternity, I don’t make decisions in a vacuum, but there are decisions that I have to be the one to make.  When decisions are made, the good of the whole fraternity must be considered–it’s like being a parent in that way (except that in my fraternity, I’m actually the “baby” of the family!)

One of our members has brought up again and again that she wants to invite a Muslim to speak to our fraternity as part of our ongoing formation.  She has not really answered the question of what topic she would want a Muslim to speak about.  She has no particular Muslim in mind–she’s thinking of cold-calling a local mosque to invite someone.

I know that this member is concerned that all Muslims are being painted with a broad brush as a result of 9/11 and the War on Terror.  I know that she is convinced that, as Franciscans, we are to be peacemakers.  And I know that she is aware that St. Francis himself met with the Sultan during one of the Crusades.

But there are a few things that I don’t believe she knows.  When St. Francis met with the Sultan, he fully expected to become a martyr as a result of that meeting.  While he did not consider the Sultan his “enemy,” he had no illusions about what would probably happen to him–even though that did not turn out to be the case.  He was not insulting toward the Sultan’s faith, but neither did he pull any punches about his own faith and that he hoped to lead the Sultan to the right way to God.   He saw the Sultan as his brother, but he also saw an opportunity to attempt a conversion.

Someone once called me “practical,” which at times seems at odds with what it means to be a Franciscan.  St. Francis was, usually, anything but practical.  Yet I worry that this member’s proposal would not be for the good of the fraternity.  With no particular speaker or topic in mind, that opens the door to who-knows-what–IF she could even get someone to agree to attend the meeting.  And as no one in the fraternity has any relationships with any Muslims, we do not know if the random person she finds to ask is truly faithful to Muslim spirituality.

And, frankly, this might sound a little insular or provincial or whatever, but I believe that there is plenty for us to learn and discover and by which to be inspired right here within our own Faith.  We don’t need to look outside our own yard for more traditions, more rituals, more ways to prayer.  There’s plenty right here that we have yet to get to know.

This is going to come up again tomorrow at the meeting–I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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Every year that weather permits, our Secular Franciscan Fraternity hosts a “Live Nativity at Greccio” celebration.

Last time we had it, it was in a new place, indoors, without live animals, but we had 117 people to enjoy the Live Nativity. This year, it’s going to be even more different.

It will no longer simply be a Live Nativity, but will be incorporated into our parish’s “Catholics Come Home” Christmas Carol Festival. That means that it’s going to turn into a Battle of the Bands of sorts, with all 3 parish ensembles (Religious Education Kids’ Choir, Adult Choir, and Folk Group) all participating.

A few diehard Greccio participants have bowed out this year–the changes are just too much for them. I kind of want to join them, but I’m bound to hang in there with both the Folk Group and the Secular Franciscans. And I do have to say that I’m relieved for us Seculars, because the membership in general is getting up in age and it’s hard for many of them do to much to help with the event. I was getting pretty tired of handling most if it myself. This year, my role is much more limited, and those SFOs who are physically able will bring cookies and help hand out (and collect) costumes.

Tonight I have to go over to the church to represent the Folk Group as we do a walk-through of the whole event to figure out how long it will take. I know it’s going to be a bittersweet time. I’m going to have to compromise, as if I haven’t done enough of that already with this event and this parish merger.

And in the end I’m going to have to hope that this event touches the hearts of those attending and those participating. After all, “that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

On This Feast

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Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. And while he’s well-known for the “Peace Prayer,” my favorite Franciscan prayer is the Prayer Before the Cross:

Most high, all-glorious, good God,
Bring light to the darkness of my heart.
Give me right faith, firm hope, and perfect charity,
With wisdom and insight, O Lord,
That I might always discern
Your holy and true will.

And my favorite Franciscan motto:  While we have time, let us do good.

Blessings to you on this feast of Francis!

Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

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Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Pray once a day for nine days, beginning on 25 September and ending on 3 October, the eve of the Feast of St. Francis.

Glorious Saint Francis, who voluntarily renounced all the comforts and riches of thy home to follow more perfectly the life of poverty and abnegation of Jesus Christ: Obtain for us, we pray, a generous contempt of all things in this world, that we may secure the true and eternal things of heaven.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever, world without end. Amen.

O glorious Saint Francis, who during the whole course of thy life continually wept over the passion of the Redeemer, and labored most zealously for the salvation of souls: Obtain for us, we pray, the grace of weeping continually over those sins by which we have crucified afresh Our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may attain to be of the number of those who shall eternally bless His supreme mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever, world without end. Amen.

O glorious Saint Francis, who, loving above all things suffering and the Cross, merited to bear in thy body the miraculous stigmata, by which thou became a living image of Jesus Christ crucified: Obtain for us, we pray, the grace to bear in our bodies the mortifications of Christ, that we may merit one day to receive the consolations which are infallibly promised to all those who now weep.

“If we be dead with Christ Jesus, we shall live also with Him,” says the Apostle; “if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.”

Pray for us, Saint Francis, that we may obtain the graces and favors we ask for in this novena; pray for us, especially, that we may obtain the grace of perseverance; of a holy death and a happy eternity.

Pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be five times.

Temper, Temper–and Keep it Simple, SFO!

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My printer is acting up. It doesn’t want to feed the paper I’m trying to put into it. And it’s no small irony that my frustration level is rising to the point of using bad language…while I’m trying to print out a Novena to St. Francis of Assisi for my SFO fraternity.

I was trying to put it on some nice, thick, pretty paper, but the printer was having none of it. I’m guessing that Father Francis would be much more pleased that I wound up just using ordinary, run-of-the-mill printer paper. Simplicity will always win out in the end.

Once I took out the thick paper and returned the regular paper to the printer, everything went well.

That should teach me a few things.

(And I’ll have that Novena up here for its beginning on the 25th! Won’t you join me and my fellow Franciscans in praying a Novena this year?)

Happy Birthday, Franciscans!

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Saturday was the 800th birthday of the Franciscan Order!

I’m kind of disappointed, though. I was at a SFO Regional event and we didn’t even have cake. What kind of birthday party is that?

The Stigmata of St. Francis

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Father Daren at Servant and Steward has a beautiful post on the Stigmata of St. Francis, including a reading from his biographer, Thomas of Celano, and some art depicting the event.

If you’re interested in learning more about Francis, read here.

And don’t miss a beautiful prayer of St. Anthony!

Earth Day According to One Secular Franciscan

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Saint Francis of Assisi has apparently come to be considered the Patron Saint of Earth Day, ecology, and all things “green.”

But the green movement does Francis no justice when insistence is placed on “green for green’s sake.”

The only thing the Francis was interested in for its own sake was God.

Yes, he had a great reverence for Creation–the earth, nature, the sun and moon and all the animals, plants and trees. But his reverence was born from his awe of the power and creativity and genius of God. To Francis, every bit of God’s creation reflected God’s glory–and that is what made creation something to be revered. Francis saw God’s glory, power, creativity and genius in everything and everyone, and strove to act accordingly.

So when we toss statistics around like these (which I did not make up, but which were sent to me in an email from the National Youth Commission of the Secular Franciscan Order):

One soft drink can recycled by each elementary school student in America would save 24.8 million cans! That would be enough aluminum to create 21 Boeing 737 airplanes!

One out of every 3 pounds of the waste that Americans generate is just for packaging, which each year adds up to 77 million tons–enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans 37 times!

If every newspaper reader in the USA recycled just one typical Sunday paper, he or she would help create 212 million pounds of cellulose insulation–enough to insulate 118,767 Habitat for Humanity houses! That’s nearly twice as many houses as all the Habitat homes built in America so far!

let us remember that while it’s great to reduce waste, recycle or reuse what we have, and try to create less garbage, the reason we do this is to treat God’s creation with care–to be good stewards of what we have been given.

It’s not enough to be “green.” We should also be grateful.

Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims

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Fascinating! This article is an interview with the author of a book on Francis’ efforts to convert the Muslims in his time. One review of the book comments:

“If you’re tired of portraits of St. Francis as little more than a Birkenstock-clad hippie, a Peace Corps social worker, or an effeminate tofu-eating Green Party activist, read this book,” wrote Dr. Philip Blosser on his blog.

That’s recommendation enough for me.

Hat tip to Lisa, sfo at Franciscan Focus.

Feast of All Souls of the Seraphic Order

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Lisa, sfo reminds us that yesterday was the feast of All Souls of the Seraphic Order. She has posted the Litany to the Saints of the Seraphic Order, that we may pray it on behalf of the souls of our fellow Franciscans.

Let the members (who are) fellow city-dwellers, guests or hosts convene at the funeral of a deceased member, and together recite the Marian prayers instituted by Father Dominic, that is the Rosary, a third part for the heavenly solace of the deceased. Likewise let the priests during the divine service, (and) the laity, if they can, having received the Eucharist, pray piously (and) willingly for the sempiternal peace of (their) departed brother.

Brother Pio reminds us that the Rosary would also be an appropriate prayer in this instance, as St. Francis recommended in the earlier rule of Leo XIII and Nicholas IV.

I’m sure that being a day late in beginning these prayers will not matter…better late than never, especially where prayer is concerned!