Happy St. Francis Day!

Franciscans all over the world are preparing to celebrate tomorrow, 4 October 2008, the Solemnity of our Holy Father, Francis of Assisi. For the rest of the Roman Rite Church it is a memorial, but for us Franciscans -- friars (Friars Minor, Capuchins, Conventuals, Third Order Regular), Sisters (Poor Clare nuns and the numerous Third Order Sisters communities) and the Secular Franciscans (formerly called Third Order -- lay people and diocesan clergy who have embraced the Gospel life envisioned by our holy founder) it is a solemnity!

Please see below for a contact information -- a Franciscan-themed song!

The San Damiano Cross in Assisi through which the Lord Jesus spoke to Francis and said, "Francis, go and repair my Church, which you see is falling into ruins."

This evening we commemorate the passing, or Transitus of St. Francis on the eve of 3 October 1226, for he died just as the sun was setting! And he died in a small building adjacent to the womb of the entire Franciscan movement, the Portiuncula ("little portion"), one of the chapels which the Poverello repaired at the beginning of his Gospel adventure.


The chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, the Portiuncula (Little Portion) housed since the 17th century within the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, outside of Assisi. The womb of the Franciscan movement.


The Transitus service is actually quite simple. It can begin with a hymn composed by St. Francis (e.g. Canticle of the Creatures [All Creatures of Our God and King], a narration from one of the lives of St. Francis (e.g. Thomas of Celano 2nd Life of St. Francis or St. Bonaventure's Major Life), the proclamation of John 13:1-17, Psalm 142, Intercessions with the Lord's Prayer, a Concluding Prayer and a blessing (with a priest or deacon, the Aaronic blessing from Number 6:24-26, which St. Francis favored). Perhaps another hymn from the Prayers of St. Francis could be sung (or conclude the Canticle of the Creatures).





The tomb of St. Francis of Assisi located in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis in the city of Assisi, staffed by the Conventual Franciscan Friars.

From Sr. Julie Ann Sheahan, OSF of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity (Manitowoc, WI):
Just thought I'd send you a possible blog post starter. Our song of the month is a great tribute to Francis, drifter and dreamer. You may want to send your blogspot viewers to us for a free download of a great song:

www.fscc-calledtobe.org/living

Enjoy -- and Happy St. Francis Day!

Praised Be You, My Lord for our Sister Mother Earth

A feature of current Franciscan spirituality and theology is trying to move St. Francis of Assisi out of the "birdbath" and into concrete and real human experience.

Who hasn't seen the image of St. Francis with birds perched on his shoulder, petting a deer or other such animal? While these can be wonderful images, especially for children. they can also do a disservice by "taming" this very wild saint of God!

Simply put, St. Francis believed that God's power and grace were evident in all creation because he had redemptive vision. This means that he believed the prophecies of Isaiah, which we often read during the Season of Advent (e.g. Isa. 11:6-9), were fulfilled -- and being fulfilled -- because of the Incarnation of the Son of God in human history and the saving event of the Paschal Mystery -- Jesus' passion, death and resurrection.

Believing that salvation was a real experience, St. Francis loved creation because it glorified God and because through creation God's glory was manifest to human beings. Of course, for St. Francis, this reaches its apex in the human creature. Francis is faithful to the biblical narrative, which we find in Genesis (1:27), that states that humanity is created -- male and female -- in God's image! And even more so, that image, marred by sin, is restored through the obedience of Jesus Christ. Hence, he was also faithful to the teaching of one of the very early Fathers of the Church, the martyred bishop St. Irenaeus of Lyons, that "The glory of God is the human being fully alive!"

Thus, St. Francis of Assisi rejoiced that salvation was indeed happening! It was happening in his own life and in all of creation; that the teaching of St. Paul the Apostle (Rom. 8:19-23) about all creation groaning for the revelation of the children of God (i.e. those redeemed by the Blood of Christ) was indeed coming to pass. That is why the Poor One of Christ (Poverello) could boldly cry out that the sun was his brother, the moon his sister, the fire his brother, the water his sister, and Mother Earth his sister (cf. his famous Canticle of the Creatures).

This gives, of course, a whole new impetus to the Franciscan push to respect creation as the handiwork of God and intimately connected with our salvation story. Believing, like St. Francis, that the salvation of all creation is a work in progress is to take a bold step in faith out into our sinful world which tends to see creation merely as a commodity to be exploited only for human consumption. It is to stand against the misinterpretation of Genesis 1:28b-30 when the Creator entrusts His dominion to human stewardship -- men and women have dominion over creation, yes, not to destroy this household of our Sister Mother Earth, but to honor and respect the elements, the resources, the minerals, the water, the air -- all of it -- for the glory of God and for the benefit of all humankind and, indeed, all creation.

For us Franciscan Friars, the integrity of creation is not simply a matter of being "green" or being accused of "tree hugging"! Far more than that, it is looking at creation, like our holy founder, with the eyes of a mystic to perceive God's presence and activity. It is not sentimental romanticism -- it is hard-core faith that the promises of God are being fulfilled -- even now -- in and through all of creation!

The Poverello of Assisi: St. Francis and his feastday, 4 October 2007

Most High, glorious God,

bring light to the darkness of my heart

and give me true faith, certain hope and perfect charity,

sense and knowledge, Lord,

that I might carry out your holy and true command.

Amen.

St. Francis composed this simple prayer apparently early on in conversion experience. He would pray this before the Crucifix of San Damiano on the hill outside of the city of Assisi. San Damiano was a hostel for pilgrims en route to Rome, but had fallen into disrepair from neglect. It was before this Crucifix that Francis heard the Lord Jesus speak to him and say, "Francis, go repair my Church which you see is falling into ruins!"

Francis initiated his church-rebuilding campaign shortly afterward, thinking originally that it was to this chapel and a couple others that he was called to physically renew and repair. However, it wasn't till later on, as he reviewed his life, that he realized that the Lord had called him to a renewal of the People of God, not just stone and mortar!

Above I used the word "conversion" -- what was that all about? Francis (Giovanni Baptista Bernardone) was reared in a Catholic household, the elder son of the Bernardone family. He was known to be generous to the poor; he was also known to be lavishly generous to his friends for parties! So, you can imagine that he was popular.

But after his excursion into warfare (Assisi v. Perugia -- Perugia won), he became a prisoner of war in the dungeons of Perugia, where he apparently contracted a form of tuberculosis and nearly died. After being ransomed from the prison by his father, Pietro, Francis returned to Assisi a changed man. He tried another venture in warfare, but turned back after a disturbing dream. He began to reconsider the direction of his life. That is when we began going to San Damiano to pray before the Crucifix, alone in a lonely place -- to confront his inner self and to meet the Lord. Such is the stuff of discernment.

It was out of this interior struggle and encounter that eventually led Francis to renounce the world and to become the poor man, the poverello of Assisi, a "fool for Christ", who wanted to live for Jesus alone. And so he embarked on the greatest adventure a human being can do -- to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Crucifix of San Damiano

"Francis, go repair my Church which you see is falling into ruins."

"How Did You Know, Father?"

Every so often, when they are away from their peers or potential eavesdroppers, young men will ask the question, "Father, how did you know that you wanted to be a Franciscan friar or a priest?" I must admit, it's not an easy question to answer. I suppose it's like a parent trying to answer the question, "How did you know that Mom/Dad was the right one for you?" It seems easy enough, I suppose, but really isn't.

It's not because I don't know exactly -- it's more like, how do you explain a mystery? And a vocation is a mystery! For me, at least, there was no "magic moment" of Aha! It was more gradual. I am very visual, and I think part of my childhood attraction was the Franciscan habit. But the story of St. Francis of Assisi caught my imagination and heart even moreso!

I was fascinated by St. Francis' relationship with the Lord Jesus -- with his deep attraction to prayer, his holy boldness in preaching the Gospel, and his willingness to joyfully love his opponents who, quite frankly, thought he was nuts. I wanted to be like the "Poverello" (little poor man in Italian). I wanted to live for Jesus Christ!

When I was a teenager (way back in the 1970s!) I became involved in an area-wide youth group in metropolitan Pittsburgh, PA. It was led by one of our friars, Fr. Augustin ("Gus") Milon, OFM. And it was through him that I ended up becoming a Franciscan friar myself. I was drawn to prayer, to preaching and eventually to work among the poor.

I guess I just connected with the Franciscan charism (gift of the Holy Spirit), but before I even knew that there was a Franciscan charism! Maybe it grabbed me? See what I mean? It's difficult to explain. It really is a mystery.

But through prayerful discernment with other Franciscans over time it became increasingly obvious to me that this was where I belonged. God works with what attracts us. The Gospel of Jesus, the whole Bible, the Mass and Sacraments of the Church, the life and writings of St. Francis of Assisi, the habit, prayer, preaching -- all these attracted me to the Order of Friars Minor. It was something consistent and persistent in my life.

How about you? What attracts you? What does the Lord use to attract you to himself? To his Church? To ministry?

(In the above photo from August 2006, Bro. Jaime Hernandez, OFM from Guadalajara, Mexico and I are at "The Fest", a vocation event held annually in the Cleveland, OH area.)