Living Witnesses -- The Sturggle for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma) and the Buddhist Monks

Sometimes people question the relevance of religious life. These past couple weeks we have seen the effective witness of Buddhist monks who together protest the brutal and repressive regime in Myanmar (Burma).

Today's Situation:

These images, just taken this past week or so, give a vivid description of the power of collective witness, when people non-violently gather to change their society.

With the monks leading, the people joined in the protest to change their society toward a democratic nation. The people have been inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman pro-democracy leader, who has been under house arrest for several years.

As you can see in this photo on the lower right, the military finally broke in with force to quell the pro-democracy marches in the city of Yangon. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Buddhist monks were arrested this past week in their monasteries late at night to break the movement. Many were beaten by government forces. Some even apparently were killed. This outrage, along with the wanton violence against the ordinary citizens who protested, has been denounced the world over by civic and religious leaders alike, including our own nation.

Christians the world over stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in their struggle for justice, for peace and for democracy. Likewise, as Franciscan friars, we pray for the well-being of all the people affected. And we think particularly of the monks, especially those who are under arrest and who suffer violence for justice's sake.

Flashback:

Franciscan friars, among other religious men and women, and thousands of lay people, non-violently protested the repressive regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines in the mid-1980s. They, too, were met with beatings and arrests. Nevertheless they prevailed in keeping with their purpose of non-violent protest on behalf of democracy, justice and peace. The late Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila and an outspoken critic of the regime, encouraged the religious and faithful to exercise their conscience and to protest the injustices of their government. This was very effective in helping to topple the Marcos government in a mostly non-violent series of protests.

from Wikepedia on Jaime Cardinal Sin
[Cardinal Sin] became witness to corruption, fraud and even murder at the hands of the regime — events that pushed Filipinos to the brink of civil unrest and even war. Sin appealed to Filipinos of all religions to follow the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels and use peaceful means to change the political situation in the Philippines.
At the same time, President Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos, let Sin to side with the regime. President Marcos ordered his generals to deploy against the marchers, however, tanks and troops were stopped in the streets with people on their knees praying the Rosary and singing English language translations of sacred hymns. Some soldiers decided to join the marchers.

Filipino Franciscan friars, together with some American-born friars, participated in these events. One of those US friars was our own Fr. Hugh Zurat, OFM, who served many years in the Philippine missions. In the light of what is occurring in Myanmar, he recounts vividly the events of the Peaceful Revolution of the 1980s that sent Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos packing and brought in Corazon Aquino as the new president and an era of liberty and democracy. This revolution predated the demise of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe by a few years.

We Franciscans, along with other religious, have been involved in promoting human rights as an outreach of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Synod on Justice and Peace stated in the early 1970s, "Justice is constitutive of the Gospel."

Responding Now:

Again, as Catholic Christians and as Franciscans we stand in solidarity with the Buddhist monks and the people of Myanmar (Burma) as they non-violently confront their violent regime. We hold them in prayer that God bless them and that they are successful in their struggle for a democratic nation that respects human rights and all life, in the promotion of what is good, what is just, what is true and what is right.

The Buddhist monks have been very courageous and effective living witnesses in standing up for justice and promoting a society that supports and defends human rights.

May we Christians, who claim Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, be and do the same.

Franciscan Vocation Directors Meet in Florida

Franciscan friars serving as vocation directors throughout the United States, and also England and Ireland, and who represent the different branches of the Order, gathered for three days from September 17-21, 2007 at Franciscan Center in Tampa, FL. Don't worry, we didn't get a lot of sun! The weather was comfortably warm, but cloudy and damp.

The friars, pictured above, came from the Observant movement (the Friars Minor -- OFM), the Conventuals (OFM Conv), the Capuchins (OFM Cap) as well as the Third Order Regular (TOR) Franciscans and the Society of the Atonement (SA), also called the "Graymoor" Franciscans.

(In the photo above, I am on the far left.)

The Conventuals wear the grey habit, the Capuchins wear the brown habit with attached hood (capuche), the TORs wear the black habit and the Observants (OFM) -- that's our group! -- have the brown habit (light and dark) with the detachable hood. The Graymoor friar has a brown-grey habit.

Fr. Dominic Monti, OFM, a Franciscan historian from New York, gave some great input regarding the vocation ministry. St. Francis called the Holy Spirit the "General Minister" of the Order -- the entire brotherhood depended and still depends on the operation of the Holy Spirit.

St. Francis, in his Testament (written very shortly before his death), reflected on his life and how the Lord guided him throughout his life. He relied completely on the Lord's inspiration and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Francis sought to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Contemporary Franciscans also seek to live the Gospel of the Lord -- but in the 21st century, not the 13th. So, we too must rely on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, to inspire us today and to guide us today in living the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.

The friars were great encouragement for one another, deepening our spiritual bonds through prayer, fellowship, good laughter and stimulating fresh ideas to energize us to joyfully promote our way of life as Franciscan men.

"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.)