The Need For Weapons

The Bishop of Assisi once said to St. Francis, "I think your life is too hard, too rough.You don't possess anything in this world."

And St. Francis replied, "My Lord, if we had possessions, we would need weapons to defend them."

Anonymous of Perugia - 17

The True Value Of Money

We must not think that the utility and value of coin or money is greater than that of stones. The devil wants to bind those who do desire and value it more. And so let us who have left all things beware, lest for so little we lose the kingdom of heaven.

St. Francis
Rule of 1221
Chapter VIII

We Have Left The World

Now that we have left the world, we have nothing further to do but be solicitous in following the will of the Lord and pleasing him.

St. Francis
Rule 1221
Chapter XXII

Seek Being Considered Insignificant Or Unbalanced

Have no fear of being thought insignificant or unbalanced, but preach repentance with courage and simplicity. Have faith in the Lord, who has overcome the world. His Spirit speaks in you and through you, calling men and women to turn to him and observe his precepts. You will encounter some who are faithful, meek, and well disposed; they will joyfully receive you and your words. But there will be more who are skeptical, proud, blasphemous, and who will insult you and resist your message. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to bear everything with patience and humility.

Legend of the Three Companions - 36

Gloomy Hypocrites

Anyone who comes to the brothers, friend or enemy, thief or robber, is to be received with kindness. And wherever the brothers are and anywhere they meet other brothers, they are to greet one another wholeheartedly and lovingly, and honor on another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9). And they are to be careful not to look outwardly sad, like gloomy hypocrites, but they are to show themselves happy in the Lord (Philippians 4:4), and cheerful and truly gracious.

St.Francis
Rule of 1221
Chapter VII

Our True Friends

Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose footsteps we're to follow, called his betrayer "friend" and willingly handed himself over to his crucifiers. Our friends, then, are those who unjustly inflict upon us tests and ordeals, shame and injury, sorrows and torments, martyrdom and death. They are the ones we should love most, for what they're really inflicting upon us is eternal life.

St. Francis
Rule of 1221
Chapter XXII

Where Did We Lose Our Focus?

St. Francis used to say we should prefer nothing to the salvation of souls, and he said so for this reason: It is for souls that the only begotten Son of God deigned to ascend the cross.

St. Bonaventure
Major Life 9:4

It would appear that we are now concerned with every whim and doctrine that comes along...except the salvation of souls. Please click on the following link and find one shred of evidence that Franciscans International are concerned with people's souls. Absolutley nothing is mentioned anywhere in this document about saving souls.

http://www.franciscansinternational.org/index.php

St. Francis's Advice To A Minister

Let there be no brother who has sinned, now matter how seriously, who would not look into your eyes seeking forgiveness, and go away without it. And should he not seek forgiveness, you should ask him if he wants it. And if after that he were to sin a thousand times, even before your eyes, love him more than me, for this is how you will draw him to the Lord; and always have mercy on such as these.

St. Francis
Letter to a Minister

Admonition For Peacemakers

The peace which you proclaim with words must dwell even more abundantly in your hearts. Do not provoke others to anger or give scandal. Rather, let your gentleness draw them to peace, goodness, and concord. This is your vocation: to heal the wounds, to bind what is broken, to bring home those who are lost.

St. Francis
Legend of the Three Companions - 59

St. Francis Worshiped The Creator And Not Creation

St. Francis praised the Artist in every one of his works; whatever he found in things made, he referred to their Maker. He rejoiced in all the works of the Lord's hands, and with joyful vision saw into the reason and cause that gave them life. In beautiful things he came to know Beauty itself. To him all things were good. They cried out to him, "He who made us is infinitely good." By tracing his footprints in things Francis followed the Beloved wherever he led. He made, from created things, a ladeer to his throne.

Celano
Second Life - 165

School Of Americas: "How the Brothers Are to Conduct Themselves."

Let the brothers love one another, as the Lord says, "This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12).

And let them show by their deeds the love they have for one another, as the Apostle says, "Our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine" (1 John 3:18).

And they are "not to go around slandering other people" (Titus 3:2); nor are they to grumble or speak evil, for it is written, "Libelers and slanderers are enemies of God" (Romans 1:30). And they are "to be peacable and gentle, and always polite to people of all kinds (Titus 3:2).

St. Francis
Rule of 1221 - Chapter XI


Please note: here is a letter from Sister Rachel West, The Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Cration. Please tell me if she and these other people are following the way of St. Francis or not. You decide...

"Led by the School of Americas (SOA) Watch frounder Fr. Roy Bourgeois and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, thousands of protesters marched in solemn procession to the gates of Fort Benning, GA, site of the SOA, on the afternoon of Sunday, November 18. Among the participants were Sisters Jacquelyn McKracken (whose article about the SOA protest appeared in the December 2 edition of the Indianapolis Star), Joan Miller and Maureen Irvin.

"They gathered to protest the continued existence of the school (now known officially as the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation) whose graduates they hold responsible for the murders and torture of thousands of innocent people throughout Latin America. But they gathered as well to protest ongoing wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan and violations of human rights throughout the world. More and more, the annoual SOA vigil, first begun in 1990 to call for the closing of the SOA, has evolved into a massive anti-was and pro-human rights rally, probably the largest in the United
States.

..."This year's protest led, as they always have, to numerous arrests for trespass onto the base. Ten were arrested while entering through a side gate, and another for attempting to scale the main gate during the symbolic funeral procession. ....three other protesters, college students, were arrested and face charges for refusing to relinquish crosses whose size exceeded police regulations."

How very, very sad.

Hypocracy

Beware of all pride and vainglory. Keep yourselves from the wisdom of this world and the prudence of the flesh. For the spirit of the flesh is desirous and very eager for words but does little to carry them out. And it does not seek the interior spirit of religion and holiness but desires of religion and holiness only what is outwardly apparent to people. It is of these that the Lord says, "In truth I tell you, they already have their reward" (Matt 6:2).

St. Francis
Rule 1221 - Chapter XVII

Poverty Of Spirit

"How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of heaven is theirs" (Matt 5:3).These are those who apply themselves unceasingly to prayer and to the responsibilities of office; they abstain and mortify their bodies often; but for one word that seems injurious to their person or any other thing that might detract from them, they are scandalized and thoroughly upset.

These do not have the spirit of poverty; for if you are truly poor in spirit, you hate your own life (Luke 14:26) and love those who hit you on the cheek (Matt 5:39).

St. Francis
Admonition 14

Blame And Praise

For his part, Francis preferred insult to praise,because he knew that insult leads to self-improvement, praise to downfall. And so when people praised his merits and holiness, he would command one of the brothers to assult his ears with phrases that humiliated and mortified him. And when the brother, although unwilling, called him uncouth and mercenary, unskilled and useless, Francis would reply, his face shining with his heart's joy, "The Lord bless you, dearest son, for you have spoken the very truth. These are the kind of words that suit well the son of Peter Bernardone."

St.Bonaventure
Major Life - 6:1

New Age Franciscans: St. Francis Not Welcome Here!

I am appalled by the naivete of our Church being duped into anti-Christian communism. Liberation theology is a threat to free society by its undermining of the Church and its magisterium through attempting to redefine moral issues (changing the Gospel to support theology opposed to shaping theology as a result of the Gospel.)

Ignorance is not bliss and unless we familiarize ourselves with the dangers, then future generations will demand answers as to why we threw away our faith in order to embrace communism and eco-tyranny.

To quote Gustavo Gutierrez (the "father" of liberation theology,) "There is no evil in being subversive, struggling against the capitalist system...Liberation leads to reinterpreting the Gospel...As I have witnessed the power of Marxism to provide motivation for a life of service where none existed before, I have come to a new appreciation of this part of my own history. I cannot settle for any story of America that fails to give a central place to this vision."

Again, Roger Garaudy (one of France's foremost Marxist intellectuals) wrote, "Socialism is a traditional stage in the passage from capitalism to communism." Also, "When the established order involves such injustice that millions of men are exploited, oppressed, mutilated, and humiliated by this order, a revolution, even armed revolution, can be less costly and in the long run less 'violent' than this established disorder, which has become pure violence. Of this, incidentally, many Christians are today becoming conscious, including, for example, even priests and bishops in Latin America."

Charles E. Curran, no longer permitted by the Church to teach moral theology at Catholic universities, has stated,"Questions arise in the light of both the importance and the limitations of Scriptures. In the light of the most striking development has been the emergence of dissent within the Roman Catholic theological community from the teachings of the hierarchical magisterium on specific moral issues."

One cannot help but feel an air of approval when local archdiocesan newspapers print articles written by these people. Already we have seen a swing by our priests and educators away from the Church's doctrine of "norma normans non normata"(the Scriptures being the norm above all other norms by which all norms are taken) and are thus shown to question the Scripture's relevance in our daily lives.

Perhaps we need to seek the definition of a couple terms which seem to have taken on good and bad connotations in complete reversal of their intended meanings:

First of all, the term orthodoxy means "right praise," or consistency with the faith of the Church as embodied in Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, official teachings and the liturgy.

Libertaion theology, on the other hand, is defined as a new type of theology which emphasizes the motif of liberation in both Old and New Testaments and which reinterprets all doctrines in terms of that motif. Forms of liberation theology include Environmentalism, Peace and Social Justice (ie., Communism), Latin American, black and feminist.

Specifically regarding the Franciscan Environmentalist movement, I feel compelled to question whether, as Franciscans, we have come to worship Creation more than we do the Creator?

Brothers and Sisters, Jesus "liberated" all of us from the bonds of oppression. Rather than reinterpreting the Gospel, perhaps we would be better served to "live it." This idea may not be popular with some in the Church today, particularly Franciscans, but by returning to the basics of our faith, we will be truly liberated through the instruction of Sacred Scriptures if only we would accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

Let All Humanity Kneel In Fear

Let humanity kneel in fear, let the whole universe tremble, and let heaven rejoice when Christ the Son of the Living God is on the altar in the hands of the priest!

St. Francis
Letter to the Whole Order

The Little Baby Of Bethlehem

The gifts of the Almighty were multiplied at Greccio, and a wonderful vision was seen by a virtuous man who was present at the Mass. He saw the little Child lying in the manger seemingly lifeless, and then Francis, the holy man of God, went up to it and roused the Child as from a deep sleep. This vision was not unfitting, for the Child Jesus, who had been forgotten in the hearts of many, was brought to life again by God's grace working through his servant Francis and was stamped deeply upon his memory.

Celano - First Life - 86

To Those Who Are Placed In Authority

"The Son of man came not to be served but to serve" (Matthew 20:28), says the Lord.

Those brothers who are placed in authority over the others are to glory in their office as much as if they were appointed to was the feet of the brothers...

St. Francis
Admontition 4

Place Thy Mouth Where Thou Dost Set Thy Feet!

A friar once said to Brother Giles, "Father, tell me, how can we avoid this pride?" To whom Brother Giles made this reply, "Rest assured, my brother, that thou canst never hope to be free from pride until thou hast first placed thy mouth where thou dost set thy feet; but if thou wilt well consider the gifts of God, thou wilt clearly see that thou hast reason to bow down thy head..."

Little Flowers of St. Francis
PART FOUR: Chapter III

The Most Holy Body And Blood Of Our Lord

Now as Jesus Christ appeared to his holy Apostles in true flesh,
so now he shows himself to us in consecrated bread; and as with their physical sight they saw only his flesh, but contemplating him with the eyes of faith, believed that he was God, so too, now, though we see bread and wine with the eyes of our body, we should see and firmly believe that it is his Most Holy Body and Blood, living and true.

St. Francis
Admonition 1

Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi

As the October evening fell rapidly, and it grew dark in the little hut in the Portiuncula woods, St. Francis prayed:

Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi!
["With my voice I have cried out to the Lord!"]
Psalm 141, a Psalm of David, the Vulgate begins:

I cried to the Lord with my voice:
with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
In his sight I p[our out my prayer,
and before him I declare my trouble:
When my spirit failed me, then thou knewest my paths.
In this way, wherein I walked,
they have hidden a snare for me.
I looked on my right hand, and beheld:
and there was no one that would know me.
Flight hath failed me:
and there is no one that hath regard to my soul.
I cried to thee, O Lord; I said:
Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low.
Deliver me from my persecutors;
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name:
the just wait for me, until thou reward me.

St. Francis of Assisi then closed his lips forever.

Christmas Fasting

One Christmas the brothers were discussing whether or not they were obliged to abstain from meat since the feast fell on a Friday. Francis responded to Brother Morico, 'You sin, little brother, to call the day on which the Child was born for us a Friday. On a day like this I want even the walls to eat meat, and if they can't, at least let their surfaces be smeared with it."

Celano - Second Life- 199

How The Brothers Are To Preach

All my brothers, whenever they wish, may proclaim to anyone and everyone, with the blessing of God, the following or a similar exhortation and prayer of praise:

Fear and honor, praise and bless,
give thanks and adore
the Lord God All-Powerful,
Triune and One,
Father and Son and Holy Spirit,
Creator of all things.
Repent! (Matthew 3:2)
Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance,
for you know how soon we die!
"Give, and there will be gifts for you" (Luke 6:38).
"Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).
And "if you do not forgive others, your Father will
not forgive your failings either" (Matthew 6:15).
"Confess your sins to another" (John 5:16).
Blessed are you who die in repentance,
for you will be in the kingdom of heaven.
Woe to those who do not die in repentance,
for you willbe children of the devil
whose co-workers you are,
and you will go into fire everlasthing.
Guard yourselves and abstain
from every evil and persevere
in good unto the end.

St. Francis
Rule 1221
Chapter XXII

The Grace Of Working

Those brothers to whom the Lord has given the grace of working are to work faithfully and with dedication. Thus they will rout idleness, the enemy of the soul, and still not extinguish the spirit of holy prayer and devotion which all other temporal things must serve.

St.Francis
Rule of 1223
Chapter V

Become Exalted In Virtue

The brothers shall acquire nothing as their own, neither house, nor place, nor anything at all. Instead, with all trust, let them go begging alms as pilgrims and strangers in this world, serving the Lord in poverty and humility, and without shame, since the Lord made himself poor for us in this world. This is the highest summit of poverty, which has made you, my most beloved brothers, heirs and kings in the kingdom of heaven; it has made you poor in material things but exalted in virtue.

St. Francis
Rule of 1223
Chapter VI

Speaking Good and Evil

"The more strongly a man is tempted, the more needful it is that he speak continually of holiness and virtue; for as by means of unholy talk of evil things a man is easily led to do evil, so oftentimes by speaking of virtue a man is led and disposed to virtuous actions."

Brother Giles
Little Flowers of St.Francis
PART FOUR: CHAPTER XIII

The Canticle of Brother Sun

Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips areworthy
To pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that
you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give us
through him.

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his
splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon
and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers
Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather's moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious, and pure.

Allpraise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful he is, how gay! Full of power
and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth,
our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits and colored flowersand herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who
grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure
Sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin!

Happy those She finds doing your will!
The second death can to no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary

Holy Virgin Mary,
there is no one like you
among women.
Daughter and handmaid
of the Most High Supreme King
and Father in heaven,
mother of our Most Holy Lord Jesus Christ,
spouce of the Holy Spirit,
pray for us.

Office of the Passion
On this Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception

Rejecting Temptation

"The best remedy when being tempted after we reject it is to run to the Cross of Christ and ask for help. Moreover, this is so terrifying to the evil spirit that as soon as he sees that his temptations urge us to God's love, he ceases to tempt us."

Ralph Martin
The Fulfillment of All Desire

Holy Chastity Contains All Perfection

"Among all other virtues, I would set the virtue of chastity first, because sweet chastity contains all perfection in itself; but there is no other virtue which can be perfect without chastity."

Brother Giles
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Part Four: Chapter VIII

Holy Humility

"It seems to me that holy humility is like the thunderbolt; for, even as the tunderbolt strikes a terrible blow, crushing, breaking, and burning whereon it lights, yet can we never find the thunderbolt itself, so does humility stike and disperse, burn up and consume every evil and vice and sin, and yet itself can nowhere be seen."

Little Flowers of St. Francis
Brother Giles
Part Four, Chapter III

Of Vices And Virtues

The grace of God and the virtues which flow therefrom are a way and a ladder that leadeth to heaven; but vices and sins are a ladder and a way that leadeth to the depths of hell. Vices and sins are venomous and a mortal poison, but virtues and good works are salutory medicine. One grace leadeth on to another, and one vice leadeth on to another. Grace asketh not to be praised, and vice cannot endure to be despised. The mind reposeth tranquility in humility, of whom patience is daughter. Holy purity of heart seeth God, and true devothion enjoyeth him.

Little Flowers of St. Francis
Part Four: Brother Giles

Of Not Carrying Offensive Weapons

The brothers may not carry offensive arms, unless it be for the defense of the Roman Church, the Catholic faith, their own country, or with the permission of their ministers.

Rule of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Called the Order of Penance

(This Rule is given in its original form.)

Alien

by

MARY BRENT WHITESIDE

He crouches in the chapel, on his knees,
With matted hair that hangs in dusky strands;
Apart and strange, among the little bands
Of worshipers, for he is not as these.
Alone! and yet a deeper vision sees
That near this alien with his grimy hands,
That Little Poor Man of Assisi stands,
As Giotto painted him upon a frieze.

I knew one luminous Italian spring!
"Your province? Is it Umbria?" I ask.
The weariness falls from him like a mask,
And all his visage is a shining thing,
As though some deathless master of his race
Inscribed a sudden message n his face.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley's Comments ConcerningThe New Constitutions

"The present constitutions emerged from a long process and the hard work of commissions and General Chapters. We also had the advantage of the newly composed Constitutions of the OFMs and the scholarly work of the legendary Father Cajetan Esser, O.F.M. Each Chapter of the present Capuchin Constitutions adopted a format which takes the Revelation of the Church and then Francis’ genius and then our fraternity and then develops the topic of the Chapter. It is a wonderfully constructed ecclesial vision of religious life and Franciscan spirituality. It locates us in the context of the Church and not as a sideshow of charismatic wonder.

"Capitular fathers were grateful to the fine work of the Italian Friar Guiseppe Santorelli from the Province of Ancora who helped incorporate more of the original Capuchin constitutions into the new Constitutions. All in all the Chapters that worked on the Constitutions did a remarkable job. I was present for some of those Chapters as a lowly translator and witnessed firsthand the hard work of the Capitulars.

"The new Constitutions despite its many strengths does have some flaws in my opinion. It is my hope that the call to re-look at the Constitutions might address some of these concerns:

• The new Constitutions dropped too much of our life of penance and the contemplative side of our life.
• The new Constitutions fail to give a clear formula for living a life of poverty “with explanations.”
• The new Constitutions favor generalities to honor an ill-conceived notion of pluriformity that has robbed the Constitutions of its fire.
• The new Constitutions needed to say more about the friars’ love for the Church and the fidelity to her moral and dogmatic teaching. Francis was so devoted to the Church, despite all the defects and shortcomings of the clergy and leadership.
•Our Constitutions should not be a bland description of how we are living our vocation in the 3rd millennium, but rather a description of how we should be living our life in a concrete program of radical poverty, radical prayer, radical love. Constitutions should not be easily tempered with. Performance and stability are important to inspire people with a sense of awe and seriousness. In today’s world young people see how everything is expendable, “throw-away.” Technology has created a world where everything is experimental or obsolete.

"The Constitutions are our identity as Capuchins and need to be firmly grounded in our history. We do not need a document that is modern and trendy that will soon seem dated and passe.

"Conclusion:

"Capuchin Identity is safeguarded by the Constitutions only in as much as it inspires us to live the Rule and Testament in a radical way. Generalities will never do. The Gospel Life of the Capuchin Brotherhood is about radical love. It is a life that begins with contemplative prayer. This allows one to imitate the self-emptying of Christ’s kenosis and leads to a radical witness that invites people to renounce the extreme individualism and materialism of our age in order to follow Christ poor and crucified.

"Some people are advocating removing some of the concrete directives on prayer that are in the Constitutions and place them in the Ordinances. This would be a fatal mistake. The ordinances are unknown and irrelevant to most of the friars. The Rule and Constitutions will always be the documents that form us and teach us our identity. The Constitutions cannot be a weak exhortation to live a vague ideal of the most common denominator. Rather, the Constitutions should be a challenging document that incorporates concrete directives about the life of prayer, poverty, and austerity. We need more boldness in our Constitutions if we are going to inspire young men to join our ranks.

"If we embrace or institutionalize a comfortable, bourgeois life style, the Order will die out, no matter how much lip service we give to a liberal social agenda. Our way of life lived in all its radical renunciation is capable of producing men whose witness of prayer, poverty and love will help transform society by calling people back to God, calling them to come home to the Church, by helping people to have a sense of personal vocation and to be part of a communal mission.

"It is my conviction that the contemplative aspects of our life should be addressed first of all. The Capuchin charism begins with the eremitical emphasis of the first friars as reflected in the document of Albacena, the subsequent Constitutions elaborate more on ministry and mission. The point of departure however is the contemplative basis of our vocation. When the life of prayer is carefully delineated, then the other aspects of our life take shape. The centrality of the Eucharist and mental prayer needs to be very clear. Daily celebration of a communal Eucharist, two periods of meditation, and the communal praying of the entire liturgy of the hours needs to be enshrined in the Constitutions as a bare minimum. To leave that up to local communities to legislate is too risky. By leaving things out of the Constitutions we are sending a signal that they are not really important and we encourage a take it or leave it attitude.

"The subjective mood, weak exhortations and mild recommendations do not communicate the sense of urgency that Francis wants to communicate in the Rule. It is a matter of life and death. St. Paul says no one will follow an uncertain trumpet blast. Our legislation should not be an exercise in subtleties. The directives about prayer and poverty need to be concrete, airtight and unyielding."

Cardinal Sean

http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/

"Welcome, My Sister Death!"

Saint Francis spent the remaining few days before his death in praise, teaching his much beloved companions to praise Christ with him. He also asked all creatures to praise God and, using the words he'd composed earlier, exhorted them to love God. He even exhorted death itself, terrible and hated by all, to give praise; and joyfully going to meet it, he invited death to be his lodger. "Welcome," he said, "my sister Death."

Celano
Second Life - 217

Voluntary Poverty

God is well pleased with poverty, and above all with voluntary poverty. For my part I possess royal dignity and special nobility, in that I follow the Lord, who was rich but became poor for our sakes (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Celano
Second Life - 73