When St. Francis called us into an Order in the very beginning and wrote our Rule, he considered and named us, "Brothers and Sisters of Penance." Let us spend a few moments in this Lenten Season unpacking our name.
At every step in following the Franciscan Way, from Inquiry to Ongoing Formation, in prayer, one should journey with Sacred Scriptures in one hand and the Secular Franciscan Rule and General Constitutions in the other hand, and with both eyes, as clearly as possible, focused on Christ and Francis.
By Deacon Tom Bello, OFS As I have said many times, we are wasting each other’s time in fraternity if we are not, as good Secular Franciscans, trying to bring each other to salvation. Please permit me to do my part and share with you Saint Francis’s Five-Point Plan for Salvation, found in the very first words of the Prologue in our Secular Franciscan Rule:
Matthew (13:54-58) recounts how, when Jesus came to his hometown and began to teach in the synagogue, people were as- tounded, and even took offense. They knew him as the carpenter’s son; not this new Jesus. “This image of him in the synagogue did not fit the Jesus they had in their heads,”
“Let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do . . . going from gospel to life and life to the gospel” (O.F.S. Rule, articles #8 and #4). How are Secular Franciscans called to pray communally, privately and liturgically? Consider these reflections in a digest article by Teresa Baker, OFS.
Francis, like all Medieval Christians, had a special devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus. As we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, here is an article that discusses the importance of Mary in Franciscan life.
The journey of transformative visioning has begun – a journey that will test our readiness to authentically live the Franciscan life. Our experience at the recent Formation Visioning Workshop awakened our souls. We must now allow God to work this great change in us.