Guidelines for Fraternal Life During Social Distancing
The National Priority of Fraternity Life has never been more important than at this time of social distancing. Some of you have asked how to maintain fraternity activities during this time.
What Does It Take to Get to Heaven – Five Point Plan Pgs 97-100
First, prayer. St. Pio said, "Pray, hope and don´t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer." He also said, "Prayer is the oxygen of the soul." Prayer is the breath of the Spirit; prayer is our communication with God.
The Blessed Mother, St. Francis & All of Us (from Five Point Plan)
The Blessed Mother certainly does not need me to sing her praises! Our Father Saint Francis did a far greater job both in word and in action; in word, by his Praises and Salutations, and in action, by entrusting the whole Order to her protection.
The Heart of Our Faith is the Person of Jesus Christ pg 72-75
Our faith begins not in a thing, nor in a doctrine, nor in a church, … No, our founding stems from none of these, although many things of various natures may stem from our one foundation, who is not a what, nor a when nor a where nor even a why. The heart of our faith is the person of Jesus Christ, true God and truly human.
The (Still) Basic C’s of the Franciscan Charism 5PointPlan pg 64-70
Friar Matthias said to the effect that despite all the “new scholarship” and “new insights” into Franciscan spirituality, he still felt that what he had learned and always believed and taught was true: that the four basic aspects of the Franciscan Charism were the Crib, the Cross, the Cup and Creation.
Follow Me – Five Point Plan pgs 59-63
Permit me to offer in this article the "flip side" of the article "Miserando atque Eligendo.” In that article, I focused on Christ’s “looking with mercy” (miserando) on Levi, a tax collector, on our Holy Father Pope Francis and on all of us in “choosing” (eligendo) us to follow Him. In this article, I will focus on our response to our Lord's merciful choice or election of us to "Follow me."
Praying The Rosary for Our Four Fraternities
Please permit me to request every Secular Franciscan in the United States to pray the Third Decade of the Rosary for our One Secular Franciscan Order and our Four Fraternities to which each of us belongs!
Conversion Times Three–Five Point Plan Pages 29-33
By Dear Brothers and Sisters of Penance,
May the Lord bring us Peace! By our very definition as “Brothers and Sisters of Penance,” any day is a good day for repentance or conversion. After all, our Secular Franciscan Rule 7 states: “United by […]
The Beatitudes of Penance – Five Point Plan pg 23-26
Regardless of provenance, the Franciscan Peace Prayer offers a wonderful Lenten source of meditation.
Brothers and Sisters of Penance – Five Point Plan pg 19-21
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.