tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29555944376103849032024-02-20T06:20:51.217-08:00Living StonesThe Glory of the Most High Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order seeks to help lay people and secular priests and deacons live out their Franciscan vocations through prayer, community, and opportunities for spiritual growth.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-5977579671513920462023-03-29T11:09:00.005-07:002023-03-29T11:09:59.288-07:00Looking at the Rule - Paragraph 3<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at the Rule<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year Franciscans are celebrating the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Later
Rule. Our own Rule was revised in 1978. This is the fifth of a series of
articles looking at that Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3.
The present rule, succeeding Memoriale propositi (1221) and the rules approved
by the Supreme Pontiffs Nicholas IV and Leo XIII, adapts the Secular Franciscan
Order to the needs and expectations of the Holy Church in the conditions of
changing times. Its interpretation belongs to the Holy See and its application
will be made by the General Constitutions and particular statutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Comments: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Our current Rule is the
fourth expression of the Rule. While the language is updated, the principle of
Franciscan gospel living remains unchanged. It is applied to the “changing
times” to keep it relevant. At the same time, the Rule recognizes the authority
of the Church – the Holy See. This fidelity to and faithful relationship with
Church authorities has been one of the strengths of the Order, helping to
sustain it for 800 years. </span></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-2558460681723271592023-03-29T11:07:00.004-07:002023-03-29T11:07:35.899-07:00Looking at the Rule - Paragraph 2<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at the Rule<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year Franciscans are celebrating the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Later
Rule. Our own Rule was revised in 1978. This is the fourth of a series of
articles looking at that Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2.
The Secular Franciscan Order holds a special place in this family circle. It is
an organic union of all Catholic fraternities scattered throughout the world
and open to every group of the faithful. In these fraternities the brothers and
sisters, led by the Spirit, strive for perfect charity in their own secular
state. By their profession they pledge themselves to live the gospel in the
manner of St. Francis by means of this rule approved by the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comments: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The “family circle” is, of course,
the Franciscan family – the First Order (friars), the Second Order (women
religious), and the “Third Order,” the Secular Franciscans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
Seculars we support and encourage the first two orders, as well as each other.
But we also have a special call to “</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">strive for perfect charity in their own
secular state.” We seek to put the Franciscan charism into practice in world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Although
“secular,” we are professed members of an official order in the Church. We are
more than just a group of lay people who get together regularly.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-10033164224305687772023-03-29T10:53:00.002-07:002023-03-29T10:53:35.938-07:00Looking at the Rule - Paragraph 1<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at the Rule<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year Franciscans are celebrating the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Later
Rule. Our own Rule was revised in 1978. This is the third of a series of
articles looking at that Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter
1 THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER (OFS) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Franciscan family, as one among many spiritual families raised up by the Holy
Spirit in the Church , unites all members of the people of God — laity, religious,
and priests — who recognize that they are called to follow Christ in the footsteps
of St. Francis of Assisi . <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
various ways and forms but in life-giving union with each other, they intend to
make present the charism of their common Seraphic Father in the life and
mission of the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comments: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are many spiritual families
in the Church raised up by the Holy Spirit. One of those families is our own
Franciscan family, which binds together laity, religious, and clergy. All
Franciscans work to live out the charism of Father Francis in serving the
Church. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those of
us who are Secular Franciscans </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">have a vital role to play in the Franciscan Family. We
are in community with the other two orders – the friars and the Poor Clares –
and with each other. All three parts of the Franciscan family support and
complement each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But we also
have a special call to make the spirit of St. Francis present in the world
through marriage and raising families, through our work, through our
participation in parishes and various ministries, and so on. In doing so, we
advance the life and mission of the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-28384899663449703742023-03-29T10:51:00.003-07:002023-03-29T10:54:16.722-07:00Looking at the Rule - Prologue 2<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at the Rule<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year Franciscans are celebrating the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Later
Rule. Our own Rule was revised in 1978. This is the second of a series of
articles looking at that Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prologue<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Exhortation of Saint
Francis to the Brothers and Sisters in Penance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the name of the
Lord!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Part
Two:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Concerning
Those Who Do Not Do Penance<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But
all those men and women who are not doing penance and do not receive the Body
and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and live in vices and sin and yield to evil
concupiscence and to the wicked desires of the flesh, and do not observe what
they have promised to the Lord, and are slaves to the world, in their bodies,
by carnal desires and the anxieties and cares of this life (cf. Jn 8:41).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These
are blind, because they do not see the true light, our Lord Jesus Christ; they
do not have the Son of God who is the true wisdom of the Father. Concerning
them, it is said "Their skill was swallowed up" (Ps 107:27) and
"cursed are those who turn away from your commands" (Ps 119:21).
"They see and acknowledge, they know and do bad things and knowingly
destroy their own souls.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">See,
you who are blind, deceived by your enemies, the world, the flesh and the
devil, for it is pleasant to the body to commit sin and it is bitter to make it
serve God because all vices and sins come out and "proceed from the heart
of man" as the Lord says in the gospel (cf. Mt 7:21). And you have nothing
in this world you would possess the vanities of this world for a long time.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But
you have been deceived, for the day and the hour will come to which you give no
thought and which you do not know and of which you are ignorant. The body grows
infirm, death approaches, and so it dies a bitter death, and no matter where or
when or how man dies, in the guilt of sin, without penance or satisfaction but
does not do it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
devil snatches the soul from his body with such anguish and tribulation that no
one can know it except he who endures it, and all the talents and power and
"knowledge and wisdom" (2 Chr 1:17) which they thought they
had will be taken away from them (cf. Lk 8:18; Mk 4:25), and they leave their
goods to relatives and friends who take and divide them and say afterwards,
"Curse be his soul because he could have given us more, he could have
acquired more than he did." They worms eat up the body and so they have
lost body and soul during this short earthly life and will go into the inferno
where they will suffer torture without end.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> All
those into whose hands this letter shall have come we ask in the charity that
is God (cf.1 Jn 4:17) to accept kindly and with divine love the fragrant
words of our Lord Jesus Christ quoted above. And let those who do not know how
to read have them read to them.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
may they keep them in their mind and carry them out, in a holy manner of the
end, because they are "spirit and life" (Jn 6:64). And those who will
not do this will have to render "an account on the day of judgement"
(cf. Mt 12:36) before the tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf.
Rom 14:10).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Comments<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The second part of the
prologue deals with those who do not do penance – in effect, those who turn from
God, and who do not receive His Body and Blood..<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As a result, they are
prone to “</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">live
in vices and sin and yield to evil concupiscence and to the wicked desires of
the flesh.” They have been blinded, unable to hear the “voice of the Spirit,”
and are enslaved by sin. They are warned that they will not know true happiness
in this world or the next. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
call is to do penance!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-49712390867640334232023-03-29T10:50:00.001-07:002023-03-29T10:53:52.685-07:00Looking at the Rule - Prologue 1<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at the Rule<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year Franciscans are celebrating the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Later
Rule. Our own Rule was revised in 1978. This is the first of a series of
articles looking at that Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prologue<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Exhortation of Saint
Francis to the Brothers and Sisters in Penance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the name of the
Lord!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter 1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Concerning Those Who
Do Penance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All who love the Lord with their
whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with all their strength (cf. Mk
12:30), and love their neighbors as themselves (cf. Mt 22:39) and hate their
bodies with their vices and sins, and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and produce worthy fruits of penance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, how happy and blessed are these
men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them, because
“the spirit of the Lord will rest upon them” (cf. Is 11:2) and he will make
“his home and dwelling among them” (cf Jn 14:23), and they are the sons of the
heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:45), whose works they do, and they are the spouses,
brothers, and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Mt 12:50).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are spouses, when by the Holy
Spirit the faithful soul is united with our Lord Jesus Christ; we are brothers
to him when we fulfill “the will of the Father who is in heaven” (Mt 12:50).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are mothers, when we carry him in
our heart and body (cf. 1 Cor 6:20) through divine love and a pure and sincere
conscience; we give birth to him through a holy life which must give life to
others by example (cf. Mt 5:16).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, how glorious it is to have a
great and holy Father in heaven! Oh, how glorious it is to have such a
beautiful and admirable Spouse, the Holy Paraclete.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, how glorious it is to have such
a Brother and such a Son, loved, beloved, humble, peaceful, sweet, lovable, and
desirable above all: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life for his sheep
(cf. Jn 10:15) and prayed to the Father saying:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Oh, holy Father, protect them with
your name (cf. Jn 17:11) whom you gave me out of the world. I entrusted to them
the message you entrusted to me and they received it. They have known that in
truth I came from you; they have believed that it was you who sent me. For
these I pray, not for the world (cf. Jn 17:9). Bless and consecrate them, and I
consecrate myself for their sakes. I do not pray for them alone; I pray also
for those who will believe in me through their word (cf. Jn 17:20) that they
may be holy by being one, as we are (cf. Jn 17:11). And I desire, Father, to
have them in my company where I am to see this glory of mine in your kingdom”
(cf. Jn 17:6-24).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Observations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In this prologue, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Saint Francis begins by
listing some key components of being one who does penance, by which he means a
person who has turned toward God. Those are:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love of God<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love of Neighbor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hatred of Vice and Sin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Receiving the Eucharist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Producing Worthy Fruits
of Penance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These are all part of
our call as Christians, but as Franciscans we are called to give these elements
added focus. He notes that those who love the Lord have a deep, familial
relationship with Him. We become obedient sons and daughters, spouses, brothers
and sisters, and mothers. Saint Francis asks the Father to protect all those
“who do penance.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And in being ones who
do penance, we are called, in effect, to mirror Christ in our lives. St.
Francis himself set an inspiring example, so mirroring Christ he even received
the Stigmata.</span></p></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-82904181533924824902023-03-20T05:37:00.000-07:002023-03-20T05:37:02.397-07:00Pat Cammarata, ofs<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDzUwm8BPhcoUFi_ahL4jaeiTNxAJ3c7ihKzB35e1xYxCTTEcLp6mAN31mVrVAGTzYJ0DmKMdoNMEJDyMNZdhTj2XEGtgwoDaeXLDRmm9ajOpvopFxT10n7SGZU4fEU-vxDnbechbyGYVOtFGZyaUyaLZioDk8xZDM5PbR5WsCf3SupEVHpgvpG0HRCA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4801" data-original-width="3113" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDzUwm8BPhcoUFi_ahL4jaeiTNxAJ3c7ihKzB35e1xYxCTTEcLp6mAN31mVrVAGTzYJ0DmKMdoNMEJDyMNZdhTj2XEGtgwoDaeXLDRmm9ajOpvopFxT10n7SGZU4fEU-vxDnbechbyGYVOtFGZyaUyaLZioDk8xZDM5PbR5WsCf3SupEVHpgvpG0HRCA=w312-h479" width="312" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">May Pat rest in peace.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Pax et bonum</div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-563682702728326592022-10-04T17:19:00.005-07:002022-10-04T17:22:54.849-07:00Transitus 2022<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSByXDe5kdtiqtk9WcZeHzB3VYMiQQpwReaFKRGK462IWDb17DqmSgHUQnbBPaXzMgWAnlxepk5TRfsnrk1nXV4eUg9_hGzVRIN4lEmvxp9-usY2ZE904mNQNY-RlwgtdL4vyZrGutBgUtGhz8nDizBt1XrigsomGlaKx_LjmqVOJL8wMwxbsVTMxCA/s3980/transitus22robe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3980" data-original-width="2974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSByXDe5kdtiqtk9WcZeHzB3VYMiQQpwReaFKRGK462IWDb17DqmSgHUQnbBPaXzMgWAnlxepk5TRfsnrk1nXV4eUg9_hGzVRIN4lEmvxp9-usY2ZE904mNQNY-RlwgtdL4vyZrGutBgUtGhz8nDizBt1XrigsomGlaKx_LjmqVOJL8wMwxbsVTMxCA/s320/transitus22robe.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More than 50 people gathered at the St. Padre Pio Chapel October 3 to celebrate the Transitus of St. Francis with a Mass and a reception. The Mass and reception were cosponsored by The Glory of the Most High Secular Franciscan Fraternity and The Immaculate Heart of Mary Secular Franciscan Fraternity. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5_zFTVkKucZyvn5O5PMHDGsV6FuMtJn9bFlqW8OVuj7BaRdZrN1lqRtXKfdfpnlc9dBP7kToMMoRZGidCa0KXruhZZQa0-Ff4hGA5o2Xt836wI0SfYHYKPSqfVo24yx82PF0u_R7nbMXTUjaxRSuCpduZnMyLVL1zUBorFKgSJhvwVVAJv9LCDbzMA/s2216/transitus22candles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2216" data-original-width="1660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5_zFTVkKucZyvn5O5PMHDGsV6FuMtJn9bFlqW8OVuj7BaRdZrN1lqRtXKfdfpnlc9dBP7kToMMoRZGidCa0KXruhZZQa0-Ff4hGA5o2Xt836wI0SfYHYKPSqfVo24yx82PF0u_R7nbMXTUjaxRSuCpduZnMyLVL1zUBorFKgSJhvwVVAJv9LCDbzMA/s320/transitus22candles.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZB6bM935RGoD6d0LJGqe2k9rwZ99dpO1fSH4w16UyE18rTmArg8tdeRZqxcBLT6p1_bXaZlH94ji_x7_vTirVIh5x8mglYR3brwS2SF3wUr19UrC-iYDxKsZcvXw00rhR9GJ2a9RBqRA-cfiSiWemDf6bI4zAX7oHrDAv5RZZe12MfKklkphdN9hhw/s2027/Transitus22frDave.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2027" data-original-width="1519" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZB6bM935RGoD6d0LJGqe2k9rwZ99dpO1fSH4w16UyE18rTmArg8tdeRZqxcBLT6p1_bXaZlH94ji_x7_vTirVIh5x8mglYR3brwS2SF3wUr19UrC-iYDxKsZcvXw00rhR9GJ2a9RBqRA-cfiSiWemDf6bI4zAX7oHrDAv5RZZe12MfKklkphdN9hhw/s320/Transitus22frDave.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Father Dave Baetzold was the concelebrant of the Mass. The main celebrant was Fr. Joe Catanise, OFS.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LdbGQxrXD6PCKYg02-c2zKo6nMCAxaSkwz7zLeZI_YxwfvloP6zxNk2WkyQgutckMHKsHOcElSpBN19uml75shf22xTcQbuhYNhOxZNUlcMqxgqspJ2oZ4f5OpHJpmpy7lJpZsHDE6Lm4dVQemNGVyeITt0M6tIsVOpmj9wx8Tr3uR1KA3zcsvp9Bw/s3293/transitus22crowddownstairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3293" data-original-width="2464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LdbGQxrXD6PCKYg02-c2zKo6nMCAxaSkwz7zLeZI_YxwfvloP6zxNk2WkyQgutckMHKsHOcElSpBN19uml75shf22xTcQbuhYNhOxZNUlcMqxgqspJ2oZ4f5OpHJpmpy7lJpZsHDE6Lm4dVQemNGVyeITt0M6tIsVOpmj9wx8Tr3uR1KA3zcsvp9Bw/s320/transitus22crowddownstairs.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv4iWJ-7xB5TMWUEEBXHTJXKnkcbH6EWc-bvkkVHQX54csl9H0EAjR_YImqa9b-oZvwTDKUWdi9tNAU8-QLWehWEbaomSWJ7qynND5NWTnycRqISYMzS5RNQMDHLzFPDxYLLCBDoF8YSHTh00xXfTjvElJKGnJlSUE5XMYycYKPQ43OJ1fHXXSRZhYw/s2358/transitus22foodtable.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2358" data-original-width="1768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv4iWJ-7xB5TMWUEEBXHTJXKnkcbH6EWc-bvkkVHQX54csl9H0EAjR_YImqa9b-oZvwTDKUWdi9tNAU8-QLWehWEbaomSWJ7qynND5NWTnycRqISYMzS5RNQMDHLzFPDxYLLCBDoF8YSHTh00xXfTjvElJKGnJlSUE5XMYycYKPQ43OJ1fHXXSRZhYw/s320/transitus22foodtable.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm7yGfMg_wJEx4K2w1qhFlcqTt2FHM7oRoc1opfo5qqa93AGniPLtSwLY4u8JAO7RA5pJsc3Iql6gHMEqIzqNvdLyviDzG26gMxtcKqwjNkmxQrr329_B5oMoq8W5wnCNhHjCsX91j6Aryd2uND2d_StpV_JSE0_D3uCHBtdUrWUB2oe8Kt5SxMz5Xw/s1055/transitus22bettys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="777" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm7yGfMg_wJEx4K2w1qhFlcqTt2FHM7oRoc1opfo5qqa93AGniPLtSwLY4u8JAO7RA5pJsc3Iql6gHMEqIzqNvdLyviDzG26gMxtcKqwjNkmxQrr329_B5oMoq8W5wnCNhHjCsX91j6Aryd2uND2d_StpV_JSE0_D3uCHBtdUrWUB2oe8Kt5SxMz5Xw/s320/transitus22bettys.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwF5JC5-cMg3Z83cpqqMPzd38xh9IOxgWqXE_I1Wb06l7xoO94fTm_66LBVbACoqG_t3JQM59fhBqyeTRYk__JyfHxIXKoWVmdzgty7ENmm1xT3KDk1ydN4dqOxCO3KzSPTlpOKFXtjDuOAGmAUJzzD04inzA-y73-NBWRYZPrTpkjJqhV8JPbDMr9Q/s1795/transitus22Joan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1795" data-original-width="1336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwF5JC5-cMg3Z83cpqqMPzd38xh9IOxgWqXE_I1Wb06l7xoO94fTm_66LBVbACoqG_t3JQM59fhBqyeTRYk__JyfHxIXKoWVmdzgty7ENmm1xT3KDk1ydN4dqOxCO3KzSPTlpOKFXtjDuOAGmAUJzzD04inzA-y73-NBWRYZPrTpkjJqhV8JPbDMr9Q/s320/transitus22Joan.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNi2iiSBHRziLn874IQOnYYBrG1LBLKcqlzi2J_Fm7pKaXKFeYI6UlEOnS3DvprC8-ZQJoMscAF23W2rcv-SBJ47pgu1JaKQi8ffmGxyHwjYxrqTxBWhbUtu44ek6Kpz0vfN9zkeBavgoKTdgnLBUyyZbpTkylSlYnN44Yg-6cFi-nAWAHKMPtWh6GRA/s2732/transitus22socializing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2732" data-original-width="1997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNi2iiSBHRziLn874IQOnYYBrG1LBLKcqlzi2J_Fm7pKaXKFeYI6UlEOnS3DvprC8-ZQJoMscAF23W2rcv-SBJ47pgu1JaKQi8ffmGxyHwjYxrqTxBWhbUtu44ek6Kpz0vfN9zkeBavgoKTdgnLBUyyZbpTkylSlYnN44Yg-6cFi-nAWAHKMPtWh6GRA/s320/transitus22socializing.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkgyqIDpQKjNOBUwNr0u_8eVPevbCe2vx64DvXujlMKyRN8OT6Jlzj1QQ6d7hVTtv7MgrHX_hBYa4iF5YoYr72uL3wdmGVIccEUDB4sKMXe-xeOrrMPxuPP3e_JsasGirFNeQA4mQnvtbAIBmkFZlGAMyzc973WYEECleSJhLpkqStAp2gqNCYxWETQ/s2643/Transitus22fooddonations.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="2643" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkgyqIDpQKjNOBUwNr0u_8eVPevbCe2vx64DvXujlMKyRN8OT6Jlzj1QQ6d7hVTtv7MgrHX_hBYa4iF5YoYr72uL3wdmGVIccEUDB4sKMXe-xeOrrMPxuPP3e_JsasGirFNeQA4mQnvtbAIBmkFZlGAMyzc973WYEECleSJhLpkqStAp2gqNCYxWETQ/s320/Transitus22fooddonations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We collected food for a local food pantry.</div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-23290017092316849192022-07-04T07:39:00.002-07:002022-07-04T07:39:25.832-07:00Saint Junipero Serra<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><br />In 1776, when the American Revolution was beginning in the east, another part of the future United States was being born in California. That year a gray-robed Franciscan founded Mission San Juan Capistrano, now famous for its annually returning swallows. San Juan was the seventh of nine missions established under the direction of this indomitable Spaniard.<br /><br />Born on Spain’s island of Mallorca, Serra entered the Franciscan Order taking the name of Saint Francis’ childlike companion, Brother Juniper. Until he was 35, he spent most of his time in the classroom—first as a student of theology and then as a professor. He also became famous for his preaching. Suddenly he gave it all up and followed the yearning that had begun years before when he heard about the missionary work of Saint Francis Solano in South America. Junipero’s desire was to convert native peoples in the New World.<br /><br />Arriving by ship at Vera Cruz, Mexico, he and a companion walked the 250 miles to Mexico City. On the way Junipero’s left leg became infected by an insect bite and would remain a cross—sometimes life-threatening—for the rest of his life. For 18 years, he worked in central Mexico and in the Baja Peninsula. He became president of the missions there.<br /><br />Enter politics: the threat of a Russian invasion south from Alaska. Charles III of Spain ordered an expedition to beat Russia to the territory. So the last two conquistadors—one military, one spiritual—began their quest. José de Galvez persuaded Junipero to set out with him for present-day Monterey, California. The first mission founded after the 900-mile journey north was San Diego in 1769. That year a shortage of food almost canceled the expedition. Vowing to stay with the local people, Junipero and another friar began a novena in preparation for St. Joseph’s day, March 19, the scheduled day of departure. On that day, the relief ship arrived.<br /><br />Other missions followed: Monterey/Carmel (1770); San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771); San Luís Obispo (1772); San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776); Santa Clara (1777); San Buenaventura (1782). Twelve more were founded after Serra’s death.<br /><br />Junipero made the long trip to Mexico City to settle great differences with the military commander. He arrived at the point of death. The outcome was substantially what Junipero sought: the famous “Regulation” protecting the Indians and the missions. It was the basis for the first significant legislation in California, a “Bill of Rights” for Native Americans.<br /><br />Because the Native Americans were living a nonhuman life from the Spanish point of view, the friars were made their legal guardians. The Native Americans were kept at the mission after baptism lest they be corrupted in their former haunts—a move that has brought cries of “injustice” from some moderns.<br /><br />Junipero’s missionary life was a long battle with cold and hunger, with unsympathetic military commanders and even with danger of death from non-Christian native peoples. Through it all his unquenchable zeal was fed by prayer each night, often from midnight till dawn. He baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed 5,000. His travels would have circled the globe. He brought the Native Americans not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living. He won their love, as witnessed especially by their grief at his death. He is buried at Mission San Carlo Borromeo, Carmel, and was beatified in 1988. Pope Francis canonized him in Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2015.<div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-36231829313786832292022-07-04T07:33:00.002-07:002022-07-04T07:33:59.100-07:00Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, Secular Franciscan<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIbd7mcW7zhWJQMTPRc33Jl5H4pNR1OOm4fDMo5oC9AIXmnwYm2wD7J2S7zzXzsewJJ6GqjR3qcRIZ7DN26JbVef5Gzdb0myOa3ladwiaWChRuvcpWwZHbgZgZCRXrda_zhcq5ir-QDZV3_gn1wSnN1nlA6F1NTmNOX0Iprje5vWKfGX4uCFoKZZCVzA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="221" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIbd7mcW7zhWJQMTPRc33Jl5H4pNR1OOm4fDMo5oC9AIXmnwYm2wD7J2S7zzXzsewJJ6GqjR3qcRIZ7DN26JbVef5Gzdb0myOa3ladwiaWChRuvcpWwZHbgZgZCRXrda_zhcq5ir-QDZV3_gn1wSnN1nlA6F1NTmNOX0Iprje5vWKfGX4uCFoKZZCVzA=w246-h333" width="246" /></a></div><br />Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality.<br /><br />Thus fortunately prepared, Elizabeth was able to meet the challenge when at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.<br /><br />Denis, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors. Elizabeth long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, Elizabeth set out and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.<br /><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-7542426040116099882022-07-03T17:29:00.002-07:002022-07-03T17:29:36.727-07:00Franciscans and Just War<div><br /></div><div>From our weekly News Notes - <br /><br />In a recent interview (carried in <i>Vatican News</i> July 1), Pope Francis said in response to a question,<br /><br /><br />“I believe it is time to rethink the concept of a ‘just war.’ A war may be just, there is the right to defend oneself. But we need to rethink the way that concept is used nowadays. I have said that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are immoral. Resolving conflicts through war is saying no to verbal reasoning, to being constructive. Verbal reasoning is very important. Now I am referring to our daily behavior. When you are talking to some people, they interrupt you before you have finished. We don’t know how to listen to one another. We don’t let people finish what they are saying. We must listen. Receive what they have to say. We declare war in advance, that is, we stop dialoguing. War is essentially a lack of dialogue.”<br /><br />The “just war theory” is one that has been debated since articulated by St. Augustine and later explicated by St. Thomas Aquinas.<br /><br />The theory (and some of its implications) is stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<br /><br />2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:<br /><br />- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;<br />- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;<br />- there must be serious prospects of success;<br />- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.<br /><br />These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.<br /><br />The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.<br /><br />2313 Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.<br /><br />Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes, as are the orders that command such actions. Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out. Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin. One is morally bound to resist orders that command genocide.<br /><br />2314 "Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation." A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.<br /><br />Over the years, theologians have debated whether particular conflicts met the criteria. Some conflicts that were deemed just initially were later called into question due to tactics used, the targeting of civilians, shifting aims of the conflict, and more. And there is often confusion due to the fact that in wars both sides often claim their conflict is just. We see that in the current war in Ukraine.<br /><br />St. Francis himself provided a model of how to conduct “dialogue.” In 1219 during the Fifth Crusade, he crossed the lines to preach the Gospel to the Sultan of Egypt, Malik al-Kamil, who had himself repeatedly made offers of peace to the Crusaders, all of which were rejected. He even offered to return Jerusalem and rebuild its walls, and to return the True Cross, but these offers were also rejected. So he was open to receiving St. Francis. They spoke for several days, and though Francis’s efforts did not bring peace, they did result in Franciscans being allowed to have free access to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and led to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land that continues to this day.<br /><br />Later, when St. Francis created the Secular Franciscan Order, he included in the first Rule a statement about Secular Franciscans and war.<br /><br />In the Rule of 1221, Article 16 states, “They are not to take up lethal weapons, or bear them about, against anybody.”<br /><br />This prohibition on taking up arms led to conflicts with local authorities, who were resentful of the loss of soldiers. There are some historians who suggest this helped to lead to a weakening of feudalism in Italy – and to provide some limits to the frequent local wars.<br /><br />We see a more recent example in the case of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, OFS, who, though an Austrian, was conscripted into the German Army during World War II. While he did undergo military training, he refused to take the “Hitler oath,” and, after learning about some of the immoral things the Nazi’s were doing, declared himself a conscientious objector when called to active duty. Despite pressure to conform, he refused to relent. He was executed in 1943, a martyr for the faith.<br /><br />The Holy Father is right in saying that some wars may be just, so we need to keep that possibility open, but given the nature of war today, it is perhaps time to reevaluate the just war theory and how it is applied. And given the models of St, Francis and Blessed Franz, and our own vocation as Secular Franciscans, we need prayerfully to examine our own understanding of the concept.<br /><br />After all, we follow St. Francis in greeting others with “Pax et bonum” – “Peace and goodwill.”<br /><br />Pax et bonum</div><div></div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-52639776286637811162022-02-10T06:03:00.005-08:002022-02-10T06:03:40.067-08:00Saint Benedict the African<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqNXFNOc3scQ3A0Q3mXjfqwDLn_kRwQyQLrqGY9r-FqLjX_no_cXYYZnH9Eaqq_66VfnRDtZxYfu8EZurEKg45iQ29IcfSbCB3aMVlwgbDkh3SVvadLx9UPqPRHFGv910rmsNAm2UX3RtZ5YBkYP3CzLIeyIAbP6pc_IclDP0hpZtacicoM2dZG22Vkw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="252" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqNXFNOc3scQ3A0Q3mXjfqwDLn_kRwQyQLrqGY9r-FqLjX_no_cXYYZnH9Eaqq_66VfnRDtZxYfu8EZurEKg45iQ29IcfSbCB3aMVlwgbDkh3SVvadLx9UPqPRHFGv910rmsNAm2UX3RtZ5YBkYP3CzLIeyIAbP6pc_IclDP0hpZtacicoM2dZG22Vkw=w327-h425" width="327" /></a></div><br /><br />This month is Black History Month. The focus tends to be more on African Americans, but certainly is not limited to them. <br /><br />One Black Franciscan Saint who is honored as a patron by African Americans is Saint Benedict – sometimes called “the Moor,” “the Black,” or “the African.” <br /><br />Saint Benedict was born in 1526 in San Fratello in Italy. He was the son of two slaves, but as a reward for their service he was set free. He did various kinds of farm work to support himself. In his early 20s, he joined a group of Franciscan-affiliated hermits, and eventually became the leader of the group. <br /><br />In 1564, Pope Pius IV disbanded independent communities of hermits, ordering them to attach themselves to an established religious Order, so he joined the Order of Friars Minor. He initially served as a cook for the Friary he joined, but when his growing spirituality was recognized, even though he was illiterate and not ordained, be became the master of novices, and then the guardian. In truth, he was forced to accept his election as guardian. When his term ended, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen. <br /><br />He became widely known for his gifts of prayer and the guidance of souls, and his reputation of holiness. Following the example of Saint Francis, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year; he also slept only a few hours each night. <br /><br />Saint Benedict’s died in 1589. He was canonized in 1807. <br /><br />Saint Benedict, pray for us.</span><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-89046758039616028962021-11-18T03:51:00.002-08:002021-11-18T03:58:56.444-08:00New Fraternity Council<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMiUTHTJ8GiBFTq-ebK7Q5Nyru7fSuFY74AvDRfpy42Id8mILoCN1riWrgYYsur_fWNiZHPoW4fx2NM2Y9nGkb7WBFW0ay5yoqsZedDjILOia8ctcb0YE1WUUprYbxHBsdQDPEGq7Z35w/s3076/Franciscancouncil2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2789" data-original-width="3076" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMiUTHTJ8GiBFTq-ebK7Q5Nyru7fSuFY74AvDRfpy42Id8mILoCN1riWrgYYsur_fWNiZHPoW4fx2NM2Y9nGkb7WBFW0ay5yoqsZedDjILOia8ctcb0YE1WUUprYbxHBsdQDPEGq7Z35w/w384-h349/Franciscancouncil2021.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The 2021-24 Council following elections November 14 (from left) Rich Backlas, Spiritual
Assistant; Mary Smith, Treasurer; Marilyn Gawlik, Secretary; Nancy Strong, Vice
Minister; Lee Strong, Minister, Betty Carmen, Formation Director. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div>Pax et bonum</div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-72639162605829350442021-10-18T03:32:00.000-07:002021-10-18T03:32:08.888-07:00Personal Charitable Action<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Personal Active
Charity</span></b></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />Mother Teresa once commented, “Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same — with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.” <br /><br />As Franciscans, we are called to give more than money and donations. We are called to reach out with our hands, to take a personal active role as best we can. <br /><br />St. Francis himself was not afraid to make his charity personal. Thomas of Celano noted in his first life of Francis that our Seraphic Father did more than kiss a leper once. <br /><br />“And then the holy lover of all humility betook him to the lepers, and was with them, serving them all most zealously for God's sake, washing all foulness from them and even wiping away the matter from the ulcers; even as he says himself in his Testament, ‘For when I was in sin it seemed to me exceeding bitter to look on lepers, but the Lord brought me among them, and I showed mercy unto them.’” <br /><br />Thus we each need to find ways – based on our particular circumstances – in which we can go beyond donating money and goods, and undertake direct, active works of charity as individuals and as a Fraternity. <br /><br /></span> <br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-22266960822672380312021-10-03T18:33:00.001-07:002021-10-03T18:34:15.390-07:00Assisi Sunset<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29tYPMrUY6UWDyNxvCvRJAMI2wUld-fkHD9c34DlDnLVnKg3GRmnqP-BRD34yFH_XVwTHgugnbYFVh_iG84SwTfYEQLrItOwxiWeLWZLiGgwLZvZycNGdP7_-gW_8SnyCXR3McqNkGvnH/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="235" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29tYPMrUY6UWDyNxvCvRJAMI2wUld-fkHD9c34DlDnLVnKg3GRmnqP-BRD34yFH_XVwTHgugnbYFVh_iG84SwTfYEQLrItOwxiWeLWZLiGgwLZvZycNGdP7_-gW_8SnyCXR3McqNkGvnH/" width="178" /></a></div><br />Assisi sunset -<br />an exaltation of larks<br />welcome Francis home<br /><br />(St. Francis died at sunset on October 3. Witnesses say that a flock - an exaltation - of larks gathered where he was dying and sang, even though larks are normally not about at that time of day. One of the most famous stories about him is his preaching to the birds.)<br /></div><div>Pax et bonum</div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-57664346436186321082021-06-24T12:06:00.005-07:002021-06-24T12:06:44.250-07:00Saintly Secular Franciscan Fathers<div><br /></div><div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">In light of today being Father’s Day, we honor all Secular Franciscans over the centuries who have been fathers. Some of those Secular Franciscan fathers have also been recognized by the Catholic Church as Saints and Blesseds. Among those are Saint. Ferdinand III of Castile, Saint Thomas More (whose feast day is this Tuesday). Saint Louis IX (a Patron of the Secular Franciscan Order), and Saint Louis Martin (the father of Saint Therese of Lisieux).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Ferdinand and his first wife Beatrice had 10 children. When she died, he married again and he and his second wife Jane had three children. As a king, he was a great administrator and a man of deep faith, with a strong devotion to Mary. He founded hospitals, and bishoprics, monasteries, churches and cathedrals during his reign. Her also compiled and reformed a code of laws which were used until the modern era. Ferdinand fought to free parts of Spain from the Moors, and rebuilt the Cathedral of Burgos and changed the mosque in Seville into a Cathedral. He was a just ruler, frequently pardoning former offenders to his throne. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">More is famous for his support of the Catholic Church and his refusal to accept Henry VIII’s break with the Church – for which More was later executed, becoming a martyr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">But long before his death, he was a man of deep faith. Early in life he considered a religious vocation, but chose instead to marry and become a Secular Franciscan. He and his first wife had four children, and family life included daily prayer, and, unusual for the time, education for his daughters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">While imprisoned shortly before his death, More wrote a letter to his daughter Margaret, concluding it with, “</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">And, therefore, my own good daughter, do not let your mind be troubled over anything that shall happen to me in this world. Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">may seem, it shall indeed be the best.”</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">King Louis IX is a Patron of the Secular Franciscan Order. He and his wife Margaret had 11 children. He reformed the legal system in France, and was a leader in two Crusades, the Seventh and the Eighth, dying of disease during the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">King Louis was noted for his holiness, He was also known for his charity. Beggars were fed from his table, he ate their leavings, washed their feet, ministered to the wants of the lepers, and daily fed over one hundred poor. He founded many hospitals, a home for reformed prostitutes; a home for blind men, and supported the construction of a number of churches.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">In a famous letter he reportedly wrote to his son, the future King Philip III, he said “…</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">the first thing I advise is that you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">You should, with all your strength, shun everything which you believe to be displeasing to Him. And you ought especially to be resolved not to commit mortal sin, no matter what may happen and should permit all your limbs to be hewn off, and suffer every manner of torment, rather than fall knowingly into mortal sin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> If our Lord send you any adversity, whether illness or other in good patience, and thank Him for it, thing, you should receive it in good patience and be thankful for it, for you ought to believe that He will cause everything to turn out for your good; …”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Louis Martin and his wife and fellow saint Zelie Martin had nine children, five of whom lived to adulthood and became women religious – including Saint Therese of Lisieux.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Both Louis and Zelie were drawn to religious life, but were frustrated in their attempts, and instead met and married. The two Secular Franciscans created a family life rooted in faith – as evidence by their daughters all entering religious life. They never worked on Sunday. They carried out various works of mercy, and were generous with time and money towards the poor in the community. They always prayed for the souls of those who had died, and went out of their way to help dying people receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites. They followed the Church’s guidelines of fasting and abstinence, supplementing them with further voluntary mortifications. As a couple, they attended 5:30 a.m. daily Mass. Saint Louis was very devoted to making pilgrimages and participating in all-night vigils in reparation for the loss of the Catholic faith in France at his time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Saints Ferdinand, Thomas, King Louis, Louis Martin, and all Secular Franciscan father saints, pray for us.<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-87665976983800105722021-06-01T06:31:00.003-07:002021-06-01T06:31:44.533-07:00Two Encyclicals With Franciscan Ties<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">May
29</span><sup style="text-align: left;">th</sup><span style="text-align: left;"> was the feast day of Pope St. Paul VI, a Secular Franciscan.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There
were many reasons why he was recognized as a Saint, but he is perhaps best
remembered for his prophetic encyclical, Humane Vitae. The encyclical has been
attacked (especially by people who never read it) and is often described as
just a reiteration of the Church’s teachings against artificial methods of
birth control. But the encyclical did more than prohibit. It is a wonderful
exploration of marital love. And it warned about potential negative results of
using birth control. In it, the Pope
predicted such use could result in:</span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Marital
infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Men]
may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and
emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction
of his own desires.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="font-family: inherit;">“The
danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who
care little for the precepts of the moral law…. Who will prevent public
authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more
effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use
on everyone.”</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly,
we have witnessed the accuracy of those predictions</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Humane Vitae</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is well worth
reading or rereading. You can find a copy of it online here - </span><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6humana.htm" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6humana.htm</a></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another
papal encyclical has been in the news recently.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Vatican has unveiled a 7-year “action platform” to generate
environmental action, as suggested by Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical <i>Laudato
Si’</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> In a statement welcoming
the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP), Pope Francis said that the earth “that
hosts us suffers as a result of wounds that we cause by our predatory
attitude.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The encyclical makes wide use of Franciscan ideas, and cites St.
Francis and St. Bonaventure frequently. It has often been unfairly
misrepresented – as happened with <i>Humane
Vitae</i> – but it too is well worth reading (especially before commenting on
it!). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The text of it can be found online at <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-">https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Pax et bonum</p>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-84364187410363256892021-03-21T09:13:00.002-07:002021-03-21T09:13:31.701-07:00The Patron Saint of Ecology<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s Spring.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A season of new life, and of appreciation of the beauty
of nature. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">St. Francis of Assisi, of course appreciated nature in a
far more profound way than he is often stereotyped with bird baths and lawn
ornaments. He is called the patron saint of the environment and ecology. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Pope St.
John Paul II, on November 29, 1979, recognized this connection when he issued a papal bull declaring St.
Francis i the patron of ecology and of those who promote ecology.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Pope
wrote: "Among the holy and admirable men who have revered nature as a
wonderful gift of God to the human race, St Francis of Assisi deserves special
consideration. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">or he, in a special way, deeply
sensed the universal works of the Creator and, filled with a certain divine
spirit, sang that very beautiful ‘Canticle of the Creatures’</span>"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In that
Canticle – also called “The Canticle of Creation,” St. Francis wrote, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Be praised, my Lord,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">for Sister Earth, our Mother,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">who nourishes us and sustains us,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">bringing forth fruits and vegetables
of many kinds<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">and flowers of many colors.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">~ From “The Canticle of Creation”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Following
the publication of Pope Francis’s <i> Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home, the
U.S.</i> Conference of Catholic Bishops created a prayer based on the encyclical:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prayer
to Care for Our Common Home <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Father
of all, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Creator
and ruler of the universe, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
entrusted your world to us as a gift. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Help
us to care for it and all people, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">that
we may live in right relationship—<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> with You, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> with ourselves, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> with one another, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and with creation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christ
our Lord, both divine and human, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
lived among us and died for our sins. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Help
us to imitate your love for the human family <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">by
recognizing that we are all connected<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">—
to our brothers and sisters around the world, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> to those in poverty impacted by
environmental devastation, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and to future generations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Holy
Spirit, giver of wisdom and love, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
breathe life in us and guide us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Help
us to live according to your vision, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">stirring
to action the hearts of all— <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> individuals and families, communities of
faith, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and civil and political leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Triune
God, help us to hear the cry of those in poverty, and the cry of the earth, so
that we may together care for our common home. Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
what do we do?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
National <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Justice, Peace and integrity of Creation</span>
Office </span>has one suggested step. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A Call to Action<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Single-use
plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for
plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they
are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, grocery bags,
food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, k-cups, cups and cutlery. Think
about your experience and use of single-use plastics. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pick
just one plastic item: straws, grocery bags, bottles, or cutlery. Replace this
item with a more eco-friendly replacement, like having reusable bags with you
when you grocery shop. Or, keep a set of metal or bamboo cutlery wrapped in a
reusable cloth napkin with you when you go to eat. How about using paper, metal
or silicon straws instead of wasting the plastic ones? Just replace one item at
a time and see how it feels. It may not seem like much, but in the long run, it
will end up making a big difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-34128336679186740502020-09-15T07:05:00.001-07:002020-09-15T07:05:23.538-07:00Living Stones Notes #3<div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Living
Stones Notes #3<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWGCA2QkahyNyXy04hGqHOJWR088T2wrfe7NKny1AAEst26O1EySi-azcxagIeN1pOVcvTrU0KCodGj7mkj47Qmw60ed9AF0T1VkJK78kHpOEiIDJyhVG2K93RsVfC09slHcPrxdzhI6m/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="213" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWGCA2QkahyNyXy04hGqHOJWR088T2wrfe7NKny1AAEst26O1EySi-azcxagIeN1pOVcvTrU0KCodGj7mkj47Qmw60ed9AF0T1VkJK78kHpOEiIDJyhVG2K93RsVfC09slHcPrxdzhI6m/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: #494d4e; font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My past, O Lord, to your mercy; my
present, to your love; my future, to your providence.</span><span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">. – St. Padre Pio</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMauK6e56H2NWLzrJlrsOoynYJLhKzssz_j17bAoflFEB-lQDXkKrYpxyXCkceD0mZ9IBNdt3n8V93p6jrc8fLYZ6v05FyEWNIoOzT_0HUdOVuJVc4jW7mrRnFoz3X4xg_91DTxIBqSxo/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="624" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMauK6e56H2NWLzrJlrsOoynYJLhKzssz_j17bAoflFEB-lQDXkKrYpxyXCkceD0mZ9IBNdt3n8V93p6jrc8fLYZ6v05FyEWNIoOzT_0HUdOVuJVc4jW7mrRnFoz3X4xg_91DTxIBqSxo/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was delightful seeing so many able to make our first
gathering in six months. Fifteen of us joined together for fellowship,
formation, and prayer at the St. Padre Pio Chapel September 13. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our next gathering at the Chapel will be October 4, from
1-3. We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis that day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Remember that for ongoing formation one of the resources
we are using is <i>Live Like Francis:
Reflections on Franciscan Life in the World</i>
by Jovian Weigel OFM and Leonard Foley OFM. We are asked to read Chapter
2 of the book in preparation for the October 4 gathering..<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">September 13, we renewed our professions. If you were not
able to be there, here is renewal pledge we said: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Renewal
of profession<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">MINISTER:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today with great joy we are
celebrating the renewal of our profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">During the time we have been professed
we have made a sincere effort “to make present the charism of our seraphic
Father in the life and mission of the Church” and to build “a more fraternal
and evangelical world so that the kingdom of God may be brought about more
effectively.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let us, therefore, join in giving
thanks and in recommitting to ongoing change of heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">TOGETHER: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
We thank you, Lord, for calling us to the Secular Franciscan Order.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
We ask your pardon for all our shortcomings, weaknesses and
transgressions against our commitment to the gospel life and against the Rule.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
We pray that you will allow us to experience once again the fervor and
readiness of that first day when we entered the fraternity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
We renew once again our commitment to the gospel life, according to the
Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, until the end of our days.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Grant also that we may live in harmony with our brothers and sisters,
and may give witness to younger people of the great gift we received from our
Franciscan calling to “go forth as witnesses and instruments of the Church’s
mission among all people, proclaiming Christ by our life and words.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">MINISTER:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lord our Lord, Father of all, we thank
you for the love and goodwill<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">that you have shown toward your
people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And so we ask you to help us who today
celebrate our profession in the Secular Franciscan Order, and our efforts to
fulfil our commitment to the gospel life which we took upon ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We ask this through Christ our Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">ALL</span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> :</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The region sent out the following “Formation Friday” suggestion
for this Thursday: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As members of the
Franciscan family, our culture includes important events in the life of our
founder. We will celebrate one of these important moments (this week).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What do you know about
the Stigmata of St. Francis?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">· <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ St. Francis received
the Stigmata around the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross in September of 1224--two years before his
death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ He was praying on Mt.
La Verna preparing for the feast of St. Michael the Archangel.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ Brother Leo was
nearby.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ While praying, Francis
saw a Seraph with six wings. (Seraphs are angels of the highest order who are
closest to God and most passionate in praising Him.) Between the wings was the
image of a crucified man. When the vision disappeared, Francis was marked with
the wounds of Christ. (St. Francis’s encounter with the Seraph and his passion
in praising the Father has caused the Franciscan Order to be called the
Seraphic Order and Francis our Seraphic Father.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ Francis had asked to
experience the love Jesus felt for us and also the pain he suffered for us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ We celebrate the Feast
of the Stigmata on September 17th</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">+ St. Francis is the
first person in recorded Christian history to receive the Stigmata.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">O St Francis,
stigmatized on La Verna,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the world longs for you,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">that icon of the crucified Jesus..</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It has need of your heart,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">open to God and to others;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of your bare, wounded feet,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of your pierced hands raised in supplication.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It longs for your voice so frail</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">yet forceful with the power of the Gospel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Francis, help the people of this age</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">to recognize the evil of sin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and to seek purification from it in penance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Help them to become free from the very structures of sin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">that oppress today’s society.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Rekindle in the consciousness of those in government</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">an urgent need for peace between nations and peoples.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Instill in young people your freshness of life</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">that is capable of withstanding the snares</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of the many cultures of death.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To those injured by every type of evil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">teach, O Francis, the joy of being able to forgive.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To all those crucified by suffering,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">hunger and war,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">reopen the doors of hope. Amen.</span></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pope St, John Paul II
(On a visit to Mt. La Verna in 1983)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Diane F. Menditto, OFS</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chair, National
Formation Commission</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Minister, Our Lady of
the Angels Region<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pax
et bonum,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></div></span><p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-8727862487403864562020-08-31T04:12:00.002-07:002020-08-31T04:12:27.498-07:00Living Stones Notes #1<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Living
Stones Notes #1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Freestyle Script"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">and suddenly you are doing the impossible. – St. Francis of Assisi.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At our August 29, 2020, meeting of the Council of the
Glory of the Most High Fraternity, the suggestion was made that the Minister
start sending regular e-mail updates to the Fraternity to keep members
connected and up-to-date. This is a first attempt. The format will likely change
and evolve. (Feedback is appreciated!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are gathering again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Council voted to hold our monthly Fraternity
gatherings at the St. Padre Pio Chapel, while St. Theodore’s Church is not
available. Our gatherings are normally the first Sunday of the month, but since
September 6 is a holiday weekend, the Council voted to hold the first gathering
this fall on <b>September 13, from 1-3 p.m</b>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The next two gatherings will be October 4 and November 1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We will easily be able to social distance. Masks are
required in the chapel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let us know if you’re coming September 13 so we will know
how many tables to set up. . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
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visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Council also voted to begin using a new book for ongoing formation, <i>Live Like Francis: Reflections on Franciscan
Life in the World</i> by Jovian Weigel
OFM and Leonard Foley OFM. Copies are begin ordered and some will be available.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pax
et bonum,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-134954951782551722020-07-12T08:57:00.003-07:002020-07-12T08:57:46.660-07:00True and Perfect Joy<br />
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="none" /></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m_2929526651871030336__Hlk44799632" rel="nofollow" shape="rect"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">True and Perfect Joy: Franciscans and Suffering<br clear="none" /></span><u></u><u></u></span></b></a></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even in suffering, Francis experienced confidence and joy from:<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">+ the experience of the fatherhood of God;<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">+ the invincible faith of rising with Christ to eternal life;<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">+ the experience of being able to meet and praise the Creator in the universal fraternity of all creatures.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(From the FUN Manual “Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order”-Theresa Baker, OFS)<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br clear="none" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span>Questions to Ponder (for discussion)<br clear="none" /></span></u></b><u><span><u></u><u></u></span></u></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">+What were some of the sufferings St. Francis endured in his lifetime? What <br clear="none" /> can we learn from his sufferings?<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">+Would you know how to explain<br clear="none" />“Perfect Joy?” (Read about “Perfect Joy” attached or in the Little Flowers.) <u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">+What role does suffering play in our lives?<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">+How do you view suffering?<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">+Is suffering a punishment or an opportunity to enter into the sufferings of Christ?<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> TRUE AND PERFECT JOY</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u><u></u></span></span> </div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-undated-writings/true-and-perfect-joy/182-fa-ed-1-page-166" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-undated-writings/true-and-perfect-joy/182-fa-ed-1-page-166</span></span></a><span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One day at Saint Mary [of the Angels] blessed Francis called Brother Leo and said: “Brother Leo, write.” <span style="font-size: small;"><sup>2</sup>He responded: “Look, I’m ready!” 3“Write,” he said, “what true joy is.”<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span>4</span></sup><span>“A messenger arrives and says that all the Masters of Paris have entered the Order. Write: this isn’t true joy! <sup>5</sup>Or, that all the prelates, archbishops and bishops beyond the mountains, as well as the King of France and the King of England [have entered the Order]. Write: this isn’t true joy! <u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span>6</span></sup><span>Again, that my brothers have gone to the non-believers and converted all of them to the faith; again, that I have so much grace from God that I heal the sick and perform many miracles. I tell you true joy doesn’t consist in any of these things.”<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span>7</span></sup><span>“Then what is true joy?”<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span>8</span></sup><span>“I return from Perugia and arrive here in the dead of night. It’s winter time, muddy, and so cold that icicles have formed on the edges of my habit and keep striking my legs and blood flows from such wounds. <sup>9</sup>Freezing, covered with mud and ice, I come to the gate and, after I’ve knocked and called for some time, a brother comes and asks: ‘Who are you?’ ‘Brother Francis,’ I answer. <sup>10</sup>‘Go away!’ he says. ‘This is not a decent hour to be wandering about! You may not come in!’ <sup>11</sup>When I insist, he replies: ‘Go away! You are simple and stupid! Don’t come back to us again! There are many of us here like you—we don’t need you!’ <u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv7015215268MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span>12</span></sup><span>I stand again at the door and say: ‘For the love of God, take me in tonight!" </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">13</span></sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">And he replies: ‘I will not! </span><sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">14</span></sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">Go to the Crosiers’ place and ask there!’ </span><sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">15</span></sup><span style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif;">“I tell you this: If I had patience and did not become upset, true joy, as well as true virtue and the salvation of my soul, would consist in this.”<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<br />
Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-47164759133025346212020-07-01T13:07:00.000-07:002020-07-01T13:07:13.411-07:00Care for creation<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif; font-size: 20px;">Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the imprint of the Most High,” and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship. - #18 Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif; font-size: 20px;">How do I care for creation?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif; font-size: 20px;">Am I careful about littering or polluting?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">Do I consider the environmental impact of the things I buy?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Vollkorn, Garamond, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">In what ways do I care for the living things I encounter? </span></span><br />
<br />
Pax et bonum<br />
<br />A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-25148971479867765512020-05-08T16:38:00.002-07:002020-05-08T16:38:32.732-07:00Gathering in Time of Pandemic<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtecmdWnDdBqii1YinLTc8h8wmCcbgQVHN1tC6BjaZSb3Tnf98mR5GoOU8yZSKtMWWHlWkCqm7UWQHNSFfB2OejTLD8JFObrjAOya6oqizSIxV0h55fyOmll-GBZJTdc9ws2Qq86YF80O/s1600/PadreFrancis+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="762" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtecmdWnDdBqii1YinLTc8h8wmCcbgQVHN1tC6BjaZSb3Tnf98mR5GoOU8yZSKtMWWHlWkCqm7UWQHNSFfB2OejTLD8JFObrjAOya6oqizSIxV0h55fyOmll-GBZJTdc9ws2Qq86YF80O/s320/PadreFrancis+%25282%2529.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
Secular Franciscan, we are called to community, but in this time of the
coronavirus, gathering to share that community has become difficult.</span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>
</strong></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Glory of the Most High Fraternity in Rochester N.Y. normally gathers the first
Sunday of the month. With the closing of church buildings – we gather at St.
Theodore’s Church – and with stay-at-home recommendations in place, we were not
able to gather April 5. But we had planned to say The Way of the Cross According
to the Method of St. Francis of Assisi, so we contacted the members of the
Fraternity and suggested that each of us say it at 1 p.m. (our gathering time)
that day.</span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9LkDkLwIjFUSqmD9xAHmxyz9DVTmuwVJzgWCzqQWTRgkPMtXCxrgP9PI0mieeOJOlzQlIUec0pHjoNOP8WhZwZKuOnOUpgW7l-PG3LbHXOs7Jv4Nt7FbzA-cw3oY3YptJia763MreQ1r/s1600/padremary+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="771" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9LkDkLwIjFUSqmD9xAHmxyz9DVTmuwVJzgWCzqQWTRgkPMtXCxrgP9PI0mieeOJOlzQlIUec0pHjoNOP8WhZwZKuOnOUpgW7l-PG3LbHXOs7Jv4Nt7FbzA-cw3oY3YptJia763MreQ1r/s320/padremary+%25282%2529.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
<span></span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
the closings continued, we realized we would not be able to gather May 3. Since
May is the month of Mary, we had discussed saying the Franciscan Crown Rosary
for the regular gathering, so we decided to repeat the April “distance
gathering,” substituting the rosary at 1 p.m.</span></span><br />
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<span></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmdAqvypBZOtzr5vIOU8v8FfdlNmL17RyPXQgY3GgIr3k9P69-S_6rRJnRfRvyCzm-KTsF4e7sGe5NRetwOB8jt0h4NVVc3b9Tgtia5TFHEujjRuIVkIKq9YsQ22gCNSZZ7d15vN8sTYY/s1600/padreexteriorside+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmdAqvypBZOtzr5vIOU8v8FfdlNmL17RyPXQgY3GgIr3k9P69-S_6rRJnRfRvyCzm-KTsF4e7sGe5NRetwOB8jt0h4NVVc3b9Tgtia5TFHEujjRuIVkIKq9YsQ22gCNSZZ7d15vN8sTYY/s320/padreexteriorside+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span></span> </div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
then the suggestions was made that those of us who felt comfortable doing so
gather to say the rosary at the St. Padre Pio Chapel in the Rochester suburb of
Gates. The chapel is a private one, created in 2007 by a family with a devotion
to St. Padre Pio. The building is the size of a small church, with plenty of
room for people to practice social distancing. It has remained open daily for
private devotions throughout the pandemic.</span></span></div>
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<span></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVs601AU1_Kv-6HGWshKvT3E3YAWH4sJCBKFJXV8-8eeDpBjjVRG3Ca_3TljSEjMfKgmoYSpZJkpHeTnFW5katpJQMqi2yAP366zCgjq2POO9Uq9Ei7ep6Ijds0uDF0SF7qk3CYO3fW88/s1600/padrepio+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVs601AU1_Kv-6HGWshKvT3E3YAWH4sJCBKFJXV8-8eeDpBjjVRG3Ca_3TljSEjMfKgmoYSpZJkpHeTnFW5katpJQMqi2yAP366zCgjq2POO9Uq9Ei7ep6Ijds0uDF0SF7qk3CYO3fW88/s320/padrepio+%25282%2529.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We
therefore proposed to the Fraternity that we all say the Crown Rosary wherever
we were most comfortable doing so, but noting that some of us would be at the
chapel reciting it. Several of us did gather there May 3 – wearing masks and
keeping social distance.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUWMMjYL60TrCNEA4iQ4uvKE6nprMPDgowSeud8nMMSvonoSvUeFwwYlnuoDu16CcTEg71Bjtb6rnLNEoWDz-KlbgeotcK_iZRdfXN_Sk8kl00UTkWtYzdwhsodXJuvlg9X0aZZMx4hjh/s1600/padrealtar+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1552" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUWMMjYL60TrCNEA4iQ4uvKE6nprMPDgowSeud8nMMSvonoSvUeFwwYlnuoDu16CcTEg71Bjtb6rnLNEoWDz-KlbgeotcK_iZRdfXN_Sk8kl00UTkWtYzdwhsodXJuvlg9X0aZZMx4hjh/s320/padrealtar+%25282%2529.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
was such a wonderful experience that the suggestion was made that we gather at
the chapel every Sunday at 1 for the month of May, and invite the rest of the
Fraternity who cannot join us to pray the rosary wherever they are. Meanwhile,
members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Fraternity from nearby Hilton heard
about what we were doing and liked the idea, so we welcomed them to join us.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">However
many of us gather at the chapel, however many of us are saying the rosary at
home, we will be united in prayer as a community. And among our prayers is that
we will be able to have a regular gathering as soon as the pandemic begins to
subside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-41680932766772604372020-01-04T06:29:00.002-08:002020-01-04T09:27:51.481-08:00Epiphany Gathering<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZbXJdeh9mk694IcpNgG951q0Hr64l6cLt0XhgGIXJiNyc35p4CRXwsMkPO3C3VCgmlR9Ed7o_DvcfdktUNZb2UodAkyvbURzvqlrn9QSmJ2ZhAT9jZuBfvbW-y6Tb0dX_WQUI0ToMn_Z/s1600/epiphanydonations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZbXJdeh9mk694IcpNgG951q0Hr64l6cLt0XhgGIXJiNyc35p4CRXwsMkPO3C3VCgmlR9Ed7o_DvcfdktUNZb2UodAkyvbURzvqlrn9QSmJ2ZhAT9jZuBfvbW-y6Tb0dX_WQUI0ToMn_Z/s320/epiphanydonations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We held a small Epiphany Party January 3, at which we collected items for the Focus Pregnancy halp Center.<br />
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And, of course, there was socializing.<br />
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Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-88810150748814353932020-01-01T03:15:00.002-08:002020-01-01T03:15:11.578-08:00Happy New Year<br />
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<a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiVl5z0ouLmAhUFXM0KHdBUBu4QjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.philipchircop.com%2Fpost%2F91762222374%2Fsaint-francis-dancing-on-water-i-love-the-fact&psig=AOvVaw1MHttvh5t0_oil_uZ1bGO-&ust=1577963657110146" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVl5z0ouLmAhUFXM0KHdBUBu4QjRx6BAgBEAQ" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiVl5z0ouLmAhUFXM0KHdBUBu4QjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.philipchircop.com%2Fpost%2F91762222374%2Fsaint-francis-dancing-on-water-i-love-the-fact&psig=AOvVaw1MHttvh5t0_oil_uZ1bGO-&ust=1577963657110146" id="irc_mil" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;focus:irc.rl;irc.il;" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor;" target="_blank"><img alt="Image result for St. Francis of Assisi dancing" height="476" id="irc_mi" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/232da432f53e62e1d9705f9a956bb6f7/tumblr_n5mqle2x7M1qfvq9bo1_500.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="357" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
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Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2955594437610384903.post-43052526050989339432019-10-05T08:16:00.001-07:002019-10-05T17:35:25.018-07:00Transitus 2019 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbNlasXNO_mAFOQmWcN42rD8fR3q24H57HRVyWg1ojXSCkR0yYOZKOVYuq5XwSFrZZ1WVzjsEIszjrE5cb7dBOpJrp0G-ggfWw6bNEoLqZ_laKDhezkh3nl_cKj5RSlNb8qF-X2t8Y-yv/s1600/Transitus19robe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1209" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbNlasXNO_mAFOQmWcN42rD8fR3q24H57HRVyWg1ojXSCkR0yYOZKOVYuq5XwSFrZZ1WVzjsEIszjrE5cb7dBOpJrp0G-ggfWw6bNEoLqZ_laKDhezkh3nl_cKj5RSlNb8qF-X2t8Y-yv/s320/Transitus19robe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We held our Transitus celebration at St. Theodore's Church October 3. The celebration included a Mass and a social gathering - with representatives from the two Rochester-area fraternities and the parish. Between 45 and 50 people attended. <br />
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One of the ideas inspired by other Transitus celebrations was placing a Franciscan robe on the floor in front of the altar. Donated food items, and oil and salt to be blessed, were also placed there.<br />
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Pax et bonumA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com1