Franciscan Diversity

Annual Franciscan Lecture 2003 Franciscan Diversity! Gift for the World given by Maurice Carmody OFM 24 Franciscan Diversity! Gift for the World Annual lecture for The Franciscan Association of Great Britain, London 29 March 2003 By Maurice Carmody OFM In October 1969 the Secular Franciscans held an international meeting in Assisi as part of a renewal programme in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. They were continuing the Order’s response to the challenge contained in the Decree on the Up-to-date Renewal of Religious Life, Perfectae Caritatis, to examine their way on of life in the light of five principles: • the gospel as supreme rule • the spirit and the aims of the Founder • sharing in the life of the Church • understanding the contemporary world in the light of faith • the primary importance of a spiritual renewal. *1 Their goal was to contribute to the formulation of a new Rule, us- ing world-wide comments on a previously circulated draft proposal as their starting point. At the heart of their discussions lay an at- tempt to define the nature of the Secular Franciscan Order. The delegates approved two definitions that were later to serve as guid- ing principles for the rule promulgated by pope Paul VI on 24 June 1978. They provide a useful starting point for a reflection on Fran- ciscan diversity as gift for the world since the earliest days of the whole family. This afternoon I would like to share these two definitions with you as a modern point of reference for our topic, ‘Franciscan Diversity: Gift for the World’, that might well have been given a further sub-title: ‘an Historian’s Perspective’. The Secular Franciscan Order is an institution founded by Christians who, by their vocation in the world and in the womb of the Church, are committed to living the gospel modelling themselves on the spirit of St Francis. As *1 Perfectae Caritatis, §2 2 23 Sometimes these occur as communities or individuals lead the way God on the way to the Father, [they live] in vital reciprocal exchange with in projects that stimulate and involve believers and unbelievers in all the Franciscan families, in community, according to a Rule approved by the Church. the fundamental issues and serious problems pf our world. At other times they happen as communities or individuals, mindful of Fran- The Secular Franciscan Order, a cell of the Church, the People of God on cis’ command that his brothers are to be ‘the lesser ones’ and not pilgrimage to the Father, is a community of brothers and sisters, in a vital ‘treasurers or overseers in any of those places where they are stay- reciprocity with other branches of the Franciscan family. It brings together those Christians who are committed by their vocation and according to a ing to serve or work among others’, choose not to take control. *39 Rule approved by the Church, to live the gospel in the secular world ac- they choose to journey as co-workers with men and women who cording to the spirit of St Francis. *2 share a similar concern for peace, justice and the integrity of crea- tion. It is clear from both definitions that the delegates did not overlook another important point contained in Perfectae Caritatis : Could it be that the Spirit is challenging us, not Effective renewal and right adaptations, cannot be achieved save with the only to search for and welcome new members cooperation of all the members of an institute. *3 into our different families, to renew and revital- The delegates in Assisi interpreted this phrase as a call to cooperate ise the existing missions that our Church and with the whole Franciscan family. They championed life-giving reciprocity as they key to effective renewal, a conviction that sub- society still need, to deepen our reciprocity, but sequently found expression in the first two paragraphs of the new also to encourage new expressions of the Fran- Rule for Secular Franciscans. ciscan charism as they emerge around us and in The Franciscan family, as one among many spiritual families raised up by new contexts? By welcoming diversity and re- the Holy Spirit in the Church, unites all members of the People of God— laity, religious, and priests—who recognise that they are called to follow capturing that spirit of openness to new ways of Christ in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi. gospel living that Francis, Clare and their fol- 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 lowers, albeit with difficulty at times, embraced life and mission of the Church. *4 in the 13th Century, could we not, in our turn, Secular Franciscans thus state unequivocally that Franciscan diver- continue to offer Franciscan diversity as gift for sity is the Order’s gift to the Church and to the world. They chal- the world in the 21st Century? lenge their brothers and sisters in other branches of the family to remember that Franciscanism is not the special prerogative of any one group but that, together, they interpret Francis of Assisi’s charism for our time. To each, Francis gave a ‘form of life’ summed up *39 ‘None of the brothers should be administrators or managers in whatever places they are staying among others to serve or to work, nor should they be supervisors in identically in the four Rules that are the foundation of the houses in which they serve; nor should they accept any office which might *2 Robert M Stewart, De illis qui faciunt penitentium, ‘ The Rule of the Secular generate scandal or be harmful to their souls [cf Mk 8.16], instead they should be Franciscan Order: Origins, Development, Interpretation’, Rome 1991, p 248-249 the lesser ones and subject to all who are in the same house.’ [citations from the Rule are taken from this source] The Earlier Rule, Francis & Clare: the complete writings, The Earlier Rule , 1—2, p *3 Perfectae Caritatis, §4 115 *4 Stewart, Op Cit, p 33 22 3 our way of life that stemmed from the gospel. Not for nothing does Francis and Clare would surely have recognised. Interpreted in a each Rule state that their ‘rule and life is to observe the gospel of Franciscan sense they challenge all branches of the family to reject our Lord Jesus Christ’. that comfortable nest where reciprocity remains an ideal on paper. They incite us to search together for new insights and ways of Francis realised that not everyone who chose him as their spiritual working with and ministering to each other for the benefit of our mentor could live exactly as he and his first companions did. As world. the number of his followers, men and women, laity and clerics, married and unmarried grew, he accepted that his unexpected fami- I do not offer the old smooth prizes, but offer rough new prizes, ly was actually one of God’s gifts for the renewal of the Church in These are the days that must happen to you: You shall not heap up what is call’d riches, the spirit of the Fourth Lateran Council. This gathering of Church You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve, and civil rulers was the most important Council for the reform of You but arrive at the city to which you were destin’d, you hardly the Church prior to that of Trent in the 16th Century. It took place settle yourself to satisfaction before you are call’d by an in 1215 and called for a renewal of Christian life in the newly de- irresistible call to depart. veloping town and cities of the time; a renewal based on New Tes- tament values presented in the light of sound theology and good This call to depart, to continue on the journey, is also implied in preaching. The Church’s acceptance of the Franciscan family, with that phrase of the Rule of the Secular Franciscans where they are its three-fold interpretation of Francis’ call to gospel living, arrived reminded ‘to place themselves on an equal basis with al people, on the scene just in time to become, despite the Council’s ban on especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create con- new religious rules, not only a confirmation of Francis charism, ditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ’. Striving approved in 1209, but also a powerful instrument for the imple- means moving on. This was undoubtedly what Francis and Clare mentation of the council’s programme, sowing the seeds of a diver- and their first companions wanted to do and it remains an ideal for sity that has characterised the three branches of the Order ever all Franciscans. Surprising things can happen when we journey on since. Diversity in unity was its gift to a radically changing urban an equal footing with our brothers and sisters in the world. society. Life giving reciprocity, counterpart to creative and constructive diversity, has been part of the Franciscan charism since the begin- ning. One thinks immediately of Francis and his first companions. In his Testament Francis linked his own conversion, under God, to the poorest of the poor in Assisi: the lepers. Going among them changed his life. It was a reciprocal exchange that gave him more than he had bargained for. Thomas of Celano and the three companions says that he had to struggle to unravel the real meaning of When Francis and Clare met their fellow travellers, Franciscanism this encounter.

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