The completely different One
The 800th Anniversary „Charisma 2008 / 2009“ of the Franciscan Family pursues two goals: remembrance and revival, remembrance of the beginnings of the Franciscan movement in 1208, and the subsequent mission to transcribe Francis’ dream into our own times, and to fill it with new life. This is truly a very complex challenge.
What can we really learn and adopt from Francis in order to deal with our present-day problems? First of all we have to admit that we cannot simply skip the 800 years from his world to our present world. He lived in a natural Christian-minded world in which the Church played a dominant role. No one ever thought of questioning it. Today, we live in a world – if at all religious and value-oriented – where we have to find our way through the supermarket of religions and spiritual offers. His world was manageable and of refreshing slowness where new things could develop and stabilize quietly. The people of today live within a global village that challenges and overburdens its population with its breathtaking speed. For him the poor people had names and faces, nowadays they are mainly perceived as a nameless and excluded army of millions.
As if he had anticipated the maxim that Gandhi chose much later: the journey is the reward. When we live consistently day by day by what we say, a written program loses importance and organizational structures remain what they are meant to be: guidelines for life, but not an authority above life.
Lived faith, this is what characterizes Francis. And he lived this faith in a time in which the Pope and the Emperor, the Bishops and the Bourgeoisie in the flourishing towns fought over authority and sovereignty. But he did not allow himself to become infected or irritated by these power struggles. He went his way and lived his qualitatively completely different life with complete sureness – he believed and acted accordingly. Life following the example of the poor Jesus of Nazareth, this was his manifesto. He turned the Sermon on the Mount again into an impulse for life. Its counsels were to him not just noble and challenging instructions that need first to be explained before one can live them. Nor were they to him simply spiritual flights of fancy unsuitable for everyday life. Yet this was largely the notion in a bourgeois and easily satisfied religiosity. For him the rules of the Sermon on the Mount belong to the core of the Gospel. They are the counsels of a God who loves all people with an unconditional love. Thus Francis loved them and lived them –sine glossa– and he did this in such a convincing manner that it became contagious.
This was his manifesto, his sermon, his way that was completely different from what the practice of the Church showed. To live this and to call it back to mind is our remaining mission when we pursue the question what we have to save from the Franciscan essentials for our time.
Andreas Mueller OFM
The seed of the Franciscan Spirituality begins to grow
Hopeful steps of the CCFMC can be recorded in the Peoples’ Republic of
The first CCFMC seminar in mainland
In view of this limitation, Father Leonard is now intensively trying to invite the CCFMC coordinator for
Translation of the CCFMC Lesson Units into Japanese
In 2010 the Japanese version of the CCFMC lesson units will be finalized. The translation is well on its way. This is the report from
The Japanese participants of the international CCFMC Conference in Bangkok in 2008 are approaching one of their goals step by step– the promotion of the Franciscan mission charism to large sections of the Japanese population with the assistance of the CCFMC - The team of translators headed by Father Lukas Horstink OFM, who is supported by Sr. Elrede Huser OSF and Elizabeth Shizuko Ueda SFO has already finalized the literal translation of the first 18 lesson units. Elizabeth Shizuko Ueda SFO, who returned to the CCFMC team after a longer break, is
A further goal that the Franciscans in
The re-foundation and revival of the „Friends of Francis and Clare” may also help to alleviate an acute problem of Japanese catholic Christians: the lack of priests. The members of the FFC can become a powerful force in the support of laity in dealing with the lack of priests in their parishes as well as in strengthening their role within a lively church.
CCFMC in
The spread of the CCFMC in
Father Tanto reports from Jakarta that the CCFMC lesson units in Indonesian language have already been a constant feature of the education of young members of the Order for several years – in any case in the capital Jakarta. Young members of the Order participate in a CCFMC course during their third study year of philosophy. The lesson units serve to strengthen the Franciscan spirituality, especially the missionary dimension under consideration of the real living and working situations of the young members of the Order. Especially due to the practical and very realistic exercises that are part of almost all CCFMC lesson units, this type of material has proven to be very useful.
CCFMC-Seminar in Malayalam Language
The seminar on the CCFMC basic course for 2009 took place from 5 to 10 May at the Franciscan Centre at
Among the main issues that the 17 participants from six different congregations had to deal with in their discussions and reflections were in addition to the basics - life, work and charism of Francis and Clare – also the topic “Universal brotherhood and sisterhood: reconciliation with God, man, and nature” as well as the ongoing mission of the Franciscans within the Church.”
The resource team of the seminar was exclusively composed of members of the Conventual Franciscan Friars. They conducted the entire program in the locally spoken Malayalam language. The animators had ample time and room for creativity regarding the presentation of their lectures and contributions. This simplified their task and allowed them to get closer to the participants.
Parts of the seminar program were supported by the CCFMC lesson units.
The evaluation of the seminar revealed the following:
· Due to coinciding events of several congregations, the number of participants was relatively low.
· The participants were quite satisfied with the working sessions. The facile manner in which the resource persons presented their contributions received a unanimously positive evaluation.
· The evening get-togethers were highly appreciated allowing developing and intensifying contacts between the different congregations.
Suggestions and comments:
· There were only few participants from male congregations. Future seminars should have a larger number of participants for a more active and comprehensive exchange of ideas.
· The organizing team should attempt to seek stronger contacts with the superiors of other congregations.
· It would be desirable for all contributors/animators to also remain present throughout the entire seminar.
The exemplary engagement and collaboration of the Conventual Franciscan Friars deserves special mentioning and appreciation – starting from the Provincial Superior to the Brothers of the Order, they all empathically supported the idea of promoting the Franciscan charism through the CCFMC. In their Provincial chapter they agreed to incorporate the CCFMC as one of their as one of the fields of activity. The values of Francis and Clare will thus continue to solidify in the hearts of the Franciscan Brothers and Sisters – particularly in Kerala.
Large crop of the CCFMC in
A report on the situation and development of the CCFMC in
The course on Franciscan mission charism had originally been offered as a correspondence course in
Some results
One of the positive effects of the CCFMC is the introduction of the so-called two-month „Spring Course“ more than ten years ago. This course basically covers current issues of the country in discussions and reflections - e.g. the social doctrine of the Church, environmental issues as well as the Franciscan spirituality. Specialists who are committed to Franciscan spirituality conduct and present this course.
Course participants come from the entire Franciscan Family (priests, members of orders, sisters and brothers of the Third Order Regular as well as the YouFra). It is also open to all church-related communities, education facilities as well as individuals that are interested in concerning themselves with the issues from a Franciscan point of view. The fact that this course is open to all friends of the Francisclarean charism is to be regarded as one of the great achievements of the CCFMC-team.
A further important result is the gradual progress of becoming aware of God’s creation, the resultant involvement as well as its careful and respectful conservation. We understand:
· The inner treasures which people have in life – be it as a member of an Order or as a lay person;
· The views of the different generations, as participants come from all different age groups;
· The different living conditions, as there are among the course participants priests and members of Orders, married and unmarried people, retirees, representatives from different professional backgrounds, housewives, and students.
It needs also to be specially mentioned that the solidarity within the Franciscan Family has grown through the course. The CCFMC is a firm factor among numerous other events in furthering spirituality.
For lay people the course is an important reference point in order
· To get acquainted and to deepen one’s knowledge of the Franciscan sources, the writings of Francis and Clare (the Testament, the Rule, the Letters, and other writings);
· To develop from a childlike spirituality (Francis seen as the Patron Saint of the animals) to a mature adult spirituality, to discover that both forms are challenged by the call to follow Christ – the Poor and the Crucified Christ – and invite us to live in brotherly and sisterly community united with the holy Church;
· To bear witness to holiness in the world, the true “cloister“ of Saint Francis.
We are aware that there is still plenty of work to be done in order to spread the CCFMC everywhere, also in places where one does nor yet want to hear the voice of God.
CCFMC-Team: Coordinator: Ana Hidalgo; Advisor: Mario Márquez; Head of the Franciscan Centre
|
Bare-footed in the Foot-prints of Jesus - The Christ-Experience of Francis and how he followed Him Fr. Niklaus Kuster OFMCap |
The life of the friends around Jesus
Francis interprets the Jesus’ mission to the disciples and their vagrant life with the rabbi as layman into his own time and Umbrian world. Inspired by the sending of the disciples (Matthew 10), he also sets off empty-handed and attempts to bring peace to houses and alleyways, to help lepers, to get people to notice God’s devotion in everyday life and to live the Gospel. Although he experiences rejection and condemnation, the first companions will soon join him.
Thereupon Francis reacts with astonishment and perplexity. „ And after the Lord gave me Brothers, no one showed me what I should do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the form of the Holy Gospel” (Test). This is a familiar scene: Instead of becoming a teacher to his companions himself, he and his companions ask their one and only common Lord. Three times they open the Bible at random in the small marketplace church of San Niccolò de Plathea. This indicates little knowledge of the Bible: But how should Francis be a reader of the Bible, poor and without books, as he is? What might appear to be fundamentalist proves subsequently to be a deeply religious and also circumspect and realistic translation of the biblical encounter with Christ within the own Church. One year later the mightiest pope of the Middle Ages – a brilliant theologian – will confirm a simple rule of life from mere Gospel quotes and permit the amateurish Brothers the simple preaching “around the world”.
The first Rule begins with the striking and program-mmatic sentence: „The life of the Brothers is this: to follow the doctrine and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Reg 1). Before Francis discovered the footsteps of Jesus, he had discovered the Cross. The meditation of the passion scenario is told at the San Damiano Cross from the cock’s crow on Easter morning to Ascen-sion and demonstrates God’s huma-nity to the searching merchant: a poor and simple rabbi on earth, with companions and female friends and with love also for his enemies. After two years as a hermit Francis discovered his own way by living the vagrant life just as the disciples around Jesus. With the companions who join him he accepts the Galilean life of the friends around Jesus. Just as Jesus wandered through villages and towns to retire to quiet places and onto hills at night, the early Franciscan movement combines „city and silence”, times committed to people with times in „quiet places“.
back
print