We are able to do more than we dare to do
“Reflections on the present economic crisis from a Franciscan perspective“are the main focus of this newsletter. Fr. Bill Short OFM expects us to reflect on problems, which are rather alien to our Franciscan way of life; after all, the present financial and economic crisis demonstrates a behavioral pattern which is light years away from what Franciscan people are thinking, living and doing. We certainly do not deal with Hedge funds, speculation in tens of millions, high bonus payments, and shareholder value. The lightness of being, a particular feature of the Franciscan way of life, is not compatible with this type of world.
For a while it looked as if the international community of states had learned its lesson from the crisis. Special rescue programs worth billions have prevented a complete crash of the financial world. Everywhere there was a call for a strong government, for administration and control after the banks’ involvement in the costs of the crisis. It appeared to be the definite end of the neo-liberal never-never land marked by greed, exorbitance, and egoism. The G20 (the leading industrial countries and emerging markets) decided on drastic measures to prevent similar catastrophes. However, these proclamations have nowhere been put into practice through concrete legislation and effective instruments. Even worse; the financial world seems to have recovered from the shock and follows the old path of bonus payments and fast profit maximization. It is far from its literal sense of existence, namely to be the servant of a real economy oriented towards common welfare. In this respect it is lacking what Michael Gorbatschow calls the prerequisite for rethinking and turning round: spirituality, i.e. the knowledge about the complexity of human acting and its effect on the cosmos. Wellbeing of mankind is only possible if all of mankind and creation are doing well. And “prosperity for all“ then does not depend on the steady economic growth but that the individual does not accumulate more goods than he actually needs and appropriates things that others are lacking for a “good life”; thus of a real distributive justice.
And this is where Franciscan spirituality comes into play. Francis follows that carefree attitude that Jesus recommends, which he explains with the lilies on the field and the birds in the sky. No one before him and maybe even after him has lived and acquired this type of spirituality so consequently. He thus follows the vision of the generally just life, of a civilization of love – not only between all human beings, but also with the animals, with all of creation, with everything that exists. The center of this literally ecological vision is the Gospel of the peaceableness of Jesus and his humbleness as Francis likes to say. People can only be so unintentional and free, – and this is the secret of Jesus, the secret of a Francis of Assisi, – when they feel secure and supported in such a way and know themselves supported by the presence of God so that they lose the fear for their own person and no longer have to look for security and assurance.
This is why Francis, as he says, “marries Lady Poverty.” The focus is not on misery, even less on infatuation with suffering or a self-torturing attitude of sacrifice. It is rather poverty as in inner freedom, as compassion with the life of Jesus, as adaptation into the solidarity with fellow creatures and God-pursuant loyalty towards the earth. He wants to own nothing, money is a special aversion to him, as in his opinion it virtually leads to injustice and inequality.
Not only then but also in our times high-ranking church leaders have dismissed this as naïve reverie. Francis did not become insecure by it; he followed his inner certainty: “God Himself has revealed to me“. When we once again acquire this certainty and openness of the mind we can be sure that God is with us even today and that, we as Franciscans are actually able to do more than we dare to do.
Andreas Müller OFM
Economic Crisis from a Franciscan Perspective
One of the major economic crises of our times shocked the world in September 2008 and has by far not been overcome yet. A Franciscan perspective of this phenomenon, its cause, and conclusion was the topic of al lecture held by Fr. Wliliam Short OFM at the end of October 2009 during the Meeting of the International Board of the CCFMC in Frascati. We would like to give our readers a summary of his lecture below. William Short works as Professor of Christian Spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkley, USA.
What can our Franciscan perspective contribute to the theoretical and also practical understanding and acting in this context?
In this respect Fr. Bill Short offers a variety of possibilities and answers:
1. The desire to enrich oneself at the expense of another is at the origin of sin.
In his Admonition II, Francis says that the sin of Adam is made up of the desire to grab, hold, and possess. According to Bill Short the Latin word appropriare –to make something one’s own - is of special meaning. Through the action of appropriating, i.e. making my property of something that does not belong to me, changes into the “apple of knowledge of evil”. The opposite to this dynamic of sin is the dynamic of Christ and the Gospel; it is to live without grabbing things in order to possess them.
Avarice and greed, whether in the times of Francis or today, stand for what is contrary to the spirit of the Lord. They are “vices and sins” that do not come from God. Their opposites are sharing and expropriation exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel according to Luke.
2. The exploitation of the poor is an offence against Christ
The poor are the representatives of Christ and thus they must be treated with respect, Bill Short emphasizes. He gives the example of a story from the life of St. Francis: Francis admonishes a Brother who had criticized a poor man, and tells him to ask the poor man for pardon, as “anyone who curses the poor insults Christ whose noble banner the poor carry, since Christ made himself poor for us in the world.”
The speculation on property values at the basis of the current crisis punishes poor people in particular. It is wrong to treat any person unjustly, Bill Short says, but it is especially unjust to treat poor families this way. From a Franciscan perspective this form of “preferential injustice against the poor” should not only be considered a crime but also as the gravest type of sin.
3. Avarice and greed are at the root of injustice
By means of the story about the death of a greedy and unjust man that Francis of Assisi describes in his Letter to the Faithful, Fr. Bill Short illustrates how Saint Francis views “mortal sin”: it is a sin of injustice in financial matters by cheating people. The way to do penance is to take the wealth that was gained by injustice and distribute it as satisfaction to those that have been cheated. Clever maneuvers such as passing on the wealth obtained by cheating onto friends, certainly cannot deceive God.
4. Alms are a legacy and a justice due to the poor
If the exploitation of the poor is a dramatic example of „anti-Gospel“ living, what is a response to this financial crisis that is based on the Gospel? Bill Short again finds an answer to this question with Francis of Assisi, where Francis writes in Chapter IX of the Regula non bullata:”Alms are a legacy and a justice due to the poor that our Lord Jesus Christ acquired for us.
From our Franciscan perspective, what is usually considered a voluntary donation or alms for the poor is really a payment in justice, a “debt” that is owed to the poor, Bill Short emphasizes. They are the heirs of Christ, and thus have a legal right to what he bequeathed to them: the right to what others have beyond their needs. The basic economic principle at work in this “evangelical economy” is that of providing the necessities of life for all, especially for the poor.
5. Balancing the „common good“ and a just interest“
Also and even in our own day, profit has to be looked at within a broader social context, Bill Short says. This issue was also raised by Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical Caritas in veritate, which reads inter alia: “ Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.“
6. Gratuity and Fraternity
These two cornerstones of Franciscan tradition should and have to affect our Franciscan way of acting, especially in the light of the international financial crisis, Bill Short emphasizes. “All good belongs to the Most High and is given to us as a gift. Thus gratuity is at the center of our response to the world God has created... All of us, human beings and all creatures have our life and existence from gratuitous Trinitarian God… Fraternity is rooted in our identity as creatures, poetically expressed in Francis’ Canticle of the Sun.
Download: Full text in English
http://www.ccfmc.net/wEnglish/ccfmc/bibliothek/franc_clare_theol/Bill_Short.shtml?navid=103
Follow up
Two aspects were quite remarkable about the inspiring lecture by Fr. Bill Short. First of all the well-grounded analyses of the present economic and financial crisis and secondly the ability to transfer and interpret the Franciscan sources to our day and age to demonstrate their topicality. There was a sense that the Franciscan spirituality is really able to be an inspiration in dealing with today’s problems. This was also shown by the vivid discussion following the lecture as well as during the subsequent group discussions for which Father Bill had prepared the following questions:
1. What concrete examples of our Franciscan Gospel-inspired economics can we identify?
2. What characteristics make these initiatives different from projects that focus only on profit?
3. How do these “alternative economic initiatives restore to the poor their “inheritance and justice”?
4. What actions can we take to encourage similar initiatives on local, regional, national, and international level?
The group discussion clearly showed that the prevailing economic system is not in a position to solve the problem of wealth and poverty. Therefore alternative models need to be developed urgently as e.g. support groups that help to solve the problems; participation in all areas in order to promote a solidly united economy; Micro-credits for the poor as it is being practiced already in many parts of the south; networks combining many initiatives in order to set up a serious alternative. The conclusion could be that there are already many initiatives assisting the poor in reaching their self-worth and which are quite close to the Franciscan concept.
Asia/Oceania
CCFMC within the Franciscan Network
Sr. Jeanne Luyun, SIFC, the CCFMC Continental Coordinator, reported on the CCFMC International Board Meeting, which had taken place in Frascati near
The planned regionalization of the CCFMC in Asia/Oceania was also part of the discussion. In order to realize this plan, members of orders and congregations were invited through their provincial superiors to become a member of the CCFMC Continental Team for Asia/Oceania. This would help to further promote the Franciscan mission charism to help transform society.
New CCFMC Coordinator in
There are high expectations of the newly appointed CCFMC Coordinator: in seven regions -– Jayapura, Abepura, Sentani, Wamena, Timika, Moanemani, and Merauke – he is to promote and further the Comprehensive Course on Franciscan Mission Charism.
Father Lambert is presently getting familiar with his new tasks and is in the process of organizing a meeting with the Franciscan Family in Jayapura, Abepura, and Sentani to introduce the CCFMC. Great hopes are placed in Father Lambert to intensify the establishment of the CCFMC in
Father Gonsa will be working with Father Lambert to support him in the fulfillment of these complex CCFMC assignments. Father Gonsa has been a dedicated promoter of this program since the international CCFMC Meeting in
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West New Guinea or West Papua is the western part of the
Franciscans in shock after earthquake
There are no casualties among the Franciscans in
In the capital of
Our deepest sympathies go out to all victims of this monstrous catastrophe. They will be a special part of our prayers.
Pictures: http://www.ofm.org/ofm/?p=684&lang=es
Damages on houses and churches of the Franciscan Family
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Signs of the Times
The issue of ecology becomes more and more important
Some good news reaches us from
Reference: Plattform Befreiungstheologie, Newsletter 10 – March 2010
More information under: http://bit.ly/a77uOg
30th Commemoration Day of the martyrdom of Monsignor Oscar Romero
In
Reference: Plattform Befreiungstheologie, Newsletter 10 – March 2010
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