Basic Attitudes
Recent Franciscan documents highlighted the following basic attitudes to convey a notion of what "Peace and all good" truly means.
Faith in Life
There should be no room for pessimism among Franciscan men and women. On the contrary we should confidently herald the joyful message of a life that is fulfilling. Thus, in a very Franciscan sense, witness of life has priority over preaching by word. Below is a poignant reminder of this basic value:
"We live in an extraordinary period of human history in which the peaks of achievement never before attained are matched by similarly unprecedented depths of confusion and despair. If there were a time when we were challenged to be a light to illumine the world, a city on a hill and salt to give savor to human lives, surely that time is now, more than ever before. For we possess the antidote to pessimism, the gloomy foreboding, the dejection and the fear which affect our time. We have the Good News" (Medellin' 71, No.2)!
Respect for Other Religions
"We observe that people of other religions do possess great spiritual values, and we declare that it is not our intention to destroy them. We are convinced that there is a light shining in them which comes from the Creator of all things" (Medellin 1971, No.15).
"The Friar Minor rejoices in this evaluation of the religious world. He praises the Lord for the wonders that He ac-complishes among all peoples. He will seek dialogue and common prayer in order to give and receive the gifts of the experience of God. Mutual visits, especially on the occasion of religious feasts, will be a sign of the growing universal brotherhood. Also, such contacts will open the way towards shared undertakings among all men of good will for greater justice and peace in the world" (Mattli 1978, No.27)!
Pope John Paul II has taken a step in this direction when he called the Religions of the World to a Day of Prayer for Peace (Assisi 1986). He encouraged us, Franciscans, to engage in inter-religious dialogue.
Common Search for the Truth
We neither absolutize our truth nor impose it on others. What we need to do is to find ways on how to work with others in our common search for the truth through fraternal dialogue. "Faithful to the demands of minority, we should aim to reach human's hearts through dialogue, respect, listening, un-derstanding and acceptance. While we are the bearers of the Message and of certain values, we should at the same time be disposed to accept the message and values possessed by others - proclaiming the Lord while knowing how to listen humbly as He speaks through everything and through all our brothers and sisters" (Mattli 1978, No.13).
"We friars want to make a lifetime effort in becoming one with our people in their way of feeling and thinking and in their manner of life…joining them in self analysis and real dialogue; and, together and in obedience to the Holy Spirit, forming with them a truly local Christian community. This will be the result of a dialogue and can in no way be im-posed from without. This must spring from within following a real meeting of their fundamental religious aspirations and the authentic Christian values". (Medellin 1971, II, No. 8).
Respect for Cultures
As we encounter with people from other lands, we Franciscans, must seek to: "Appreciate the cultural values of the people and will sing the Canticle of Creatures on seeing the love, the sense of community, the dignity and the joy of the people: because it is all created by Him and through Him! With this theologi-cal interpretation, the Gospel will more easily be "incarnated" within cultures, and be made to take on local forms" (Mattli 1978, No.25; cf. Mattli 1982, No.8). `
Over-coming a Non-franciscan Clericalism
"We observe that in many instances where the activities and initiatives within the Christian community are centered around the priest or his substitute, the people of God do not grow in responsibility for their life and action….This makes us remember St. Francis who was experienced by his companions as the brother. He would not establish his community on a hierarchical basis….We have a special task to fulfil within the Church, namely, to build a living com-munity of brothers and sisters on their way together toward making God's goodness a reality for all humankind" (Mat-tli 1982, No.9).
All the above-mentioned demands are well-formulated in theory. However, much more is required and demanded for putting them into practice.
Continuous Conversion
"Accepting Jesus'way demands metanoia, personal and communal conversion, as we seek to penetrate cultures with Gospel values. We must be more and more evangelized ourselves, freeing ourselves from sin and from any part we might have in injustice and oppression, from all that in any way hinders us from receiving and proclaiming God's love at work in the world" (Bahia 1983, No.15; cf. Mattli 1978, No.12).
Prayer and Mysticism
"We remember Francis of Assisi who wanted to adore God everywhere, at every moment, and wanted to love him in all his creatures. He sought the silence of the caves, forests and churches.…For this reason we want to give back to prayer, liturgy and silence the place they deserve. Without fear we want to encounter the outburst of the people's faith, and we want to participate creatively in it.
When we stand before God with our people, all of our conflicts and suffer-ings, our expectations and hopes take on a dimension which transcends all and at the same time fulfils" (Mattli 1982, No.11; cf. Lesson 10).
Credible Community
"Our lifestyle as (community) can be an example to the world hungering for community and longing for a new and more humane society; to give witness to (community) as the best form of evangelizing: 'By this shall all know that you are my disciples'(John 13:35; Cf. EN 69). Our (commuity) invites others to share what we are, what we have and what we do" (Bahia 1983, No..23; cf. Ch. 2: Sent as Brothers).
The Poor Clares has this value on community in their constitution: "Something invaluably precious is manifested through our life in a community of love. This life, which has its founda-tion on the communion of life in the Trinity, requires that we reveal the mystery of love everyday, as faithfully and as clearly as we possibly can" (OSC Const., Art.90).
We find the following text in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order: "The sense of (community) makes them happy and willing to treat all as equals, especially those who are least. They make an effort to create for them living conditions which correspond to their dignity as people who have been re-deemed by Christ" (SFO Rule, Ch.2,13).
Inter-franciscan Cooperation
"Impulses for the Future", which we find in the Mattli 1982 documents, speak strongly of close cooperation, especially in the fields of education, communication and promotion of justice and peace. The theme of inter-franciscan coopera-tion is further discussed in Lesson 3.
The attitude on inter-franciscan cooperation is codified in several Franciscan documents and, for the purpose of this lesson, we list three of them as follow:
From the SFO Rule: "The Franciscan family unites all members of God's people, laity, friars, nuns and priests, who are called to follow the footsteps of St. Francis in the imitation of Christ. In different ways but in a dynamic living together, they would like to bring to mind the common charism of the seraphic father in life and in the mission of the church" (SFO Rule Ch.1,1).
From Mattli 1978 of the OFM Cap and Bahia 1983 of the OFM: "We also encourage a fraternal and generous cooperation, in ways that are most appropriate, with all the Franciscan families, both of men and women". (Mattli 1978, No.41, cf. Bahia 1983, No. 23/6).
From the Rule and Life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis (TOR): "And wherever they are, or in whatever situation they are in, they should diligently and fervently show reverence and honour to one another. They should also foster unity and communion with all the members of the Franciscan Family" (TOR Rule 1:3).
From CCFMC, Lesson Unit 9
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