Treasures in the Journey

  This past weekend I had the great privilege and honor to be back at Resurrection Parish (where I ministered for six years). It was great to be home and celebrate with this vibrant community. I had the great opportunity to share with the community about my journey this past year. The scripture readings for the weekend served as my guide. What follows is my reflection.

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

God said (to Solomon) “ask something of me and I will give it to you.”

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

“Give your servant, an understanding heart”

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

“Lord, let your kindness comfort me for I love your commands more than gold.”

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

 “All things work for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure.”

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

In the journey of life we discover the treasures God has buried in our life. You just never know where you are going to discover them and how they will lead you closer to God. I have been pondering the treasure of baptism, of the Eucharist, and of reconciliation. I have been pondering the treasure of family and friends. I have been pondering the treasure of community, fraternity and minority. I have been pondering the treasure of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. I have been pondering the treasure of the gift of St. Francis and his deep relationship with Christ.

All those treasures have been running through my mind as I prepared to come home and celebrate here and as I reflected on my year past and year ahead.

When we discussed the possibility of my being here for a weekend it never crossed my mind to flip through the Lectionary to look at the scripture. Well I must say that our God is a good and gracious God and our God has a great sense of humor for when I read for the first time the readings we just heard, I laughed out loud and said, ‘really God, okay I get it. You are speaking to me again very clearly.  I’ll listen a bit more closely.’ J In pondering, listening and reflecting I would like to share with you these treasures that today’s scripture have inspired as I share with you a bit about my journey.

I chose to begin at the baptismal font and journey forward because my craving for God that was ignited in baptism those 37 years ago has propelled me forward into a deepening relationship and journey with God. Each time I place my hand in that font I am reminded that God satisfies all my cravings that my life is a journey full of faith, of great treasures and my cup does indeed overflow.

When I read from Kings I saw a parallel to my own journey. God telling Solomon to ask something of God is similar to how my journey to the Franciscans began. In early January 2012 while in prayer I was reflecting on the New Year ahead, a phrase from a reflection kept running through my head… ‘Do something new in me Lord.’ It was in that time of prayer that like for Solomon God was very near and said to me, ask of me. So I did, I prayed ‘do something new in me Lord, I am yours, I trust in you and so I give you permission to do something new in me.’ Well my friends, if you haven’t caught on be careful for what you ask of God, because my something new has lead me to the path of St. Francis and the Franciscans and I didn’t see that one coming at all. J

            A year ago this weekend we gathered in this space for the first time (wow!), a treasure indeed, the Mass that weekend was my last official task as Pastoral Assistant here at Resurrection. The chaos of that last week, the blessings in my farewell, the first Masses and the prayers of this parish and my family have encouraged me over this past year in trusting God more and in journeying deeper with Christ. Like Solomon’s prayer, “give your servant, an understanding heart” those words have been my prayer over this past year. I prayed help me understand Lord, how I will live through this year away from my supports and comforts and familiarity. Help me understand Lord, how to walk this path and how to trust more. Help me understand Lord, how to serve in new ways, how to respond to this calling, how to embrace the gifts of being a lesser brother. Help me understand Lord, how the charism of St. Francis is infusing my life and how I’m called to live it out. (and this still is my prayer)

            As my Postulancy Year now comes to a close I see how my heart has opened up, how the gift of understanding has taken root and how I need to continue to nurture it.

I reflect back on a year that including moving to Victoria, living in community, studying, coming to understand Francis a bit more, learning the depth of brotherhood, deepening my prayer life, being challenged to share my gifts, explore my gifts in new ways and continue to be open to God doing something new in me over and over again.  The year sailed by very quickly and now here I stand again on a threshold of the next step on the journey.

            I find myself craving God’s awesome plan more and more. I find myself surrounded by support and prayer. As the letter to the Romans says, I find myself as did Francis desiring “to be conformed to the image of the Son”.  In saying these words aloud I have to smile for I can only imagine how God will shape them in my journey ahead as being conformed to the image of Christ has a lot to do with God doing something new in me (and each of us). J     

Today I look around and I see a community that desires and strives to be the image of the Risen Lord in our society, I look around and see a community that craves to have the Lord work in them, I look around and see fellow believers on the journey, renewed by the Font of Life, nourished by the Banquet of the Lord, I look around and see fellow believers who are people of prayer and service that continue to inspire and support my journey. I am grateful for the continued prayers and support of this community. (I don’t know if I can express my deepest gratitude knowing that you have held me in prayer.) It is the treasures of your prayers and support that help me and others to look forward to the year ahead.

            The treasure of my Novitiate Year begins on August 15, I will travel to Burlington Wisconsin to meet up with my 14 Postulant Brothers. We will be received into the Franciscan family on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We will live and journey together with our 4 Formators for the next 50 weeks. Yes that is 19 men living together for nearly 1 year under 1 roof. Thank you Jesus it is a big house! J The year will be, if you will, an intense retreat year. A routine of prayer, Franciscan learning, community events, personal growth, a deeper opening of my heart, and a deepening of God doing something new in my life will guide the Novitiate Year. It will be a full year away (without coming home, without a cellphone or a weekly blog) but a year I am very much looking forward to. Today I humbly stand before you and ask for your prayers and support not only for me, but also for my brothers and our Formators. My brothers (whom I’ve been away at summer school with) come from all walks of life and backgrounds from coast to coast of the US, from El Salvador, Mexico, Iraq, Ireland and from Quebec. My brothers come to this journey from roles as students, in the film industry, a police officer, a manager at Walmart, in the business field, and world travels. Together we have begun to form a brotherhood, where we are learning to trust each other, challenge each other and discovering who can cook, who cleans up after themselves and who will make it to prayer on time. J Our Formators come from 4 different Franciscan provinces and have all each been friars for over 20 years. It will be a very interesting and graced filled year to treasure.

My Postulant Director called the Novitiate Year a year of Summer Camp. I can attest that after 4 weeks, summer camp is enough, so I know for sure that a year of summer camp is way too much. Like I said I prefer Intense Retreat! J No matter what the year is or how it turns out, by the grace of God, I will continue to be open to conform my life to Christ, and my heart will be filled with deeper understanding, courage, a fuller embracing of the charism of St. Francis and many moments to treasure. And by the grace of God, I will come back home next August in a brown Franciscan habit as simply professed Franciscan Friar. With God all things are possible!

            From the font… to a life journey and now wrapped in a Franciscan journey that includes asking something of God, to desiring to be a servant with an understanding heart, to being open to God’s will according to God’s purpose, to embracing the journey as a treasure that will lead to the kingdom of heaven, I say here I am Lord, I come to do your will. In the words of St. Francis, ‘if God can work through me, God can work through anyone.’ Each of us are called, no matter our age, God simply says to us… ask me. So today as we come forward to receive nourishment from the Banquet of the Lord, let us allow ourselves to be consumed by Christ and as we take leave of the church and place our hand in the font let us remember the treasure of the kingdom of God is ours to behold.

            I invite you to trust in our loving God and dare you to pray for something new to happen in your life.  I invite you to pray with me the prayer that St. Francis prayed before the crucifix…

Most High,

Glorious God,

Enlighten the darkness of my heart

And give me true faith,

Certain hope and perfect charity,

Sense and knowledge, Lord,

That I may carry out

Your holy and true command.

Amen.

 

God my God, You I crave my soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land.

More Information Please

Summer School is coming to an end and what a time it has been. Besides intense learning about our history as Friars and of course about our beloved Saint Francis. We have built a brotherhood that will continue into our Novitiate Year, we have entered into prayer, have celebrated together, have learned to listen and have come to appreciate each other’s gifts, insights and cultures a bit more.

As my Postulancy Year comes to a close with the finishing of classes this week, I look ahead to the Novitiate. Which will be like a Retreat Year, an intense year of formation, growth, and Franciscan discovery.

I often get asked a lot of questions about the Friars and who we are and what we do. I believe early on in this blog I tried to answer some of those questions. It's hard to summarize Franciscans but recently I came across an article from the Friars in Quebec that may help explain a few things about being a Franciscan. I appreciated the information as it again provided for me affirmation and highlighted some of the learning of over this summer. I thought that others may appreciate it as well as my journey continues on to new stage.

 

 

 

Franciscans are not monks, like the Benedictines. We are a mendicant (begging, poor) order, like the Dominicans, for example. This type of religious life developed near the end of the Middle Ages. Franciscans are not pure contemplatives, cloistered as monks are, although communal prayer, life with God and spending time in hermitages are important aspects of our lives. Nor are we a completely active order, even though we have many ministries outside our friaries. We are both contemplative and active.

Based on a tradition that goes back to Saint Francis himself, we call each other “Brother,” even though many of us are also priests. Francis wanted all his friars to have the same rights and duties, no matter what their educational background, occupation or responsibilities. Franciscan communities are each part of a Province, which is led by a Provincial. He is known as “Brother Minister,” which means “Brother Servant.” Francis did not want the friars to use titles of rank such as reverend, superior or father.

Because our founder is St. Francis of Assisi, for the past hundred years we have been affectionately known as “Franciscans” – followers of Francis. The name our founder actually gave us, however, is “minor friars,” which makes us the Order of Friars Minor. That is why the initials O.F.M. appear after every Franciscan’s name. The word “friar” comes from a Latin word meaning “brother.” Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the word “minor” referred to the majority of the population, which was made up of humble craftsmen, day labourers and beggars – people of modest means. The “majors,” on the other hand, were the noblemen and women, merchants and all those who occupied positions of power and influence. The name “Friars Minor,” then, means brothers who are humble, poor, simple, and live modest lives. Our very name defines the essence of our way of life!

Throughout the ages and in many countries, for the past 800 years the Franciscan Order has lived and continues to live the values of poverty, simplicity, humility, justice, peace, joy in God and universal brotherhood.

Areas of ministry vary from one friar to another. Some Franciscan friars are priests, while others are not. That is because the call to Franciscan religious life and the call to the priesthood are different. The two calls may coexist, but one can easily live without the other. So some Franciscans work in parishes or preside at the Eucharist, administer the sacraments and serve the local Church as ordained ministers. Franciscans from Canada and elsewhere in the world are even occasionally named bishops.

Other Franciscan friars do not feel called to the priesthood. They can therefore offer their services to the local Church in other ways. They may work in counselling, spiritual direction, teaching, nursing, social work, cultural or social animation, and so on. There is no limit to the kinds of ministry open to Franciscans, as long as the work does not go against Gospel values.

After completing the steps of the formation set out by the community, the new friars are accompanied as they progress spiritually, personally and academically. The community offers friars the opportunity to build a solid base in theology and pastoral approaches. Then – in consultation with the spiritual directors of the community – a friar can work directly in a pastoral setting, or can take academic and practical courses that will prepare him for an area of ministry that suits his aptitudes and the needs of the community and the Church.

 

Again I am reminded of my call and look forward to the road ahead. The Postulancy Year was a year of introduction to the Friars and confirming the call. The Novitiate Year as I mentioned is like a retreat year but a deepening discernment and opening up of what and where God is calling me to. (Not all my brothers I enter the Novitiate Year with will discern to continue on and others may leave for personal reasons.) At the end of the Novitiate Year we will make our first vows, known as simple vows. We will renew these simple vows for a minimum of three years before we make our solemn vows.

The road ahead still has plenty to travel, but I trust more and more in our awesome God, I am thankful for the support and prayers of family and friends and rely on the inspiration of St. Francis to guide me closer to Jesus.

 

Most High, almighty, good Lord God,

To you belong all praise, glory, honor and blessing!

 

 

Reality Check

Today reality settled in a bit more. One month from today I will enter my Novitiate Year and the following day will be officially accepted as a Novice for the Franciscans.

With that reality settling in there is also the reality that my year as Postulant is coming to an end. It seemed like this Postulancy Year would last forever but in all reality it has slipped away very quickly. It was a year full of change but a year full of many and great blessings. A deepening prayer life, the challenges and gifts of community, an awareness of the gift of St. Francis and St. Clare in my life, the support of family and friends and the newness of the adventure, location and new people blessed my life. What a year it has been, a foundation has been laid so I can continue the building.

With the reality of the Novitiate Year drawing very close I am pondering a lot about the transition, a bit more letting go, new realities, my roots and more growth. In these ponderings I know no matter what that God’s goodness is ever present, that my humble Savior walks with me and that the Holy Spirit continues to move in me and calls me to openness for the road ahead. (St. Francis’ spirituality is really taking hold in me!)

As I prepare to enter the Novitiate I am reminded of the organizing values for Franciscans. Our key areas, our mission statement if you will, that we need to ask ourselves if through our vows we are called to these ideals. We are also reminded that we cannot be all these things at all times, but we are called to strive to make them a part of our lives as Friars.

These values are:

Fraternity – brotherhood, community, support

Minority – simply living so others may live, being a lesser brother so we can serve the lesser

Prayer/Contemplation – our connection to the Trinity, our fuel, our foundation in Gospel living

Service/Ministry – where our convictions meet the needs of the world around us

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation – respecting and valuing humanity and creation

 

When I ponder these values I see how they have already shaped my life. I also desire to live these values out to a greater extent. I truly believe that God has led me to the path of St. Francis for my gifts, skills and talents are best expressed in his charism and these values serve as my framework.

I’m sure these values will be explored and challenged more over the Novitiate Year as my brothers and I claim our Franciscan identity.

As the Rule of St. Francis states:

“Let the brothers not make anything their own…as pilgrims and strangers in this world,

serving the Lord in poverty and humility.”

Being A Lesser Brother

A new class is underway and once again we are like Kindergarten students starting fresh. A new prof, with a new style, with new insights and new interpretations on our beloved St. Francis. This class will be interesting, intense and maybe even infuriating but we will indeed walk away with a great sense of the social and spiritual side of our founder.

 

 

Something that struck me today was the reality of friars minor. The order of Friars that I am joining is the Order of Friars Minor (OFM). Being a friar minor or lesser brother is what is at the core of being a Franciscan and that was at the heart of St. Francis. To be minor or a minor brother means that we identify with those in the minority (and there are many faces of minority). In identifying with them we can then come to serve them and care for them.

Jesus himself identified as a minority in that in his humility was to build the kingdom of God where the dignity of each person and all of creation was established and respected. St. Francis embraced this as the poverty of Jesus and formed his beliefs and actions around this call of poverty and humility. We as Franciscans embrace this ideal by living simply so others may simply live.

It doesn’t mean we are poor and have nothing, it does however mean that we choose carefully how much stuff we acquire and use.

It doesn’t mean we remove ourselves from the world, it does however mean that we enter into the world with humility in service to others.

It doesn’t mean we only preach to those in the pews, it does however mean that our lives preach a message of dignity to all people no matter where we encounter them.

 

 

When St. Francis encountered the leper, it was his encounter of the reality of the minors or lesser in society, it was an encounter of Christ incarnate. It was a reality of what it means to enter into the Gospel Life.

 

Today Friars the world over try to walk with St. Francis in Gospel Living and embracing the life of Christ. We are challenged to be a herald for the dignity of each person, to express that we are brothers and sisters, and to proclaim that we are all children of God. We are also to be caretakers of creation (as all people are challenged to) and to move beyond the sin of selfishness and pride.

It’s not easy to follow Jesus, it’s not any easier to do so in the footprints of St. Francis, but with a deepening prayer life, a trust in God and through the workings of the Holy Spirit; all is possible.

For me I know this: My core is Christ, my shell is Francis and my tools are hope, courage, faith, love and joy. I pray that my life may continually be transformed into being a humble witness as minor brother.