Franciscans and Ecumenism

5. A new spirituality

Conclusion

Use of the Bible

(Continuation)

5. A new spirituality

From the above observations, it is not surprising that all Christian confessions, all religions and the ecumenical movement itself are interested in the person and message of St Francis. In fact, Franciscan spirituality is deeply ecumenical.

A first characteristic which makes of Francis an ecumenical man is his relationship with the word of God. From the encounter with the Gospel there flows the career-choice he made (An p 10.11), while that of his brothers is a "life according to the Gospel" (1Reg, Introduction) and the discernment of the vocation of the first companions is worked out in the light of the Gospel (2 Cel 15; 1 Cel 24; L3Com 27-29; LM 3.3...). The interpretation of the word of God in St Francis is clear and straightforward: "The letter kills, the Spirit gives life" (Adm 7). It is conversion and readiness to work for and give glory to God, and not learning: this is his fundamental understanding. Charity and the content of the word of God: these are of more value in Francis's view than learning; it is because of this that he has no hesitation in giving the copy of the New Testament as a gift to a person in need (LP 56). His own reading of the word of God was profoundly discerning yet related to experience, and this saved him not only from a literal interpretation but also from a purely literal observance. To have always looked for the message of the Spirit was in him the source of his creativity, prophetic actions and intensity, as well as being the mainspring of dialogue and conciliation.

Francis thus becomes the universal man, precisely because of his original, profound and radical Christian experience which does not tolerate barriers or divisions. He transfers his deep experience of interior reconciliation to his relationship with men and with creation. With all dualism eliminated, which because of its nature imposes a choice and a refusal, he deals only with brothers: the brothers of his Order, the brother-lepers, the brother-thieves, brother wolf, brother fire and brother wind. From his encounter with Christ he was reborn and became a new man, a man already living the reconciled life of the resurrection and in whose eyes everything is transformed and acquires a new meaning.

Francis's relationship with nature is also born of this experience, and outside this context one cannot understand his poverty, which is not renunciation but rather freedom from the chains of trifling matters in order to be open to receive all without exception in a spirit of communion. He does not feel cheated by poverty, rather poverty places creation in his hands; he is its faithful custodian because in his profound religious experience he found the humility to regard himself as a creature among creatures, and therefore as a brother among brothers and sisters. The journey which he took to God, rather than making him a stranger to the world, led him to discover creation. Each creature has a meaning and also a voice which says: "God made me for your sake, O man" (Sp 118).

Ecumenical spirituality finds loud echoes in this spiritual experience of Francis. It's actual characteristics are - an attitude of attentive and constant listening to the word of God and an openness to conversion and to the unexpected ways of the Spirit; - an experience of salvation centred on Christ and experienced as a gift, in an ongoing awareness that it is a free gift, stemming from the initiative of God; this entails spiritual detachment from one's own initiatives: all fundamentalist attitudes deriving from an absolute certainty about one's own ideas must be overcome, without fear of becoming indifferent or of wanting to opt out, because the main danger for genuine commitment is attachment to one's self; - an attitude of dialogue in a spirit of poverty, because one of the impediments to ecumenism is the spirit of possessiveness, at various levels. The seventh Assembly of the CEC thus defined ecumenical spirituality: "An ecumenical spirituality for our times should be incarnated, here and now; it should be a source of life, rooted in the Scriptures and nourished by prayer that is communitarian and celebratory; it should be centred on the Eucharist and expressed in service and witness. It will be trusting and reassuring; it will lead inevitably to suffering; it will be open to church unity on a much wider scale, it will be joyous and full of hope... The action of the Holy Spirit will be its source and guide. One experiences and seeks this spirituality in community and for the sake of others. We are talking about an ongoing process of formation, a process whereby the Christian vocation is deepened".

Ecumenical dialogue is the main factor in the enrichment of Christian spirituality. "Catholics who already have a proper grounding need to acquire a more adequate understanding of the respective doctrines of our separated brethren, their history, their spiritual and liturgical life, their religious psychology and cultural background" (UR 9). To come close to the Christian experience of the brethren means to contemplate a real-life aspect of the divine mystery, at times unknown to us, or at least not adequately understood. It is because of this that dialogue helps to make our Christian experience more integrated. In fact, we must speak of a plurality of spiritualities which must enter into dialogue and in communion among them. The Churches of the East will make us pay attention to the role of the Holy Spirit and to the trinitarian dynamicity of the spiritual life, to the sense of the ineffable and the mysterious, to the meaning of the resurrection in the history of man and of creation, to the experience of divination, to the journey which leads from theology to contemplation and devotion (cf. UR 14-18). The Churches of the Reformation will make us pay heed to the one role of the word of God, to the sense of justice and charity, to the continuous evaluation of faith, to the sense of gratuitousness... (cf. UR 19-23).

An ecumenical spirituality recognises and celebrates the unity that already exists but is often forgotten. The elements which already unite the Churches are neither few nor secondary: "The written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to him, belong by right to the one Church of Christ" (UR 3).

Conclusion

The Franciscan is ecumenical by vocation. The fundamental elements which characterise the Franciscan experience are the same which sparked off and gave life and credibility to the ecumenical movement: the experience of conversion and of reconciliation; the discovery of the centrality of Christ, community and the model of the Church understood as fraternity in communion and in dialogue, a spirituality characterised by listening to the word of God, by a relationship of fraternity with all. Franciscan fraternity experienced and witnessed at a deep level becomes a special model for ecumenism; in its turn, the ecumenical principle of unity in diversity can become a determining factor for the re-invigoration of the Franciscan community.

4. In Ecumenism

If the ecumenical movement as a distinct and organised phenomenon is relatively recent, the idea of the unity of God's people, which this movement seeks to restore, is profoundly based in Scripture. Such an objective was the constant concern of the Lord (Jn 10:16; 17:11, 20-23). It looks to the union of Christians in faith, hope and love (Eph 4:2-5), in mutual respect (Phil 2:1-5) and solidarity (1 Cor 12:14-27; Rom 12:45), but also and above all an organic union in Christ, after the manner of vine and branches (Jn 15:4-5), head and members (Eph 1:22-23; 4:12-16). This union should be perfect, in the likeness of the union of the Father and the Son (Jn 17:11, 22). Scripture provides its theological foundation (Eph 4:4-6; Gal 3:27-28), the first apostolic community its concrete, living model (Acts 2:44; 4:32).

Most of the issues which ecumenical dialogue has to confront are related in some way to the interpretation of biblical texts. Some of the issues are theological: eschatology, the structure of the Church, primacy and collegiality, marriage and divorce, the admission of women to the ministerial priesthood and so forth. Others are of a canonical and juridical nature: they concern the administration of the universal Church and of local Churches. There are others, finally, that are strictly biblical: the list of the canonical books, certain hermeneutical questions, etc.

Although it cannot claim to resolve all these issues by itself, biblical exegesis is called upon to make an important contribution in the ecumenical area. A remarkable degree of progress has already been achieved. Through the adoption of the same methods and analogous hermeneutical points of view, exegetes of various Christian confessions have arrived at a remarkable level of agreement in the interpretation of Scripture, as is shown by the text and notes of a number of ecumenical translations of the Bible, as well as by other publications.

Indeed, it is clear that on some points differences in the interpretation of Scripture are often stimulating and can be shown to be complementary and enriching. Such is the case when these differences express values belonging to the particular tradition of various Christian communities and so convey a sense of the manifold aspects of the Mystery of Christ.

Since the Bible is the common basis of the rule of faith, the ecumenical imperative urgently summons all Christians to a rereading of the inspired text, in docility to the Holy Spirit, in charity, sincerity and humility; it calls upon all to meditate on these texts and to live them in such a way as to achieve conversion of heart and sanctity of life. These two qualities, when united with prayer for the unity of Christians, constitute the soul of the entire ecumenical movement (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, 8). To achieve this goal, it is necessary to make the acquiring of a Bible something within the reach of as many Christians as possible, to encourage ecumenical translations since having a common text greatly assists reading and understanding together and also ecumenical prayer groups, in order to contribute, by an authentic and living witness, to the achievement of unity within diversity (cf. Rom 12:4-5).