Franciscan laity in the mission of the Church - Carlo Dallari OFM

b) Franciscan laity in the mission of the Church

Summary of visits

Germany

Part-II

b) Franciscan laity in the mission of the Church

The Secular Franciscans are no other than baptized laity, consecrated to the service of the Gospel in accordance with the charism and example of St Francis. More specifically, since their vocation is not general, we must remember that, in the variety of charisms with which the Holy Spirit has endowed the Church in view of mission and sanctification, they are those who recognize that they are called to live the Gospel after the manner of Francis of Assisi (cf. Rule 2), and endowed with the grace of the Spirit sufficiently to respond fully to their vocation. This "modality" is described and codified in the normative documents of the Secular Franciscan life, namely, the Rule, General Constitutions and Ritual. So, in what we say, we will let ourselves be guided by the indications contained in these texts.

The belonging and the ecclesial mission of the lay Franciscans are presented by the Rule in a significant passage: "They have been made living members of the Church by being buried and raised with Christ in baptism; they have been united more intimately with the Church by profession. Therefore, they should go forth as witnesses and instruments of her mission among all people, proclaiming Christ by their life and words. Called like St Francis to rebuild the Church..." ( Rule 6).

We find the same indications again, in the General Constitutions: "Called to work together in building up the Church as the sacrament of salvation for all and, through their baptism and profession, made 'witnesses and instruments of her mission', the Secular Franciscans proclaim Christ by their life and words. Their preferred apostolate is personal witness in the environment in which they live and service for building up the Kingdom of God within the situations of this world" ( CG 17,1), and in the Ritual: with perpetual profession of the Rule the lay Franciscans commit themselves to work for the Church and for humanity (cf. Rit. pr 1); to give their contribution for its well-being, its perennial renewal and its mission among people (cf. Rit. pr 14f; Rit. 29).

The Franciscan laity are therefore living members of the Church and instruments of its mission, gathered by the Spirit into a fraternity to be at the service of the Kingdom of God among earthly realities, after the example of St Francis whose work of restoring the Church they continue.

"Living members", in that Secular Franciscans recognize that they are in that communion of divine life which is the Church, and therefore called to live personally the same mission and to take it upon themselves responsibly, in ways that are proper to them:
- the first is identified with service to the Kingdom through building up the Church and building a more fraternal and evangelical world;
- the second, expressed implicitly in the reference to Franciscan inspiration, is made explicit in fraternity . The Secular Franciscans live the mission of the Church "as brothers", or "in fraternity" (...), where the term "fraternity" indicates the basic structure of Franciscan life in a particular place, as "the basic unit of the whole Order and a visible sign of the Church, the community of love" (Rule 22). The lay Franciscans therefore find in the fraternity "the privileged place for developing a sense of Church and the Franciscan vocation and for enlivening the apostolic life of its members" ( Rule 22). Through the life in fraternity they are projected, in the Church and with the Church, together with all persons of good will, towards all mankind, to "build a more fraternal world" (Rule 14), and to realize that "universal kinship" ( Rule 18) with all creatures, in an attitude of respect and appreciation according to the plan of God, the Creator and Lord of all things.

The Franciscan laity are, by vocation, creators of fraternal relations between people, docile instruments in the hands of Christ the universal conciliator and peacemaker; they will have to be attentive to welcome the presence of Christ that there is in everyone, and therefore to seek the collaboration of all persons of good will. (...) We find the same indications also in the Ritual: the Franciscan laity consecrate themselves to the Kingdom of God (cf. Rit. 31); this involves "living for the world", with the "commitment to collaborate in building a more fraternal world" ( Rit. pr 14d). They are called to be in the world "a leaven of gospel life" ( Rit. 12), "to give witness to the kingdom of God and to build a more fraternal and evangelical world" ( Rit. 29), "for the glory of God and to fulfil his plan of love on behalf of all people" (Rit. 12).

In conclusion, the mission of the Franciscan laity consists therefore in the commitment to "restore the Church" in accordance with their own secular condition, working in the Church and with the Church for a world in which people can live as brothers, that is, recognizing themselves as all being sons of the same heavenly Father and loving one another as Christ has loved them. This mission is realized through the development of a form of life, the fraternity, that needs to be strongly centred on the communion of charity.

(To be continued)

Germany

From 15 to 17 November, the elective Chapter of the SFO in Germany was held at Hofheim near Frankfurt. Fr Ben was present in the name of the Conference of General Assistants. Wilhelmina Visser-Pelsma presided over the elective sessions on the evening of 16 November, when Klara Renz was elected National Minister. Three years ago, the SFO in Germany numbered about 13,270 professed members in 641 local Fraternities. At the end of 1995, it numbered 9,977 professed members in 504 local Fraternities. In 1995, 127 candidates entered, 133 made profession, 25 left the Order and 565 died. More than half the professed (5,415) are in Bavaria.