SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 3 - N. 31 - 1997 - August - I
From: Koinonia, 1997, N. 3
Benitius Brevoort OFMCap
(Part -III)
The person himself is "the chief agent and centre, the subject and the object, of formation; it concerns each one directly and involves each one personally. The result of the formative process is bound up with the candidate's cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit on each one, and with the candidate's active collaboration with the work" of the Fraternity for the good of the candidate ( Guidelines , CapIII).
The persons must "act responsibly towards God, oneself, and the Secular Franciscan Order by analyzing... their capabilities and character; and by taking into account future difficulties, whether subjective or objective, which may arise as a consequence of their choice". The person must "open oneself with complete docility to the light of the Holy Spirit" and "acquire and use evangelical discernment" that will allow him to "see God's call in the various circumstances of life" ( Guidelines, Cap III).
The personal commitment allows the person to "cultivate those human qualities necessary for the development of a balanced personality tending towards human and Christian maturity, marked with a profound harmony within the person, with a rich and conscious possession of the truth, with a capacity for giving oneself, with a full awareness of one's precise responsibilities as a member of both civil and church communities, and as a genuine witness to the faith in every part of life, familial, professional, social and political.
This requires of the candidate an openness to love through truth; to loyalty, to respect for others, to fidelity to one's pledged word, to harmony, to balance in one's judgment and conduct, to a capacity for relating to others" (Guidelines, Cap III).
The local Fraternity especially "should be the privileged place for developing a sense of Church and the Franciscan vocation and for enlivening the apostolic life of its members" ( Rule 22). The Fraternity is the privileged place for ongoing formation, because the life of the Secular Franciscans takes place in fraternity, together with one's brothers and sisters.
The Fraternity is the agent of and is responsible for ongoing formation with its own life-style, "intensely communal, profoundly ecclesial and dynamically missionary" ( Guidelines, CapIII). In the Fraternity "the preparation of the brothers and sisters for spreading the Gospel message 'in the ordinary circumstances of the world' and for collaborating in catechesis within the ecclesial communities should be promoted" ( Const. 17,2). The Fraternity should engage itself "through 'courageous initiatives'... in the field of human development and justice" ( Const. 22,2). In the Fraternity, "they should share the important moments of the family life of their Franciscan brothers and sisters" ( Const. 24,2). In the Fraternity, "the brothers and sisters should promote mutual understanding... (and) encourage one another for the good" ( Const. 26,2). In these ways the Fraternity provides the ongoing formation of the members in everyday life.
Besides, the Fraternity "has the duty to help its own members with programmes of continuing formation", "by means of courses, meetings and experiences" ( Const. 44,2-3). The specific programmes of ongoing formation organized in the Fraternity are guidelines and aids, but they do not constitute the essence of ongoing formation. The essence of ongoing formation is the deepening of "one's own vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfil one's mission" ( ChL 58).
(To be continued)