C I O F S LIST

Hints for Assistance on Justice - Peace - Integrity-of-creation work with the SFO

Some helpful hints

Is there such a thing as a Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Christian spirituality? There isn't! I think we can only speak about Christian spirituality if it includes JPIC as an integral part. In other words, without the JPIC aspect no Christian spirituality could call itself Christian. Just as "prayer and the spirit of devotion" is fundamental for Christian discipleship, so too is all that has to do with the love of neighbour and solidarity with whoever lacks the material and spiritual necessities to live a dignified life.

As an SFO assistant, are you convinced about this? As you can well appreciate, we transmit to others what we are convinced about ourselves. People are more impressed and affected by example than words. As assistants to the SFO (and seeing that this article is dedicated to JPIC), unless you believe in and are personally struggling with JPIC issues in your own personal and fraternal life and living them out concretely, it will be impossible for you to serve as a catalyst and animator in these values for our SFO brethren. Animation is not just about helping people to know their responsibilities, but more importantly, is about helping them to act them out. A good animator encourages others to assume concrete commitments and actions and is prepared to do likewise.

So my first practical suggestion is for you to clarify where you personally stand. Re-examine your attitudes in the light of our Rule, General Constitutions, especially Art. 1:1, and all the chapters and documents of the Order since Madrid 1971 which leaves us in no doubt that JPIC is not just an option, but an imperative. The OFM JPIC Handbook which will be published some time early next year may be worth looking at. The SFO Rule calls on all SecularFranciscans "together with all people of goodwill to build a more fraternal and evangelical world so that the Kingdom of God may be brought about more effectively " (Number 14). It states clearly that "both individually and collectively they should be in the forefront of promoting justice by the testimony of their lives and their courageous initiatives " (Number 15). The rule also encourages them to be "bearers of peace through dialogue" (Number 19), as well as respecting " all creatures animate and inanimate", based on " the Franciscan concept of universal kinship" (No.18). These and many other references in the Rule help us appreciate that JPIC is an integral part of Franciscan spirituality. I wish to share some practical ideas on how to encourage our SFO brethren to live out to the full our Franciscan spirituality with JPIC as an integral part.

(1) Find out what people feel about JPIC and social justice. What is their starting point? What are the fears and expectations of the SFO members? This will vary depending on the general ecclesial environment, the formation processes of the SFO and their personal and national histories as well as the present social, political, cultural and economic environment. The laity, similar to the friars, have very diverse ideas about JPIC.

(2) Involvement in social justice work requires the ability to critically reflect both individually and in fraternity on the happenings in the Church and society; to evaluate and analyze these happenings in the light of the Gospel and to work out what can and should be done according to the individual and collective resources available. This is commonly known as the "see, judge and act" model but it is not enough to know the theory, but more importantly to implement it in concrete and practical ways. Following the "see, judge and act" model, the personal and fraternal reflection on a specific JPIC topic or issue should at some stage be completed by agreement on specific actions. These actions will depend on the level of spiritual maturity of each of the individual SFO fraternities. It is a good rule of thumb to start with small, inclusive projects which are not too threatening. All these efforts should be evaluated. This can lead to a greater sense of confidence in the group and an eventual commitment to more difficult and sometimes controversial JPIC issues. Remember that the specific JPIC issues, in many respects, are not all that important, at least at the early stages of the Franciscan journey. What is important, however, is that the SFO fraternities and leaders appreciate we cannot remain indifferent to the sufferings of our fellow brothers and sisters and to the underlying causes of the suffering. Because most "social injustice" arise from the same root causes, attention to one issue can eventually bring the fraternity in touch with many other issues in this vast web of darkness. For example, a serious reflection on environmental destruction might bring the person to a deeper appreciation of the neo-liberal economic paradigm which tends to exploit the earth's resources as if they were infinite "see, judge and act" method. It can prove to be a helpful tool in encouraging the SFO members to live out the social aspects of the Gospel.

(3) Your work as assistants is primarily with the leaders of the SFO fraternities. In your meetings, formation seminars and retreats it is an ideal time to introduce and/or deepen a reflection on JPIC issues. You personally may be unsure about JPIC issues and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. This is can create a healthier climate to examine together with the SFO appropriate responses to the different JPIC challenges. If you lack confidence in promoting a consciousness on JPIC issues, be aware of the resources available. For example, you might involve the JPIC promoter of your own Province or entity, or indeed of the other branches of the Franciscan Family. The important thing is to be personally open to learning more about JPIC and concerned to see the SFO develop this central and fundamental area of their Franciscan spirituality.

(4) It commodity. Environmental destruction holds the key to understanding many of the ills of our time. Once a serious reflection is started on any topic like deforestation, waste disposal, desertification, global warming, acid rain, pollution, etc., people involved will become more aware of the origins of these problems, who are responsible and what their motives are for destroying the earth's limited resources. They will also appreciate that the poor are by far the most affected by this wanton destruction.
A deeper understanding can also develop when the SFO fraternity decides to tackle a local injustice affecting them or their community. From a specific task or action, like cleaning up a street, planting trees, promoting a campaign for running water to homes, people can grow in their understanding of the broader and more global underlying principles involved behind many injustices, as well as contributing to the well being of others. This same approach can be applied to any other JPIC issue: refugees, the arms industry, debt, racism, intolerance, segregation, violence, slavery, right to life, education, health, child prostitution, etc.

(5) Our OFM General Chapter prioritized our commitment to refugees and those who have been forced to leave the land (8:4). In 1979 the then Minister General wrote a letter to the whole Order encouraging the friars to be in solidarity with refugees. It is interesting to note the final emphasis is on the friars supporting existing initiatives, not necessarily Franciscan or Church based. This, I believe, is an important principle to remember. You might encourage the SFO fraternities to support and involve themselves in their local social justice parish programs and/or with other groups, committees, and societies that are working in favor of the poor and marginalised. These groups may have a local, national or even international focus. This networking promotes greater understanding between groups and leads to an intelligent and more efficient pooling of often limited resources.

(6) Encourage the brothers and sisters to keep in contact with what other SFO fraternities are doing. Much can be learned from one another. Even through this publication, you as assistants could share some of the wonderful initiatives taking place in your country or region. It often happens that SFO fraternities are doing wonderful apostolic work for the poor and do not see it as JPIC related action. As an SFO assistant, you can help the brothers and sisters discover their already existing efforts to live out the social dimension of the Gospel.

(7) Finally, so as to avoid dualism that has plagued us all for so long, you might introduce JPIC topics and themes into the fraternities' prayer life together. We need to bring into our prayer all the people and situations we encounter in our daily lives and apostolic work. We need to pray and intercede for specific people, problems, and situations, and not just become accustomed to generic prayer formulas.

Recently, as we knelt in silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament during a holy hour here at the OFM Curia, distant from people and their everyday struggles, suddenly the door banged open and women with a baby carriage came in. The young child broke the silence with the usual inquisitive questions about what was going on and I smiled to myself and felt grateful that God had broken in!

You as assistants have the privileged responsibility of accompanying the Franciscan laity in their faith journey, as they discern how to translate, the values they profess into concrete actions of love within the fraternity and in the society. The future of the Church and quality of its testimony lies principally with our committed laity. Thank you for your service to them.