No one should take possession of the Office of Superior

"I did not come to be served but to serve, said the Lord (Mt 20, 28). Those who are in offices above others should not be proud of this superiority more than they would be of washing their brothers’ feet. And if the detachment from the position of Superior troubles them more than the detachment of washing feet, they accumulate a fraudulent treasure setting their spirit in danger. (St. Francis - Ammonition IV).

We should be conscious of the fact that our happiness increases with our capacity of liberation, i.e. : of not making worldly things our own. Nothing belongs to us, not even our willpower if we put ourselves in the hands of God.

Christ set us an example by "doing his Father’s deeds", completely obeying him, to the extent of sacrificing himself on the cross for the love of us.

In the Franciscan family we have a Patriarch who clearly saw the danger of power. For this reason he warns us and teaches us how to alert our hearts against such a danger.

The growth of the family made it necessary to establish rules and to appoint an authority. But within the Order, Superiors do not have the title of President, but of Minister, which means Servant.

If someone is not at the service of the Order, of the Fraternity and of all creatures, he must change his inner feelings for he still has not reached the Kingdom of God.

We know of abnegated people who work in the Fraternity and take part in ecclesial life, but are so disappointed when they are replaced that they even become ill. Why does this happen ? Do they really know what it means to serve God, to glorify the Lord ; " they should not seek the vainglory of this superiority more than that of washing their brothers’ feet.

It must be understood that God uses us for a period of time. He wants us, however, to be ready to give our place to others, who, like us, need to grow by donating themselves to others and to experience the joy of serving and being God’s instrument. We cannot abolish this logic, nor do we have the right to do so. And each time it happens everyone feels defeated.

St. Francis reminds us of the ammonition of the Sacred Scriptures : "The kings of the earth govern their nations and those who have power over nations call themselves benefactors. But for you it should not be so : The most powerful should, instead, become like the least powerful and he who governs like he who serves" (Luke, 22, 25-26).

These words of Christ reinforce the essence of Franciscan spirituality with regard to our relationship with other creatures : respect, courtesy, dedication to our brothers and sisters, created in God’s image and likeness.

Consequently, the words of our Superiors should be accepted in our hearts without the need for constriction or a simple order to carry them out. Nobody should be obliged to do something. Observance of the commandments of God’s law and the Church’s teachings should be more than sufficient to guide our way of seeing things, judging and acting.

We know, however, that human nature is weak. This is why many rules are necessary. The Church also sets certain obligations to keep us on the path of love and God’s grace.

In our Franciscan spirituality, we are called to live a life of penance because penance alone can lead us to eternal salvation.

We insistently recommend our Fraternities to live a life of prayer and devotion to the Sacraments. This is how we show our love to the Lord and the Virgin Mary : they are the best tools to strengthen our faith and make us become conscious of the fact that victories are obtained with God’s help by serving him in the person of our neighbour.

In fact, we are born to know God, love him and serve him. This service, however, must be devoid of personal interest to give space to the Lord who said "Who remains in me and me in him gathers many fruits, for without me you cannot do anything" (John 15,5).

We must do "our Father’s deeds", not our own ; glorify God, not ourselves. God does not accept human glories,

It is therefore necessary to understand that we must always be available to serve and accomplish our service without any personal attachment, with love and respect, with the certainty that everything is being done for the love of Christ, with him and in him, thus accomplishing "our Father’s deeds".

Dear brothers and sisters and readers of this Bulletin, in the times we are living in, it is really essential to reflect on the above in order to tackle many delicate situations that arise in the Church and in society.

There are Franciscans who disorderly wish to have commitments and others who, on the contrary, do not want them so as not to bind themselves. These situations are really dangerous. We should ask the Lord to free us from both excessive attachment and disinterest.

In any situation we must maintain our serenity and accept what we are faced with : obey God’s will and be humble.

If God makes use of us we must be satisfied : if, instead, he gives a particular office to another person, we should be equally satisfied because we will have the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the person that God appointed as our Superior. If he is a good Superior we should thank God ; if, unfortunately, he is not, we should pray that he is converted. If however the situation becomes very serious the Fraternity Council, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, should take the most appropriate decision taking care to be charitable and defend the truth in all circumstances.