SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 9 - N. 16 - 2003 - April - III
From: Koinonia, 2003, n. 1
24th June 1978 - 24th June 2003
Fr. Ivan Matic', OFM
We have seen, with the various quotations from the SFO documents, how much importance the Church gives to the Secular Franciscans in giving a more visible and active testimony in both the Church and the world. Certainly the topic of a more active participation in the life of society is adequately gone into because it is a matter of a very special field where the Secular Franciscans live their vocation on a daily basis: in the area of the family, of work, of public life, etc.
The Pope, in his recent message, said: «You Secular Franciscans, by vocation, live belonging to the Church and to society as inseparable realities. Therefore, you are asked, above all else, to bear personal witness before all in the environment in which you live: "in your family life; in your work; in your joys and sufferings; in your associations with all men and women, brothers and sisters of the same Father; in your presence and participation in the life of society; in your fraternal relationships with all creatures." (General Constitutions SFO 12.1)» [1] .
Reflection on this topic and these words of the Pope we wish to identify together, by re-reading the Rule and Constitutions, the suggestions that could give a new impulse to the apostolic mission of the Secular Franciscans in the world of today. We therefore need to re-discover first of all the specific nature of the Secular Franciscan vocation in so far as it deals with a particular form of life.
The need is urgently felt in the world in which we live to give an authentic Franciscan testimony by sharing life with the poorest and weakest, recognising in them the face of God. This seems to be one of the priorities that the Secular Franciscans must have present in their formation and Fraternities, on all levels, remembering what the Rule says: «... The Secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ. A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ» [2] .
In order to construct a more just and fraternal world, the Secular Franciscans, through their various tasks and the responsibilities that they carry out in society, can offer a valid contribution in the field of justice and peace, making a courageous choice, both individually and in community, for promoting this spirit of peace and reconciliation [3] .
In the times in which we live, there is need of people disposed to being witnesses of peace through the example of their own lives in order to construct a new environment where one can live without the sense of fear, without discrimination of any kind, without conflict between peoples of different cultures and religions and without wars.
This constitutes a challenge for us, to which we are called to respond and, at the same time, it is a sign of a real and deep need of present-day men: to create a more fraternal world based on reciprocal respect, of putting man at the center as a living image of God, despite the cultural differences, be they religious or of any other kind.
Consecrated to the service of the Gospel in accordance with the charism and example of St. Francis of Assisi, the Secular Franciscans, with the power of the Holy Spirit, are called to be instruments of peace in the Church and world. Like all the baptised, the Secular Franciscans also announce Jesus Christ as the true peace. He is our peace that through his life and presence gives us pardon and peace. We saw in the Rule that the Secular Franciscans are called bearers of peace and fraternal dialogue, seeking out ways to unity among people.
These can be the specific tasks of the Secular Franciscans in so far as their vocation is constantly to become instruments of pardon and peace, to promote justice and always to seek the path of dialogue between people of different cultures and diverse religions and to live the Franciscan spirit in the Church and world in communion with the whole of creation in a spirit of joy, hope and peace.
As members of the great Franciscan Family, the Secular Franciscans, together with the Franciscan religious in "vital reciprocal communion", should serve the cause of peace. In this way the testimony of life, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, becomes a common testimony.
Another important task for the Secular Franciscans is that of ecumenism. Indeed, John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, reflecting on the present situation, invites all the faithful to take a concrete step into the area of ecumenical commitment, saying: «And what should we say of the urgent task of fostering communion in the delicate area of ecumenism? Unhappily, as we cross the threshold of the new millennium, we take with us the sad heritage of the past. The Jubilee has offered some truly moving and prophetic signs, but there is still a long way to go. Christ's prayer reminds us that this gift needs to be received and developed ever more profoundly. The invocation "ut unum sint" is, at one and the same time, a binding imperative, the strength that sustains us, and a salutary rebuke for our slowness and closed-heartedness. It is on Jesus' prayer and not on our own strength that we base the hope that even within history we shall be able to reach full and visible communion with all Christians » [4] .
For this reason the Secular Franciscans «should be ready to promote common initiatives or participate in them with the religious of the First, Second and Third Orders, with Secular institutes, and with other lay ecclesial groups that recognise Francis as a model and inspiration in order to work together to spread the Gospel, remove the causes of marginalisation and serve the cause of peace» [5] .
Following the words of the Pope on the path to unity, one task of the Secular Franciscans in this new page of history that is opening up with the new millennium, is undoubtedly the ecumenical task. The General Constitutions highlight this task especially through the non-Catholic associations that draw their inspiration from St. Francis [6] .
Another point, which also represents a great challenge to the Secular Franciscans in the world of today, is undoubtedly the need to enter more actively into interreligious dialogue. The example of St. Francis, who went to the Sultan to preach the Gospel, helps us to understand that there is need to go out to meet people of other religions, with hearts open to dialogue and to sharing in the same social reality. Being open to this dialogue with our brothers of other religions can be a great sign of hope and a new impulse for setting out courageously on a path of dialogue for a better future.
Let us accept the invitation of the Pope as a prophecy and urgent task to be carried out. «It is in this vision that the great challenges of interreligious dialogue, in which the new century will see us still committed along the lines indicated by the II Vatican Council, is also placed [7] ... This dialogue must continue. In the climate of increased cultural and religious pluralism that is expected to mark the society of the new millennium, it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially important in establishing a sure basis for peace and warding off the dread spectre of those religious wars that have so often bloodied human history. The name of the one God must become increasingly what it is, a name of peace and a summons to peace» [8] .
The novelty that Jesus Christ brought with his preaching, the Good News that Francis discovered in the Gospel, is this: Our God is a Father-God, Father of all and all are his children. Therefore, the conclusion by Francis was this: If God is our Father, then all of us, created in his image, are his children and, therefore, brothers and sisters among ourselves. This thought must guide the whole life and activity of the Secular Franciscans. This is the source from which the strength to become real and authentic witnesses to peace must always and on every occasion be drawn. We are never alone on this journey. We have our Fraternities, our brothers and sisters who live the same vocation and seek with great anxiety new ways to respond to the demands of our times in order to construct a more fraternal and evangelical world.
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