SECULAR FRANCISCAN SHOULD BE PROPHETS This is the key point of the intervention of Fr. José Carballo during the pastoral visit to the CIOFS Presidency. Formation is the pillar of our re-foundation. Re-foundation means that it is important to go to our origin and rediscover our roots, the essential charismatic elements. What counts is the quality of life. We are Franciscans insofar as we live our project of life. If we do not live it, we do nothing. What are the consequences of this re-foundation? Accepting our condition of minority. We should be happy about what we are. We must not compete with others. All of us are called to be "minors" in our society. Giving priority to the quality rather than quantity of life. Privileging the symbolic aspect rather than effectiveness. It is a temptation to put effectiveness above fraternity. We must put the renewal of the Order before survival. The Church does not need survivers, but living people. Who can take on this journey? THE PROPHET: he has five characteristic features: A great memory. A population without history has neither present nor future. Without history the SFO family will have neither present nor future. We must purify our history by living the elements; we must have the courage to say "This is our history". His attention is focused on reality, listening simultaneously to the Lord and to the people. We must always hold in our hands both the Bible and the newspaper to be aware of reality. The Holy Father in his Encyclical "Novo Millennio Advente" invites us to have memory and prophecy to "foresee the future". We too must foresee the future, like Francis, who always looked ahead. By listening a lot it will be possible for us to have a vision of the future. A great love for people, which will allow us to live the present passionately. "Look at the past gratefully and live the present passionately" (John Paul II). A Franciscan must have the passion of Francis who, like Clare, was passionately in love with Jesus Christ and said "love is not loved". The Scripture is very strongly based against those who are "tepid/lukewarm". Faith and courage. A lot of faith because we know we are not alone. We must recuperate the faith in the Spirit. St. Francis is the first charismatic. He was the man "who moved the Spirit" We must recuperate the faith in the Lord of History. Today’s crisis is the crisis of faith. It is faith that gives us the courage to face events. The prophet has courage. He loves the Church profoundly and is critical at the same time. If we don’t have courage we should question ourselves about our faith. Great patience. Be willing to be rejected. We must go ahead knowing that it is not easy. We must not leave for tomorrow what we can do today, considering that no prophet died in his bed. Refusal is part of prophetical vocation. When one accepts to be a prophet, one must accept refusal, like Christ accepted death. Now we must deepen the sense of our centenary as well as the centenary of St. Elizabeth. We cannot let these moments of grace go by; we cannot restrict ourselves to having a nice congress or making a beautiful publication. We must take action. There is a lot inaction in our family. We are an army. We are the world’s largest spiritual family. But what do we do?
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