The Franciscan,  Creator of Alternatives

Adapted from the intervention of Prof. Mario Cayota, SFO to the CIOFS Presidency
November X, 2007

When Francis speaks of “the world”, he is not referring to the temporal realities in which people live but, rather, to the mentality and organization of these realities that are based on values that are not in conformity with the Gospel.  In the same way, living in the world implies a renunciation of a style of life that is contrary to the Gospel and not allowing oneself to be contaminated by this life style.

The world that Francis and Clare exhorted their followers to renounce was the one that exalted power and violence, a world that had established unjust and inequitable social structures including a medieval society divided into classes, and a world that sought individual honor, riches and personal fulfillment.  It is this world, one which is contrary   to the will of God and the values preached by Jesus, that Franciscans are called to renounce.  The first Franciscan evangelizers who arrived to America provide a poignant witness - when they arrived in the West Indies, they renounced the world of the conquerors, characterized by plundering and cruelty, and followed an alternative way that utilized the early Christian community as its main point of reference.

The Franciscan, whether religious or secular, is called to be a creator of alternatives.  The Franciscan always searches for ways that are different from the ones proposed by “the world”.  Today, Secular Franciscans are called to renounce, among other things, consumerism, hedonism and relativism, all of which his Holiness Benedict XVI speaks about with good reason, as well as the materialistic ideologies that seek to seduce people.  As a creator of alternatives, the Franciscan should not conform to today’s world, and should refuse to accept competition and the market place as absolute values, even though these are recognized as needed.   The Franciscan should give testimony of a family that is different from the one that the present society desires to sell and impose upon us.  The Franciscan’s life must reflect the values of the Gospel, so different from the ones that are presented today on the television, in the media, and even in the laws that are being passed in numerous countries.  The Franciscan must refuse to conform to the ways of the world.

That said, Franciscans must live in the world and enter fully into the hopes and worries of the world in which they live, as Francis also did.   The Franciscan must assume the challenges that present themselves and accept all that is good in the world of these present times.  The Franciscan must be a person of his/her era.  Francis and Clare were people of their time, influenced by their culture, but always transcending worldly ideals in favor of the Gospel life.  In the end, like Francis and Clare, Franciscans are called to renounce all aspects of the world that are not in conformity the Gospel and flee this world when it presents a way of life that is contrary to the Franciscan charism.  To do this, the Franciscan must continually turn around and embrace a change in one’s life through penance and conversion (METANOIA).  

In a true spirit of conversion, Franciscans must continually reflect on some key questions: What is “the world” for the Franciscan? What does it mean for the Franciscan to avoid becoming engaged in worldly matters?  To what extent can a Franciscan compromise in living within the contemporary world?  These fundamental concepts and questions must continually be kept in the forefront of our awareness.  Often, one can be lured in adopting attitudes that are egotistical and that alienate us from each other.  It is here that the pontifical and conciliar documents can teach us and encourage us as lay people to order our lives in accordance with justice and charity.   

Let us always remember the clear commandment of Jesus when he exhorted us to be the salt and light of the world!