SECTION I: MONTHLY THEME

Topic I-4: Profession in the SFO

Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment, by Fr. Felice Cangelosi, OFMCap, (n. 10-11)

Summary and comments

Ewald Kreuzer, SFO

n. 10. The formula of Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order reads: “I, N.N., by the grace of God, renew my baptismal promises and consecrate myself to the service of his kingdom” (SFO Ritual II,31). Profession is the act by which a person places him/herself into the hands of God, enabling God to take hold of him, with the result that from the precise moment of Profession, the person no longer belongs to him/herself, but is considered as totally “expropriated” and at God’s entire disposal. By virtue of Profession, the person becomes God’s property, and therefore “sacred”. The persons offer themselves to God with full freedom and awareness. Consecration, properly indicate the act by which God takes possession of the person (who is enabled to give him/herself totally by the gift of the Spirit who draws him/her) and transforms him/her inwardly so that he/she is able to live the demands of a superior world.

Have we actually realized what happened to us when we made our Profession? It was the beginning of a “transformation process” which God has started with us and which is still going on. Do we feel how God more and more has taken possession of us? Do we really feel to be “consecrated” as God´s property?     

n. 11. In the course of the centuries, the Secular Franciscan Order has not only kept the terminology  (promissio, promittere) of the primitive legislation, but progressively preferred the use of Profession to indicate the commitment to live a gospel life according to the approved Rule. We can deduce from this that the strong conviction of earliest times, namely that the promise of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance constitutes a true and proper Profession, was a constant part of the awareness of the Secular Franciscan Order. The same clear awareness not only remains unchanged but is brought out even more strongly and clearly in the Rule of Paul VI and in the Constitutions subsequently approved by the Congregation for Consecrated Life, as well as in the Ritual, itself approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship.

The profession of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance involves: a) an obligation contracted before God; b) the commitment to observe a form of life or Rule; c) definitive incorporation into the Order. The same elements are also constitutive of religious profession, and this leads us to maintain that the propositum vitae or promise of the Secular Franciscan Penitents are equivalent to a religious profession.

It would be very useful to study  - alone and in group - the nature and history of the Secular Franciscan Order (refer to lesson 6 and 7 of the SFO International Initial Formation Manual). 

Questions for reflection and discussion in fraternity

1.         What does “consecration” mean and indicate?

2.         Can you explain why the SFO is a “true Order” with a “true Profession”?

SECTION II: SPIRITUAL INSIGHT

Topic IV: Participating in Christ’s Paschal Mystery. SFO Profession and commitment to live the Gospel life.

Fr. Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR

The Lenten season is not an end in itself, it is a road that leads to Easter. As a journey of faith it prepares us for Holy Week and for a profound participation in the Paschal Mystery that is celebrated with great fervor during the Easter Triduum. On these special days Jesus comes to the community of believers and to every individual who welcomes him through Word, prayer, and sacrament. He comes as the Prophet of Truth, as the humble Messiah-King, as the Master who loves his disciples to the end even as he is betrayed by one of them and denied by another, as the Suffering Servant, as the new Lamb of sacrifice, and as the Priest of a new covenant. He also comes as the faithful and obedient witness of the Father, the Son of Man who is rejected by many and who is unjustly judged, condemned, tortured and put to death on the cross - only to rise from death in order to redeem humanity through his passion, death and resurrection!

The celebration of the Easter Triduum allows us to participate in the Paschal Mystery of Christ in a privileged way as we join with Him as he passes from death to life. The high point of this celebration is found in the Easter Vigil, the mother of all vigils in Catholic liturgy, and in Easter Sunday. During the Easter Vigil we await and celebrate the resurrection of the crucified Jesus – the event that brings light and forgiveness to the world. Together we recall and experience the great deeds of God throughout the history of salvation up to the resurrection of the Lord. Catechumens are sacramentally united to Christ as they pass from death to life through the waters of baptism and we join with them in this experience as we renew our own baptismal promises. We then together partake of the bread of life that strengthens us to be witnesses to the resurrection in this troubled world of ours and that anticipates the eternal banquet where there will be no more hunger, sin, or death, and where God will be All for all.

The Easter Proclamation helps us to realize the great significance of this unparalleled festivity when it joyously announces: “Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes for ever! […] The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride. Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and man is reconciled with God!” The passage from the sixth chapter of Paul’s letter to Romans that is proclaimed at the Easter Vigil points out that through baptism we have entered into a real and intimate union with Christ’s death and resurrection “so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Rm. 6:4). The conclusion of the passage helps us to understand that this newness of life challenges us to choose not to cultivate the sterile deeds of sin but only those of God’s abundant life in Christ: “Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (Rm. 6:11).

The General Constitutions of the SFO point out very clearly that Jesus Christ is the primary source of inspiration and strength for Secular Franciscans who have professed to live this newness of life: "Christ, poor and crucified", victor over death and risen, the greatest manifestation of the love of God for humanity, is the "book" in which the brothers and sisters, in imitation of Francis, learn the purpose and the way of living, loving, and suffering” (Art. 10).

Questions for reflection and discussion in fraternity

1.      What are some of the most significant experiences that I have had when participating in the Easter Triduum – especially during the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday?

2.      Read article 12 of the General Constitutions and share some of the ways in which you and your Fraternity are being called to express God’s gift of the newness of life in Christ at this time.

SECTION III: SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

Block II: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Part 1 of 9:  Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching

Fr. Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR

The Conclusions of the XII General Chapter of the SFO (Nov. 15-22, 2008) explicitly requested that the CIOFS Presidency Formation Project include topics such as: social doctrine of the Church; a better understanding of the significant social and political problems of the day; social and political commitment of Secular Franciscans in the world, and the most important documents of the Church and of the Magisterium.

At the same time, the Chapter’s Conclusions “recommended that formation be implemented, not only at an intellectual level, but also on the practical level of concrete charity”. In addition, in the section regarding ‘Presence in the world’, the document clearly stated that: “For too long, the Order has not fully entered into its active mission in the world.  The moment has come, and it can no longer be deferred, to “enter the city”, to exercise with determination and full visibility its own responsibilities to witness, and to promote justice, peace, human rights and the integrity of creation”.

This month, in order to carry out the exhortations of the Chapter, we begin a series of presentations on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004. The Compendium is a rich voluminous document consisting of an introduction, three well developed sections, and a conclusion. In this issue we begin with a general introduction to the social doctrine of the Church and to the Compendium itself. During the following eight months we will present the principles of the Church’s social doctrine, one per month. The Compendium describes the significance of this important corpus of teachings and its connections with the life and mission of the Church in today’s world in this way:

The Christian knows that in the social doctrine of the Church can be found the principles for reflection, the criteria for judgment and the directives for action which are the starting point for the promotion of an integral and solidary humanism […] It is in this light that the publication of a document providing the fundamental elements of the social doctrine of the Church, showing the relationship between this doctrine and the new evangelization, appeared to be so useful (n. 7). In studying this Compendium, it is good to keep in mind that the citations of Magisterial texts are taken from documents of differing authority. (n. 8).

The exposition of the Church's social doctrine is meant to suggest a systematic approach for finding solutions to problems, so that discernment, judgment and decisions will correspond to reality, and so that solidarity and hope will have a greater impact on the complexities of current situations. These principles, in fact, are interrelated and shed light on one another mutually, insofar as they are an expression of Christian anthropology, fruits of the revelation of God's love for the human person. However, it must not be forgotten that the passing of time and the changing of social circumstances will require a constant updating of the reflections on the various issues raised here, in order to interpret the new signs of the times (n. 9).

The lay faithful, who seek the Kingdom of God “by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God's will”, will find in it enlightenment for their own specific mission. Christian communities will be able to look to this document for assistance in analyzing situations objectively, in clarifying them in the light of the unchanging words of the Gospel, in drawing principles for reflection, criteria for judgment and guidelines for action (n. 11).

Questions for reflection and discussion in fraternity

1.      How can your local/regional and national Fraternity best use “the principles for reflection, the criteria for judgment and the directives for action” found in the social doctrine of the Church?

2.      What are some of the steps for your local/regional and national Fraternity to “enter the city” to witness, and to promote justice, peace, human rights and the integrity of creation?