Saturday, July 12, 2008

"Be All that You Can Be"

For years "Be all that you can be" was used by the U.S. Army as a recruiting slogan. The recruiting ad challenged people to consider becoming the person he or she has the potential to be. Today, "Be all that you can be" would be an appropriate conversion slogan for God. We are challenged to become the full person we are capable of being by rejecting what prevents us from loving God to the fullest. Franciscan Father Benet Fonck, OFM has sketched out a simple, straightforward way to do this that is based in part on Francis' First Letter to the Faithful.

In his manual for the formation of lay Franciscans, Fr. Fonck outlines his approach “Penance is primarily a positive experience: choosing spiritual health (whole soul), mental health (whole mind), emotional health (whole heart), physical health (whole strength), and social health (loving neighbor as self) as the way of returning the love God has bestowed upon us. It is setting oneself on a five-point program of daily living which fulfills God’s plan for a healthy, productive, stimulating, creative love-life with God. It is a conscious, concerted effort to work toward well-being of the spirit, mind, feelings, body, and social interactions in order to be open to intimacy with God. It is a decision to embrace specific attitudes and concrete behavior to make one’s human/divine life more fulfilling in the complete range of its expressions from the transcendent union with the God to outreach with others with healthy self-love, to the development of one’s mind and intellect, to the use of emotions, to careful attention to the physical dimension of living. It is the commitment to experience everything we do from the sublime to the mundane as part of an over-arching continuum of striving for holiness.” (Fully Mature with the Fullness of Christ, Fr. Benet Fonck, OFM, Candidacy #2, page 08-5)

"Lord, what do you want me to do?"

In the 12th century, at the beginning of his conversion experience Francis of Assisi asks: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” L3C 6 That is a big question. Fortunately, a good and generous God provides the answer.

In the Old Testament we read “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. (emphasis added) Deuteronomy 6:4-8

In the New Testament we read “Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” (emphasis added) Mark 12:29:31.

Having discovered the answer, 1,200 years later to lay men and women throughout the world, St. Francis of Assisi preached “All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength (cf. Mark 12:30) and love their neighbor as themselves (cf. Mt 22:39) and hate their bodies with their vices and sins, and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and produce worth fruits of penance: Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them….” (emphasis added) Francis of Assisi, First Letter to the Faithful, 1:1

Today, in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church Catholics are reminded that “The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition. He Himself stands as the author and consumator of this holiness of life: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect".(216)(2*) Indeed He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength(217) and that they might love each other as Christ loves them.(218) ….” (emphasis added) Lumen Gentium 40 (Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Solemnly Promulgated by his Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964)


Friday, July 4, 2008

Francis and Clare for Families - Blog Created

I met a few of my Franciscan brothers and sisters for lunch the other day. One of our group had just returned from a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy. We talked about that experience. Two of us had a side conversation about Sr. Ilia Delio's new book on evolution, which I intend to read. Two are candidates and will make their profession soon. I am hoping they choose October 4, the Feast of St. Francis. We talked about how SFO fraternities could be more family oriented. There were a few stories of how things used to be. We talked about blogging. One person suggested that a separate blog called Francis and Clare for Families be created. I thought that was an excellent idea. So, I created it and moved some of the postings that used to be here to that blog.