Exploring the Franciscan View of the Human Person

I am reading The Franciscan View of the Human Person - Some Central Elements by Dawn M. Nortwehr, OSF. It is the third volume in the The Franciscan Heritage Series. It is a available from the Franciscan Institute. It explores the subject from the perspectives of Francis and Clare of Assisi, St. Bonaventure and Blessed John Duns Scotus. There is a lot to think about and I am looking forward to slowly reading her book. Below are some preliminary thoughts on what I have read so far.

Sister Dawn's foundation is Gn1:26. Everything is built on Gn 1:26. She references that passage several times. Since each human being bear's Gods very image and likeness, each human being has an "inviolable dignity" because God created each person through love and for love.

The inviolable dignity of the individual is clearly proclaimed by the Catholic Church. In The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), in Section 357 it states, "Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person...." In Section 1700 it states, "The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image of God." I found the term "inviolable dignity" in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004).

The Franciscan connection comes with Francis' Admonition V: "Consider, O human being, in what great excellence the Lord God has placed you, for He created and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body and to His likeness according to the Spirit." (FA:ED, vol. 1, 131)

Sister Dawn explores this in much more depth. I hope to present what she offers in an upcoming blog post.

Right now, my view is that when interacting with others we can rely on The Golden Rule. I like The Golden Rule because it is easy to understand and is accepted by secular society and other faith traditions.

In the New Testament, Jesus says the following: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets." (Mt 7:12) And,  "Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Lk 6:31).

There is a Franciscan connection. St. Francis uses Golden Rule phraseology on several occasions, e.g., "Let them behave among themselves according to what the Lord says: Do to others what you would have them do to you; and Do not do to another what you would not have done to you." (FA:ED, vol.1, 66) For more on this see my blog post Connecting the Golden Rule and St. Francis of Assisi. It deals with the technical issues of relying on The Golden Rule as a guide for treating others.

Custodians of the Tradition

I found this and decided to post a link because I wanted to share it with everyone and I wanted to remember that I found it. Ha! Custodians of the Tradition is a great resource.

Saint Clare of Assisi

The Franciscan family celebrates the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi during the month of August. Her feast day is on August 12. She is the founder of the second order of the Franciscan family.  She was the first woman to have a Rule of Life approved by the Church. Today, there are over 20,000 Poor Clare nuns in 75 countries throughout the world. Their way of life is dedicated to contemplation, poverty, and community.

St. Francis of Assisi and the Virtues

Although you will seldom hear the word in public discourse, virtue is making a comeback among those who study and teach philosophy and theology.

I put this presentation together on St. Francis and the Virtues. Feel free to share it with others. Of course, it is not the last word on the subject. However, it is a good start. I encourage you to begin your own exploration of Franciscan Virtues.