M I N O R I T Y

This retreat on Minority has been prepared by the Philippines’ Formation Team. They offered this to the sisters and communities of the Province as part of their planned activities to promote the objectives of their on-going formation program .Original text.

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I - INTRODUCTIONTO SOLITUDE AND PRAYER

Note : This is given on the eve of the first day. It is recommended that silence begin with this introduction. The following day is spent simply in placing oneself more consciously in the presence of God. Without any reading or writing, simple be, be aware, pray, rest in God ; attune yourself to the gentle ways of the Spirit.

1. Every retreat or time spent in solitude and prayer is a special call from God. Whether it is part of the community plan or called by someone, once the «Yes » to the retreat is given, it becomes the retreatant’s personal engagement with God.

This is your retreat. Make it truly your own - it’s between God / the Holy Spirit and you. God alone knows you as you are, where you are and what you need at this time. He will give it to you if you ask for it and wait for him.

2. Silence is of primary importance. In inner silence, we wait for God and listen to Him. Don’t worry about anything. Just be aware of God’s presence. Give him all this time ; give him a chance. Children get lost when given plenty of time ; they need to be entertained, but adults know how to deal with time. Religious adults don’t get lost when they have leisure time for God.

3. Besides silence, TRUTH is also very important. To know where you are now and to accept it. To see more clearly where you need conversion ; where you need God’s transforming love to touch you and heal you.

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4. LET GO, LET GO. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you - to let things happen. Don’t cling to anything but hope and trust in the Lord who loves you and holds you in his hands.

RELAX, PRAY at your leisure. Remain simple before the Lord. Enjoy every moment of these few days with him. Don’t throw away the last days or hours by beginning to be busy again before the day ends ; retreat ends (packing, buying things, breaking silence, etc.), God deserves to be given up to the last minute of the retreat.

II - MINORITY AND IDENTITY

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1° - Christ Poor and HumbleFrancis Lesser Brother / Friar minor

1. Christ Poor and Humble. - That the Second Person of the Godhead « emptied himself » of all things and became man for our sake, is beyond the capacity of the human mind to fully understand [Phil. 2 : 5-11]. Reflect on the following points : He did not cling to being equal with God ; He took the form of a servant, being born in the likeness

of man ; He humbled himself and became obedient unto death on

a cross ; He was Lord and Master ; his whole life was a free, total

and loving gift to the Father.

2. Francis   : Lesser Brother . - Francis belonged to the rich merchant class of Assisi. His parents provided lavishly for him : money, fine clothing, parties, etc. He outdid all his contemporaries in vanities and came to be a « promoter of evil ». His greatest dream was to be a knight. After the Spoleto vision, he gave up this cherished dream of his youth and through a painful and soul-searching journey, found his true self in the imitation of the poor, humble and suffering Christ. Other young men soon became attracted to this way of life : a life according to the Gospel, without property, living among the poor and the lepers as brothers among others. « We were simple and subject to all. » [Test. 19].

3. Our true identity and security are from God and in God alone. Jesus of Nazareth and Francis of Assisi - both had an

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unshakable certainty of who they were and to whom they belonged.a) Christ knew himself to be the Beloved Son of the Father.

At his baptism and transfiguration, he heard his Father’s voice : « This is my beloved Son » [Mk 1 : 9-11 ; 9 : 2-5].« Abba » summarizes most of Jesus’ most loving and intimate response to the Father. The Father was the only reason for his life, his only argument for all that he said and did. All other things did not matter : riches, power, prestige.

b) After his conversion, Francis gave up everything : home, parents, friends, wealth, social status, ambition, success, even leadership in the very Order he founded.He knew he belonged to God and should serve him alone.Francis also knew himself to be a sinner and accepted it before God and man. He humbly confessed it publicly ; in his testament he wrote : « When I was in sin... ». But he also knew himself to be loved by God and pardoned

for his sins.

TEXTS

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1 Cel. 1-2. L 3C 2-3, 5-6  Rule 1221 IV 4-6 Test.. 14-23 Adm. 11, 13, 19.

REFLECTION

1. How do I act about the good things God accomplishes in me ? in others ?

2. What is it that I cling to ? my will ? my good name ? my anger ? my hurts ? my good works ? my work ?

3. What are the causes of my anger ? hurts ? impatience ?

2° - Mary of the Passion

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and Minority

Mary of the Passion’s identity was a dynamic integration of three elements ; three core experiences that comprised a constant point of reference in significant moments / decisions in her life.

1. An encounter with the absolute of love at the age of seventeen during the time when in the Church and in her family God was the God of Law.« ... During Benediction, these words : ‘I will always love you more than you love me’ struck me, and then, the sight of his Beauty... My heart was so touched, my soul so overwhelmed that I faltered [...] I felt that between God and myself, there was no obstacle. I was enflamed with such love that to give and to keep on giving to the Lord would have been a relief to me. » [Life p. 27].

2. The revelation of the face of Crucified Love at the Monastery of the Poor Clares where she felt consecrated for life.« On 23rd January 1861, I went down to the choir to look for a treatise on obedience. I knelt down and suddenly I heard these words clearly and distinctly [...] : ‘Do you wish to be crucified instead of the Holy Father ?’. I was so naive that I saw rise up in my mind a material crucifixion [...] and it seems to me that I was very frightened. But I would never have dared to reply ‘No’ and so I said ‘Yes’ either in word or by bowing my head.And then there fell on me like a consecration these words and this name : ‘Mary Victim of Jesus and of Jesus Crucified’. I believe that was my name from heaven, beyond all human power. [...] The love that I felt was so strong that

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it seemed to me that it was impossible to bear it on earth. I must die or it must decrease. » [Life p. 39].

2. The overshadowing experience of Mary , her feminine model, her star leading to Jesus.« It was in Vannes, on the beautiful avenue of the Port, that I remember having had the first movements towards heaven. The Angelus had just rung ; it was the 21st of May, and all alone, I knelt, telling heaven that I was the little girl born in the month of Mary and God should guard and bless her. » [Life p. 12].The self-effacement, the shadow, the hidden life of the Word of God in the Incarnation, and of his Mother at Nazareth, was the atmosphere in which Mary of the Passion loved to live and always to return to, in order to steep herself in it with ever the same happiness :« Even though I should accomplish God’s work, I feel that I am united for life to Mary Immaculate ; so little is said about her in the Gospel. And so, I trust and hope to remain hidden, like her, even though God’s work is being done ; of this I am doubtful, for time is passing and the light and freedom of good do not seem to be approaching. Yet even though God’s work should be accomplished, I feel that I shall remain lost with Mary in the hidden life. ». [Feb. 3, 1888].« You know, Lord, that following the example of your Immaculate Mother, I love to dwell hidden in your tabernacle. There I have offered up a sacrifice of jubilation ; I will sing and recite a psalm to the Lord. » [Dec. 17, 1888].

REFLECTION

Easefully go over your spiritual journey :

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1. Can you identify core experiences that have constantly influenced your life-decisions ?

2. What is the rock of your identity ? Does it harmonize with that of Mary of the Passion ?

« I am marked by the name of Mary Victim. I hear this mysterious name ‘the woman with true power’. » [May 21 - 1903].

III - MINORITY   : OUR CREATURELINESS BEFORE GOD

1° Francis before God.

We take a look at Francis’ concrete relationship with God. What images of God were dominant in Francis’ response to God ? in his spirituality and prayer ?

1. « Most high, all powerful, glorious God   » :How often these titles appear in Francis’ prayers and writings ! This brings out his attitude not only in relation to God, but also to his fellow human beings and to the whole of creation :a) A sense of the sacred ; adoration of the triune God,

reverence and submission to his holy will.b) Shared creaturehood with all of creation :

unity with every living being in our creatureliness ; dependence on the Creator ; finiteness, limitedness, imperfection ; capacity of growth, of becoming, of making mistakes ;

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respect and care for the whole of creation ; and for

every person allowing him the space and freedom to become and to make mistakes.

c) Companionship / shared brotherhood or sisterhood. Francis welcomed and accepted all men and women, rich and poor, sinner and saint, learned and unlearned and all other creatures in a fraternal embrace. Everyone / everything is brother or sister. In the heart of Francis, every human being and the whole of creation were reconciled and brought back to God.

2. « You are Father, good, all good, highest good. »a) When Francis renounced his inheritance before the

Bishop of Assisi, he experienced God as his true Father. Francis referred to God all that is good. He became totally absorbed with this « Good » whom Jesus revealed to him.

b) Gratitude : everything is pure gift, coming from the Father’s goodness. Nothing comes from us. This truth about ourselves places us in our rightful, humble position before God and our fellow humans.

3. Jesus, our suffering compassionate Savior .a) From his meeting with the leper, the vision of Christ of

San Damiano, and finally at La Verna, Francis grew in the love of the Savior’s mercy and compassion.

b) The reality of sin in our lives makes us acknowledge our own need of God’s healing and mercy. Our own experience tells us that we have fallen again and again, as individuals and as communities.

c) Yet we are loved unconditionally. God’s mercy is greater than all our sins.

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TEXTS

Canticle of Brother Sun Adm. 5 Rule 1221 XIII, 8 ; XXIII Testament (Francis’ use of « The Lord gave me... », « led

me... », « showed me... » LP 43-44 1 Cel. 58-61 2 Cel. 10-11 ; 165 LM 2 : 7 ; 5 : 9 ; 9 : 1 :11 L3S 13-1

Lk 8 : 43-48 ; 15 : 1-32 Jn 8 : 1-11

REFLECTION

1. What image of God pervades my whole relationship with God and how does it affect my relationships with others, with material things and with the whole of creation ?

2. Am I aware of the areas in my life where I am powerless ? To accept this is the only way to be open to God’s healing touch and mercy.

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3. How do I react / respond to others’ limitedness or « powerlessness » in one or another area of their life ?

4. Effectively and in a practical manner, how do I show my concern and care for God’s creation ?

2° Mary of the Passion before God.

Mary of the Passion saw like Francis, with that inner enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, that Love is Beauty . She saw the humility and abasement of love. Like Francis, she was overwhelmed and conquered :« I have seen the beauty of my God, and the beauty of humility.God love creating his creature in order to see himself again in her ; sin, which is nothing else but the soul’s turning away from its end. » [Aug. 14, 1883 - NS 99].« It was so beautiful as I saw it ; but I have no word to express it. » [Feb. 21, 1883 - NS 48].

Mary of the Passion would never cease to repeat and to write « I see » or « I have seen ». For Mary of the Passion, it is the love and beauty of God which create, save and are the inner measure of all. Man is made in this beautiful image, and each, according to his outlook, praises some aspect of spotless beauty. In each shines a facet of God’s infinite beauty. Jesus is the perfect image. Our beauty is stained by sin.The Beauty of the Holy Trinity was the object of her endless contemplation, the source of wonderment expressed again and again in loving repetition, of which love has the secret. Laying herself open to the Beauty of the Lord she was opened to the Universality of God. As a woman, she was to live adoration and compassion by identifying herself more and more with the attitude of the Blessed Virgin.

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« The compassion of Our Lady of Sorrows has remained living in my heart. » [April 5, 1895 - CR/2 443].

This tenderness obliged her to identify herself with what she loved. Mary of the Passion’s creaturely adoration and awe was strengthened by the daily contemplation of Jesus in the Eucharist :- « Jesus in the Eucharist, our God. My hidden God, I adore you. You are there in the Eucharist, man and God, and if at last I corresponded to your grace, I would unite my humanity to yours. I would even unite to your divinity and I would share in all your attributes. » [Jan. 28, 1888 - NS 285].- « The Eucharist sustains the world. Outwardly, however, this incomparable power is completely annihilated. Nothing makes it perceptible to mankind.The same may be said of the work of true love. In us and around us, it is an unequaled power. » [Feb. 3, 1888 - NS 303]- « I see God within me in an irresistible way. How I would like to make this presence even greater. This depends on me. I will make every effort so that my daughters may have a large share of this paternal heritage. I will be the mother of souls whose heavenly Father is my heavenly Father. I will do all I can so that even the most miserable will understand and will return the love of their divine Father. I will remember that only by loving can love make itself understood. » [Jan. 29, 1888 - NS 289].

REFLECTION

1. As a woman created by God to be beauty and compassion in this world, how have I grown in my understanding of my creatureliness ?

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2. How have I identified with the adoration and compassion of

Mary, the humble and silent one ?

MINORITY AND OBEDIENCE

1° Christ’s obedienceand that of Francis.

INTRODUCTION

If all our being comes from God (« in him we live and move and have our being »), if we are totally dependent on him for our existence, it follows that we owe him the obedience of our will and the fidelity of our heart. Obedience is the basic expression of the relationship between God and humans. God is our creator, we are his creatures.

POINTS FOR PRAYER

A. Obedience of Jesus.

Christ came to repair the rupture in the relationship between God and man caused be the disobedience of Adam. Christ did not cling to his equality with God, rather he emptied himself and became obedient unto death, death on the cross [Phil. 2, 6-8].

Christ adored the Father with a pure heart, that’s why the obedience to the Father’s will was free from any

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selfishness. « Father, if you will, let this cup pass away, but let your will be done, not mine. » [Lk 22, 42].

In this mystery of Christ’s total obedience to the will of the Father, we recognize our one Master who calls us, teaches us, directs us, consoles us and put us to the test so as to lead us to the Wisdom of the Spirit.

To obey then, like Jesus, is to follow him without hesitation wherever he may go, even unto death.

B. Franciscan obedience  :

1. «   My God and my all   » . Francis was a man for Christ, an example of someone

who sought only from the time of his conversion to imitate the poor and humble Christ, perfectly obedient to the will of the Father.

Francis is caught up with Jesus as someone who comes to us having nothing, this Jesus who always refers to the Father as the source of everything he has. This is the Jesus who leads us to the Father, the Omnipotent, Source of all good. [Rule 1221 XII, 17].

Francis’ disappropritation of all is the truth that the only thing he can really claim as his own are his vices and sins and to let go of these is to be poor, to be able to cling only to God. [Rule 1221 XXII. - Letter to the entire Ord.].

2. Obedience in the fraternity. a) Ministers and servants :

No one should be called prior, everyone must be ready to wash the feet of the brothers. [Adm. 4].

Readiness to lay down one’s life for the brothers and allowing oneself to be vulnerable. [Adm. 13, 19, 21, 23].

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Accept one’s mistakes, corrections. [Rule 1221 IV.

- Adm. 23]. Allow others to realize obedience with creativity

and liberty. [Letter to Leo].

b) Obedience to one another : We are called to be obedient in all that is not

contrary to the Rule and to conscience. [Adm. 3]. It is a reverence for and sensitivity to the mystery

of grace present in each brother. For Francis, obedience to the Father which

reconciles us with the Creator must be expressed to another human being as mediator so that peace and communion may reign. Francis harmoniously united obedience to the Father and obedience to the brothers who form the fraternity, in Jesus Christ.

No one is to hold power and dominion among themselves.

To practice obedience, we need a superior or a provincial... someone to whom we can be subservient. [Adm. 3, 3-4].

c) Obedience to the Church : Francis upheld the authority of the Church, the

catholic priests in particular, at a time when many heretical groups attacked the Church leaders. [Test. 6-10].

Francis was filled with deep faith for the Church as supreme place of encounter with Christ, in word and sacrament. This led him to lead the brotherhood into the heart of the Church in contrast with other groups who alienated themselves from the Church. [Test. 4-5]

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Francis exhorted the brothers to have deep respect

and faith in the priests even though they may be sinners because they alone administer Christ’s body and blood to others. [Adm. 26].

TEXTS

Admonitions of St. Francis Rule 1221 Testament

TOR chap. VIII : The obedience of love.

REFLECTION

1. Francis speaks of clinging to one’s will which is God’s gift to us as sin against obedience, an injustice to God. :Go to the roots of injustice towards God and others within you.

2. In what concrete ways am I challenged to empty myself in our obedience to one another ? washing one another’ s feet ?

3. How far are we disciples of Christ in their call to be little and servant among ourselves and with our lay co-workers ? in the community we are working in ?

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2° Mary of the Passion’s obedience.

Completely under the spell of the Beauty of God who gave all to her, affectionate and contemplative, Mary of the Passion surrendered herself unreservedly to this God of love. This surrender was guided by the Lady of Nazareth in her « Fiat ». This is the reason why the Mystery of the Annunciation was central to her life.. The « Here I am » of the Virgin, joined to that of the Word, « Here I am, I come to do your will, o God » appears to be her key word to all of life given for Redemption of man.« Mary, deep in prayer, received in her heart the words of Gabriel. [...] Then with and obedience that knew no limits, she gave herself. ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord.’ Immediately, life entered into her [...] and through her life for all mankind ». [Meditation - Annunciation].

Mary of the Passion followed the involvement of Mary in the salvation of the world ; and constantly through images and symbols she associated Mary with the Mystery of Salvation.To live this surrender, she insisted on the necessity of being ready to be sent anytime, anywhere.« One must be able to say to you, even in the middle of the night : go here or go there, and you must rise and set forth without taking anything with you, without saying farewell.[...] If they take from us what we have and reduce us to wandering in the streets, we must be ready [...] and leave joyfully, for if we love Jesus as St. Francis did, true happiness

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for us would begin there. » [Dec. 8, 1882 - Triduum on Poverty].

Beyond this disponibility, Mary of the Passion lived a very courageous obedience to the Church and submitted herself silently to great humiliations seeking not to escape. Offered by Cardinal Lavigerie to leave Rome amidst the trials of her deposition and go to Tunisia to establish her Mother-house with the Cardinal as her protector, she replied :« But I do not even have a natural desire for this earthly happiness. My Father St. Francis and my way of thorns, is true happiness. I am happy that love placed me in a position to make a choice... It is not I who gave, it is Jesus who gave, by permitting that in this humiliating trial, I may have the joy of refusing honor, missionary works to kiss the feet of the Crucified and of the Stigmatized, calling Jesus, poor and humiliated, my Spouse and Francis, poor and minor, my Father. » [Life, chap. VII].

This reveals the depths of her obedience which is the fruit of a deep discernment.« One thing is certain : I no longer hold on to God’s gift so personally. If it is for his glory, I would be happy if good is done, but for myself, I accept suffering more easily, for I am certain it is a higher gift. » [Jan. 31, 1988 - NS 296] .

Her vision of the universality of mission gives birth to a total submission which characterizes the great missionary of the faith :« The true apostle has nothing to do with places ; he goes from north to south, south to north where the glory of the Name of his God calls him ». [March 8, 1882 - CR/1 6].

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« They should see Our Lord, not only in their Very Reverend Mother General, but also in the person of all those charged to command them. » [Const. art. 36 - CS 22].

REFLECTION

1. Have I made the will of God habitually the object of my obedience ?

2. Is my disponibility to serve the Church the fruit of a discerning life style ?

V - MINORITY AND MISSION

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1° According to Francis.

1. INTRODUCTION

The witness that the Lord gives of himself and what the evangelists attest in the Gospel, « I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God », this without doubt sums up the whole mission of Jesus : « This is what I was sent to do ». Jesus, sent by the Father, was born to fulfill this mission, and in turn he sends the Church.

The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by evangelizing herself. This means that she has a constant need of being evangelized if she wishes to retain freshness, vigor and strength in order to proclaim the Gospel. [Evangelii Nuntiandi 6, 15, 18].

It is on this level that Franciscan mission emphasized the importance of witness. To possess the Spirit of the Kingdom and to become the living Word of the Kingdom. For Francis, the missionary journey towards the Father is the imitation of the pilgrim Christ sent by the Father.

2. THE WAY OF MINORITY FOR A FRANCISCAN MISSIONARY.

The conversion of Francis was initiated in the midst of a socio-political situation of Assisi where two classes of people, namely the minores (poor and outcasts) and the majores (wealthy and powerful) was a deciding factor in Francis option for a particular response to Jesus’ call. It is the way of minority in fidelity to the poor and humble Christ.

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A. We are servants of the Lord. The minor is not master of the WORD but first and

foremost a LISTENER, « to be all things to all » - ready to serve in any situation but equally ready to disappear when a good has been accomplished.

« He may increase and I may decrease ». An act of faith and surrender which enables us to assume the continual, unconditional surrender to the plans of God.

Reliance on simple, fraternal witness of life reveals great trust in the grace of God at work in human encounters, with the conviction that we are not the controllers but always servants of the Christian mission.

Francis reminds the friars to proclaim the Word of God but they should do so only « when they see that it pleases the Lord ». They must be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit in each situation. The Word of God needs a soul that has been prepared. [Cf. Rule 1221, XVI-XVII].

Fraternal, humble communion is the first important demand of being a servant of the Gospel.

B. We are brothers and sisters to all. Relating to people as my brothers / sisters means I come

to others with a fraternal, not a patronizing, condescending attitude. Recall how Francis served the lepers, he gave them the greatest title he could think of. He called them « brother Christians » [Cf. Legend of Perugia 22]. Lepers are drawn into the embrace of fraternity.

The brothers should not feel threatened by whoever comes, but receive them with welcome and warmth. Neither their doors not their hearts can be closed to anyone. Thus, hospitality is a core Franciscan value, flowing from Francis’ vision of brotherhood. We see the

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huge implication to our ministry. Francis writes : « Whoever comes to them, friend or foe, or robber, should be received with kindness ». [Rule 1221 VII, 14].

Note the approach of Francis to « brother robbers » [LP 90]. Francis knew that men and women must be loved into the Kingdom, not forced into it. In Francis, they felt how much they were accepted and cherished, no condemnation or accusation but gentle kindness, courtesy and understanding. Through this, they felt free to be reconciled with God.

A fraternal approach to mission entails a willingness to learn, to recognize the grace of God in the unexpected. (Francis’ encounter with the Sultan. - Cf. Rule 1221, XVI]. Francis recognized the Sultan as his fellow creature and his brother for whom Christ shed his blood.

C. We are called to be peacemakers. We find no polemics in Francis’ approach especially in a

time of great threat to the Church from heretical sects, The friars are forbidden to engage in arguments but to be courteous to all including heretics.

In Francis’ Letter to the Faithful [2 Ep. Fid. 4], he affirms : Evil can be conquered by goodness, just as Love Incarnate conquered sin and darkness on the hill of Golgotha. Rule 1221 XVII, 19 states more explicitly this principle : « When we see or hear an evil person speak or act or blaspheme God, let us speak well and act well and praise God who is blessed forever. »

Francis tells the friars : « Since you speak peace, all the more so must you have peace in your hearts. Let none be provoked to anger or scandal by you, but rather may they be drawn to peace, goodness and unity by your gentleness. We have been called to heal wounds, to unite

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what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way. » [L3S 58].

Francis’ attitude had a profound impact on the Sultan. The ivory horn given to Francis by the Sultan is the symbol of a fraternal dialogue, a powerful sign to us of the way of Franciscan mission. Francis’ peaceful approach was the defeat of the crusader’s mentality, and a manifestation of true Gospel spirit.

D. Solidarity with the minores (poor and outcasts). Our turning to God is only authentic when it is

manifested by love for neighbor [1 Jn 4 : 20]. And for Francis, our conversion is a growing adherence to the God of love who leads us to the reality of the little ones, the marginalized, the helpless and the unwanted. [Cf. TOR V. - Testament].Francis concretely expressed his conversion by embracing a leper, caring for the poor, attending to the sick and calling God’s people to peace. Francis’ embrace of the leper and all that is represented by the leper was a social option in the light of the Gospel.

To be received into the Franciscan fraternity is to adopt a form of life which is immersed in the world and yet stands against it.« Whatever they may have over and above their needs, they are to give to the poor. And let them never want to be over others... ». [Cf. Rule 1221 II, IV, VIII, IX. - Rule 1223, II, IV].

Francis opted for a new lifestyle which brought him to the side of the poor different from the monasteries of his time. He saw that financial security and the structures of the monasteries kept them far from others in preaching God’s word and in serving others.

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Francis’ use of a poor garb, the choice of cord for a belt,

are symbols of leaving the cloth merchant lifestyle which pushed the poor to the peripheries of Assisi.

Are we not challenged by the example of Francis in our life as missionaries of our time ?

E. We are companions with all creation.The titles « Brother / Sister » found in Francis’ Canticle of Creatures flow from a God-given insight into what it is to be a creature. All creatures are united in the depths of their being by the fact of being creature. I am a creature, and my existence is pure, unearned gift. The only reason for anything to exist is the free self-giving love of God.

Francis understood this truth of being creature. He rejoiced in his poverty as creature and readily acknowledged his ties with the rest of creation in its dependence upon the CREATOR.

So, our relationship with creation is not one of possession but rather one of shared life and companionship.

Francis had been so transformed by the grace of Christ that his whole being was in right relationship with God. Because of this, he rediscovered the proper relationship with creatures which God intended before the Fall.

Francis was able to rejoice in everything God created, and these became means for him to come to God.

It is only when we are true brothers and sisters to one another and with all creation that our eyes are opened and then we can rejoice in the loveliness and beauty of the CREATOR revealed in his creation.[Cf. LM 5 :9 ; 9 :1, 11. - 1 Cel. 81. - 2 Cel. 165].

REFLECTION

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1. In the particular ministry where I am, what concrete implications do I recognize as Francis’ challenge to me ?

2. What are the areas of growth in our fraternal witness of life and call to be servants of the WORD, « to be all things to all » ?

3. Only the heart that is radically reconciled with the CREATOR can truly enter into the image of companionship with God’s creation. What in me needs to be in right relationship with God ?

2° According to Mary of the Passion.

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Deeply rooted in the childhood of Mary of the Passion was the longing for mission with the poor. She had organised her friends into a group of beggars who would go begging dressed as beggars. Regularly, she offered a sacrifice in order to give bread to the poor.

Three dimensions of the mission of Christ : silent presence, proclamation and a life given up for others were integratively found in Mary of the Passion’s vision / living out of mission.« To be Mary is something that I can understand better than I can express. - Following the example of Mary to be silent, to hide one’s mission as much as possible [...] » [Dec. 2, 1886 - NS 262].« Jesus was born and given, then she [Mary] sought obscurity : That must also be what I desire. » [Sept. 1, 1882 - NS 15].« Just as the Virgin accompanied our Lord to Egypt and later during his apostolic journeys, so the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary will dedicate themselves to the apostolate in the Missions as the humble auxiliaries of the Missionary Priests [...]. » [CS 4].

Two criteria guided her choice in responding to missionary calls : the supremacy of adoration and ministry to the poorest.« I must try to pass on to my daughters this part of my being which is, as it were prostrated before God. » [Dec. 12, 1885 - 219].« My soul needs to go to the poor, to the lowly, to sinners and my daughters will not be my daughters if I do not pass this on to them.» [Oct. 2, 1884 - NS 171].

She, too, conceived mission essentially as a mission of peace, following the example of Mary.« Jesus is Peace, and Mary desires the peace of the whole world. We who are her missionaries must continue her action

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to give peace, to give Jesus everywhere, always. » [Med. octave Epiphany - MD 93].

Yet, in the works she established, she showed a prophetic intuition into the special realities of her time : printing press, workrooms to uplift women, experimental farms, technical schools, etc.

« A person who loves must be a witness of love to a humanity which has lost love. » [Sept. 27, 1884].

« Let us not all be surprised when the Cross pierces our missionary vocation. Our particular vocation is to offer ourselves to God for the Salvation of Souls. Who amongst us then has the right to be surprised when our vocation calls us to Calvary ? » [Feast of St. Hermenegilde, 13 April - MD 264].

REFLECTION

1. How real is the quotation : « He must increase, I must decrease », in my missionary work ?

2. What Christ-values have been acknowledged by others / the people as fruits of our working together ?

VI - THE EUCHARISTIC CHRIST   : THE MINOR

« They should desire nothing else but our Saviour,

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who offered himself in his blood as a sacrifice

on the altar of the CROSS for our sins, giving us an example that we might follow

in his footsteps. »[Earlier Rule n. 23]

1. INTRODUCTION

God who is rich beyond all other things chooses extreme poverty as his way of life. This way of life finds its climax historically on the CROSS, symbolically in the Last Supper and lives with us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is indeed the site of the celebration and actualization of the painful and glorious self-emptying of Christ, just as he humbled himself during his earthly life and was exalted by God. So, he now humbles himself in the Eucharist and invites us to humble ourselves together with him, that we may be exalted by him. [Cf. Letter to a General Chapter].

Francis brings us back to the powerful symbols of bread and wine. He truly believes that the Eucharist is Christ’s visible, tangible presence and at the same time a mystery of faith. The contemplation of Christ in the Eucharist and the contemplation of his cross are one and the same mystery of the glorious self-emptying of Christ, who accomplishes in men’s hearts and even in their flesh the mysterious transformation experienced and witnessed by St. Francis.

For both Francis and Mary of the Passion, to identify themselves with Christ on the cross was to identify themselves with Christ in the Eucharist. Christ took bread to make it his

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body ; they gave him their ordinary life to make it a Eucharist. We are ground like corn, and crushed like the grape in order to become a Gift of Sovereign love.

2. IMPLICATIONS / CHALLENGES FOR US

A. Life of offering   : to be humble adorers in Spirit and in Truth. The FMM, victim-adorers, offer themselves with Christ

who offers himself continually. It also means to open oneself to the transforming action of his presence in the Host which in turn stirs up an ever more intense desire to share in the redemptive action of Christ.

Both Francis and Mary of the Passion realised that adoration is the goal of all creation and also the ultimate aim of the mission. To adore the Eucharistic Lord, that real face of the living Christ is to enter into the rebirth of Creation through Christ.. It is the Eucharistic Christ who sustains the world. To open our heart and our spirit to the Eucharist is to expose ourselves to the Mystery of God, to accept God in our life, and finally to accept and uphold life itself.

The supreme act of thanksgiving of a Franciscan Missionary of Mary is Adoration. It is before the Blessed Sacrament that she takes possession, so to speak, of the Incarnate Word, of Eternal Wisdom so that her whole life becomes a communion with the Word. All adoration has its source and fulfillment in the Eucharistic Christ. It makes our whole being and the universe a « host of rejoicing », an immense song of gratitude to the Triune God.

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And this humble adoration was not useless nor negative

surrender but total enrichment. « Keep nothing for yourselves so that you may receive wholly the One who gave himself wholly to you. » [Letter to a General Chapter, 29]

« O humble sublimity ! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble himself like this and hide under the form of little bread, for our salvation. Look at God’s condescension my brothers, and pour out your hearts before him. Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by him. » [Letter to a General Chapter, 27-28].

B. In our missionary life: SERVANT ATTITUDE We are in situations which make it relatively simple to

understand Jesus who broke bread : « He took bread, broke it and said, take and eat, this is my Body delivered up for you. » [Lk. 22 :19].

As Eucharistic persons, our whole life is called to manifest a lifestyle that denounces the non-values of the present world. We are to make efforts at reconciliation and active non-violence and solidarity in the service of peace.

The Eucharist is this Christ who prays in us and within us, whose feelings are revived in us, who teaches everyone the vital significance of poverty, obedience and purity of heart. It is this Sacrament of Love, the Lamb of peace who heals the world and saves it from annihilation. It is this Eucharistic Christ, rich and poor, who continues to invite men and the universe to put things in their place : God in his place, and humanity within.

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C. In our CALL TO COMMUNION and SOLIDARITY with ALL The call of Francis to participate in the Lord’s sacrifice

with « reverence and humility », includes the communitarian dimensions of the Eucharist. Communion is possible because Jesus has become a brother to all. Franciscan brotherhood embraces all and can be seen as concentric circles that have as their Center, Christ, our Brother, who by his Spirit has made us children of God and brothers and sisters to one another and to all creation.

Francis addresses the brothers in his Early Rule XVII, 20 : « And when we see or hear an evil person speak or act or blaspheme God, let us speak well and act well and praise God who is blessed for ever. »« Others should be drawn to peace, goodness and unity by our gentleness. We have been called to heal the wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way. » [Legend of three Companions, n. 58].

3. CONCLUSION

The Eucharist for Francis was the « soul of his devotion ». This immense thanksgiving was at the heart of his life. It became his inner song of which his praise is the echo. And if the bread and wine, « fruit of the earth and the works of human hands », become the Eucharistic presence through them, it is the whole creation which is gradually transformed into the transfigured Body of Christ. That was the aim of Francis’ mission - it was Eucharistic. Francis became the deacon of this « mass over the world », which he celebrated in his Canticle of Creatures, in which the universal fraternity of beings and things springs from

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the Body and Blood of Christ, who has brought peace and reconciliation to all. [Cf. Letter to a General Chapter]

The Eucharistic Christ is the embodiment of all the mysteries of Christ and of man. Mary of the Passion would have wanted us to be captivated with the same remarkable insight into the mystery of the Eucharist. « I love this thought that the union of Christ with the soul is the reflection of his union with humanity .» [Aug. 11, 1899 - JO 451].

If man gives himself to Christ as the Eucharistic Christ gives himself to man, the miracle of love will take place. God yearns to fill with love all that he created.

Does not the very act of Jesus in the Eucharist help us to integrate all the dimensions of our life ? We are called to integrate our today with all that it holds for us : the beautiful but also the ugly and the wounded. All these are the content of our offering and that of the universe. What gives glory to God is a life lived according to his will. We want to include all of this in the offering of bread, « fruit of the earth and work of men »

Finally, Francis and Mary of the Passion remind us to focus our gaze on Christ, « Who loved us and gave himself for us », offering to God a « sweet smelling sacrifice » [Rom. 12 : 1].In turn, may we « make up in our bodies what is lacking in the Passion of Christ ». [Col 1: 24].

REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL READINGS

1. « An open Door to the Franciscan Way », chap. III - pp. 30-35.

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2. « Eucharistic Source of New Impetus » - General Chapter

Document 1990..3. « Two Gospel People », chap. V.4. « The Gift of God » - pp. 6-10, 1985 ed.

pp. 15-24, 1996 ed.

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