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Chapter walks to Emmaus |
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DOMUS PACIS - One of the major points of the General Minister's Report to the General Chapter last week was on the need for friars to renew their life of prayer - both personal and communal. One of the major suggestions was for the prayerful reading of Scripture or other spiritual readings. This
practice is often called Lectio Divina.
At the Extraordinary General Chapter held in 2006, a process of Lectio was developed called the Emmaus Methodology. It takes its name from the post-resurrection account in the Gospel of Luke chapter 24 where the Lord encounters the disciples along the road to Emmaus and He speaks with them on that journey opening them up to both Scripture and Eucharist. Of course, the result of that encounter was the great proclamation, "Were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road." This Emmaus Methodology seeks to have the same effect in the lives and hearts of the friars.
As the second week of the General Chapter began, the Chapter delegates gathered in the main aula and began this week on a spiritual note, engaging together in this form of Lectio Divina. The Chapter will begin each of these last three weeks the same way.
Today's Lectio was lead by former General Minister Giacomo Bini, OFM, who reflected with the delegates upon the first chapter of the Rule of St. Francis.
FORMER GENERAL MINISTER GIACOMO BINI, OFM, OFFERS A REFLECTION
Here is the text the Chapter reflected on:
FROM THE APPROVED RULE (CHAPTER 1)
In the name of the Lord!, the life of the Friars Minor begins
The Rule and the life of the Friars Minor is this: to observe the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of one's own, and in chastity. Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to our Lord Pope Honorius and his successors canonically elected and to the Roman Church. Let the other brothers be bound to obey Brother Francis and his sucessors.
"Francis burned with great zeal for the common profession and Rule, and endowed those who were zealots about it with a special blessing. He called it their Book of Life, the hope of salvation, the marrow of the Gospel, the way of perfection, the key of Paradise, the pact of an eternal covenant. He wanted all to know it, in all places to let it speak to the inner man as encouragement in weariness and as a reminder of a sworn oath. He taught them to keep it always before their eyes as a reminder of the life they should lead and, what is more, that they should die with it." (2 Cel 208).
Reflection of Br. Giacomo Bini:
The life of the Friars Minor begins in the name of the Lord, it consists of living the Gospel as a "forma vitae," as a Rule; we are thereby free from every dependency and racically expropriated (vows) in order to belong exclusively to the Lord in the Church and with the Church.
The Life. The Rule is, therefore, born of life and shold accompnay life; it is not only a legal document, and should not be opposed to life or exclude it, but be in harmony with it: one needs the other; but the priority belongs to life. Speaking of the evangelical life, the new wine must, periodically, burst the old wineskins into which we sometimes try to pour it.
Friars Minor. It is a question of evangelical life, defined by Francis with two terms which are already a well delineated programme: as "brothers" and as "minors!" The Fraternity, as an essential element (and not optional) should always accompnay the vocation and mission of the Friars. We are called to live the Gospel in fraternity, qualified by "minority," by being among the least of men, as Jesus was, turning our life into a service, a gratuitous, humble and universal gift. Living, therefore, as poor, for the poor and with the poor is our state of life, that to which we are called.
Begins. This "adventure" begins because we are called by the Lord, with our eyes and heart turned towards the Gospel. As the distance between our everyday behaviour and the Gospel is overwhelming, we are continually invited to begin again. This was the recommendation of Francis to the Friars at the end of his life (cf. 1 Cel 103).
In the name of the Lord. Everything comes from Him: life, the courage to begin to walk with Him, working for reconciliation in view of an evermore universal fraternity so that we may all be children of the same Father called to place ourselves at the service of all. Everything is a gift from Him; we have, therefore, the responsibility to make this love "circular" and make it bear fruit by restoring it without appropriating anything for ourselves. Our life sould be a response to this gratuitous love which is characterised by "stability" in the faith and in what "we have firmly promised" (Rb 12).
Living the Gospel. This is the centre of everything: living the Gospel in its totality, all that Jesus said and did, "sine glossa," without going back or touching up, above all, without diluting it or instrumentalising it, living anchored to the Gospel in a contemplative and obedient attitude. It is on this "centre" that we will construct our vocation, our mission, our identity, an identity "in process," always becoming and always compared with the Word, and always to be "re-structured."
The Rule. The Rule is the "form of evangelical life;" it is the Gospel which takes "form" in the measure in which our everyday existence sets out "to follow the footprints, humility, poverty and teaching of the Holy Gospel." "To follow" means that we are always disposed to leave everything in order to become anchored in the only secuirity, which is Jesus. Our life will always be an evangelical itinerancy in fraternity and minority, inspired by the Gospel, modelled on the Gospel and "re-formed" by the Gospel. The Rule and Constitutions should always refer, guide and orient us towards the Gospel.
In and with the Church. This evangelical adventure always needs practical means: an organised fraternity and, especially, the Church. These means help us to avoid falling into deviant "pseudo-prophetical personalisms," or into over subjective interpretations of our "forma vitae." At the same time, all the means should always be referred to the Gospel, our source of inspiration; they should be purified and oriented according to the evangelical radicalism to which we are called and to which we are commmitted through profession.
What happened at the Chapter of Mats, narrated in the Mirror of Perfection, is very significant. Some Friars, "wise and learned," put pressure on Cardinal Hugolino to try to convince Francis to give them a Rule after the style of those already in existence, "with the aim of leading a well-ordered religious life."
Francis, on hearing this insinuation, without delaying with too many explanations, "took (the Cardinal) by the hand and let him among the Friars gathered in Chapter, and spoke to them with the fervour and power of the Holy Spirit: "My Brothers, My Brothers! The Lord called me to a life of simplicity and humility, and He showed, in truth, this way to me and to those who intend to believe and imitate me. Consequently, I do not wish any other Rule to be given to me, not that of St. Benedict, or of St. Augustine, or of St. Bernard, or any other way and form of life, except that which was mercifully shown and given to me by the Lord. The Lord told me that I had to be like a new made man in this world...God will confound you through your science and wisdom (cf. MP 68)." Francis, in this text, clearly re-establishes the hierarchy of values when faced by the temptation of power, appearances, efficiency, numbers, etc. which are always present in history. All human means and mediations which are worthy and which, in the logic of the world, tend to impose themselves, have to be purified and submitted to the logic of the Gospel, to the following of the humble and poor Christ. This tension should not be exasperating, but reconciled.
Francis did not wish to separate himself from the Friars and said so clearly at the Chapter; he did not wish to be separated from the Church and took the Cardinal (the Church!) by the hand to bring everything and everyone back to the priority of the Gospel, with which even the Church must always compare itself; and this with the help of the Friars Minor! It is a question of the provocative and prophetic dimension typical of the religious life, typical of our life.
Following this reflection, the delegates broke up into language groups and had an opportunity for personal and prayerful re-reading of the text in silence and then a sharing about one's life based on the text read and meditated upon. The time ended with spontaneous prayer. It is hoped that this model of communal prayer will be replicated in fraternities throughout the world.
FRIARS MEET IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE GROUP TO REFLECT AND SHARE
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| Discussions continue |
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DOMUS PACIS - Following the morning reflection following the Emmaus Methodology, Chapter delegates cotinued their discussion regarding the number of members on the General Definitorium, whether its size should remain the same or be expanded, and the manner of electing General Definitors. These discussions were held in closed session. |
| Provincial Notes: Leslie Hoppe, OFM (Assumption BVM) |
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 DOMUS PACIS - Below is a report sent by Leslie Hoppe, OFM (Provincial Minister of the Assumption BVM Province, Franklin, WI) to the members of his Province. Br. Leslie sends out regular updates to the friars of his Province:
Election Process Begins
This week's sessions of the General Chapter will focus on elections. By the end of the week, we will have elected a Minister General, Vicar General, and General Definitors. The General Statutes of the Order (art. 143-144) leave it to each chapter to set the number of the General Definitors and the method of their election.
The current General Definitorium proposed keeping the number of Definitors and the method of their election the same for the next six years. They did suggest that the next Plenary Council of
the Order study the matter and make recommendations for the General Chapter of 2015 to enact. The language groups discussed whether to accept this proposal.
The result of discussions in language groups was not decisive so we will have to come back to this question. Some delegates wish the Definitorium to remain at nine members. Others wish to expand it while others wish to cut the number of General Definitors.
The problem the Order faces is that while the raw numbers of friars have decreased over the years, the numbers of entities (Provinces and Custodies) have increased in emerging countries-especially in Asia and Africa. How do you make the friars of these new entities feel that they are a part of the Order without increasing the size of the Definitorium? Some delegates feel that increasing the size of the Definitorium will be result in added expenses and decreased efficiency. The matter has been given to a commission of the Chapter. The members of the commission will present a proposal on Tuesday. The delegates have until Saturday to resolve this question.
The Election of the Minister General and Vicar
There will be two straw ballots for the election of the Minister General before the election take Thursday, followed by a straw ballot for the Vicar General. His election will take place on Friday.
The Procurator's Report
Another important item of Monday's business was a report of the General Procurator, Francesco Bravi. The General Procurator has the task of representing the business of the Order that is carried out with the various dicasteries of the Holy See-except for the causes of the saints and the pastoral care of the contemplative nuns under the care of the Order. These latter two areas have special delegates.
A good part of Francesco's report dealt with those who have left the Order for various reasons. In the last six years, a total of 553 friars have left the Order. Some were dismissed, some received
dispensations, some joined other religious institutes. That is a serious loss-roughly equivalent of losing a Province each year.
Besides giving the raw statistics, Francesco gave some advice to the Provincial Ministers from his experience in dealing with those who have left the Order. He has concluded that defections from the Order usually happened for one of three reasons: problems in human relationships (the psycho-affective area), problems with one's vocation, prayer life, faith and identification with the Order, and finally in the area of fraternity and formation.
Francesco noted that "the request of a confrere to leave the Order should become a time for reflection especially for the Minister, the Custodian and their Definitors whose role is to seriously discern."
Interesting Statistics (with homage to Finian Zaucha):
The are 152 delegates to the General Chapter: 124 Ministers and Custodians, 12 members of the Order's General Administration, and 13 lay brother delegates, and 3 friars whose presence is required by Statute. Of these only 22 are older than I am at 64. One hundred twenty-nine delegates are younger than I. The oldest delegate is 77 year-old, Lorenzo Valdivia Covarnrubias of the Province of St. Philip of Jesus (Mexico). The youngest is 32 year-old Krunoslav Kolariæ,
the lay brother delegate from the Province of Ss. Cyril and Methodius (Croatia).
While the average age of the friars in Europe and North America is rising, the age of the Order's leadership is still relatively young. This is especially true of the entities from emerging countries. This bodes well for the future of the Order. |  This DAILY NEWS BRIEF is produced by and for the friars of the English Speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor. Executive Secretary: Thomas Washburn, OFM.
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