Transcript CHAPTER IV GUIDELINES TO INITIAL FORMATION

CHAPTER IV
GUIDELINES TO INITIAL
FORMATION
THE SFO RULE
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OUR RULE
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Source of inspiration for living
Rich in Biblical elements
Contains theology of earthly realities
Full of Christian and Franciscan
spirituality
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TEACHING THE RULE
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Don’t present the 26 Articles separately.
Important to develop:
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The lines of strength in them
The important ideas in each
The dynamic of each Article
Christ sends us into the world;
 Action in the world sends us back to
Christ.
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THE RULE – CHAPTER 1
The Spiritual Family of Francis in
the Church – Article 1
“The Franciscan family, as one among
many spiritual families raised up by
the Holy Spirit in the Church, unites
all members of the people of God laity, religious, and priests - who
recognize that they are called to
follow Christ in the footsteps of Saint
Francis of Assisi. “
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[Article 1]
“In various ways and forms but in life-
giving union with each other, they
intend to make present the charism
of their common Seraphic Father in
the life and mission of the Church.”
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HISTORICALLY
It’s good to place the Franciscan family in
the history of the Church and society,
thereby revealing the richness of the
variety of the Orders, Congregations, and
Institutes of Perfection generated by the
Holy Spirit through the centuries.
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[Art. 1]
Inspired by Vatican II documents.
 Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church) - the Church is the people
of God, centered around Christ Jesus as
its head, and sustained by the Holy Spirit
as its soul.
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[Lumen Gentium ]
“The Spirit is, for the Church and for each
and every believer, the principle of their
union and unity in the teaching of the
apostles and fellowship, in the breaking of
bread and prayer (cf. Acts 2:42 Gk.). All
mankind is called to be part of Christ’s
Church, that is, to be united with her.”
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[Lumen Gentium ]
Speaks of the various gifts given to the laity,
to religious, to priests – many spiritual
families, who are “bound together in
brotherly communion in the army of
Christ.”
Read again the beginning of Article 1.
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[Art. 1]
Apostolicam Actuositatem (Decree on the
Apostolate of the Laity) said:
“. . .[T]he laity who have followed their
vocation and have become members of
one of the associations or institutes
approved by the Church try faithfully to
adopt the special characteristics of the
spiritual life which are proper to them as
well.”
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[Art. 1]
Perfectae Caritatis (The Decree on the
Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life) said
that the “founders’ spirit and special aims”
should be “faithfully held in honor.”
Introductory words to that Decree say it
applied to both vowed religious and those
without vows and in secular institutes.
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[Apostolicam Actuositatem and
Perfectae Caritatis ]
Those words were the inspiration for the
words in Art. 1 that the Secular
Franciscans “intend to make present the
charism of their common Seraphic Father.”
Those Vatican II documents also made it
clear that all institutes should “share in the
life of the Church.”
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In an address given by Pius XII to Seculars in
1956, he asserted the great need of the Church
for the distinctive Franciscan spirituality to
reform the world and help in rebuilding the
Church. He also placed emphasis on the fact
that the Secular Franciscan Order is “an order:
a lay order, but truly an order”, quoting a
statement to that effect made earlier (1921) by
Benedict XV.
(Pius XII, Allocution to Tertiaries July 1, 1956)
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WHO WAS FRANCIS?
“Called to follow Christ in the footsteps
of St. Francis” means we need to look at
Francis.
 The first Life of Celano gives the
importance of the conversion-vocation of
the young Francis, and brings to mind the
biblical elements of the vocation of
Abraham.
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GENESIS 12:1-2
“The Lord said to Abram: “Go forth
from the land of your kinsfolk and
from your father’s house to a land
that I will show you. I will make of
you a great nation, and I will bless
you; I will make your name great, so
that you will be a blessing.”
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[Who Was Francis?]
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In a parallel way, we should take note
how every vocation becomes a mission:
Abraham was called to be the father of a
great people in order to give witness to
the true and one God in the midst of the
nations. Israel had a profound
consciousness that she was a people, a
real community. This awareness we
discover again in the first Christian groups
and in the Muslim world.
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[Who Was Francis]
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St. Francis has become the “father of the
Franciscan people.” “The Lord gave me
brothers,” Francis says in his Testament.
These brothers are a “little flock that the
Son of God in these latter times has asked
of his Father.”
(Legend of Perugia 67)
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WHO ARE THE “FRANCISCAN
PEOPLE/FAMILY”?
First Orders:
– Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M.
– Order of Friars Minor, Conventual,
O.F.M.Conv.
– Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins,
O.F.M.Cap
 Second Order: Poor Clares, P.C.
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[Franciscan Family]
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Third Orders:
– Secular Franciscan Order, S.F.O.
– Third Order Regular, T.O.R.
– Third order sisters: O.S.F. (and
others)
– Anglican Third Order of St. Francis
– Ecumenical Franciscans
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THE CALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST
 Each
person is called by God and
 How
were YOU called and sent?
sent.
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THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN
ORDER – ARTICLE 2
• “The Secular Franciscan Order holds
a special place in this family circle. It
is an organic union of all Catholic
fraternities scattered throughout the
world and open to every group of the
faithful.“
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[Art. 2]
• “In these fraternities the brothers
and sisters, led by the Spirit, strive
for perfect charity in their own
secular state.
• By their profession they pledge
themselves to live the gospel in the
manner of Saint Francis by means of
this rule approved by the Church.”
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[Art. 2]
• The Secular Franciscan Fraternity is
presented as an integral part of the
Franciscan family. Much has been written
about the origins of the “Brothers and
Sisters of Penance of St. Francis.” To
understand the SFO, you need to know its
history and the contribution of the secular
dimension toward the fullness of the
Franciscan charism.
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THE EVOLUTION OF THE
SECULAR FRANCISCAN RULE ARTICLE 3
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“The present rule, succeeding
Memoriale Propositi (1221) and the
rules aproved by the Supreme
Pontiffs Nicholas IV and Leo XIII,
adapts the Secular Franciscan Order
to the needs and expectations of the
Holy Church in the conditions of
changing times.”
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[Article 3]
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“Its interpretation belongs to the
Holy See and its application will
be made by the General
Constitutions and particular
statutes”
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[Evolution of the Rule]
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It is important to study an overview of the
four Rules that the S.F.O. has had since
the time of Francis, as well as the Volterra
Letter (Prologue to the Rule).
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Memoriale Propositi (1221)
Rule of Nicholas IV (1289)
Rule of Leo XIII (1883)
Rule of Paul VI (1978)
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[Evolution of the Rule]
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It is necessary to know the evolution of
the Secular Franciscan Order from Leo
XIII to the present, paying attention to
the renewal movements pre and post
Vatican Council II. The unity of the
Franciscan family with its dynamic
interaction emerges from this historical
reflection.
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ST
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UNOFFICIAL RULE
The first form of life Francis gave to the lay men
and women who wished to follow the Gospel
way of life was found in his First Letter to All the
Faithful,1 often called the Earlier Exhortation to
the Brothers and Sisters of Penance written
between 1209 and 1215
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Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance
Resource Manual, 50.
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Five elements set forth in that “First
Letter” as directions for the penitents:
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Love God;
Love one’s neighbor;
Resist the sinful tendencies of our fallen
nature;
Participate in the sacramental life, especially
the Eucharist; and
Act in conformity with the conversion that the
person has accepted.1
Raffaele Pazzelli, St. Francis and the Third
Order 42.
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st
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“Rule”]
That document is the Prologue to the Rule
of the Secular Franciscan Order today.
Followed in about 1221 by the Later
Admonition and Exhortation to the
Brothers and Sisters of Penance (Second
Letter to the Faithful)
Central theme in both – “love of God”
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st
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“Rule]
Called those who would follow Francis to
“a radical Christianity that goes against
our human nature” where
“there could be no compromise.”1
 1
Esser, La Lettera, 73, quoted in Pazzelli
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Memoriale propositii -1221
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First official Rule of the Seculars.
Probably a combined work of Francis and
Cardinal Ugolino
Contained specific requirements and
prohibitions
Based on an “austere principle of personal
sanctification,” demanding a sincere
vocation and total dedication
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[Memoriale Propositii]
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Showed how to live the Gospel in secular
life based on the love taught by Jesus.
Demanded a life of prayer and
A more intense sacramental life than was
expected of other Christians at the time.
Contained instructions to be peaceful and
to be charitable.
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Rule of Nicholas IV - 1289
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Had laws on dress, fasting, sacraments,
etc.
Required certain communal actions such
as monthly meetings
Communal life involved the minister, the
visitator, and the “suitable person” for
instruction.
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[RULE OF NICHOLAS IV]
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Affirmed that “the present way of life had
its beginning in blessed Francis.”
Had specific prohibitions and requirements
on how to live life as a Secular following
the Franciscan charism
Contained all the basic Gospel elements of
living a life of peace and love.
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[Rule of Nicholas IV]
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Specified how and when to fast, what to
wear, and the color of clothing
Provided for a monthly collection, to be
used to first help those brothers and
sisters in need, then other poor
Required visiting the sick members once a
week.
Visitation was to be once a year.
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RULE OF LEO XIII – 1883
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Shortened the Rule to three chapters:
 Reception, Novitiate and Profession
 Rule of Life
 Offices, Visitation and the Rule
itself.
Core was based on the teachings of
Christ and the Church – love and
peace.
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[Rule of Leo XIII]
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“Habit” was a small scapular and the cord,
worn under outer clothing.
1st year in the Order was one of probation.
Had two fast days – Vigil of Immaculate
Conception and Vigil of Feast of St.
Francis
Should receive Sacraments of Penance
and Eucharist monthly
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[Rule of Leo XIII]
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Encouraged daily Mass.
Term of office 3 years.
Visitors came once a year.
Visitors admonished those who had failed
to live the Rule; after 3 admonishments,
members were dismissed from the Order.
For good cause members could be
dispensed.
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CONNECTION OF THE RULES
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A careful study of all the Rules will show
some common threads running
throughout them.
Our Chapter 1 refers back to all the other
Rules.
The importance of the five elements set
out in the Prologue have never changed.
Present in various forms in every Rule.
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[Connection]
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Our Article 1 sets out this unity and
continuity.
It is essential to our Rule to give present
day Seculars assurances of our continuous
history since Francis.
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THE RULE -CHAPTER 2
THE WAY OF LIFE – ARTICLES
4 - 19
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Introduction: A Project of Life or
Rule:
This theme should be unfolded in
a dialogue with the candidates,
starting with the question? “What
do you want to do with your life in
response to the Divine call?”
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[The Way of Life]
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Discuss with the candidates the human
vocation as related in the Scriptures:
 Adam and Eve are called to life to work
together with God to develop all of the
created world in accord with the plan of
God, who entrusts the world to the
human family;
 Abraham
is called to follow the Lord in a
special way.
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[The Way of Life]
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Through the dialogue the candidates will
be able to reflect upon the response to
this divine call, and how they have
responded to their own call to live the holy
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This
process will help them to discover sisters
and brothers in the Fraternity who tend
toward the same basic gospel experience,
and who follow the Franciscan way,
helping one another in turn.
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[The Way of Life]
The candidate who wants to "follow
Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis of
Assisi" (SFO RULE #4) will gradually
understand that the SFO Rule, the
Project of Life, is the light and the help
along the way toward Christ; and is
necessary as an inspiration and guide to
live together in Fraternity according to the
same ideal — Franciscan gospel life.
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RULE – ARTICLE 4
The rule and life of the Secular
Franciscans is this: to observe the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by
following the example of Saint
Francis of Assisi, who made Christ
the inspiration and the center of his
life with God and people.
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2. The Focal Point: Life in Christ,
Through Christ, With Christ
In the Way of Life there exists a central
reality, a constant presence brought to
mind in almost every article: Jesus
Christ. There are other presences as well:
the laity, the fraternity, the Church — and
these cannot be detached from Christ
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[Life in Christ]
The candidate must be presented with the
central position that Christ occupies in the
Rule. This is clearly indicated in Article #4,
and is evident at the beginning of the
conversion process of St. Francis (See
also, I Celano 6; L3C 8; and I Celano
115).
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Legend of Three Companions 8
The reference is in Chapter III which is
entitled “How the Lord visited Francis’s
heart for the first time filling it with
marvelous tenderness that gave him
strength to begin to progress spiritually in
looking down on himself and all vanities,
in prayer, almsgiving, and poverty.
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[Life in Christ]
The candidate's experience of Christ can
vary greatly. It is a service in the
formation of the candidate to help each
become aware of his/her own unique
encounter with Christ, to live it out, and to
deepen it .
[Emphasis added]
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[Life in Christ]
The candidate is invited:
 a) to become aware of his/her
relationship with Christ, by responding to
the question the Lord Jesus addressed to
the Apostles:
"Who do you say that I am?"
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MARK 8:29
Peter said to him in reply, “You
are the Messiah.”
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[Life in Christ]
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Become aware of the responses to Jesus’
question of “Who do you say that I am?”
 --- in the response of the Apostles;
 — in the response of St. Francis;
 — in each one's personal response;
 — in what Jesus says of Himself.
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[Life with Christ]
b)
[The candidate is invited] to deepen
the personal relationship with
Christ:
 — in Fraternity with the sisters and
brothers.
 — in hearing the Word proclaimed;
 — in study and reflection of the Word;
 — in prayer and liturgical life;
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[Life in Christ]
c)
[The candidate is invited] to have the
sentiments and attitudes of Christ:
 — regarding the Father;
 — in caring for the marginalized after
the example of St. Francis;
 — in service and ministry to all.
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[Life in Christ]
The process of on-going conversion is dealt
with as a growth in faith, in fidelity, in love.
The Secular Franciscan, with all the
baptized, knows he/she is "called to follow
Christ." and prompted by the Holy Spirit, to
grow in holiness.
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