Trivia on the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS)

Orders are organizations where its members strive to live the Gospel according a particular way of life. Congregations and Institutes and so on are those founded in order to pursue certain ministries, apostolates or cultural needs.

The Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) is not a part of the Franciscan First Order (OFM), but it is its own order. It is not an association of lay cooperators, but a REAL canonical order as it was erected as such by Pope Honorius III and this had never been revoked. It is the only secular order that was ever canonically erected as a truly autonomous order.

The OFS was founded with the intent of bringing the religious life out of the cloister and into the secular world through its members.

PRAYER BASED ON THE LETTER OF SAINT CLARE TO BLESSED AGNES

It has been a long time since I have written on my blog. I'm writing a prayer based on the Second Letter of St. Clare to Blessed Agnes of Prague.... Here goes...

PRAYER BASED ON THE LETTER OF SAINT CLARE TO BLESSED AGNES

Heavenly Father, grant us the grace and the strength to do Your most True and Holy Will so that,

What we hold, may we always hold.

What we do, may we always do and never abandon.

With a swift pace, a light step, and unswerving feet,

we may go forward securely, joyfully, swiftly, on the path of prudent happiness,

believing nothing that would dissuade us from this resolution

or that would place a stumbling block on our way,

so that we may offer ourselves to the Most High

in the pursuit of that perfection

to which the Spirit of the Lord has called us.

This we ask through Your Most Holy Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.

Amen.

A Story...

Here is one article I found interesting that I wish to share on the blog:

Let us turn to a story...about a child born in an obscure village. Brought up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then for three brief years was an itinerant preacher, proclaiming a message and living a life. He covered far flung places yet never ever had an fancy car. He never had a laptop nor an iPad. He never had a cellphone. Nor all the trappings which we undeniably now enjoy.

He never held an office. Nor wore fancy raiments with gold trimmings to denote he is high up in the hierarchy. He never owned a home. He never went to college to obtain a degree in divinity.

While still a young man, the tide of popular feeling turns against him. One denies him; another betrays him. He is turned over to his enemies. He goes through the mockery of a trial; he is nailed to a cross between two thieves, and when dead is laid in a borrowed grave by the kindness of a friend.

Those are the facts of his human life. He rises from the dead. Today we look back across twenty hundred years and ask what kind of trail has he left across the centuries. No tire marks. When we try to sum up his influence, all the armies that ever marched, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned are absolutely picayune in their influence on mankind compared with that of this one solitary life…

And all he had to transport himself was a lent donkey.

Lenten Reflection

This is the first Lenten season that I am going to observe as a professed Secular Franciscan and a this time I am feeling the spirit of the season with the sudden decrease of text messages from my brothers in the Order.

Texting is an element that is often the easy target for those who wish to do penance during Lent. One simple text message can lead texters into consuming a fortune for plain idle chit-chat. By simply not responding to a text joke or conversation could save a lot for something important. Much more than that, ignoring idle talk through text messaging can save one's soul from sins such as pride and bigotry, anger, hatred.

The silent treatment, however disturbs me, not because they do not respond to my messages, but because, like them I am supposed to be doing penance as well. I have long given up a lot since I had been admitted as a Franciscan - television, malling, movies, eating at my favorite restaurant. I am trying to be kinder, more generous especially towards the poor, loving my enemies, but there are a lot more that need to be done.

The season has just begun. I need to discover what else I need to do and give up (and texting is one of them, thank you.). At the moment, my cellphone is still open to receive messages but remains silent.

PRAYING THE PSALMS

Here is something from Ignacio Larranaga, OFMCap on the brief guidelines on how to pray the Psalms:

Spend a few moments of silence. Let your soul be empty, open, tranquil, unperturbed, and calmly expectant, because it is the Lord who is coming, in His Word, to have an encounter with you.

Begin by not looking for any particular purpose, such as a solution to your problems, doctrine, or other truths. The Lord will manifest Himself freely, in accordance with His designs and plans for your life.

Pray the psalms slowly. Do not read. With a journal handy, write down the Psalms that say something to you. Identify different feelings you encounter within yourself, such as those of admiration, thankfulness, understanding, etc.

Make an effort to feel the meaning of each phrase with all your soul. Identify your attention and emotion with the content of the expressions, and express them with the same inner feelings that the psalmist had.

In the spirit of the Psalms, imagine yourself within the Heart of Jesus and try to feel what He felt when he said these same words. With the help of the Holy Spirit, try to identify yourself with His inner attitude of adoration, awe and gratefulness.

Franciscan Christmas

In Franciscan spirituality, the Incarnation is an important event. It is the great gift of the Most High Father of His Son, Jesus Christ who, out of Love, through His own poverty becomes One with us.

For Father Francis, the Incarnation was a time of great joy. Bethlehem spoke of the love and poverty of God. It was by the example of God, the Word made Flesh – that our Holy Father Saint Francis embraced Lady Poverty and begin our Way of Life. In the year 1223, in the small town of Greccio, that he built a new Bethlehem.

Today, more than ever, the goal of every Franciscan is to make every city, every place a new Greccio, where Jesus the Christ becomes a real, living experience. However, we can never create the new Greccio if we do not experience poverty.

Poverty flees the emptiness of the world and seeks the fullness of life in Christ. It loves little things, and is content with the ordinary things of life. For Franciscans, poverty is making things our slaves instead of enslaving us to things. When one is poor, he can possess nothing but God.

May the Peace of the Lord be with you this Christmas. May your have a Franciscan Christmas. God bless you!

Profession as a Secular Franciscan

Finally last September 25, 2010, I, together with two brothers and two sisters, made my solemn profession as a Secular Franciscan. The road to being a Franciscan has truly begun.

At the moment, I am overwhelmed by the challenges I am facing. There are still a lot of rough edges I need to smoothen. At the moment, I consider 'liberating myself from myself' at the top of the list for me to truly live the counsels as Saint Francis did. Please pray for us, that we would persevere in our vocation.

Bro. Albert