According to the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order:
• We are followers of the gospel. (Art. 4)
• We are seekers of Christ (Art. 5)
• We are witnesses and instruments of Christ’s mission (Art. 6)
• We are penitential people seeking daily conversion (Art. 7)
• We are prayerful and contemplative (Art. 8)
• We are givers of ourselves…(Art. 9)
• We are witnesses to the poor and crucified Christ even in difficulties and persecutions. (Art. 10)
• We are followers of the gospel. (Art. 4)
+ Going from Gospel to Life and life to the Gospel is not just a saying. We read the Gospel seriously and see how it applies to our lives. Following what Jesus asks in the Gospel is not particularly easy because it requires risk.
• We are seekers of Christ (Art. 5)
+ Seekers of Christ—does the Communion on our tongues lead us to open our hearts to Christ and to others?
Do we seek Jesus in our brothers and sisters—even in those who appear not to “deserve” it?
• We are witnesses and instruments of Christ’s mission (Art. 6)
+We proclaim Christ’s mission through our words and actions—we need to THINK about what we say to others and what we post online.
• We are penitential people seeking daily conversion (Art. 7)
+ We are the “brothers and sisters of penance”…this is the hallmark of the Secular Franciscan. We are on a road and the fuel that propels us is DAILY CONVERSION. Everything we say and do should be opening us to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
• We are prayerful and contemplative (Art. 8)
+Eucharist, daily prayer—liturgy of the hours—spending time with God—allowing the Holy Spirit to act on us and in us—give us softened hearts. The Trinity is the perfect example of RELATIONSHIP in love. This love is given to us through the Holy Spirit. But, we must actively ask and listen for His presence in our lives. How? We are called to take time out for prayer and quiet time with God.
• We are givers of ourselves…(Art. 9)
+ We are (or should be) willing to give of ourselves. But do we give as Jesus gave, as Mary his mother gave?
This is a self-emptying—It is not a giving that asks for thanks or waits for recompense.
• We are witnesses to the poor and crucified Christ even in difficulties and persecutions. (Art. 10)
+“Our friends, therefore, are all those who unjustly inflict upon us distress and anguish, shame and injury, sorrow and punishment, martyrdom and death. 4We must love them greatly for we shall possess eternal life because of what they bring us.” St. Francis, Earlier Rule FA:ED, vol. 1, 79
Questions for discussion or to answer in your journal:
+ In what ways do I follow articles 4-10 of the OFS Rule?
+ Which of these articles do I find most difficult?
+ Through my living of the Rule, how do others recognize me as a follower of Christ and St. Francis? Give examples from articles 4-10.
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