The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the feast of the poverello of Assisi challenge us, like Francis example, to a way of thinking about communal responsibility that is not in vogue today.
 |
| Influence of Francis |
The passage from the Book of Baruch describes a confession of the role of communal sin in the destruction of Jerusalem.
* [1:15–2:10] This confession of sin is similar to Dn 9:7–14, and echoes ideas from Deuteronomy and Jeremiah; cf. also Neh 9.1
In Psalm 79, a plea for mercy for Jerusalem, people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last, pray for action now, and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe.
* [Psalm 79] A communal lament complaining that the nations have defiled the Temple and murdered the holy people, leaving their corpses unburied (Ps 79:1–4). The occasion is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. The people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last (Ps 79:5), pray for action now (Ps 79:6–7), and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe (Ps 79:8–9). They seek to persuade God to act for reasons of honor: the nations who do not call upon the Name are running amok (Ps 79:6); the divine honor is compromised (Ps 79:1, 10, 12); God’s own servants suffer (Ps 79:2–4, 11).2
The Gospel from Luke describes the woes befalling the unrepentant cities that Jesus has visited.
* [10:13–16] The call to repentance that is a part of the proclamation of the kingdom brings with it a severe judgment for those who hear it and reject it.3
Mary Lee Brock comments that St Francis of Assisi lived over 800 years ago and left us with a model of how we can live our lives today in this world filled with paradox… She prays to St. Francis to help her see ways she can challenge systems that exploit the poor, unjustly imprison people and denigrate our beautiful earthly home. St Francis encountered overwhelming and devastating situations with hope and optimism… a powerful paradox. His beloved prayer bears repeating as a reminder for us to work together to build the kingdom of God.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,to be understood as to understand,to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive,it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.4
Don Schwager quotes “Christ speaks through the disciples,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"Christ gives those who love instruction the assurance that whatever is said concerning him by the holy apostles or evangelists is to be received necessarily without any doubt and to be crowned with the words of truth. He who hears them, hears Christ. For the blessed Paul also said, 'You desire proof that Christ is speaking in me' (2 Corinthians 13:3). Christ himself somewhere also said to the holy disciples, 'For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you' (Matthew 10:20). Christ speaks in them by the consubstantial Spirit. If it is true, and plainly it is, that they speak by Christ, how can they err? He affirms that he who does not hear them, does not hear Christ, and that he who rejects them rejects Christ, and with him the Father." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 63)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Baruch 1:15-22 suggests that when the Israelites found themselves in exile in Babylon, they realized that their sin had brought about the destruction of Jerusalem. Holding tightly to their faith, they still met to read God’s word and offer heartfelt prayers, but they were burdened with shame.
But rather than remaining mired in shame, they turned to God in repentance. “Not on . . . just deeds . . . do we base our plea for mercy” (Baruch 2:19). They trusted that God would keep his covenant with them despite all their sins (2:27, 35). And he did. In time, their exile ended, and they came home to rebuild Jerusalem once more.6
Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the lamentation of Baruch over the destruction of Jerusalem. We need the help of God in our conversion. Friar Jude reminds that our gift of faith incurs a responsibility to be that which we say we are.
A post by Franciscan Media about Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint of the Day for October 4, gives an overview of the life of the poverello of Assisi and reflects that Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like.
He recognized creation as another manifestation of the beauty of God. In 1979, he was named patron of ecology. He did great penance—apologizing to “Brother Body” later in life—that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God. Francis’ poverty had a sister, Humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.7
An article in the Thomas Merton Journal reviews The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton by Daniel P. Horan, OFM.
The final part of The Franciscan Heart, Engaging the World, speaks of the prophetic element in the vocations of St. Francis and Merton as they speak to the dislocation of a fragmented world, and seek peace and reconciliation among people of all nations and all faiths. Throughout this study Horan shows he is up to date with the latest developments in Franciscan scholarship, and gives a clear outline of Franciscan theology which would be useful even to one not so interested in Merton himself. Although Merton was wholeheartedly a disciple of St. Benedict in the tradition of Citeaux, still he could be said to have been a Franciscan to his final breath.8
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Mirabai Starr, who is a friend, fellow New Mexican, and a respected author known for her work translating many mystics. Her words provide insight to a pivotal experience of St. Francis’ life.
When he was summoned before Bishop Guido, Francis went willingly, considering the bishop to be a representative of God. Guido, known for his violent temper, was surprisingly tender with [Francis]. . . . He tried to reason with him, explaining that he had “scandalized” his father and that God wouldn’t want him to use ill-gotten gains to do his work.
“My son,” said the bishop, “have confidence in the Lord and act courageously. . . . [God] will be your help and will abundantly provide you with whatever is necessary.”
These words penetrated Francis’s heart. Moved by a surge of faith, Francis stripped off his clothes in front of the entire assembly and handed them to his father, along with the purse of gold the priest at San Damiano had refused.
“Listen everyone,” Francis called out to the crowd that had gathered to observe the trial. “From now on, I can say with complete freedom, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven.’ Pietro Bernardone is no longer my father.”9
The influence of the Life of Saint Francis touches our need for a communal confession
of our failure to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor as expressed by Pope Francis in the encyclical on the care of our common home “Laudato Si”.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment