A SURPRISE AT EVERY TURN

My call to the Franciscan life in 2013 was completely unexpected, and since then it has been one surprise after another. In fact, Franciscanism does more than surprise me; it often turns my typical and conventional thinking on its head. The more I dive into the example and teachings of St. Francis and Clare, the more such challenges—sometimes unsettling, often delightful—I find.

Last year during Advent I spent some time each day reading St. Francis’ Admonitions, a set of 28 teachings from the saint collected by the early Franciscan movement. This passage stopped me in my tracks:

Consider, O human being, in what great excellence the Lord God has placed you, for He created and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body and to His likeness according to the Spirit. And all creatures under heaven serve, know, and obey their Creator, each according to its own nature, better than you. (St. Francis of Assisi, Admonitions V)

The first part of this Admonition is beautiful and reassuring: God has honored me as a human being by giving me a spirit that is like His own and a body that has much in common with that of Jesus Christ (any two human beings share 99.6% of their DNA!).

The second part, however, is surprising: all other creatures serve, know, and obey God better than I do. That’s right: the cat who settles on my lap during my morning prayer time, giving herself an elaborate bath, is serving God better than I am. This idea turns conventional thinking upside down: other creatures are not lower than humans; in some ways they are higher. And why? Because they behave “each according to its own nature.” Just by being themselves, doing what God created them to do, other creatures are perfectly in tune with God’s will. As a human being, on the other hand, too often I betray my true self—the self that shares in God’s divine nature and the physical body of Christ—to go off in directions not in harmony with God’s will.

Thank you, St. Francis, for this reminder, which is at once startling, humbling, and encouraging---so very Franciscan.

Michele Dunne OFS

Michele Dunne is a Secular Franciscan and executive director of Franciscan Action Network.

Sources:

Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Vol I, Regis J. Armstrong et al editors, New York: New City Press, 1999, p. 131

National Institutes of Health: Genetics by the Numbers, https://nigms.nih.gov/education/Inside-Life-Science/Pages/Genetics-by-the-Numbers.aspx#:~:text=99.6,changes%20lie%20in%20key%20genes.

Comments

THEMES IN FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY

I have been an official Franciscan since 2001 when I joined my community- the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. One part of Franciscan spirituality that deeply resonates with me is the wonder of the Incarnation. Francis was so amazed that the mighty God of the Universe would become a helpless infant. He contemplated the Incarnation throughout his life, but he could never get over his awe. God became humble; God chose to be human. The Humility of God is a Franciscan concept that sounds like a contradiction. But Francis was able to see the truth in this. Jesus came to earth as an infant born of a woman, like the rest of us humans. He was not born into privilege, in fact, very much the opposite. He wasn’t even born at home. He was born in another city, Joseph’s ancestral home. And why would God send His son to earth as a human? Because He loves us. Francis knew this. He knew that love is God and God is love. God’s love is the driving force of the universe. It is why there is a univ...

The Beauty of Storytelling in Revealing God’s Presence in Humanity: A Franciscan Reflection

“What Francis wanted to recapture and live was what the earliest companions of Christ had experienced: the presence of God coming alive in the human community. He wanted that to be the universal way.” Ahlgren, Gillian. The Tenderness of God: Reclaiming Our Humanity . Fortress Press, 2017, 57. One of the great joys I have in working with graduate students and serving as a certified spiritual director is to hear the stories of students and directees. Oftentimes, these stories continue to be told more than once but not always in the same exact way. For me, one’s sharing of their experiences, acquired wisdom, yearnings and struggles gathered along life’s journey, reveals the presence of God. Like what is stated in the quote above, Francis discovered God to be fully present in our relationships with others and creation. His sending out of his followers two by two or in groups, traveling to various parts of the countryside and then coming back together to community must have led to the...

A MOVEMENT OF SERVICE

I first became aware of the Franciscan tradition when I was 12 years old. My dad got a new job at Alvernia University (then College), a school rich with Franciscan traditions. I was at an age where I could appreciate what that meant, but I was also a pre-teen in middle school, so learning about St. Francis was not at the forefront of my mind. Still, I learned a little. I met the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters and learned about the importance of their role on Alvernia’s campus as the founders and sponsors of the school. Through my dad’s job, I saw the importance of prayer, peace and, my most favorite, service. Eleven years later, I have found myself back at Alvernia in a role where I get to encompass all of the parts I love most about St. Francis. St. Francis was determined to help the poor and to live among them. After experiencing a life of wealth and prosperity, he chose a life of poverty. A great sacrifice for anyone to make. But in doing so, he started a movement that has lasted cen...

Franciscan Month Reflection Series

Search This Blog