Provincial Letter- Fall 2008

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Peace and Good Things!

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This morning�s Gospel passage was taken from the beginning of Luke�s �sermon on the plain� in which Jesus speaks his blessings and woes�blessings to those who are poor, hungry, in mourning, and who suffer for the sake of the Kingdom; woes to those who are rich, sated, and whose satisfaction is now.� Although it parallels Matthew�s better known and oft-quoted �sermon on the mount� Luke�s telling clearly indicates his �preferential option for the poor.�� It is evident not only in this passage, but in several other places in his Gospel, most especially in Mary�s great song of praise.

As we look forward to the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Father Saint Francis, these words give us much to consider.� Taking a cue from the Gospel, Francis desired to become one with the poor, the hungry, those who mourned, and those who suffered for the sake of the Kingdom.� After long and ardent prayer, standing with empty hands before the God who gives everything, he came to recognize his total dependence on God.� This kind of poverty has nothing to do with how much or how little one has in terms of material goods, but has everything to do with one�s willingness to recognize their littleness�what Francis called �minority��before God.� Francis knelt in awe at the wonder of the Incarnation�that Jesus should take on flesh, that he should suffer the agony of the cross for the likes of him.� And so, like Jesus who he desired to imitate in all things, Francis stripped himself of every vestige of the world�giving himself wholly to the One who gave himself wholly to us�and literally stood naked before God and declared him to be his only Father.� This was not gesture of one dramatic moment; rather, it was a stance he took for the rest of his life.

What makes Francis unique is what lay at the deepest core of his being:� a constant and constantly maturing reliance on a God he came to know as unimaginable love and mercy�a God who asked him to collaborate in the healing of the world.� The �Canticle of the Creatures�, which Francis composed toward the end of his life, when his physical suffering pushed him to the limits of his endurance, is the fruit not of a moment of prayer or a burst of inspiration, but of a lifetime seeking to know God.� It is the song of his life, set to the rhythm of his love for God who reflects his beauty in creation and his love in those who know how to love.

We need to recognize that Francis� vocation as a faith-filled, compassionate, and joyful being is our vocation too.� It sounds almost trite, but our joy in believing can be our most effective tool.� There is a discouraging amount of sadness and death in the world�too many people who know more the absence of God than the presence of God.� And into the midst of that world we are sent, like Francis, to bring life�good measure, pressed down, and flowing over.� If we show no joy in being alive with the Risen Christ, why should anyone else believe us or follow us?� Francis was possessed of an infectious joy and countless men and women have followed him throughout the ages, seeking the source of his joy.� As we celebrate Francis, then, we must join him in the search and, once we find it, share it with any and all we meet.� In the words of Francis, �Let us begin; for up to now we have little or nothing.�

Happy Feast Day!

Fraternally in Saint Francis,

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������������������������������������� (Very Reverend) Anthony M. Criscitelli, TOR
Minister Provincial

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