(2 Pt. 3:13)
Many of us Franciscans have visited the Basilica of
St. Francis in Assisi. The architectural plan of this magnificent building expresses in
stone the central mystery of the Christian life: the death and the resurrection of the
Lord actualized in Francis.
The construction comprises, as we know, a lower
church (a narrow space, dimly lit, which guards the tomb of the Saint) and the upper
church, a basilica with a high vaulted ceiling that expresses an upward ascension to the
heavens with a show of light, colors, and symbols that replace visible reality.
In the Basilica we have a visual realization of the
Easter mystery. Our life is also marked by this mystery which we once again celebrate this
year.
By this letter we hope to send you a sign of hope
and resurrection in the midst of a world which too often is dimly lit and which, at times,
encourages a "dark night" for consecrated life.
I. An Eclipse of Hope
Our Franciscan family of the Third
Regular Order of Penance participates in the general history of consecrated life. The current barometer
of this life, as you well know, does not point to an easy time for us today.
Our modern world speaks of a crisis of hope, of
nothingness, a lack of creativeness, a loss of sense of direction, and a loss of altruism
and care for others. Our Order also struggles with its own identity as it labors to
express a greater integration of the diverse entities and cultures that make up our
fraternity.
There is certainly enough in our history to bring to
mind the passion and the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is not the first time that the Church and the
Order are caught up in a crisis of hope. Today, in a world that is changing with an
impressive rapidity, that is struggling with the rise of secularization and an emerging
and excessive individual subjectivity, our Fraternities are called to consider more deeply
the uniqueness of their spiritual lives and not slide into seeing themselves as unfocused
dispensers of religious services - known more for what they do than for who they are.
As in other historical periods, we are called to
overcome the challenges of our day by transforming them into opportunities for human and
spiritual growth. This should not be difficult for us who have become accustomed to the
dynamics of the death and resurrection of Jesus as the basis for our embrace of ongoing
conversion. "Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is
wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).
When we give pride of place to activism in our lives
and lose our life of prayer and deep spirituality we find ourselves attacked by the snakes
of depression, of competition and success, of efficiency and work, of envy and personal
interests…
There is certainly enough to share the anguish of
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
But also on the eve of His death, on the night of
His yes to the Father’s Will, the Lord once again tells us: "Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid… it was not you who chose me, but I who chose you…
the Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth… your grief will become joy…
take courage, I have conquered the world… " (Jn. 14, 15,and 16).
It is told of St. Louis, the Patron of our Order,
that following the failure of the first attempt to liberate the tomb of Christ he fell
into a black depression that was only overcome by celebrating the presence of the Holy
Spirit who gave him peace and serenity (cf.. J. Le Goff, San Luigi, Einaudi 1999, p. 166).
A "dark night" allows one to perceive the
brightness and beauty of stars never noticed before.
II. The Sun of Easter Shines
(Hymn from the Liturgy of the Hours)
We are once again called in 2004 to "make
Easter." The feast makes present the first fruits of the Resurrection in our daily
lives. Thanks to our baptismal call, to our religious profession, and to our familiarity
with the Word of God, we are well aware that divine grace is always at work in us.
We are also convinced that the Lord grants to many
of us an experience of "passing over" ("pesah" in Jewish,
"Easter" in English) - an "internal breakthrough": from personal
darkness to light, from doing to being, from an existential resentment to thanksgiving,
from negativity to optimism.
If we experience the peace and joy of love we can
say that we have already risen, because we have in us the life that does not end.
Many of us have met consecrated men and women who
are full of human maturity, joy, and peace. They transmit faith, apostolic enthusiasm, and
a joy of life simply by their presence. They can be models and points of reference for us.
The fraternity in which we live does not prevent us from contemplating the wonder of God
in the Church. We open the window of our history and we see through it that new Spring, or
new Pentecost, contemplated with pleasure by the pope of Vatican II, Blessed Pope John
XXIII: ecclesial movements, new institutions, renewal of ancient orders, renewal of the
Liturgy. They are the fruits of Vatican II, the Council which also asked us to reconsider
the charisms of our founder and the essential elements of our spirituality.
All of this gives us reason for Easter joy and
communal hope.
The Franciscan Family in general and the Third Order
Regular in particular have welcomed the seeds of renewal. With a calm and confident
serenity inspired in us by the Gospel we contemplate the work of God.
From a greater knowledge and collaboration among the
various components of the Franciscan Family secular Franciscans believers also emerge as a
sign of a recommitment of missionary zeal. They are true signs of hope and life. It is the
Easter of the Lord that also touches our personal and communal history.
This is not to mention all the areas that wait to be
cultured and nurtured - areas that are strands of the fabric of society and that speak to
the hopes and fears of the world today: poverty and hunger, ecology, justice and peace,
and fraternal dialogue between cultures (something that it is already a normal reality in
the international character of our fraternity). These areas can be addressed by us because
we are already "children of God… the ones who will rise" (Lk. 20:36).
Conclusion
In conclusion we would like to offer some
suggestions for allowing our lives to better reflect the mystery of Easter.
1) As we have already done many times with these
letters, we exhort all the brothers and sisters to value the spirit of fraternal life.
God’s love, His Word celebrated in the midst of our communities, transforms us into
people who are unconditionally accepted and esteemed. We are called first of all to build
and to defend our fraternal lives more than to develop external ministries. We are called
to prize and give attention to those with whom we share our religious life - to esteem
them as superior to ourselves by the power of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.
2) We are challenged to not to be afraid of change
or of the future. The Chapters of various Provinces have searched for and desired
spiritual renewal for a long time. They have spoken of a "community that is in
renewal," one that gives primacy to spirituality and to the fraternal life.
Everything that does not do this creates suspicion and division. Rather, the discernment
of the presence of the Spirit is necessary in order to facilitate cooperation and
creativity in our lives so that we can participate more fully in the life of the
Resurrection.
Finally, we invite you all to pray for the upcoming
Plenary Council of the Order that will be celebrated in July in the heart of Mato Grosso,
the site of the first TOR mission established in Brazil by the French friars 100 years ago
- a mission which has born a marvelous harvest of life.
May St. Clare of Assisi, the little plant of St.
Francis, whose 750th anniversary of death we celebrate this year, bless you and
intercede before the throne of God for new life for our beloved Third Order Regular.
Have a Happy and Blessed Easter 2004!
