Tertius Ordo Regularis Sancti Francisci

Minister Generalis

Prot. N. 57-2005       

A SPIRIT OF COMPASSION

Following the Example of Saint Elizabeth

Patron Saint of the Order

Dearest brothers and sisters, in line with our last letter, we wish to continue to call your attention to the imminent celebration of the 800^th Anniversary of the birth of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-2007), one of the patrons of our Order.

In particular, we once again invite you to reread the practical suggestions we provided in the last letter as a way to help every member of the Order to more fully embrace our identity as men and women called to conversion both in our lives and in our ministries.

I.          To Celebrate a Birth

In the life of our holy patron one can not help but be impressed by the way her life unfolded.  In many respects her life was already predetermined by her noble family from the moment of her birth.  Elizabeth was promised in marriage when she was four years old.  At 14 she was already married to one of her noble peers. All of this seems strange and surprising to our modern sensibilities. However, it also reveals an important reality of every human existence: our personal choices are always tied to and conditioned by the choices that precede us and over which we have little or no control or choice.  If seen in the light of God�s grace these events do not have to be seen as forces that restrain or restrict our liberty.  Rather, they can be seen as an invitation to each one of us to appreciate God�s will in our lives more fully and encourage us to strive to obediently respond to the challenges of our faith.

The birth of Elizabeth, like every birth, was a gift to welcome and to celebrate.  The call to life far surpasses personal volition and reminds us of what the Lord has said, �It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you�� (Jn. 15:16).