This month our fraternity will hold a profession ceremony for four wonderful people who have completed the journey through Candidacy and are ready to join our ranks as fully professed members of the Order. In the midst of Holy Mass, they will stand in front of their families, friends and the fraternity and make their Permanent Commitment to the Gospel Life.
These are the words they will use to make that commitment:
Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order, Rite of Profession:
I, (state your name),by the grace of God, renew my baptismal promises and consecrate myself to the service of his Kingdom.
Therefore, in my secular state I promise to live all the days of my life the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Secular Franciscan Order by observing its rule of life.
May the grace of the Holy Spirit, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and our holy father St. Francis, and the fraternal bonds of community always be my help, so that I might reach the goal of perfect Christian love.
In conjunction with this happy event, the Council would like to invite all our professed to revisit their own profession day while remembering and reviewing the promise you made when you spoke these words.
Or, if you are still in formation, pray over the Rite knowing that someday soon you will recite it as you make your own profession. Take time to pause and consider how your discernment process is unfolding so far.
Either way, please consider these words multiple times, slowly and prayerfully, preferably in several sessions. Allow them to reside in your conscious and work on you for a day or three. Then decide which phrases in particular are calling to you.
———
The second and third paragraphs of the Rite emphasize three core ideas, one of which likely captures the inspiration you experienced in your meditation.
In your small group, pick one and discuss it. If you have time, move on to the other two.
1) The first idea revolves around the words “I promise to live all the days of my life the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a vast and challenging instruction. When we read the Rule, this directive is front and center. The very first paragraph of Chapter Two, which bears the heading “The Way of Life,” reads like this:
SFO Rule, Chapter 2, Article 4:
The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.
Christ, the gift of the Father’s love, is the way to Him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly.
Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel.
This then, becomes the bedrock on which our entire life as Franciscans is built.
- How do you go about embodying this Article from the Rule? Give concrete examples.
- This Article is about more than just prayer and reading your bible. What examples from the life of St. Francis demonstrate how he lived out this ideal? How does his inspiration impact you as you move through the world?
- Same question, but for Jesus. What examples from the life of Jesus do you find particularly inspiring? How do you live out His example as you move through the world?
2) The second idea has to do with grace (from the Holy Spirit), intercession (Mary or Francis), and help (from the fraternity). Again, the Rule has something to say.
SFO Rule, Chapter 2, Article 9:
The Virgin Mary, humble servant of the Lord, was open to his every word and call. She was embraced by Francis with indescribable love and declared the protectress and advocate of his family. The Secular Franciscans should express their ardent love for her by imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and confidently.
We are not alone in this. The truth is we could never fulfill the pledges of the Rite on our own. To paraphrase another Article from the Rule, as humans, we are simply too frail. Francis specifically asked for the intercession of Mary in the life of the Friars. Our Rule specifically tells us to imitate her Poverty and Humility and to reach out to her confidently, which means Francis’ request is extended to us. The same instruction applies to the Holy Spirit and Francis himself. We also have each other to rely on as we seek to fulfill the promise and promises of our commitment.
- Think about your own fragility. Are you regularly aware of it? Do you see it as a hindrance or a blessing in disguise? Do you resist it, or embrace it? Does it encumber you, or inspire you?
- Who is your “go to” when it comes to prayer? Do you favor Mary, or Francis, or the Holy Spirit? Or maybe someone else? Why?
- Do you think of your brothers and sisters in the fraternity as possible sources of strength when you are in need? Do you think of yourself as a possible source of strength when someone else is in need? What does it take to allow yourself to rely on someone else? What does it take to allow someone else to rely on you?
3) The third idea revolves around the words “perfect Christian Love.” It’s not an easy concept to define, explain or understand. Some ideas, especially the best ideas, no matter how much you talk about them, the discussion is never complete. These concepts need to be considered and developed continuously. We must always be mindful of them, always working at them resolutely. They are deep enough that any human attempt to grasp them will inevitably fall short. It’s like trying to define God Himself. In the end, it’s simply beyond us.
But our profession obligates us to try anyway. The Rule reinforces that commitment by calling us to “daily conversion,” but does it also provide some insight into what “perfect Christian Love” entails?
SFO Rule, Chapter 2, Article 13: (Article 19 is also worth a look.)
As the Father sees in every person the features of his Son, the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, so the Secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ.
A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ.
- Maybe trying to explain “the best ideas” ultimately results in as many questions as answers? The Rule says we should “accept all people as an image of Christ.” Does that make the idea of “perfect Christian Love” easier to understand, or does it just shift the conundrum elsewhere?
- How about “creating conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ?” Is that helpful, or more of the same?
- “Placing themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially the lowly” sounds a little less abstract. But it also sounds like something that is difficult to do. How does fraternal life help you understand and live into these mysterious phrases?
- How do you currently define “perfect Christian Love?” How do you put such an abstract idea into action?
OFS Ongoing 