DO YOU HAVE A FRANCISCAN VOCATION?
Have you ever considered your life and found something missing? Have you ever thought there could be more to your
life and that you might just find it in losing yourself in Christ to be of service to others?
In the early Thirteenth Century the same thought occurred to Giovanni Bernardone (known by his nickname, Francesco).
In his youth Francis led the relatively carefree life of the son of a prosperous merchant and was a troubadour and
a soldier-adventurer. In 1205 he suffered a serious illness and experienced a spiritual crisis. The rest of the story
is familiar to most of us, but often romanticized and presented with such an encrustation of piety that the very human
persona is replaced with an ethereal plastic saint. The essence of the man and of the tradition of returning to the Gospel in
its stark simplicity and demanding discipline is captured neither by a statue nor an icon. It is best expressed in famous anonymous prayer that
captures this spirit:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Know this, if you do find something missing in your life, if you have a desire for freedom from yourself by bondage to
Christ and his Gospel, and if you want to find happiness and meaning in service to others, and if the petitions of this prayer express your great hope, you stand in with Francis (and he with you). It is not a matter of worthiness. It is a matter of need. If you think this might be where you stand, contact us
using the e-mail address or phone number in the heading of this page.
The first step in considering whether you are called to this life is to read
THE RULE AND GOALS OF THE COMMUNITY. Then, reflect further on whether the path of Francis of Assisi, the Seraphic Father, might also be your path in the Christian life. Spend some
time with the
Summary and Abridgement of Thomas of Celano's Biographical Writings on St. Francis.
It is one of the earliest biographies of St. Francis, and is shorn of the overly dramatic and saccharine elements that have crept into the Francis story in the intervening centuries. We hope to cajole The Most Rev. Raphael Adams, OSF (Franciscans of Christ the King), to write an essay using this source, among
others, to advance an argument that the miracle of the Stigmata of St. Francis was not about a Divine lazer zap, but indeed a
logical consequence of the Seraphic Father's decision to embrace the poor and the outcast.
If after reading this brief summary, you would like to learn more about Francis, we recommend:
Francis of Assisi: The Saint: Early Documents (4 vols), ed. by William J. Short, et al. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2002.
This is a comprehensive collection of documents of the first 150 years of the Franciscan tradition. The careful editing, accurate annotations, and biblical references enhance the utility of this valuable resource.
Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, edited by Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady. New York: Paulist Press, 1986.
This collection replicates some of the material in the previous work, but the larger collection of the writings of St.
Clare make it a worthy companion piece.
G. K. Chesterton, St. Francis of Assisi. Orleans, MA: Paraclete Press, 2009.
This is a reprint of the 1924 book published shortly after Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism. Chesterton wrote of St. Francis, ". . .however wild and romantic his gyrations might appear to many, he always hung on to reason by one invisible and
indestructible hair.... The great saint was sane.... He was not a mere eccentric because he was always turning towards
the center and heart of the maze; he took the queerest and most zigzag shortcuts through the wood, but he was always
going home." It is an interesting modern take on Francis by one of the most gifted writers in the English language of
the twentieth century.
Adrian House, Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life. New York: Paulist Press, 2003.
This recent treatment elaborates on the late Lynn White's speculations on the Seraphic Father's contribution to a growing
ecological consciousness (and the place of that consciousness in the theology of creation) over the past seven centuries.
The following works are a great place to start for an understanding of the Franciscan Tradition:
William J. Short, Franciscans. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990.
This is a useful brief introduction to the (often bewildering) variety of Franciscans.
Theophile Desbonnets, From Intuition to Institution: The Franciscans. Chicago: Franciscan Herald
Press, 1987.
Insights abound in this analytical treatment of a perpetual problem in Franciscan (and Christian) identity.
Lazaro Iriarte, Franciscan History: The Three Orders of St. Francis. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1982.
This highly useful and lengthy treatment is worth the time and effort, but it is not for the faint of heart.
James A. Sandos, Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1924.
This is the single best work on this fascinating development in both Franciscan and "New World" history.
John Michael Talbot and Steve Rabey, The Lessons of Saint Francis: How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life.
New York: Plume, 1998.
This is an excellent introduction to a strain of Franciscan spirituality in our own time.
There is, of course, so much more written about Francis, Clare, and the seven centuries of this tradition, and we will soon have a more comprehensive bibliography on the St. Francis Virtual House of Studies web site.
Home
Virtual House of Studies
