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Franciscans believe in the preciousness of every person.Fred Schaeffer, OFS Treating every person as the unique human being he or she is, is a paradigm shift for most beginning Franciscans. As I look back on my life to date, treating every person as a unique being, was and still is, one of the most difficult and challenging concepts to embrace. Some people seem to have a natural inborn capacity for loving other people, not for material reasons, but solely because they are who they are: "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." (Rule of St. Francis #13, Secular Franciscan Order) When I write these reflections, it is easy to grasp the concept. When you're facing a man or woman who has a special need, let's say for the sake of this example, someone who is obviously struggling, the "accepting that other person" concept begins to crumble at the edges. Probably due to Original Sin, people tend to make an instant judgment, a first impression, of the person who asked for help, and often that is a critical and negative view. Any Christian, and certainly a Franciscan guided by the Rule, needs to conceptualize first the inherent goodness in the other person, and the fact that here is another unique person, created by the Father, and I delight in meeting him/her because I see in that person the image of the living God! I was raised in a Dutch-German household, in war-torn Europe, and by nature my first impulse when I meet someone is to say to myself: "What does he want of me?!" I wouldn't cross over to the other side of the street to avoid the confrontation as some people do (who are they afraid of?), but by the same token, I would not want to appear too eager for a face-to-face meeting with a stranger. Is this how most people think? I hope not. After I pass the person, silently, I wonder if I missed an opportunity to at least smile. And if that person were to think "what is this idiot smiling at?" who cares? It's a non-issue! Life is full of missed opportunities. We wanted to do so much, but ended up doing so little. Did we try, at least? Not everyone is born a Saint Francis of Assisi, or a Saint Teresa of Calcutta, or a St. Elizabeth of Hungary - all people who excelled in valuing the other person. It takes a lifetime, sometimes, to treat people as we're taught to treat them by these good saints. So here you are, approaching someone who obviously needs help ... could be an elderly person trying to cross a busy street, or some poor guy who looks miserable and lost. What do you do? It is easy to offer to help the elderly person cross the street, but one is more apprehensive of helping the poor guy, in this very realistic example. Stop thinking that every person who looks poor, slovenly dressed, is looking for a hand-out. That's not important enough to go into an avoidance pattern. Franciscans will go to this poor guy, and ask "How can I help?" and if he holds up his hand for that dollar bill, give him five (if you can). Nevermind what he might do with that money. Not our concern. I've heard people talk about this, and say "when they get some money they run to the liquor store to get some cheap wine." That's a non-issue. When you perform charity, it is not important what happens to the gift. What is important is to use that gift to show concern on your part. To tell that poor guy - hey, I care!
Not all encounters with other people happen on the street between strangers. Most happen among people we know, family, friends, members of a prayer group, and yes, people in our Franciscan fraternities whom we consider sister and brother, just as we consider in an ever-widening circle anyone in our Faith community as sister and brother. So encounters or opportunities to be charitable occur close to home. St. Francis embraces those he meets with love. So does Mother (St.) Teresa of Calcutta, and a score of other people who are not known to the Church. Most of the people we come into contact with are people of ordinary means, people we don't know personally, but whom we know from sight in our neighborhood. I am not afraid to ask for help, should I really need it, but for most people I know, hell would freeze over before they seek help. We are (we think) very self-sufficient. Wouldn't want to be a bother... right? I used to be more independent then I am now. I have Parkinson's Disease and the occasion presents itself, far too often in my opinion, that I just plain need help. First, I need help in prayer. I ask many people to pray for me. But usually I say "Let us pray for one another," seeing a need in them also. Jesus will sort it all out. How He does that I have no idea! Can you imagine Jesus sitting in Heaven with a ledger trying to sort out who has asked for help and who is still thinking about asking? No way! But He does bring healing and solace to all who ask, and when we're really suffering, His helping hand comes fast. People seeking help, ask - "Why hasn't God relieved some of my pain?" - to which I might reply - He has! Think back to this afternoon ... surely there was a time that you didn't feel the arthritic pain in your knee - that could be where Jesus brought relief! When we look for the positives in our daily lives, we will find such moments of Grace, and then thanking Our Lord for His help, we build on that. Whole spiritual relationships are sustained on the daily "little miracles" in our lives. Some will respond, "the doctor healed me", or, "I took some pills" -- Our Lord provides all that. He is the ultimate Creator! Let us offer our little frustrations up to Him, for the healing of others. So you've helped someone in a direct way. Don't let it go to your head ... you will find out gradually, how you can best help others. But don't dwell on this too much, because we want to be spontaneous, guided by the Holy Spirit, so we don't stop and wonder "Now what did I do with this other fellow who had a similar problem, last month?" - each person is unique, each person has unique problems, which demands a special custom-made answer. Even if it's only a smile, a handshake and a hug, or even a tear. Showing compassion often involves tears - that, folks, is not a sign of weakness. Not at all. Any emotion is a reflection of our level of concern, compassion, empathy, and more than that: Faith in God's Providence for yourself or for the person who has asked for help.
Every human being is unique. The Father knows us by name, a special name given us by a loving Shepherd of souls. As Franciscans we should be more aware than most that we have agreed by our Rule to the obligation to treat each and every person with dignity as all are precious in the sight of God. Fred Schaeffer, OFS [†] |
Most people do not know we are Franciscans unless we wear a distinctive sign. It is easy for the friars - they wear habits... but for Secular Franciscans, our "habit" is the Tau cross. There are hundreds of designs, and I would absolutely love it if every Secular Franciscan would wear the "crossed hands" Tau† ... as this logo is unique among all Franciscans, rather that the "T" without the crossed hands design. But I suppose that's a matter of personal preference. The "Crossed Arms" signify the arm of God and the arm of Saint Francis, crossed over each other in eternal brotherhood! Saint Francis wore the wounds of Christ, the Stigmata, and so we recall him and revere him as a co-sufferer with Jesus. The Tau Cross in Biblical times was a sign of asking to be spared from harm. May this Cross, this symbol be for us a reminder Jesus is "My God and my All" - and as real Franciscans we have the opportunity to be charitable to all we meet as Christians.
The design on the OFS International pin (used primarily in Europe, with very few in USA, probably no longer available) is the most authentic, 