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Excerpts from
"Set Out Into The Deep"
Message by Doug Clorey, SFO,
Presidency Councilor, English (Europe and North America)
To the National Fraternity of the SFO, USA, Elective Chapter
November, 2003
Today, I would like to share with you a few thoughts on what is expected of us as Secular Franciscans. And in particular, I would like to share with you some of the words of our Holy Father directed to Secular Franciscans during our last General Chapter in November, 2002. 1'd also like to share with you the six priorities for the Secular Franciscan Order, world-wide, as developed during our General Chapter. These priorities should provide orientations for us at all levels of the Order-local, regional, national, and international.
[The Holy Father, in his Message to the Secular Franciscan Order at the General Chapter in November 22, 2002, outlines three points:]
1. What does the Church expect of the Secular Franciscan Order? "The Church expects from the Secular Franciscan Order, one and only, a great service in the cause of the Kingdom of God in~ the world of today. The Church desires that your Order should be a model of organic, structural and charismatic unity on all levels, so as to present itself to the world as a community of love."
2. What does the Church expect of Secular Franciscans? "The Church expects from you, Secular Franciscans, a courageous and consistent testimony of Christian and Franciscan life, leaning towards the construction of a more fraternal and gospel world for the realization of the Kingdom of God." How can we render this "service"? How can we be this "model"? How can we realize the "Kingdom of God"? The Holy Father is clear on this point. He tells us that our Rule should be the "reference point for everyday experience". These are important words as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the approval of the Pauline Rule. In September, 1982, he exhorted us to "study, love, live the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order". The Holy Father refers to our Rule as the "authentic treasure in your hands corresponding to what the Church expects of you." I believe the Holy Father is telling us that, if we study, live and love our rule, we will realize the expectations of the Church for the Secular Franciscan Order. But what is even more extraordinary is that he exhorts us to "study, live, love also your General Constitutions!"
. . . In both the Rule and the General Constitutions, the Holy Father
reminds us that "you are called on to give your own contribution,
inspired by the person and message of St. Francis of Assisi, in
speeding up the advent of a civilization in which the dignity of the
human person, co ¶esponsibility and love will be a living reality".
Perhaps we could reflect on what is at the heart of the "person and message of St. Francis" for a moment.
Is it not that God is all, and that we are nothing without God? Is is not that, if we have God, we have everything and that we ought not to want anything but God? And, are these two notions not the very basis of "humility" and "poverty", two of the primary charisms of Franciscan life? Our Rule also makes it clear that our vocation calls us (through humility and poverty) to set ourselves free to love God and our brothers and sisters [cf. SFO Rule 12].
During the General Chapter, the Holy Father reminded us . . . "It is now necessary to look to the future and to set out: Duc in altum!"
Set out into the deep! Get on with it! Move on!
3. How will we
respond to these expectations? There is a real sense of movement
in these words of the Holy Father and that we ought to be moving
forward. The directions in which we move will be different for each of
us, both individually and collectively. But, move forward we must,
setting out into the deep. We know how our General Minister
[Encarnación del Pozo, SFO] has responded to these words of our Holy
Father, on our behalf: "We are disposed, with joy and courage, to set
out and live Gospel radically, in fraternity, in order to construct a
more fraternal and gospel world."
During the General Chapter, six priorities were established to guide
the Secular Franciscan Order at the international level: Formation;
Presence in the World; Franciscan Youth; Finances; Spiritual
Assistance; Communion Within the Franciscan Family, and in that
order. Specific actions were also developed corresponding to each
of these priorities.
1) Formation: Facilitate the sharing of formation materials
world-wide; support formation projects in Eastern Europe and Africa;
develop means to support and assist isolated Secular Franciscans; and
support the formation of spiritual assistants, both religious and lay.
2) Presence in the World: Involve Secular Franciscans in
initiatives promoting justice, peace and the integrity of creation;
assume the "Spirit of Assisi"; encourage the engagement of Secular
Franciscans in public life and in the world of work; and affirm the
Secular Franciscan Order's commitment to the family.
3) Franciscan Youth: Develop demographic information on
Franciscan Youth around the world; provide guidance to national
fraternities interested in establishing Franciscan Youth within their
nations; develop and share formation materials for Franciscan Youth;
and revitalize the relationship between Franciscan Youth and the
Secular Franciscan Order.
4) Finances: Develop means to ensure a continuity of income to
support the international fraternity; consider new financial
instruments to provide financial support; and establish new criteria
for annual financial contributions.
5) Spiritual Assistance: Provide assistance in the formation of
spiritual assistants, both religious and lay; and provide support to
those providing spiritual assistance to Franciscan Youth.
6) Communion Within the Franciscan Family: Promote dialogue
between branches of the Franciscan Family; support common initiative
and projects by various branches of the Franciscan family; and promote
true and substantial equality among branches of the Franciscan family.
 [Paragraph notations refer to the Holy Father's November 22,
2002 Message to the Secular Franciscan Order, indicating his thoughts
on each of these priorities.] 1) Formation: "You must
deepen the true foundations of the world-wide fraternity and create
everywhere the spirit of welcome and the atmosphere of brotherliness"
[cf, ¶ 3]. 2) Presence in the World: "You, Secular Franciscans,
by vocation, live belonging to the Church and to society as
inseparable realities. Therefore, you are asked, above all else, to
bear personal witness before all in the environment in which you live:
in your family life; in your work; in your joys and sufferings; in
your associations with all men and women, brothers and sisters of the
same Father; in your presence and participation in the life of
society; in your fraternal relationships with all creatures" [cf, ¶
4]. 3) Franciscan Youth: "Consider your family as the primary
environment in which to live the Christian commitment and the
Franciscan vocation" [cf, ¶ 5]. 4) Finances: "It is necessary
to commit oneself with conviction to the high measure of ordinary
Christian life" [cf, ¶ 4]. 5) Spiritual Assistance: "Spiritual
assistance, as a fundamental element of communion to be carried out
collegially on the (local), regional, national and international
levels, is important" [cf, ¶ 2]. 6) Communion Within the Franciscan
Family: "Commit yourselves evermore in the promotion of meeting
and understanding, especially within your Order, then before other
Franciscan brothers and sisters, and finally with maximum care, as St.
Francis wished, in your relations with the hierarchical authorities of
the Church" [cf, ¶ 2].
Set out into the deep! ... Together, and led by the Spirit, we will
deepen the true foundations of the world- wide fraternity, a community
of love, and in building the Kingdom of God.
Presented by Father Tom Murphy, OFM, Regional Spiritual Assistant, at
2004 Annual Meeting of Five Franciscan Martyrs Region, San Pedro
Retreat Center.
Photo: Pope Paul II
by Jennie Donlin, SFO
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Reflection on
Luke 5: 1-11
In Luke 5: 1-11, we find that the crowd was
pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, as
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two
boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had
disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one
of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to
put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down
and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished
speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep
and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in
reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have
caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the
nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number
of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to
their partners in the other boat to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats so that they were in
danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at
the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I
am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish
they had made seized him and all those with him, and
likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were
partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be
afraid; from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left
everything and followed him.
"Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch."
The request Jesus made of Peter portrays Jesus' authority
over Peter, and it is a call to action. This wonderful
example of Peter's obedience helps us understand what we
must do. We must drop all we do and follow Jesus, just as
Peter and his brothers in the fishing trade did. Now we
don't mean that you quit your job over this, because we
all have a duty to take care of our needs but all our
needs come from Jesus, either directly or indirectly. If
you elect to work for Jesus, you too will be catching men.
And that's what the Holy Father means when he uses the
phrase "Put out into the deep."
We, the Franciscan lay people who form the Secular
Franciscan Order, recognize that we too have a mission. We
have put out into the deep and lowered our nets, and we
have been rewarded with God's graces that make us strong,
strong to catch men, that is, to influence people in such
a positive way that they become interested in becoming a
follower of Saint Francis.
It is not so easy to stand up for our beliefs these
days. The issue of the display of the Ten Commandments on
government property is before the highest court. The laws
of this country is really based on the Ten Commandments,
so those commandments aren't really just a piece of
religious literature, as those in government would like us
to believe.
It is getting difficult to be a "forward" Catholic in
the United States, since there are other people in
government who call themselves Catholic but who are
pro-abortion. But we must continue to lower our nets for a
catch by carefully, charitably, but persistently, being
Christ to everyone including public servants. And we
should never be afraid to carry out God's Will.
Fred Schaeffer, SFO
October 13, 2004 |
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