Profession by its nature is a permanent commitment
(Rule of SFO Art. 23)

Permanent commitment. What does that mean? For the majority of Secular Franciscans, that means until death. Before reading the rest of this article, perhaps you could review my Vocation article, called "Come and See."

Candidacy, is the final formal period of initiation. It is a time of preparing for permanent commitment by immersion into fraternity life. Central to this stage of formation is Article 4 of The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order which states, “The rule and life of the Secular Franciscan is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following Saint Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.” The period of Candidacy is a minimum of eighteen months and culminates in permanent commitment to the gospel life.

After profession of the Rule and permanent commitment to the gospel way of life, the newly professed member joins the rest of the fraternity in ongoing formation.

So for most of us, permanent commitment is to the gospel way of life. When you really examine this matter, every single Catholic should be committed to the gospel way of life. As Franciscans, it becomes something special. This commitment and obedience to the Rule of St. Francis becomes a rich source of grace. Why? Because you have committed yourself to by the Rule and charism of St. Francis and thus you are rewarded for carrying out this promise to God.

Is SFO profession a promise or a vow? Secular Franciscans commit themselves by promise, not vow, to live the Gospel life of Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.  A Vow is binding for life because it is made to God. But what about a promise... (see here we get into muddled water). The Third Order Regular, whose rule is very similar to ours, explains it as follows, in a commentary on the SFO Rule:

"The Profession/Consecration or "being received into obedience" is the third step in this process of formation. The phrase means a promise to live in fraternity in a way of life which is not monastic. "To observe this rule and life always" denotes the perpetuity of the consecration. "This life and this rule" means that the consecration of one's whole life is not totally expressed the three counsels of obedience, poverty and chastity but is an offering or consecration of one's whole being. "To put aside cares and worries" is to observe poverty and minority while "To serve, love, honor and adore" is the expression of continuous conversion to God from a contemplative dimensions The phrase "With a single heartedness and purity of intention" is a way of expressing the evangelical value of chastity in a way similar to that of Vatican II (PC. 12) It underlines the idea of an unrestricted abandonment of all so as to give oneself exclusively to God's service." (underlining and italics are mine)

Suffice it to say that "always" means forever. Whether we promise or vow, really means no difference to the end result. Our Lord has given us a wonderful opportunity to follow Him in the footsteps of St. Francis. That's a gift. Every fulfilled vocation is a gift lived out!

Why am I writing about commitment? Because there are too many people, when they get older they stop coming to meetings. That's not what the Rule intended. OK, if your health is challenged you may have sufficient reason to stay away but only after you have discussed this with your Fraternity minister. The Constitution and Statutes have put into place a set of "solutions" to cope with real life problems that prevent one from attending meetings. However, before this appeals to you, please bear in mind that we do not favor the idea of Isolated members. This is simply because in SFO as in other orders, we live in fraternity as a union. You would not quit your marriage early when you still have an active spouse. In reality, Jesus is our spouse as we progress in our spiritual relationship with God, in our intimacy with Jesus and Mary, by following our Rule.

In the Prologue to the Rule, it is spelled out quite clearly that those who follow the rule... they are rewarded in Heaven. But those who do not do penance (analogous to not following the Rule), they are not so blessed.

But you see, it is all voluntary. The Rule of St. Francis is not binding under sin, at least that's what I understand. Your commitment is voluntary and thus it is perhaps even more of a challenge. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we shall overcome, become better Franciscans and when it is time to go, we will meet our Lord and St. Francis and all the Franciscan Saints and blesseds. There are a great many of those.

Peace,

Fred Schaeffer
3-20-2005