A Rule is a way of life, just as the Tao in Taoism is "the Way".
Christ is our "Way". "I Am the Way", Jesus says. This is why St. Francis said that his followers were to be 'Disciples of the Gospel'. At the beginning of his Order, he said: "You have the Gospel, what more do you need?" However, experience taught him that fragile human nature needs a little help to support its good intentions, hence, we have the Rule.
The Gospel presents a VISION but not necessarily a daily blue-print. So too, the Franciscan Rule (and Constitutions) attempt to interpret the Franciscan vision to daily life. So the Rule is a promise, a commitment to a deeper following of the Gospel in daily life.
The Rule of the SFO invites us to become 'witnesses and instruments' of the Church, inspired by Francis of Assisi who felt himself called by the crucifix of San Damiano to "rebuild the Church."
The S.F.O. Rule In A Nutshell
Follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the centre of his life with God and people.
Seek to encounter the living and active person of Christ in your brothers and sisters, in Sacred Scripture , in the Church and in liturgical activity.
Go forth as witnesses and instruments of the Church's mission among all people, proclaiming Christ by your life and words.
Conform your thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the Gospel itself calls "conversion."
Join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ.
Express your ardent love for the Virgin Mary by imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and confidently.
Faithfully fulfill the duties proper to your circumstance of life, even in difficulties and persecutions.
Seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying your own material needs and purify your hearts from every tendency and yearning for possession and power.
Acquire purity of hearts because of the vocation you have embraced, and set yourselves free to love God and your brothers and sisters.
Accept all people as a gift of the Lord, and strive to create for the lowly conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ.
Together with all people of good will, build a more fraternal and evangelical world so that the kingdom of God may be brought about more effectively.
Be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of your human lives and your courageous initiatives.
Esteem work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption, and service of the human community.
In your family cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace, fidelity, and respect for life striving to make of it a sign of a world already renewed in Christ.
Respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, and strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.
Seek out ways to unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, and strive to bring hope to others.
LIVING OUT MY VOCATION AS SECULAR FRANCISCAN
Being a Secular Franciscan - What does it all mean to me? EVERYTHING has changed, and NOTHING has changed. LIFE IS STILL HARD AND THE PROBLEMS REMAIN. I learn that everything lies in His hands. After 20 years, I thank God for giving me my special vocation and my Franciscan Family. |
WHAT IS IT TO BE A FRANCISCAN?
“Come and see!” These were the words that led me to the SFO. There were two things which attracted me. Firstly, the apostolate work that the members were doing, that is visiting the chronic sick at the old Woodbridge Hospital on every first Sunday of the month. Secondly, it is the warmth and friendliness of the members. I have seen myself growing in the Fraternity during these years. How? - By trying to live a life of conversion, service and simplicity, striving to identify myself with the poor and bearing peace in my family and fraternity thus encountering God’s love in the living and active person of Christ in my brothers and sisters. Eva Lee, SFO |