|
|
 |
Sister Joyce Brandl August 1998, Fall Gathering of the Queen of Peace Regional Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. SAINT FRANCIS MAKES BIBLICAL CONVERSION PRIMARY CHARISM OF THIRD ORDER ... DESCRIBED IN RECENSIO PRIOR In recognition of the 20th year of Pope Paul VI's approval of this last Rule for the Secular Franciscan Order, Dick Morton and I will give some background of our reflection regarding this Rule. I will focus on the Prologue of the Recensio Prior, also known as Francis' First Letter to the Faithful. Dick will discuss the articles regarding the three chapters of the Rule which follow the Prologue. In order to understand the Prologue' of our Rule, we need to know something about Francis' conversion and how he was grounded in the Penitential Movement of his time. God's grace brought Francis to a total conversion of heart and mind in four short years. Beginning with his capture in 1202 after the battle of Collestrada, we witness Francis struggling to know God's plan for him. After his encounter with the leper and his subsequent vision, and the call of the Crucified One "Francis rebuild My house which you see is falling into ruin," events move fast to the trial before the Bishop, Francis's renunciation of his father, and Bishop Guido taking him under his wing. Francis describes his conversion well in the first paragraph of his Testament which he writes during the last year of his life. In one short paragraph he describes perfectly what biblical metanoia is about. He says, "This is how God granted me, Brother Francis, to do penance. When I was in sin the sight of lepers nauseated me. God led me among them and I had pity. That which was bitter to me, changed to sweetness of soul and body. I did not wait long and I left the world." Leaving the world in Francis' time meant joining a religious order or a penitential group. Francis became a conversus, a member of the Penitential Movement, which was so common in his time. Francis education approximated six grades. Bishop Guido sent him to the Benedictines who had many monasteries in the area. Here Francis learned the Divine Office and began to be formed in the ways of God. Francis by his example began to attract followers, which at first were called Penitents of Assisi. By 1209 when the group was twelve in number and they received oral approval from Innocent III for their way of life, Francis changed their name to Friars Minor or Lesser Brothers; their primary charism changed from conversion to minority...they considered poverty as a close second charism. By 1212, Clare wanted to follow Francis' example of Gospel living. Together they founded the Community of the Poor Ladies...Poverty was emphasized as their primary charism. At the same time, lay people came to Francis, asking him to show them how to live the Gospel. He responded by giving them Gospel directives in the Recensio Prior based on the biblical notion of metanoia. Biblical metanoia was their primary charism. Vatican II asked all religious to go back to their Founder and identify their primary cliarism. As a response to this call, the Franciscan Family claims four values. All claim prayer (with a contemplative attitude). Minority, poverty and conversion are values for all three Orders with each stressing their own particular charism. So our basic charism is seen to be penance or biblical metanoia. It is important for us to understand the biblical meaning of metanoia. So, let me give you a brief overall view of this term and show how it is the most central theme of our Scripture. Hebrew history begins with the story of Abraham it is the first time we know God breaks into human history to reveal Himself. God calls Abraham out of paganism the worship of created things: sun, moon, stars, etc., and idols made by human hands. God says to Abraham and his people, "If you will be My people, I will be your God." They respond, "Yes!" This covenant is sealed with animal sacrifice. The conversion the turning from idols to the true God is frequently rejected by the people. They see God's rejection of them whenever famine, pestilence or their loss in a battle visits them. These events call the people to repentance and to turn back to God, Whom they also know to be compassionate; One Who always welcomes them back. Here the community shows their repentance by offering animal sacrifice, by fasting, by pleading with God, rending their garments, sitting in sack cloth and ashes. Around the year 1200 B.C. God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, laws written in all human hearts. By the time of the Kings and the Prophets, around 1000 B.C., we begin to see personal responsibility exemplified by David after his adultery and murder when he comes to his senses and decries his sin in the moving Psalm 51, the Miserere: "Have mercy on me, God, in Your kindness; wash me clean of my sin and make me once again white as snow...." The prophets call for interior conversion of heart, a change of heart. Joel says, "Rend your hearts and not your garments." Jeremiah calls for a circumcision of the heart. Ezekial pleads for a change of hearts of stone for hearts of flesh. The prophets also call for consideration of the neighbor, a call to social justice. So we hear Isaiah say: "Is this the kind of fasting that I want; that you sit in sack cloth and ashes?" "No! This is the fasting I want: that you loosen the thongs of the oppressed; that you lift the yoke of the poor, the widow and the orphan; that you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and not turn your back on your own." After the Israelites were captured and taken to Babylon they realized they had lost their land, their city, and the temple had been destroyed. All they could claim was their belief in the One True God. It was then they discovered the Torah (the Book of Moses) ... they became the People of the Book. The emphasis was on living every detail of the Law. This became accentuated in the rise of the Pharisee class around 200 BC. Jesus castigated them as white-washed sepulchers, full of dead men's bones, because following the minutia of the law was more important than the care of the needy. John the Baptist came with a baptism of water for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus followed with a baptism of water and the Spirit. Jesus message was: Repent and believe the Good News." We can follow conversion by the term used in Scripture. In the Hebrew Bible is shub or sub" was used 118 times, meaning "to turn away," from idols to the worship of the True God. In the Greek translation which was written about 200 BC, the term "shub" "to turn" continued to be used in addition to the word "Metanoia" meaning to change. St. Jerome, writing in the fourth century AD in Latin Vulgate used the terms penitentia and conversia. This was the translation used by Francis. In our present English editions many terms are used for conversion; for example: repent, reform, turn, convert, change, abstain, transform, believe. St. John in the fourth Gospel used the term believe. St. Paul speaks of becoming a new creation. All refer to the basic Gospel message of dying to the false self and becoming our true self by allowing theSpirit of God to transform us. In Apostolic times the Church struggled to learn how to handle post-Baptismal sins. While we today have the Sacrament of Penance it took centuries for our present form to come into existence. In the early Church, post-Baptismal sin was most frequently handled according to the saying of Jesus in Matthew 18:15-18: "When a brother has sinned against you, go to your brother. If he does not repent take one or two with you. If he does not repent, refer him to the Church. If he still does not repent treat him as a Gentile or a Tax collector. Whose sins you shall forgive, they shall be forgiven and whose sins you shall retain, they shall be retained." In grave sins, such as murder, adultery, apostasy or major thievery the person had to go to the Bishop and the Bishop would require certain conditions. When these were fulfilled in a space of months, years and even a lifetime, the sinner would return for absolution, which he received, by the Bishop laying on of hands. One could only receive this absolution once in a lifetime. By 450 AD the conditions for reparation were established and included the following: the sinner was segregated from the general community, could not receive Communion; if married, conjugal privileges were revoked; Unmarried had to live in continency; if not married could not enter into marriage; were required to wear a symbolic garment; could not hold a public office especially that of magistrate or judge; could not bear arms. When Christianity became a national religion under Constantine, 313 AD,pilgrimages became an alternative way to canonical penance. When Monasteries were established later, the penitent could join the monastery, which was considered as a second Baptism. |
||
"O most holy Pater Noster; our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler, and Savior"......St. Francis
|
||
