November 9, 2015

Worry

Sometimes I get a little worried about the future of the Order.

But what to do about my worry?

Looking at the history of religious life, it seems to me that reform and renewal in religious life comes from one place: saints.

When I was in the OFM the buzzword was 'refounding.' This was going to bring renewal. And I have encountered other buzzwords along the way in my journey in religious life. Mostly they seem sterile when it comes to generating reform and renewal.

So, again, what we need, it seems to me, are saints.

But what does this mean practically?

First of all, I must ask God in prayer for the saint who will bring reform and renewal to the Order.

Then, I must be open to the possibility that God wills to make one of my confreres into this saint. Therefore, charity towards my brother must mean treating him and interacting with him so as to support and encourage his sanctity. Anything less is not really love.
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7 comments:

  1. Silvana rscj7:59 AM

    And are you open to the possibility, with the call to growth it would require, that God could require more than one saint, and that one of those saints could be YOU???

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  2. Gregg the Obscure8:04 AM

    I've had the good fortune of meeting many of the young Capuchins here in Denver. They would make you much less worried about the future of the order.

    Just one example of many. I think this started about six years ago now, but I could have the date wrong. One of the brothers learned - right before his final vows - that he had a serious (non-contagious) chronic disease. He told his superiors and the brothers and offered to leave as he didn't want to be a burden to them. They asked him to stay. He works with the elderly and disabled with gentleness and great joy.

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  3. Barb Szyszkiewicz4:31 PM

    That last paragraph applies to OFS fraternities and families as well.

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  4. Louis M4:56 PM

    Amen, fratello. :)

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  5. Anonymous9:32 AM

    Be beautifully calm and at peace --- Reform and renewal is not always visible and perceptible at first. It can be happening right there in our midst -- a still silent but growing seed of thought, planted in someone's mind and heart and nurtured by the grace of God, Himself, ready to manifest itself when the time and circumstances are right. So we let go of anxiety and remember how good it is to trust ---- Cecily.

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  6. Victor S E Moubarak4:40 PM

    Maybe God is asking you to be that Saint.

    God bless.

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  7. Unknown2:56 AM

    I am wondering what is causing this concern.

    ReplyDelete

Faithful, or even just thoughtful criticisms are always welcome. Uninformed rudeness to other posters or to the Lord and His Church is not.

I also reserve the right to reject comments promoting things like private revelations and fringe points of view, if it seems to me like they are being presented in a misleading way.

If you raise a disagreement with something I say but I do not respond, please do not feel slighted or insulted, or imagine that this automatically means I disagree or agree with you. It's just that I don't find the comment box to be a constructive medium for certain forms of debate.