Archive for Franciscan life

Happy Feast of St. Bonaventure!

Posted in Franciscan Spirituality, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on July 15, 2012 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

Today, July 15th is the solemnity of St. Bonaventure, the 13th Century Franciscan friar, theologian, bishop, saint and doctor of the church! Unfortunately, this year’s celebration of this important figure in the history of the church also falls on a Sunday, which means that the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time trumps the feast (or for Franciscans, the solemnity) of this day. Although this weekend I have been and will continue to celebrate the mass for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary time and preach on the readings (although I have managed to sneak a Bonaventure theological reference into the homily), I still pause to think about and celebrate both my brother in Franciscan life and the patron of my alma mater, St. Bonaventure University in Western New York. To all my fellow Bonnies out there — Happy Feast Day!

I think it’s rather fitting to share with you a little snippet of Bonaventure’s wisdom. In this sermon, he speaks about what it means to be a friar minor and goes on to say that although not everyone is called to be a Franciscan friar as such, every Christian is called to live the Franciscan ideas in some form. This is in line with St. Francis’s vision, because the Saint from Assisi centered his entire life on the living of the Gospel. All Christians, then, are necessarily followers of the Gospel too. Here’s what Bonaventure says:

To be meek is to be a brother to everybody; to be humble is to be less than everybody. Therefore, to be meek and humble of heart is to be a true friar minor…Although it is not for everyone to take the habit and profess the Rule of the Friars Minor, it is necessary for everyone who wants to be saved to be a friar minor in the sense of being meek and humble. (Sermon V)

One way in which the friars can understand their relationship as “lesser brothers” in the world, the way in which Bonaventure expresses this reality, is to recognize that we are all equal in Christ as baptized members of His Body. No Franciscan should be over and against another person, but instead strive to recognize his shared dignity in Christian life with all others.

If you’re interested in reading some more about Bonaventure and examining a good selection of his writings, check out the new edition of Bonaventure: Mystical Writings (Tau Publishing) by Zachary Hayes — it’s a very accessible and helpful book.

For those who have just heard of St. Bonaventure today and for those who have been inspired by his life and thought for a long time, happy feast day to you all!

Photo: File

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One of the Best Books on St. Clare, Franciscan Life Today

Posted in Book Review, Franciscan Spirituality, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , on June 15, 2012 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

Sr. Margaret Carney, OSF, the current President of St. Bonaventure University and a well-respected Franciscan scholar, writes in her foreword to the English edition of The Poor Sisters of Saint Clare: Their Form of Life and Identity (Tau Publishing, 2010): “These pioneering contemplatives wish to promote a life for the third millennium that will adhere to ancient principles, attract modern women and inculturate the Order in new social situations.” In a sentence, Sr. Margaret summarizes the aim of this relatively new study by a community of Italian Poor Clare Nuns under the direction of their then Abbess, Sr. Diana Papa, OSC, to pray, reflect and raise important — if at times challenging — questions about their life and religious life in the 21st Century.

This is by far one of the more exciting books that I’ve read on either the Clarian life (those women who follow the Rule of St. Clare of Assisi, commonly known in the Franciscan family as the “Second Order”) or the Franciscan form(s) of religious life more broadly conceived.

The text is a compilation of the Rule of St. Clare, the Second Order Rule of Pope Urban IV, and the General Constitutions of the Poor Clares, presented in such a way as to offer a thematic selection of different aspects of their life. After the presentation of the primary texts that govern the way of life for the Poor Clare Nuns, these Sisters provide commentary, supplementary scholarship, and, most interestingly, raise questions about how to authentically live this way of life in our contemporary setting.

It might not sound like a text that would appeal to a wide audience, but for those who are connected in any way with the Franciscan family or interested in the historical development and contemporary appropriation of St. Clare’s way of life after the model of Francis of Assisi, this will be of great interest to you. It certainly is something that speaks to friars, sisters and Secular Franciscans who wish to delve more deeply into the Franciscan tradition from the vantage point of modern Poor Clares engaging their tradition head-on.

I’m inspired by the insights, questions and commentary presented by these women and hope that such work might be pursued by the men of the First Orders. As I’ve read The Poor Sisters of Saint Clare, I find myself reflecting on what a comparable project might look like for the Order of Friars Minor. Similarly, I wonder what a project of this sort might look like for women and men of the Third Order Secular of St. Francis, recognizing that something akin to this was published by the Third Order Regular communities not long ago (see History of the Third Order Regular Rule: A Source Book).

I definitely recommend this book to those who are connected at all to the Franciscan tradition, especially to those women and men who have professed to follow one of the Rules inspired by Francis’s way of life. I can’t imagine that there is a Poor Clare Sister out there who hasn’t yet picked this up, if such a Sister exists, she should get ahold of a copy of this right away. It is through the honest and courageous work, prayer and reflection of women like these Italian Poor Clares that we will continue to authentically live the Franciscan life long into the future.

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A Poetic Reflection on the Vow of Obedience

Posted in Franciscan Spirituality with tags , , , , , , , on August 26, 2011 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

In a very generous gift of original work, my friend Joseph Madonna sent me three poems he had written for the occasion of my profession of Solemn Vows in the Franciscan Order, each poem a reflection on each of the three vows. With his permission, I will publish them here on the three days preceding the date of profession — this Saturday morning. Here is the second, this one on the vow of obedience.

Obedience

Open your heart to receive my Word.
Open the ears of your heart and listen
to the voice which comes not in fire, lightning, and earthquake
but in the gentle, soft breeze…

The world tells you to be strong, to conquer the hearts
and minds of men. But I say unto you:
Be weak, for in my weakest moment did I not
free you from all your sins, and open the gates
home to you?

Be not afraid my children, for I am ever with you.
I will not let you wander far from my love,
nor forsake you in your time of great need.
Listen to my Word, keep my commandments,
Love abundantly and pray ceaselessly.

Listen.

- Joseph Madonna (2011)

Photo: Linda Davidson, The Washington Post 

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A Poetic Reflection on the Vow of Chastity

Posted in Franciscan Spirituality with tags , , , , , , , on August 25, 2011 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

In a very generous gift of original work, my friend Joseph Madonna sent me three poems he had written for the occasion of my profession of Solemn Vows in the Franciscan Order, each poem a reflection on each of the three vows. With his permission, I will publish them here on the three days preceding the date of profession — this Saturday morning. Here is the second, this one on the vow of chastity.

 

Chastity

Awkward.
Only way to begin.
Break free from the old mindsets, the labels,
the conditions in which society expects us to operate.
Be open to the renewing of your mind, the
possibility of new and richer understanding
as the years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds
pass on into eternity.

Not a denial, but an acceptance
of your truest self and your purpose, mission,
vocation on your pilgrimage.

The greatest of these things is love.
Not the love of parent and child, or of friends, or of spouses,
but the love of Fourth and Walnut…
the love that in an instant can change a life, can change the world.
The love that brings with it the realization that
we truly are one body in Christ.

The love that sees each and every being as who and what
God sees it, as it was meant to be on that seventh day in Eden.

A love that embraces this world in all its broken beauty
and refuses to live in silence. A heart afire with zeal
burning brightly on the hilltop, witnessing to the Christ
enthroned within.

- Joseph Madonna (2011)

Photo: Linda Davidson, The Washington Post 

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A Poetic Reflection on the Vow of Poverty

Posted in Franciscan Spirituality with tags , , , , , , on August 24, 2011 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

In a very generous gift of original work, my friend Joseph Madonna sent me three poems he had written for the occasion of my profession of Solemn Vows in the Franciscan Order, each poem a reflection on each of the three vows. With his permission, I will publish them here on the three days preceding the date of profession — this Saturday morning. Here is the first, this one on the vow of poverty.

 

Poverty

You shall love your neighbor as yourself,
and not wish to be master over him.
It is not only greed which is our enemy,
but wrongful desire and love for all that is in this world.

For some the need to possess things is their undoing,
for others it is knowledge, or gold, or power over other beings.
Be always little, humble, poor.
And in your heart let love be engraved.

That is the root, the soul of poverty: love.
Love that allows all of creation to be, to be freely.
Love that accepts the conditions of life and
forsakes all else to have the love of the great Beloved.

The birds in flight and the lilies of the field care not
for great affairs or marvels beyond their reach.
They live in the never-ending present, giving
glory to their Father from whom all their needs come.

We are God’s children and He will not give us snakes and stones
for food, or vinegar for drink. He has fed us with
His son’s body and blood. Is that not enough?
He who is all in all has chosen to dwell among and
within us. Is that not enough?

Seek not to hold but to be held in the eternal embrace.
Spread your arms wide as a cross and be stripped
of all ambition, all desire, except that which will
bring you home. This is poverty:
to be so enamored of God that you let go of all
else but that love which in the end consumes you,
leaves you with the nothing which is everything.

- Joseph Madonna (2011)

Photo: Linda Davidson, The Washington Post 

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Art, Religious Life and the Holy Spirit

Posted in Solemn Vow Retreat with tags , , , , on June 24, 2011 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

23 June 2011

Quite a bit happened today. We began the day as we normally do while on this interprovincial retreat, with breakfast and morning prayer. Prayer is followed by our morning session, which this week focuses on art and spirituality (you know that by now). Today’s art exercise was focused on calligraphy as meditative practice. Not unlike crocheting, calligraphy is not a helpful meditative practice for me. I found it very challenging, and although I gave it a three-hour-long try, I have to say that it is also not for me. That said, toward the end of the morning I found myself really enjoying the attempt, although I recognize that this is not a gift that God has given me. It is, however, a gift for some others in the group, including Damian Park, OFM, a Korean friar who I have lived with in Washington, DC, and with whom I will live this upcoming year after I move back to DC. He is very talented in terms of calligraphy and it was really neat to see his work.

I continue to be amazed at the artistic talent of someone like Jerry Bleem, OFM, who has been leading us in this experience. He makes art seem easy. His ability to quickly draw out a beautiful calligraphic piece is astounding and his three quickly made paintings, using nothing but water-based temperas and spoons, were beautiful. It made what the rest of us painted look like kindergarten projects.

Tomorrow (Friday) we take a field trip to the Getty Museum and the Cathedral in Los Angeles. This is something that I can really appreciate. While I am not very good at creating art, I do enjoy experiencing it. It occurred to me earlier in the week that whenever I travel to a new city and have some time to explore I almost inevitably migrate toward an art museum. Even in cities that I visit often I have frequented the major museums several times: New York, Chicago, London, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Rome – I have visited the art museums in each. Even Utica, NY, my hometown, has a rather impressive art institute (a branch of Pratt) and museum, the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute. Well worth checking out!

One of the other things we did today was take a short trip – about one block away – to the Poor Clare Convent to visit our Franciscan Sisters in cloistered religious life. Unlike other Poor Clare communities that I have visited, some I have known quite well, these sisters were Collettines, meaning the follow a stricter way of life or interpretation of the Rule of St. Clare. Whereas, as a Friar, I have been inside the cloisters of other Poor Clare communities, the small group of friars that visited the Sisters sat on one side of a large metal grate while the Sisters sat on the other. It felt almost like visiting a prison, but the conversation was nice nonetheless.

Just in case you don’t know this already: Poor Clare Nuns are by far the most holy people on earth! These Sisters were no exception, very serene and joyful at the same time. Before we left we received the blessing of St. Clare from the Sisters – truly an honor and grace. That is one thing I love about being a friar and visiting the Clares, unlike other situations where within the Church women are marginalized, the Abbess and Sisters bestowed the blessing on us, a group of male religious including priests, and not the other way around. There is something very life-giving about that.

We, rather spontaneously, decided to move our Mass location from the old and much-too-large chapel to a space where we could be closer and a piano was located. With what little sheet music we could scrape up, I played the piano and Damian played the flute for Mass – what a difference that makes (at least for us, I hope the rest of the group liked it).

Celebrating the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of John the Baptist, we had a shared homily during which time I talked a little about how Luke’s Gospel is by far my favorite and how one of the reasons is the presence and role of the Holy Spirit throughout the text(s) – Can’t forget Acts! While the Spirit is so often neglected elsewhere, the first chapter of Luke reminds us rather clearly of God’s intimate presence in creation in important ways. This is the case in the revelation to Zechariah that John would be born.

Photo: Poor Clares of Santa Barbara

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Mystics for our Day

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on April 29, 2011 by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

This book was recently recommended to me and I have had a chance to read through most of it. My brother in Franciscan life, Murray Bodo, OFM, is one of the best-known contemporary writers from the Franciscan tradition. Known especially for his collections of poetry and his best-selling Francis: The Journey and the Dream (which is soon to come out in a 40th Anniversary edition!), Murray recently published Mystics: Ten Who Show Us the Ways of God (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007). It is a collection of essays about ten different Mystics, selected from across the Christian Tradition from Mary of Nazareth through Robert Lax, the contemporary poet.

Naturally, there are several poets, both of ages past and more recently, that Murray highlights as Mystics for our consideration. These include Jacopone Da Todi, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Robert Lax (although one might argue Francis of Assisi, whose “Canticle of the Creatures” was the first literary piece written in colloquial Italian, might be counted among the more established poets and writers).

I particularly like Murray’s essay on Gerard Manley Hopkins, a personal favorite of mine. While I now realize how much of a mystic Hopkins was, I don’t think I had ever considered him in such terms until reading through this book. Murray reflects on how Hopkins captured the young Franciscan poet’s imagination from his earliest days as a Franciscan novice in the 1950s. Hopkins, the renown Jesuit author, influenced Murray for much of his life.

Here is an excerpt from Murray’s chapter on Hopkins that I think summarizes well the way in which Hopkins really deserves to bear the title “mystic.”

Here was a sacramental poet. For him everything seemed to be a sacrament of the presence of God; his words grasped the individuality of the thing that in turn revealed the Word that inhabited it. I knew even then, as a young man, that Hopkins was a mystical poet, an intimate of God whom he experienced through words that grasped God’s unique incarnation in everything that is.

Each thing in its very uniqueness, which Hopkins calls inscape, reveals the unique word of God that it is. This inscape is elicited or revealed through an intuitive knowing that Hopkins calls instress. For him, as a poet, it is language itself that instresses an inscape. Language itself becomes the inscape of God, reveals God as the Word inside the word

This of course, as Murray goes on to remind us, is a reflection of Hopkins’s admitted Scotist influence. This is, I believe, a large part of why I like Hopkins so much. The 19th-Century Jesuit was deeply infatuated with the thought of the medieval Franciscan John Duns Scotus, from whom he gleaned the notion of inscape articulated by Scotus as haecceitas or “thisness.”

Murray Bodo’s book does a good job highlighting ways in which certain figures in Christian history, some well-known others not-as-well-known, provide us with models of prayer and mysticism. Check it out.

Photo: St. Anthony Messenger Press

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