Archive for Solemn Vows

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 

1 Comment »

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 

4 Comments »

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 

2 Comments »

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