Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm BST
No. of Attendees: 9
Discussion: Reflection 44 ‘The Apostolate: Repair My Church’ from ‘Live Like Francis’ (L. Foley, J Weigel O.F.M.)
Special Note: This was an online monthly meeting held jointly with OFS Fraternity Aarhus, Denmark. We discussed on the same topic, two weeks earlier in our in person meeting as well. The summary for that meeting can be seen here.
Summary:
Some extracts from the Reflection:
The index of the paperback edition of Vatican Il documents has 153 references to “apostolate.” Even allowing for some duplication, we are certainly being forcibly reminded that to be Christian is to be apostolic. To receive the riches of Christ is to want to share them.
One of the great turning points of Francis’s life was the occasion when Christ spoke to him from the crucifix. He had been walking near the little church of San Damiano. He was sad at its crumbling, unkempt condition and went in to pray before the altar. As he prayed, he heard a voice speaking to him from the crucifix: “Francis, go and repair my Church which as you see is wholly in ruin.”
He was startled. His Master had spoken to him! He took the words to mean the poor little church on that spot and in his humility he quickly replied, “Gladly, Lord, will I repair it.” If the rest of his life had been spent doing nothing but repairing the stones of that or any dilapidated church, he would have been supremely happy. It was nothing, but it was for the Lord. It was only later that it became evident that it was the Church of Christ that Francis was to repair, not physical structures but the spiritual foundation.
Great benefits to the Church would come from this ragged band of gospel minstrels who gathered around Francis. But the Holy Father was at first repulsed when Francis came to him. It was almost against his will that he finally was attracted to the poor little man from Assisi. He remembered a dream which he had. The Mother Church of Christendom, Saint John Lateran, was tottering on its foundations. A religious person, small of stature and unimpressive in appearance, came and held it up by setting his back against it. The Pope realized that Francis was this man and gave the first approval to the new Order.
The Church is ourselves, Christ united with his members. We are the glory and the shame of the Church. The constant purification of the Church, therefore, must be done by those who make up the Church and who need purification, that is, by you and me. We spoil what God has made. Therefore, the purifying, too, must begin in ourselves. Even our penance is not a private affair. We are all in this together, allowing God to purify and reform us and others and the Church.
Perhaps the greatest reform needed in the Church today is the acceptance of the idea of reform. Vatican Il began in a blaze of glory, but its promise and ideals have not substantially changed the attitude of many Catholics. Decades later, polarization between liberals and conservatives, new and old emphases in theology, and similar issues continue to be scandals in the Church. If there was ever a peace-making task for Secular Franciscans, it is in building up their parishes, striving for harmony where differences threaten to divide the Church.
On one occasion when Francis became discouraged, Christ said to him, “Tell me, you simple and ignorant little man, why do you grieve so when a brother leaves the Order and the brothers do not follow the way I showed you? Tell me, then, who has founded this community? Who converts them to penitence?” It is Christ alone who is the missionary. He works through us, and he succeeds only to the degree that he can create his life in us first.
Some points discussed:
We considered the meaning of and call to apostolic life. An apostle is one who is ‘sent out’. All Christian churches can be regarded as apostolic in the sense of seeking to follow the Gospel mission declared by Christ.
We are called not to the life necessarily that St. Francis led but to Gospel life, inspired by St. Francis. It is necessary to seek a balance within the natural order of priorities in our lives as secular Franciscans – our responsibilities in family life, within the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) and within the Church at large.
Christ’s message to St. Francis was a personal mission, which might be understood as evolving, first to repair church structures physically followed by work in the spiritual foundations of the Church. At each stage, St. Francis responded to the call, in whatever way was apparent and available to him at the time. In a similar way, we are called to repair the church in whatever ways are available to us. There are many things that can be done in our parishes, acting as individuals or perhaps following OFS led missions, which by their nature might inspire others just as St. Francis inspires us.
We concluded the meeting with a closing prayer.
I’m listening, Lord Jesus. What part of your Church would you have me rebuild? Show me the way. Amen.
OFS Oxford 