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Franciscan Spirituality

Conclusion to a series of 52

49. A letter to a Minister

Francis wrote this letter to a Minister between three and five years before his death. It is an extraordinary testimony to the way Francis thought and acted. In the first part of the letter he encourages the Minister to consider as a grace any difficulty that he may meet. Francis says it is true obedience to the Lord God and to Francis himself when the Minister considers it to be a grace when a brother impedes him or even lays hands on him. He adds: 'And may you want it to be this way and not otherwise.' In this Francis is asking a lot of his Minister. Not only must the Minister accept as a grace any hurt done to him but, more than that, he must be ready to forgive any brother who comes to him. The way Francis expresses this is strong and challenging. He says: 'And if you have done this, I wish to know in this way if you love the Lord and me, namely, that there is not any brother in the world who has sinned, who when he has looked into your eyes, would ever depart without your mercy, if he is looking for mercy. And if he were not looking for mercy you would ask him if he wants mercy'. This is a wonderful portrait to put before the Ministers of the Order. It is challenging in asking the Ministers not to take offence and to be ready at all times to show mercy. In this letter Francis is developing what he would later include in the final draft of the Rule. In the final Rule the words from the Letter to a Minister are put in a more succinct form but Francis adds the following words: The Ministers 'must be careful not to be angry or disturbed at the sin of another, for anger and disturbance impede charity in themselves and in others'.

50. Death

Not long before his death Francis put a greeting to Sister Death in his Canticle of the Creatures: 'Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape'. Francis had experienced a mystical death on La Verna when he was sealed with the marks of Christ's death. Having found years before that what seemed bitter to him was turned into sweetness of body and soul he could have the same expectation of Sister Death. Bitter and all as is the thought of death, there is the sweetness of meeting the Lord face to face. To prepare for death Francis asked the brothers to read a passage from the Gospel of St John. The Minister had already chosen to read this passage. Celano tells us that Francis then 'told them to cover him with sackcloth and to sprinkle him with ashes, as he was soon to become dust and ashes'. As his brothers stood around him 'that most holy soul was released from the flesh, and as it was absorbed into the abyss of light, his body fell asleep in the Lord'. St Bonaventure reflects on his death as follows: 'In all things he wished without hesitation to be conformed to Christ crucified, who hung on the cross poor, suffering, and naked … O truly the most while living to Christ living, dying to Christ dying, and dead to Christ dead, and deserved to be adorned with an expressed likeness!'

51. Canonization

Francis was born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182. Most of his life was spent in or near Assisi and it was in Assisi that he died. He died near the small Church of Saint Mary of the Angels. After his death his body was carried into Assisi after stopping at the Convent of San Damiano so that Clare and her sisters could see his body for the last time. Many citizens of Assisi were able to see the wounds in the body of Francis and Bonaventure relates that after death 'his limbs were so supple and soft to the touch that they seemed to have regained the tenderness of childhood and to be adorned with clear signs of innocence'. It is hardly surprising with such veneration by his brothers, by Clare and her sisters, by the people of Assisi, the viewing of the wonder of the marks of the stigmata, and the miracles that began to be worked immediately after his death that before long the Pope and Cardinals discussed whether or not he should be canonized. Francis died in 1226. Within two years the Pope had examined his cause and with the 'unanimous advice and consent of his brothers and of all the prelates who were then in the curia' decided 'that he should be canonized'. The Pope canonized Saint Francis in Assisi in 1228. Two years later, during a General Chapter in Assisi the brothers moved his body into the newly constructed basilica where the body remains to this day.

52. Conclusion

There are two basic ways in which Franciscan Spirituality can be described. One can begin with the headings from a textbook on spirituality and this would be the best way if your aim is to find a definition of Franciscan spirituality. Such headings would be prayer, asceticism, rules for daily life, and so on. The other way is to look at the life and writings of Francis and draw out of these examples of how Francis became a saint. The advantage of this way is that the spirituality remains embedded in the story of Francis. This second method has been attempted in these meditations because that is how the spirituality of Jesus Christ is expressed in the Gospels. The writers of the Gospel tell the story of what Jesus did and said and we try to imitate that story. For Francis we have seen the event and experience that began his conversion, namely, his meeting with the leper and how this experience led him to a life of poverty. In his poverty Francis prayed, was able to find a new beauty in creation, a bond even with wild animals, and he became a preacher of the Good News to people even as far away as the Sultan in Egypt. He founded an Order of Brothers and inspired Saint Clare and her Sisters to begin the Order of Saint Clare. As we read what Francis said and did we know that we cannot live exactly as he did but we can pray that we too will be identified in death with Christ Jesus just as he was identified with the Lord on the mountain of La Verna when he was sealed with the marks of Christ's passion.

Fr Campion Murray ofm is a conventual Franciscan Friar and a distinguished theologian. He lives and works in the Franciscan community at Campbelltown NSW Australia

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