In a Franciscan residence, which we
call a “friary,” daily prayer, conversation, faith sharing, chores, meals, and
care for each other are not just the building blocks for communal living; they
are the proving ground for personal conversion of heart, and are our primary
form of evangelization. What's more, Franciscan ministry thrives when a supportive and challenging fraternal environment is there to feed it. Today, when the lessons of fraternal living infuse the friars' service to others, people can detect a distinctive Franciscan flavor to our ministries.
The Lord gave me brothers...
St. Francis of Assisi understood that God is Trinity, a communion of persons in love. When the friars are in communion with each other, their relationships image the Triune God, and become their primary form of evangelization. In the context of our fraternities, the friars discover they are created out of love, exist in love, and are destined for eternal love. And if all of creation flows out of love, and unto love, then the only reason for our existence is to love. Therefore, Franciscans cannot consider themselves authentic Friars Minor without there being a relationship of real communion with the other friars.
Did you Know?
By its very nature, religious life foretells the glory of Heaven. Our fraternity-in-mission is a witness to this future glory. In the Bible Jesus offers the image of a wedding feast as a metaphor for understanding the Kingdom of Heaven. In Heaven, two different houses will come together and become one in God. Our fraternity-in-mission models and celebrates this reality on earth. We come from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and generations, and through our care and love for one another we remind humanity of what one day we hope to all experience in Heaven.
By its very nature, religious life foretells the glory of Heaven. Our fraternity-in-mission is a witness to this future glory. In the Bible Jesus offers the image of a wedding feast as a metaphor for understanding the Kingdom of Heaven. In Heaven, two different houses will come together and become one in God. Our fraternity-in-mission models and celebrates this reality on earth. We come from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and generations, and through our care and love for one another we remind humanity of what one day we hope to all experience in Heaven.
This is
the value of our fraternity-in-mission.
It prompts and embraces all people to be open to the possibility of
relationship where there has been no relationship before. It inspires us to nurture peace in places of
distrust and violence, where fear of "the other" too often
dominates. It is an affirmation of the
value of cultural diversity, shared leadership, and the creative expression of
the love of Jesus Christ.
