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.  Therefore, Franciscans cannot consider themselves authentic Friars Minor without there being a relationship of real communion with the other friars.  This isn't always easy.

As friars of many cultures, elder and younger, both lay and ordained, we work to respect and value our diversity and individual differences.  

By its very nature, our 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.  If you are interested in this way of life you'll need to test your abilities and clarify your desires to live within this type fraternity.

In discernment you'll need to arrange opportunities to spend time with us.  Join us for evening prayer or our community Mass.  Eat and laugh with us at dinner.  Spend a weekend with us.  Visit our ministry sites with other friars.  Spend time recreating with us.  We like to have fun.  It will be in the context of sharing your life with the friars that you'll be able to discern your desire to live in fraternity.

As you experience fraternal life you'll again need to become aware of the movements of consolation and desolation before, during, and after engaging in our fraternal life. As you reflect on your experience you'll ask:  Did I experience desolation?  Did I feel weary, dry and dissatisfied?  Did I feel consolation?  Did I feel cheerful and satisfied?  Was I able to engage in these activities with a joyful and generous heart?  These two movements well help reveal the movement of the Holy Spirit in your discernment process.  Read the blog post "Consolation and Desolation" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Next, take your experiences and engage in theological reflection.  Theological reflection is an essential ingredient in the process of spiritual discernment.  It holds the possibility of discerning God's presence and/or direction.  It's the process of standing before your experience 'open' to what may or may not be revealed through the lens of faith.  Read the blog post "Theological Reflection" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Next, share you experiences with your spiritual director and/or vocation director.  This person will listen to your story with an ear for the movement of the Holy, of the Divine.  They will also help you discern between your voice, the world (family, culture, and society) and God's voice within your experiences and theological reflection.  Read the blog post "Spiritual Direction" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Lastly, remember to be nourished by the Word and the Eucharist at Mass in order to be sent forth in mission to love and serve the Lord.  Read the blog post "Freely You Have Received, Freely Give" for more information on why Mass is important for discernment.

At this stage in the journey you are trying to put on the "habit" of fraternal living with a diverse group of men.  You're trying to see if you have the abilities and the desire to live and share your life with us a religious brother or priest.  Fraternal life isn't always easy, but it's the joy of being brothers to one another that sustains and nourishes us.  It's a great life.

Peace and all good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

Personal Reflection:

What are you looking for in fraternal life?  What is important in your vocation search?  Please share your answer in the comment section below.

Contact Information:

Franciscan Friars
Office of Vocations
1500 34th Ave.
Oakland, CA 94601
Phone:  (408) 903-3422
Email:  vocations@sbofm.org
Facebook:  www.facebooks.com/SBFranciscans.Vocations
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/OFMvocation
Website:  www.sbfranciscans.org

Promoting Justice

One summer in the village, the people gathered for a picnic. As they shared food and conversation, someone noticed a baby in the river, struggling and crying. The baby was going to drown!  Someone rushed to save the baby. Then, they noticed another screaming baby in the river, and they pulled that baby out. Soon, more babies were seen drowning in the river, and the townspeople were pulling them out as fast as they could. It took great effort, and they began to organize their activities in order to save the babies as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the babies, two of the townspeople started to run away along the shore of the river. “Where are you going?” shouted one of the rescuers. “We need you here to help us save these babies!” “We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in!”

This is a parable you might be familiar with, but illustrates parts of the mission of the Province of Saint Barbara.  As Franciscan friars of the Province of Saint Barbara we are dedicated to serving the poor by providing food, clothing, housing, and social services.  These activities are traditionally called the corporal works of mercy by the Church. It is our way to share the mercy and love of God and for us to experience the mercy and love of God through the poor and marginalized.  The peace prayer ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi beautifully illustrates this; it is in giving that we receive.   

This week we reflected on the second part of this parable, the two men running upstream to stop whoever is throwing the babies in the river.  As Franciscan friars of the Province of Saint Barbara we are dedicated to promoting justice.  What is justice? 

Justice is a central theme that is pervasive throughout the Bible.  Justice calls for the fair and equitable distribution of life's necessities.  The scriptural idea of justice is based in the truth that all human beings have dignity, worth and are children of God.  Therefore, God created human beings to live in a society of justice, in which everyone would receive everything necessary for life (Gen 1:29). 

The Franciscan friars of the Province of Saint Barbara work to address the structural causes in our society that prevent others from receiving what is necessary for life.  The prophets also declared that God defended the poor, the oppressed and those who had experienced injustice (Am 5:11-12).  This is our call as Franciscans too, to be defenders of the poor and marginalized.  However, we don't simply stop there, Jesus also proclaimed that the wealthy were obligated to see the poor and take care of them (Lk 16:19-31).  Franciscans work among the wealthy too; we help them see the marginalized and provide opportunities for them to share their time, talent and treasures in benefit of the poor.

We are all called to promote justice, but as Franciscan it is a central part of our life.  If you are interested in our way of life you'll need to test your abilities and clarify your desires to serve the poor and marginalized by promoting justice.  Start by searching out opportunities to promote justice.

As you volunteer or work in this field you'll again need to become aware of the movements of consolation and desolation before, during, and after engaging in each political action, march, rally, organizing event, etc...  As you reflect on your experience you'll ask:  Did I experience desolation?  Did I feel weary, dry and dissatisfied?  Did I feel consolation?  Did I feel cheerful and satisfied?  Was I able to engage in these activities with a joyful and generous heart?  These two movements well help reveal the movement of the Holy Spirit in your discernment process.  Read the blog post "Consolation and Desolation" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Next, take your experiences and engage in theological reflection.  Theological reflection is an essential ingredient in the process of spiritual discernment.  It holds the possibility of discerning God's presence and/or direction.  It's the process of standing before your experience 'open' to what may or may not be revealed through the lens of faith.  Read the blog post "Theological Reflection" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Next, share you experiences with your spiritual director and/or vocation director.  This person will listen to your story with an ear for the movement of the Holy, of the Divine.  They will also help you discern between your voice, the world (family, culture, and society) and God's voice within your experiences and theological reflection.  Read the blog post "Spiritual Direction" for more information on using this discernment tool.

Lastly, remember to be nourished by the Word and the Eucharist at Mass in order to be sent forth in mission to love and serve the Lord.  Read the blog post "Freely You Have Received, Freely Give" for more information on why Mass is important for discernment.

At this stage in the journey you are trying to put on the "habit" of serving the poor and marginalized by promoting justice.  You're trying to see if you have the abilities and the desire to work towards justice as a possible religious brother or priest.  Through this process you will ultimately ask, "Am I called to love and be loved as a religious brother or priest through caring for the poor and marginalized by promoting justice?"

This work is not easy, but it's the love of God that sustains and nourishes us in this work.

Peace and all good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

Catholic disciples on mission are called to put Two Feet of Love in Action! This foundational tool describes two distinct, but complementary, ways we can put the Gospel in action in response to God's love: social justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people) and charitable works (short-term, emergency assistance for individuals).  Download the Program.

Personal Reflection:

To begin the discernment process you'll need to reflect upon your abilities, talents, and experiences.  Then you'll ask, "Can these gifts be used in the mission of the Franciscan friars of the Province of Saint Barbara to promote justice for the poor and marginalized?"  How have you or will you promote justice in your community?

Contact Information:

Franciscan Friars
Office of Vocations
1500 34th Ave
Oakland, CA 94601
Phone:  (408) 903-3422
Email:  vocations@sbofm.org
Facebook:  www.facebooks.com/SBFranciscans.Vocations
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/OFMvocation
Website:  www.sbfranciscans.org

Consolation and Desolation

We sat across from each other at the coffee house.  He slowly raised his head.  He looked into my eyes and began to speak from memory:

My mission is to love, when others fail to love.  To notice, when others fail to notice.  To befriend the lonely and forgotten.  I am called to love.  I am called to love with the tender compassion of God.

As he spoke tears fell.  My friend had discovered his purpose, the meaning which would animate and bring wholeness to his life.  A life that had been filled with suffering.  

My friend was severely neglected as a child and carried the wounds into his twentieth year.  His father was in jail.  His mother was bipolar. He grew up in poverty and addiction.  He was shunned and bullied throughout school.  He was now homeless, couch surfing with his sister, and suffered from a rare genetic disorder called, Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) which causes a person's sweat, urine, and breath to give off a strong almost unbearable fishy/body odor.

At the urging of his cousin, he came to the young adult group I facilitated.  We were studying a series called, "Healing the Purpose of Your Life."  Based on a book with the same name by Dennis, Sheila and Mathew Linn.  The book provided a simple way to discover your purpose and meaning for your life.  It used Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. 

The Spiritual Exercises grew out of St. Ignatius of Loyola's own experience of feeling lost and then finding his way.  Ignatius had been a soldier who lived a wild life.  He often daydreamed about the gallant deeds he would perform and the worldly glory he would obtain.  (Does this story sound familiar - St. Francis?)  Then, on the battlefield of Pamplona, a cannonball shattered his leg.  During his recovery, Ignatius read a life of Christ and a book of the lives of the saints.  As Ignatius meditated on what he read, he experienced consolation and he remained "cheerful and satisfied."  As he meditated on the dreams of worldly glory that he previously enchanted him, he experienced desolation and felt "weary, dry and dissatisfied."  As he pondered these two different movements of consolation and desolation, he discovered his personal vocation. 

The Examen:

While discerning your personal vocation to love God and neighbor, it's important that you become aware of these two movements of consolation and desolation within your life.  You will need to put on and practice the "habits" of the friars in order to discover if it brings you consolation or desolation.   These two movements will help reveal your personal vocation. 

Applying the Examen to our Ministry:

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Saint Barbara are dedicated to serving the poor and promoting justice, peace, care of creation, and reconciliation in the joyful and prophetic spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.  Discernment will be a time to put on and practice the "habit" of serving the poor, promoting justice, peace, caring for creation, and bringing about reconciliation.  As you practice these "habits" you will need to become aware of the movements of consolation and desolation before, during and after engaging in each ministry.  

As you reflect on each ministry you will ask:  Did I experience desolation?  Did I feel weary, dry and dissatisfied?  Did I feel consolation?  Did I feel cheerful and satisfied?   Was I able to engage in these activities with a joyful spirit?

Applying the Examen to our Fraternity-in-Mission:

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Saint Barbara are members of a Roman Catholic Religious order, from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and ages.  Discernment will be a time to put on and practice the "habit" of fraternal life and prayer.  You will need to attend our various discernment dinners, come and see experiences, and discernment retreats.  During your time with the friars you will need to become aware of the movements of consolation and desolation before, during and after each experience.

As you reflect on your experience of fraternal life and prayer, you will ask:  Did I experience desolation?  Did I feel weary, dry and dissatisfied?  Did I feel consolation?  Did I feel cheerful and satisfied?  Finally, you will ask did I feel at home with the friars?

Final Reflection:

When you experience a life of consolation you become physically, emotionally and spiritually alive; as my friend experienced in discovering his mission, his way of being, his way to love and be loved.  Finally, take your reflection on consolation and desolation to your spiritual director and vocation director for further examination.

Peace and all Good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

Personal Reflection:

What are you most grateful for today?  What are you least grateful for?  If you were to ask yourself these questions every day, what pattern would you see?  Feel free to share your answers in the comment section below.

Contact Information:

Franciscan Friars
Office of Vocations
1500 34th Avenue
Oakland, CA 974601
Phone:  (408) 903-3422
Email:  sslattum@sbofm.org
Facebook:  www.facebooks.com/SBFranciscans
Website:  www.sbfranciscans.org