A Pantry Full of Food and Gratitude

Brothers Sam and Scott collect frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving
with volunteer firefighters at the St. Anthony Foundation.

September is Hunger Action Month™, when Feeding America and member food banks ask everyone in America to take action to fight hunger in their community, all month long. The Franciscan friars of the Province of Saint Barbara's sponsored ministries are proud to take part in this national outreach.  Everyday we are reaching out to those who are struggling with the basics of life.  Read about Br. Scott's work with our sponsored ministry the St. Anthony Foundation...

She was holding her stomach as she approached. I could tell she was a few months pregnant. “I’m really hungry; I’m pregnant, and I’ve run out of food,” she shared with a hint of desperation in her voice. In San Francisco, one in five adults lacks the resources to provide food for themselves or their families. In the Tenderloin that number is as high as one in two.

I continued to listen to her struggles to find adequate and nutritional food. I made sure she was connecting with other resources, CalFresh (food stamps) and Women with Infants and Children (WIC). She was, but like other recipients of these benefits she needed to supplement them with other food program to meet her nutritional needs.

After paying rent she was forced to choose between food and health care. This is a situation that gets played out every day in the Tenderloin. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I’ve heard this story. I’m stationed on Fridays at St. Anthony’s Social Work Center, where I help our guest access our emergency and supplemental food pantry for individuals requiring special nutritional support, seniors, and families.

Her sense of desperation began to fade as I told her she qualified for our supplemental food pantry. Within 20 minutes she was enrolled in our program and walking out the door with two full bags of groceries, and a heart full of gratitude for St. Anthony’s social workers, benefactors and volunteers. As I said good-bye to her my next appointment was coming in. He had a different story, but shared the same need for nutritional food to support his battle with cancer.

 As Catholic Christians we are called to engage in the Corporal Works of Mercy.  Can you name all seven of them?  Trying naming them and then check your answers using the list below.  (The answers are spelled backwards)

• yrgnuh eht deef oT
• ytsriht eht ot knird evig oT
• dekan eht ehtolc oT
• sselemoH eht retlehS oT
• kcis eht tisiv oT
• denosirpmi eht tisiv oT
• daed eht yrub oT

How many did you get right?  How many of them do you practice?  I am going to challenge you this month to choose one Corporal Work of Mercy and practice it.  It is through "action" that we manifest the Good News for others.  St. Francis of Assisi understood this as he told his brothers, "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

If you are discerning a vocation to religious life its also imperative that you begin to practice the Corporal Works of Mercy.  Your vocation will be worked out among the poor and marginalized, as it was for St. Francis of Assisi.  It was his starting point:

The Lord granted me, Brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: While I was in sin, it seemed very bitter to me to see lepers.  And the Lord Himself led me among them and I had mercy upon them.  And when I left them that which seemed bitter to me was  changed into sweetness of soul and body; and afterward I lingered a little and left the world.

Lastly, reread our vocation blog post called, "Consider your Gifts" for more information on how to discern religious life while working with the poor and marginalized.   

Peace and all good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

 

Practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy

 St. Anthony Foundation - San Francisco, CA

Personal Reflection:

What Corporal Works of Mercy do you find easy to do?  What Corporal Works of Mercy do you find difficult to do?  Feel free to share you answers in the comment section.

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

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

Consider Your Gifts

If every vocation is a call to service, we should consider our gifts and experiences and try to judge how they best match up with the needs of the world and how they align with our desires.  In doing this it quickly becomes clear that many options may match our desires, but not our gifts.  For example, I might have a desire to be a professional basketball player and therefore come to the conclusion God is calling me, but if I lack the talent and skills even though I have the desire it become clear I'm not called to this profession.  The opposite can happen too.  I might have the skills and talent to be a great chef, but if I lack the desire, it becomes clear that I am not called to this profession.  The same holds true for religious life.  You need both desire and the ability to minister and live as a Franciscan friar of the Province of Saint Barbara.

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?"  Compare your gifts to our Mission Statement:

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Saint Barbara are members of a Roman Catholic religious order, from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures, 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.

The next step is to test the use of your gifts against our mission of serving the poor, promoting justice & peace, caring for creation, and bringing about reconciliation.  I recommend starting with direct service to the poor or marginalized.  As you volunteer or work among the marginalized become aware of the movements of consolation and desolation before, during and after engaging in each experience.  As you reflect on your experience 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 experience 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 experience 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 experience 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 serve the poor and marginalized.  Read the blog post "Freely You Have Received, Freely Give" for more information on why Mass is important for discernment.

Finally, at this stage in the journey you are trying to put on the "habit" of serving the poor and marginalized.  You're trying to see if you have the abilities and the desire to work with the poor and marginalized as a possible religious brother or priest.  Through this process you ultimately ask, "Am I called to love and be loved by the poor and marginalized as a religious brother or priest?" and "Am I called to love and be loved by God as a religious brother or priest?"  Your experiences and relationships with the poor and marginalized will help reveal your calling on how to love God and neighbor.

Peace and all good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

The Gubbio Project was founded by Louis Vitale, OFM a Franciscan friar
of the Province of Saint Barbara.  This ministry is one example of our outreach
to the poor.  How can you be present to the poor and marginalized in your area?

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?"  What gifts, talents, skills and experiences would you bring to religious life?

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
Website:  www.sbfranciscans.org

Freely you have received, freely give.

I stood over the bed of my grandmother.  It was my turn to say good-bye.  Tears began to form as I held her hands; words were so hard to form.  I became overwhelmed as I told her one last time that I loved her.  A week later, I stood amidst my family, her friends and friars who had gathered for her wake.  I wept with them, not out of grief, but out of overwhelming gratitude. 

I experienced a love lavishly poured out upon me through my grandmother.   A love that was freely given and undeserved, a love I could never repay.  It was in that moment I understood how much God loved me.  I stood there in the abundance of thankfulness, giving thanks for God's love expressed through my grandmother. 

The heart of our faith is Eukaristos a Greek word translated into English as Eucharist, which means to be grateful and is now usually translated as "thanksgiving."  To give thanks is at the heart of our Catholic faith.  We gather around the Lord's Table to celebrate the Eucharistic, to give thanks for the gift of His sacrifice:  There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13).

We experience the greatest love in the sacrifice of the Mass.  Therefore, Mass is essential for men and women in discernment for religious life.  Mass is where we encounter Jesus' real presence.  The Church teaches that Jesus' presence is found in the community gathered (Read: Camp Emmaus), in the Word of God (Read: The Word of God), in the priest or bishop who is presiding (Read: I Confess to Almighty God), and in the Eucharistic species (Read: Theological Reflection).  To know God's will is to know God.  God is Love (1 Jn 4:8). Therefore, there can be no greater place to encounter God's love than the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The only way to really know God is through the experience of love.  We will never be able to choose the way of God if we are not in some way familiar with God's presence, God's voice, and God's touch.  Discernment is experiencing how God is calling us to love and be loved.  Am I being called to love and be loved as a religious brother or priest?  Am I being called to love and be loved as a diocesan priest or deacon?  Am I being called to love and be loved by a spouse and children?  Or am I being called to love and be loved as a single man?  Love is the key to discernment because God is love (1 Jn 4:8). 

I know I am blessed.  I was afforded a love that some haven't because of life circumstances.  I rejoices at the love of my grandmother; a love like Jesus that was freely given and underserved.  It would be at my grandmother's funeral that I would come to understand that I was called to share this love with others.   Freely you have received, freely give (Mathew 10:8).

Jesus isn't simply talking about giving of our time, talent, or treasure to help others, but to share the essence of His love.  Freely we have been forgiven of our sin, and freely we should forgive others.  Freely we have been shown mercy, and freely we should show mercy.  Freely we have received redemption through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and freely we are called to live and say, "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).  Lastly, I can say and do because my grandmother shared God's love.  I can honestly say, "I am a Franciscan friar because I was loved into this life. "

Christ knows it is not always easy to be like our Heavenly Father.  He offers us His Son, so when we eat and drink of the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass, we are nourished to go forth and continue the work of Christ.  The word Mass comes from the Latin meaning "dismissal" or "sending forth."  We are reminded of this at the end of Mass when the priest or deacon dismisses us with these or similar words:  Go forth to love and to serve the Lord.   That is our mission as Catholic Christians.  

Freely you have received, freely give (Mathew 10:8).

Peace and all good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

St. Francis of Assisi, had a deep devotion to the Eucharist and Saint Bonaventure commented that Francis would be swept up in ecstasy after receiving Communion.  For Francis the adoration of the Eucharist amounted to "seeing Christ".  St. Francis is credited with starting Eucharistic Adoration in Italy, which soon spread to other parts of the world.

Personal Reflection:
To announce and realize the good news of the kingdom of God is the vocation of the Friars Minor, it is our mission.  The Order of Friars Minor exists for its mission (Constitution of the Order of Friars Minor). 

Being Friars Minor does not consist in living for ourselves, but for others.  The Fraternities of the Order of Friars Minor are outward looking Fraternities, not groups closed in on self.  Our cloister is the world and our mission is to make the Kingdom of God known (Constitution of the Order of Friars Minor).

Do you feel called to our mission?

Contact Information:

Franciscan Friars
Office of Vocations
1500 34th Ave
Oakland, CA 93105
Phone:  (408) 903-3422
Email:  vocations@sbofm.org
Facebook:  www.facebooks.com/SBFranciscans.Vocations
Website:  www.sbfranciscans.org

To Know God's Will, Is To Know God.

At the beginning of my Confirmation class, I share the following story with our candidates from the program called Confirming Faith...

"Once, just as a sculptor was beginning to work on a new block of marble, he noticed a young boy standing in the doorway of his shop.  The boy didn't say anything.  He just stood watching the great man chisel away at the block. The boy came often to the sculptor's shop.  He watched the chunks of marble fall away one by one-first large chunks, then finer and finer pieces-until he could see a form emerging from the marble. One day the boy arrived at the shop to find that the block of marble had been transformed into a magnificent lion, poised and powerful and larger than life.  For a long time the boy stood in amazement just looking at the lion.  Finally he turned to the sculptor and said, "Hey, mister, how did you know that there was a lion inside that marble?"

I then proceed to share with the candidates that in a very real sense the boy's perception of what happened was right.  There was a lion inside the marble - a lion that was clearly visible to the eye of the great sculptor.  The artist saw his task as that of bringing to light the true beauty that was hidden in the marble block.  In the case of Confirmation we are calling forth the Gift of Faith already present through the sacrament of Baptism.

Through our Baptism we all share a common vocation: "To Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27).  How our vocation gets lived out takes on a variety of forms.  Some of us are called to religious life as a brother, sister or priest.  Some are called to diocesan priesthood, or the deaconate.  Others are called to marriage, and some are called to life as a single man or woman.  Each are expressions of the common vocation.

Entering into a time of discernment is about bringing to the surface our vocation to love.  A task we are all called to, not just those discerning a vocation to religious life.  It's a time to reflect on our gifts, talents, desires and passions.  It's a time to discover how best to use them to love God, and one another.  Scriptures tells us how to discern our vocation:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

To know God's will is to know God.  You must seek him with all your heart.  You must call upon His name and spend time in prayer.  Deep personal prayer is where discernment begins.  Nothing fancy!  Solitude, Eucharist, Liturgy of the Hours, meditating on Scripture, and retreats are all cherished places of Franciscan discernment.

If you discern with our Vocation Director that you might have a call to religious life.  The Friars will invite you to apply to our Postulancy Program.  Postulancy is our nine month program for formal acceptance into the Order.  It provides an orientation to Franciscan community life, prayer and ministry.  Postulancy is a place to continue your discernment with the Friars about your vocation.

During your time in postulancy the question of "Who Am I?" will be at the fore front of your discernment.  Just as the great sculptor was tasked with bringing to light the true beauty that was hidden in the marble block.  Postulancy is tasked with chiseling away negative attitudes, beliefs, personal issues and answering questions that prevent the image of God from surfacing within you.  What we hope will emerge during postulancy is the charism of a Franciscan Friar.  What is called forth, might actually be different, but equally beautiful.  We might find a husband and father in the waiting or a great Jesuit like Pope Francis.

Whether the image that begins to emerge is that of a Franciscan Friar or another form of life postulancy will have done what it set out to do, to bring to light the image of God found within each one of us.  An investment the Franciscan Friars are willing to make for all of God's children, whether they become Franciscans or not. 

Peace and All Good,
Bro. Scott Slattum, OFM

The Province of Saint Barbara's Postulants and Franciscan Friars gather with Archbishop John Vlazny from the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon to celebrate Mass.  Celebrating Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, meditating on scripture and faith sharing are central to the life of a Franciscan Friar.

Personal Reflection:

According to the National Religious Vocation Conference new members to religious life are most likely to say they were attracted to religious life by a desire for prayer and spiritual growth.  What forms of prayer help you grow in your relationship with Christ?  Feel free to share your answer in the comment space below.

Contact Information:

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