J
JReducation
Guest
Some of you have been asking about the Franciscan Brothers of Life and I am delighted to have aroused your curiosity. I have been asked such questions as when will the Brothers be fully approved, how many are there, are they Catholic, and are they a community.
The best way to explain this is by telling you the story. I’ve been a Franciscan for many years. A few months ago I realized that there is a great need for the spirit and fidelity of St. Francis among those who are expecting children and are struggling with the question of abortion. I also saw many people who are chronically ill. Doctors and family members are judging their lives to be lacking in quality and encouraging these people to give up and allow themselves to die. Then there are elderly people whom society does not protect, because they no longer contribute materially. I also came to a profound understanding of the pain that those who have had an abortion now feel. It came to me that those who support abortion or perform abortions are also beloved sons and daughters of the Father. God loves their souls too.
As I prayed to our holy Father Francis, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and my Franciscan brother, St. Maximilian Kolbe, I was struck with the hunger for Jesus that these people experience. Suddenly, I could almost see, in my mind, the child in the womb shrink away in horror, helplessness and pain from the intruding instrument that would tear him or her apart. I began to cry.
I shared my thoughts with other Franciscan brothers and sisters. One brother encouraged me to take my thoughts to the local bishop. I did. We met many times. One day, I received a strange telephone call from one of the auxiliary bishops. The Archbishop had appointed one of the priests of the Archdiocese, one with a lot of experience in religious life and formation work, to discern with me how to start a new branch of the Franciscan family, the Franciscan Brothers of Life.
It is very rare for an Archbishop to do this. When I met with the appointed priest we talked a great deal and he said, “God wants this work. Your Franciscan family and the Archbishop have given you a green light to go ahead. Can’t you see it?” I stuttered, not knowing how to answer. I felt so small and afraid.
When my vocie returned, I asked him about all of the canonical paper work and procedures. I’m in vows. How would I get out of them to found a new community? These were just some of the questions swimming around in my head. His answer was quite simple.
“God and the Archbishop will take care of that. You take care of forming the brothers. This is a state of emergency. Children are dying. Society is denying the Gospel of Life. Materialism has taken over the primacy that life once occupied. God has been displaced. Only brothers who life and love as St. Francis did can turn this around.”
I went back to my spiritual director. He hit me with a strange question. “Are you ready to be a father again?” I understood the “again” part. I was married, the father of three children and widowed. But the question perplexed me. He said, “You have to father these brothers until they can run on their own.” I told him that I needed to find the right brothers first. He then reminded me of Mother Teresa and of Francis. He said, “Both of them were called to do something beautiful for God. When they accepted, God sent them brothers and sisters.”
I asked how I would recruit these brothers. He said, **“Just tell them that there are children whose lives need to be saved. If someone has a vocation, he will hear and come.” ** That night I prayed.
The next day I found four letters asking about the Franciscan Brothers of Life. I guess my message is simple. Can you hear the voice of the child in the womb, see the hopelessness of the sick and the elderly, the pain of the post abortion parent, and the soul of the abortionist? Can you feel Christ’s love for them all?
Have a Blessed Christmas and may the infant Jesus fill you with the same passion and love as he filled our holy Father Francis at Greccio.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
The best way to explain this is by telling you the story. I’ve been a Franciscan for many years. A few months ago I realized that there is a great need for the spirit and fidelity of St. Francis among those who are expecting children and are struggling with the question of abortion. I also saw many people who are chronically ill. Doctors and family members are judging their lives to be lacking in quality and encouraging these people to give up and allow themselves to die. Then there are elderly people whom society does not protect, because they no longer contribute materially. I also came to a profound understanding of the pain that those who have had an abortion now feel. It came to me that those who support abortion or perform abortions are also beloved sons and daughters of the Father. God loves their souls too.
As I prayed to our holy Father Francis, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and my Franciscan brother, St. Maximilian Kolbe, I was struck with the hunger for Jesus that these people experience. Suddenly, I could almost see, in my mind, the child in the womb shrink away in horror, helplessness and pain from the intruding instrument that would tear him or her apart. I began to cry.
I shared my thoughts with other Franciscan brothers and sisters. One brother encouraged me to take my thoughts to the local bishop. I did. We met many times. One day, I received a strange telephone call from one of the auxiliary bishops. The Archbishop had appointed one of the priests of the Archdiocese, one with a lot of experience in religious life and formation work, to discern with me how to start a new branch of the Franciscan family, the Franciscan Brothers of Life.
It is very rare for an Archbishop to do this. When I met with the appointed priest we talked a great deal and he said, “God wants this work. Your Franciscan family and the Archbishop have given you a green light to go ahead. Can’t you see it?” I stuttered, not knowing how to answer. I felt so small and afraid.
When my vocie returned, I asked him about all of the canonical paper work and procedures. I’m in vows. How would I get out of them to found a new community? These were just some of the questions swimming around in my head. His answer was quite simple.
“God and the Archbishop will take care of that. You take care of forming the brothers. This is a state of emergency. Children are dying. Society is denying the Gospel of Life. Materialism has taken over the primacy that life once occupied. God has been displaced. Only brothers who life and love as St. Francis did can turn this around.”
I went back to my spiritual director. He hit me with a strange question. “Are you ready to be a father again?” I understood the “again” part. I was married, the father of three children and widowed. But the question perplexed me. He said, “You have to father these brothers until they can run on their own.” I told him that I needed to find the right brothers first. He then reminded me of Mother Teresa and of Francis. He said, “Both of them were called to do something beautiful for God. When they accepted, God sent them brothers and sisters.”
I asked how I would recruit these brothers. He said, **“Just tell them that there are children whose lives need to be saved. If someone has a vocation, he will hear and come.” ** That night I prayed.
The next day I found four letters asking about the Franciscan Brothers of Life. I guess my message is simple. Can you hear the voice of the child in the womb, see the hopelessness of the sick and the elderly, the pain of the post abortion parent, and the soul of the abortionist? Can you feel Christ’s love for them all?
Have a Blessed Christmas and may the infant Jesus fill you with the same passion and love as he filled our holy Father Francis at Greccio.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1: