St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
January 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
New Year 2025 begins with the blessing God gave Moses for Aaron to bless God’s People. This blessing our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi made his own and our Mother St. Clare embellished. May the blessing serve as a prayer and deep desire for all. The blessing is filled with hope for all people of good will on whom the Father’s favor rests (Luke 2: 14). Our hope that God bless us, our loved ones, all creation with His peace, is the yearning of the human heart (cfr Romans 8:22). The peace the world seeks is a peace the world cannot give unless we disarm our hearts. Then only will we be able to see and recognize the Lord among and within each one of us, God’s beloved children.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
May He live with you. May you always with Him!
In this Holy Jubilee Year of Grace we say Praise Be You, My Lord in the words of the Canticle of the Creatures. We are Pilgrims of Hope (words of Pope Francis). The Jubilee Year calls us to Christian Hope, Reconciliation, and Forgiveness. Christian Hope encourages us to see and recognize the goodness of God in all His children. Yes, we are faulty. Created in God’s Love, we still lose our way at times. God offers us a lifetime to get “back on track”.
We experience the goodness of God in repentance and reconciliation with God through the sacramental life of the Church. Once we receive the grace of God’s forgiveness, we are “spirited” to bring the grace we received to forgive those with whom we may be at odds. Reconciliation through forgiveness and grace leads to the ultimate intimacy with God in the Eucharist. Reconciliation and Eucharist open closed hearts and lives and allow the goodness of God to touch others through us. Sincere friendship with God challenges us to search for goodness, and we find it in some of the most unexpected moments and persons!
St. Francis of Assisi would often greet people with: Buon Giorno Buona Gente (Good Day Good People). The goodness of God manifest in the People of God is what we strive to live and grow in every day
If our Seraphic Father were here in the flesh, this is most likely one of the ways he would greet us as well. His love for God and all creation opened the eyes of his heart to look beyond the flaws that envelop all human beings. He seemed to see a ray of goodness in everyone. We can see this in his Canticle of the Creatures. Everything and everyone speak to the “Poverello of Assisi” of the wonder and goodness of God.
When a young man knelt before Jesus and said: Good Teacher! What must I do to inherit everlasting life? Jesus immediately replied with a question that subtly challenges us to ponder more deeply our response: Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone (Mark 10: 18).
We all know that only God is truly good, all good, the highest good, the Lord God living and true (Praises of God by St. Francis). But the question of Jesus and the greeting of Saint Francis should make us realize that in each of us, fruit of God’s eternal love through the love of those who gave us birth, there is an image of the goodness of God. We are challenged to recognize, accept, and manifest the image and likeness of God (cfr Genesis 1: 26) as a gift and responsibility entrusted to humanity at the very beginning of the world. The strength of the reflection of God in us is determined by the intensity of our relationship with God. The greater we conform ourselves to Jesus, the more we reflect the goodness of God. God’s Word-made-man, Jesus the Christ, challenges us to listen to God’s Word and to live His Holy Will. I have come not to do my own will but the will of Him Who sent me (John 6: 38-40).
After praising the beauty and majesty of God in Brother Sun, Francis continues: Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven. You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
The sun Francis praises, resplendent with light, power, brilliance of majesty and glory speaks to us of the majesty and power of God. It is that power that enables us to look for and see the goodness of God in everyone and everything. Even when His light is hidden from view, He, the Son of God, is there.
Goodness by nature is forever overflowing with newness of life. The sun is a created source of maintenance and development, together with other factors, of all life in our world. St. Francis understands that as nature follows its daily course, God provides the necessary continuity of the sun’s powerful presence even when it seems to “hide from us” during the night. Then it is that the light of the sun shines by its reflection on the heavenly body we call the moon. We know the stars are suns in their own areas of the vast universe. Nevertheless, their distant flickering lights are like so many “Christmas lights” that dispel the total darkness of the universe. They “twinkle” with hope. The moon and stars brighten the hearts of those who look at the heavens. Look and see with the eyes of faith and you will recognize the splendor, magnificence, power, and care of the Creator in His inimitable work of Creation.
Sister Moon reflects the brilliance of Brother Sun who is a sign of the Creator. The first work of God created the light and separated light from darkness. The sun rules the day, and the moon reflects the hidden light of the sun at night (cfr Genesis 1: 1-6). The moon becomes, as it were, the sun’s mirror that enlightens the darkness of night. The goodness of God can never be matched or equaled! It can be reflected in the hearts and lives of those who accept to reflect God and His Most Holy Will in their lives.
The moon reflects the power, warmth, and brilliance of the sun. We too stand with the Son, the Son of the Father, and seek to reflect the strength of His reassuring presence, the warmth of His compassionate selfless love, and the simplicity and clarity of His truth about God and all creation. We follow in His footsteps and hope to reflect the goodness of the Lord Jesus in all we are and do. He is Son of God and Redeemer of Humanity. His birth in Bethlehem signaled the beginning of Jesus’ Ministry of Redemption of all God’s children. We can never hope to be as resplendent as Christ. We are however expected to reflect the image and likeness of Christ, the Son of God, at every moment of our lives.
How much goodness there is these days! How much goodness there is in our fraternities! How much goodness there is in our world?! Yes, in our world! A world filled with violence, war, death, natural disasters, disease, illnesses of all kinds, terminal illness. How much goodness there is in our fraternities, regions, national fraternities and Order! There is so much goodness – Godliness – in all creation. There are times when the actions of human frailty seem to cover or even smother the goodness we seek. The challenge at those times is to “reflect the light and shine the darkness away”.
We will never find what we do not carry within our hearts. Peaceful hearts find peace even in the midst of confusion. Merciful hearts show mercy even when it is not reciprocated. Loving hearts always love regardless of the response given. The Brothers and Sisters of the Gospel Life, Instruments of God’s Peace, strive to live the godliness we profess. Thus, we strive to become a means of encouragement for others to discover, re-discover, uncover, appreciate and live the goodness all people truly desire.
Like the moon, we are commissioned to be conformed to and reflect the person of Jesus, the Son of God. The light of His truth, the warmth of His love, the dignity of His person, the affirming impact of his words, and crucial meaningfulness of His very presence and teaching, become the fruits we share with Jesus. These are signs of our unconditional acceptance of the mission entrusted to us, God’s children. Jesus reminds us: The sun shines on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). We reflect the warmth of the Son (of God), thus we too must reflect the same benefits we receive. We are instruments called to shine with those gifts on all creation. No exceptions permitted!
The following paraphrase of a Chinese Proverb could be a gentle reminder of how much we are truly capable of when we allow God and His goodness to reign in our hearts:
- If there is goodness in our souls, we will shine with God’s grace.
- If we shine with God’s grace, there will be harmony in our fraternities (homes, workspace, etc.).
- If there is harmony in our fraternities, we will discover order in our lives (homes, workspace, etc.).
- If there is order in our lives, there will be peace, joy and love in our hearts, (homes, workspace, etc.).
- and in the entire Secular Franciscan Family.
- So, Let goodness shine with the brilliance of the Son!
Goodness, grace, harmony, order, peace, and joy in love! What greater gifts could we hope for from God as we begin a new calendar year, a Jubilee Year of Grace as well! God grants us these wonderful gifts that make Life Worth Living. Thus, even our Franciscan Way is meaningful, fruitful, attractive and welcoming to others. God invites and expects us to be collaborators with Him in achieving this fullness of Spirit and Life (cf. John 6:63). Without God’s presence in our endeavors, we would be unable to witness the truth, beauty, and personal fulfillment the Franciscan Gospel Life effectively offers anyone seeking to “Live Jesus”. Our God can do all things. Yet, God binds Himself to our collaboration. Such is the goodness of God. God desires we be His ambassadors, as if God were appealing through us (2 Corinthians 5: 20) that goodness and godliness be accessible and appealing to others.
God is first, even in our search. The more we discover God in our lives, the more we know ourselves. That I may know You so that I may know myself (Confessions, St. Augustine). Once the reflection of God shines within me, I see others more clearly from God’s perspective of love, mercy, providence, and forgiveness.
Get back in touch with God. It cannot be we first. It must be God first! Then we can let God burst through in our lives to shine in such a way that those who see us, see not us, but the God that lives within (Luke 17: 20-21).
The words of our Seraphic Father in the First Rule, sound true for all Franciscans: For if a mother loves and cares for her son (or daughter) according to the flesh, how much more diligently must someone love and care for his brother (and sister) according to the Spirit!
– The Spirit will challenge us to recognize and affirm goodness within everyone. Since goodness is Godliness, you will recognize a Divine Presence mysteriously yet powerfully present and active within and among you.
– Goodness will allow the gifts of one another to shine beyond the limitations that we create. These limitations separate and destroy – negative criticism, jealousy, pride, manipulation, lack of cooperation, and so many other traits we can all see in some way in ourselves. The ‘brightness’ of those who seek the ‘good’ excels in ways that manifest the wonder of God’s grace. God offers us our unique gifts from Him for the sake of the whole body. Our Franciscan Family is a ‘little church’, and as such, a type of the great Mystical Body of Christ. Goodness encourages us to work together, accepting, affirming, appreciating, supporting, cooperating and collaborating with one another. Thus we bring the spiritual sign of our consecration in Baptism and our Franciscan Profession to a concrete reality that overflows from us through the Spirit into the lives of others.
– Harmony begins to reign, where once competitiveness and suspicion may have been present. Harmony allows us to enjoy one another and truly share our hearts and souls in the Lord, as the early followers of Saint Francis did. We rejoice with those who rejoice, and encourage and support those in difficulty.
– No longer is there separation and confusion, but Order. Order of itself leads to serenity and peace. An ordered life knows where it is going and the means at its disposal to achieve the goal sought. There is no confusion or fear. An ordered life offers clarity of direction and leads to serenity of heart.
– Peace of soul and peace in life follow. This peace, the peace that only God can give to those who are open to His Spirit, ultimately leads to inner joy. It can be noticed in our pleasant demeanor with everyone.
– The end result of all this is Love. Not the fuzzy feeling we talk about so often without really realizing what we’re saying or talking about. True God-centered ‘love’ is fearless, faith-filled, confident, surrendered to God. He is the God we have discovered and recognized in our search for goodness. He is the God who strengthens us that we may disarm our hearts to one another. We thus live in the bond of Love in the Spirit that fulfills the words of our Father St. Francis in the Rule cited before.
In the beginning of the First Version of the Letter to the Faithful, our Seraphic Father writes:
All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, and with their whole strength and love their neighbor as themselves, who hate their bodies with their vices and sins, who receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who produce worthy fruits of penance. O how happy and blessed are these men and women while they do such things and persevere in doing them, because the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them and makes its home and dwelling place among them, and they are children of the heavenly Father Whose works they do.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, Saint Francis had such confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit. He reminded the friars that Holy Spirit is the true Minister General of the Order and St. Francis only the Vicar of the Spirit. As the Lord told St. Francis what to do, St. Francis was the voice encouraging others who sought to follow the Gospel Life the Lord had called him to follow. Saint Francis continues to have that same confidence in each one of us. He sought, and achieved the desire of his heart, to be conformed to Christ. To see St. Francis was to see the image of Jesus. He mirrored the image of Christ. What about us? The moon follows laws of God in nature. We decide whom we will follow and to whom, if anyone, we wish to conform ourselves. Surrendering to Christ is not a defeat but a true victory. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2: 20).
Without the sun the world, life itself, could not exist. Without the Son, the Son of God, life would have no meaning. We reflect the Son so that the light of His words and resplendent glory of His Death and Resurrection may shine brightly through us who seek to conform ourselves to Him and reflect His presence in our world, the Theater of Redemption.
The Gospel Life we have professed in the spirit of the Poverello of Assisi, challenges us to commit each day to take time out of our routine to: spend quality time with the Lord in Prayer both personal and liturgical, participate in and receive the Eucharist faithfully and when not possible to at least read the scriptures of the day and reflect upon them in union with the Church and make a Spiritual Communion, grow in the fraternal spirit that is essential to the Franciscan charism and our particular fraternities.
Let us be aware and grateful to the Lord Who is effectively working for and through each one of us. May we open our hearts in praise of God and in trust of one another. Let us be open to the Spirit Who speaks to the very depths of our soul. This is a time for us to grow in spirit and truth (John 4: 24). The Spirit is at work among us. May we not stifle the work of the Holy Spirit!
In this Jubilee Year of Grace, may the Holy Spirit breathe His life-giving breath more powerfully into our mind and heart. Let us take time to pray, really pray, even without words! We are Pilgrims of Hope called and sent to encourage anyone and everyone to open the doors of their hearts to Jesus hidden among us and within everyone.
In the Eucharist, see yourself on the journey with Jesus. Climb Calvary and experience the fulfillment of the Covenant in His Body and Blood. Re-commit yourselves to that Lord who offers to make you His image in a world so much in need of a living presence of the Savior. In Communion, be truly in communion with Christ and His Church. Let the One you consume consume you. Be in communion with the Christ we all become spiritually and mystically when we allow His precious Body and Blood to perform its ‘sacred invasion’. He conquers us that we may become Victims with the Victor. Be willing to continue to “be Christ” as best you are able. Let the world encounter Him in you and that it may rekindle its faith, hope, and love of God Who creates, redeems, and sanctifies.
As the New Year 2025 begins on the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, we entrust our world and time itself to our Mother’s almighty motherly intercession. May Mary see in each one of us the image and likeness of Her Son our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
Have a Blessed and Joy-filled New Year 2025
Where the Prince of Peace reigns
And all creation praises the Creator
For having created us
Who are who we are before God and nothing more and
Nothing less than God’s children redeemed in the Blood of Christ and
Called from limited time to an eternity of God’s Love.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
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