Lockdown
(This poem originally appeared in the Spring 2020 Issue of the TAU-USA #100)
By Brother Richard Hendrick, OFM Cap.
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan
after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the west of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the
housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number through the neighborhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul.
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic.
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul And though you may not be able to touch across the empty square,
Sing.
Brother Richard Hendrick is a Capuchin Friar and guardian of the Ards Friary and Retreat Center in Donegal, Ireland and teaches Christian meditation and mindfulness on social media. He has also been active in youth ministry. Through his poetry, he shares his message through social media, calling for solidarity and empathy. Shortly after posting “Lockdown” on Facebook it went viral around the world touching people’s hearts and giving by giving them hope.
https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2020/07/27/lockdown/
FRANCISCAN LIVING
(This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 Issue of the TAU-USA #100)
ST. CLARE: HER LIGHT AND HER WORDS
By Francine Gikow, OFS
Have you ever read what St. Clare actually wrote? If not, you will be in for a pleasant surprise! Although a lot has 
been written about St. Clare, reading what she actually said can be quite an eye opener! Her words are ripe with rare beauty, full of medieval sensuality reminiscent of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew bible. In her words, St. Clare reveals her relationship with the Lord and her Franciscan heart. She is a mystic in love with Love incarnate!
Please don’t rush through these words of St. Clare. Read them slowly and let them seep into your heart and become your prayer. Savor them! They are Clare’s gift to you!
In her letters to St. Agnes of Prague, St. Clare describes her relationship with her God and Spouse. She writes:
“Draw me after you,
let us run in the fragrance of your perfumes,
O heavenly Spouse!
I will run and not tire,
until You bring me into the wine cellar,
until Your left hand is under my head and Your right hand will embrace me happily,
You will kiss me with the happiest kiss of Your mouth.”[1]
Clare did not easily arrive at this sacred place, however. She united herself with the Suffering Jesus, insisted on the love of poverty, and persevered in her vocation throughout her life.
“If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him;
dying on the cross of tribulation with Him,
you will possess heavenly mansions with Him among the
splendor of the saints
and in the Book of Life your name will be called glorious
among the peoples.”[2]
Clare embraced poverty, understanding that poverty’s riches lie in dependence on God alone. In her words: “For I firmly believe that you know the kingdom of heaven is promised and given by the Lord only to the poor because she who loves what is temporal loses the fruit of love.”[3]
Finally, St. Clare exhorts us:
“What you hold, may you hold,
What you do, may you always do and not stop.
But with swift pace, light step, unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
may you go forward
securely, joyfully, and swiftly,
on the path of prudent happiness,
believing nothing,
agreeing with nothing
that would dissuade you from this commitment.”[4]
As you can see, Clare was a strong lady. She fought for her “privilege of poverty,” owning nothing, but relying only on what the good Lord would provide. She “agreed with nothing” that would dissuade her from this commitment to follow the poor Christ. She persevered despite many challenges.
We shall conclude with St. Clare’s exhortation and blessing:
“Always be lovers of your souls and
those of all your sisters [and brothers.]
And may you always be eager to observe
what you have promised the Lord.
May the Lord always be with you and
may you always be with Him. Amen.”[5]
All quotations from: Clare of Assisi: The Lady. New York, N.Y.: New City Press, 2006. Used with permission.
[1] 4LAg. 30-32.
[2] 2LAg 21-22.
[3] 1LAg. 25.
[4] 2LAg.11-14.
[5] BlCl. 14-16.
https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2020/07/26/franciscan-living/