National Minister’s Message November 29, 2019
In the Footsteps of all the Franciscan Saints
A message to all the members of the Secular Franciscan Order
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Peace and joy to you in Christ Jesus!
I thought of you, each member of our Order, as I pondered these readings (from Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise) for the Feast of All the Saints of the Franciscan Order (Nov. 29):
Reading: Ephesians 1:15-18, 2:10,22 (with comments)
“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you, as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you (all of us!) a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you (we!) come to know …what is the hope (the great hope!) to which God has called you (to which God has called us!), what are the riches of God’s glorious inheritance among saints…(Think of it! This is our inheritance!) For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them…. and you also (all of us!) are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Reading: Bonaventure, The Evening Sermon on Saint Francis (emphasis added)
“The heavens encompass everything, they contain all things, yet they are contained by nothing… There is no star however small whose immensity would not fill the earth and give it light. Though the lights and rays of each star coalesce in the atmosphere, they are found to be distinct when we look up at the stars themselves. It is something similar with devout souls whom the Holy Spirit enlightens with divine radiance. These are the posterity of the Holy Spirit and this posterity is as the stars of heaven, for the Holy Spirit brings forth devout souls in an altogether wondrous way.” (FAED II, 729)
In my prayer this morning I asked God to continue to guide each professed member of our Order, to grant each of you the wisdom and strength and perseverance that you need. I am honored to be your minister. You are the devout souls spoken of in this passage above; and I do not cease to give thanks for you, as I remember you in my prayers. Thank you, my sister and brother devout souls! Thank you for being such shining stars, as we are being built up into a dwelling place of God. This truly is wondrous!
May God’s grace help us as we do what is ours to do, as we have been called. And, “let us not take our minds off of God, but rather with a pure heart and mind, and in whatever way we are best able, let us serve, love, honor and adore the Lord God, for that is what God wants above all else.” (Cf. Earlier Rule 22:25-26)
With love, prayers, and a grateful heart,
Jan
P.S. Happy New Year! Let us look back in gratitude, and look forward in hope, as we journey together in love and compassion.
DID YOU KNOW
The What’s and Where’s to Find
on the National Secular Franciscan Website
As suggested by Jan Parker, our National Minister, we would like to provide “DID YOU KNOW” blogs in the coming months of what this tremendous site has in store for us.
We will start with the CALENDARS pages.
THE CALENDARS
The CALENDARS contain four calendars:
- Full Calendar (All Events),
- OFS Retreats, Workshops, and Chapters
- Regional Elections and Visitations
- Franciscan Holy Days
Let’s look at with Franciscan Holy Days.
On your Computer:
From the HOME page, place your cursor over “Calendars” on the top bar.
The four calendars will be listed in the drop-down.
Click on “Franciscan Holy Days”. And this displays…
On your phone (I am just learning the “how to’s” with viewing websites on my phone and some phones are different),
But there are three small lines on top each other – in the right top somewhere (on some phones or sites they will be on the left). Tap these lines and the top bar of available pages (Home, News & Updates, Resources, Calendars, Contacts) will list on your phone.
Tap “Calendars”.
Now, you can view the calendar by the month or in a list of events.
The “VIEW AS” allows you to choose a calendar view by the month or in a list.
Now, on the monthly calendar, Scroll down to the end of the calendar.
Viewing the calendar by the month on Nov 23rd, the date bar of Nov 23rd is highlighted and the previous days are lightened,
On Nov 26th is St. Leonard of Port Maurice. Click or press the Saint, and a page will display with information on that saint.
To view other months, you can click or press, at the end of the calendar, on the previous month (October) or the next month (December).
Or … you can go back to the top of the calendar and use the “EVENTS IN” box to get to another month and even in another year.
MORE in the next “DID YOU KNOW” blog.