Temporary Profession

        “Moved by the power of the Gospel, we all experience the call always to begin again and to bring about a continuing inner conversion, so that we may be conformed to Christ – and with Him be given over to the service of the Father, and of our brothers and sisters as well.  In this journey toward permanent commitment, perseverance is a gift of God. Let us pray, therefore, that as we make progress in loving one another, we will remain faithful to the end.” 
       These were the beautiful words prayed over myself, my husband and eight other candidates recently, as we stood at the front of St. Luke’s Church in Calgary on a sunny Sunday afternoon during a special Mass.  Having journeyed together for two years, learning about what it means to follow in the footsteps of “the little poor man of Assisi”, we had all discerned that we were ready to seek Temporary Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order - another decision on the road to Permanent Profession. 
       In unision, all ten of us declared these words before the congregation:  “I make for one year my commitment to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after the example of St. Francis of Assisi, according to the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order.” The common denominator we all felt that afternoon, I think, was great joy.  We couldn’t stop smiling.
       Since we began our time of formation two years ago, I have constantly been challenged to truly live a more simple life, striving first and foremost for oneness with God. It’s been two years of very intentionally trying to travel through each day with humility, bearing peace to those around me. Believe me when I say it hasn’t been easy! But it’s put me on a path of ongoing change of heart, questioning my priorities and examining my intentions.  In these past two years I’ve experienced my share of discouragement as I saw the need over and over again to free myself from the blockage and brokenness of sin.  But I’ve also experienced extraordinary peace, through the process of realizing that though we are all selfish, erring little children, we are also intensely, completely and unconditionally loved by our heavenly Father. 
       Fr. Louis Geelan OFM, the Spiritual Assistant of our fraternity, earnestly prayed these words for us at the end of the Mass:  “Hear our prayers, O Lord, and grant that these, our brothers and sisters, who strive to spend their daily lives in service to others, may imbue their earthly affairs with a genuine Gospel spirit.”
       As I listened to his prayer while standing in front of the members of our fraternity, I also remembered the encouraging words of St. Francis himself, in the Prologue to our Rule: “Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them, because the spirit of the Lord will rest upon them, and He will make his home and dwelling among them.” 
       Amen to all the wonderful words we were blessed with on this important day.  And now, as Temporary Professed Franciscans, the journey continues!

Connection

            My Dad passed away about a month ago.  The pain of losing him is still pretty raw and deep, but I’ve been reflecting on how fortunate I was to be able to spend lots of time with him over the past few years, especially after my Mom died in 2010. 

            Caring for elderly parents is one of those parts of life that can be a blessing or a burden, and is usually a bit of both.  Dad had a habit of phoning me at inconvenient times. I had to shout at him because his hearing wasn’t very good, and sometimes that was frustrating.  He’d often ask me to do him a favour that didn’t fit very well into my schedule. But I can also honestly (and thankfully) say that we had lots of really good times together…going to concerts, our regular weekly power-walk and coffee, watching old movies at his place, going out for breakfast, kayaking on the river, teaching him how to knit. He was a great guy, and I miss him.

            Hanging out with your elderly parents is one of those things that isn’t very heroic or courageous or spectacular.  You just do it.  And I think, in the general scheme of things, those common little loving things we do that are pretty ordinary and sometimes even a bit boring might have more significance than we realize.

            In a recent homily (on the Vigil of Pentecost), Pope Francis encourages us to “make present in society the leaven of the Kingdom of God”, primarily through “the witness of brotherly love”.  But he also warns us to beware of the risk of “falling into the trap of hyper-efficiency.” It’s very easy to start thinking that we must be “wise” about where we spend our time and energy, to make the most of our efforts and bring about “maximum results”.  But there is danger in that way of thinking. As the Pope points out, the Church is not an NGO. God’s Kingdom isn’t about being politically correct or well-organized or specially qualified – it’s simply about being connected with others. It’s about loosening your grip on your ego, instead of feeding it.  When we just naturally (without strategizing and weighing the benefits) are helpful and kind and loving to the folks around us, something cosmic is going on.  We’re bringing more of God into the world, because God is love.  We’re doing combat against the darkness. 

            This week I listened to a talk by Peter Kreeft, and he speaks about how much easier it is to love “humanity” instead of your neighbour or, as he puts it, “the idiot you live with”.  The truth is that Jesus is not looking for high achievers, or winners in some moral attainment contest.  He is looking for people who are willing to help each other in simple, ordinary ways; willing to walk the talk; willing to open their hearts and be led by the Holy Spirit; willing to “do the right thing” even if it’s inconvenient or not very exciting.

            This Sunday is Trinity Sunday.  It puts a spotlight on the fact that God is all about relationship – a giving and receiving of mutual love.  The universe is held together by that kind of love. Through the mystery of the Trinity, God Himself invaded our world disguised as a homeless carpenter’s son who roamed the countryside dispensing friendship and hope and forgiveness to whoever came across his path. He connected with people. We are called to do the same, because friendship and hope and forgiveness actually have the power to change the world. And, not incidentally, change us, too.

Irish Stew

Patience has become almost a dirty word in our fast-paced western world.  We all want fast food, immediate answers, speedy service and short lines at the grocery store.  Even conversing with someone who talks a bit slow can be frustrating to people like me who, shall we say, sometimes lack patience (ask my husband and children!) Quick wit, quick analysis of problems, quick completion of tasks – these are the things that are rewarded in our corporate culture. In most of my past jobs, especially when I was a school administrator, superior time management was the most prized quality; inefficiency the greatest sin. I subscribe to a great podcast called Radiolab, and I recently listened to an episode all about SPEED.  It was illuminating and rather scary to hear about the mad race to bring out newer, faster technologies to satisfy our collective impatience.

Contrast this with Mary, who exemplifies patience.  What an enriching Lenten exercise to meditate on this aspect of her character…her patience in accepting the Angel Gabriel’s announcement that she would bear God’s Son, without demanding to know all the future implications for her life; her patience with Joseph as he came to terms with her pregnancy; her patience while she waited for the birth of Jesus; her patience as she witnessed her Son’s life and ministry unfold and pondered all these things in her heart; her patience as she stood at the foot of the cross, waiting for Him to die; her patience as she walked alongside the apostles in the challenging early years of the church.

I sometimes get depressed when I contemplate my son’s slow advancement towards better health.  As much as I’d love to rush the process, it’s obvious that we have a long road ahead of us with his neurological disorders.  There are no easy answers or quick fixes for Tourette’s Syndrome. But in order to cope I’ve been forced to live life one day at a time – noticing and celebrating the small successes as they come.  Basically, it has required me to stop rushing around like an impulsive, crazy little rabbit, and most especially to stop basing my actions on my fears for the future.  Instead, God has been inviting me to slow down and open my eyes fully to the present – and that has been a wonderful gift.  I see the truth in Mother Teresa’s warning to us all: “We cannot find God in noise and agitation.”

Revelations 3: 20 always touches me deeply: “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” The way that the Creator of the Universe paints Himself in this picture of patience is a clear illustration of His commitment to us.  He refuses to barge in – but He also doesn’t walk away just because no one answers His knock.  His example of loving patience, standing at the door and waiting, leads me to want to return that commitment, to work in partnership with Him in the growth and restoration of my own spirit and that of others.

The journey to Profession as a Secular Franciscan is not rushed. It’s a time of formation – and transformation – not just a time of instruction. It’s spread over three or four years to allow for exploration and study and reflection, in community with other travelers on the same road. For me, it’s been a good lesson in learning to accept God’s pace, whatever that might be, in the midst of a world that seeks instant gratification.  It necessitates making certain choices, kind of like the choice between microwaving a processed, pre-packaged meal for supper, or taking the time to dig out the slow-cooker early in the morning, find my mom’s Irish Stew recipe, do some chopping and slicing and then let the ingredients simmer for hours.  No question about which one requires more effort…but also no question about which one tastes better at the end of the day.

“Live deep instead of fast.”

-Henry Seidel Canby