Category Archives: Ascetic Theology

St. Francis of Assisi; Friar (04 OCT)

04 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Ascetic Theology, Inspirational Christians, Saints and Feast Days, The Church, The Liturgical Year

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Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 – Collect from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2003

St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers. Though he was never ordained to the Catholic priesthood, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and is one of the two patron saints of Italy (with Catherine of Siena). It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of October 4. He is also known for his love of the Eucharist,his sorrow during the Stations of the Cross, and for the creation of the Christmas creche or Nativity Scene.

 -From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi

REFLECTION

St. Francis is one of the most admired saints in all of Christianity. His love of all of God’s creation (humanity, animals, the environment) is highlighted in many seminaries worldwide. His story of being a rich kid who gave up his wealth to be in service to others is highly admired. As many people who love St. Francis, many find it difficult to actually live as he did. His sacrifice was much more than living in poverty. It was the teaching of the faith, the loving of the “least of these.”

Upon my priestly travels, the religious order that I interact with the most are the Franciscans (used to be the Jesuits). The first Roman Catholic Priest who invited me not only to process with him, but to have a seat in the altar/sanctuary is a Franciscan.  My first priestly confession was with a Franciscan priest. I have a fond admiration for the Franciscans. It is as strong as my admiration for the Jesuits, but its different. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston is Cardinal Sean O’Malley, a Franciscan – Capuchin.

St. Francis was also a strong advocate for helping his fellow brother and sister when it came to developing religious orders. He was very instrumental in the establishing the “Poor Claire’s” with Claire of Assisi as well as helping St Dominic with the establishment of the Orders of Preachers (Dominicans). This sort of Christian collegiality by St. Francis is often overlooked. If we pay attention to it, we can see clearly this value being embodied in our current Pope.

The Inauguration Mass For Pope Francis

Pope Francis I, a Jesuit, does embody many of the qualities of St. Francis. His love of the “least of these” is evident not only in this picture, but in many scenes we have seen since his conclave. The washing of the feet of incarcerated women, praying over babies in large crowds, and blessing those with physical and mental disabilities are just a snapshot of his view of the call to the ministry and the ideals of St. Francis. Like his name sake, he is not quick to judge, but will adhere to sound Christian doctrine and Christian collegiality. It is noted that he and Anglican Bishop Gregory Venables are close friends. He has met with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and with Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (the two have not had the best relationship in the past).

At the end of the day, the most important part of the St. Francis’ legacy his love and care for all of God’s creation. Its that love that drove his preaching, teaching and sacrifice of himself for the work of the Lord.

 – JMH+

Tuesday of Holy Week (26 MAR)

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Ascetic Theology, The Liturgical Year

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Jesus Predicts Death

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

REFLECTION

Holy Week or Passion Week is perhaps the busiest time of the year for clergy. Some may argue that the twelve days of Christmas are, however I beg to differ. Considering the sorrowfulness of the week leading up to Easter or Resurrection Sunday, compounded with the amount of tasks that need to be completed, this time frame stretches even the most squared away clergy person. As I prepare for the Holy Week activities both in the parish I serve, and the many other ministries I am active in, I make sure to pause and sit in the midst of this sorrow. I try to image the thoughts of those involved.

Today’s Gospel reading is from the Gospel according to Saint John, 12.20-36. Jesus is letting the apostles know that HIS time to depart is approaching. They do not fully understand, due to their human and finite logic. It is much the same logic that we display when certain acts or events occur in our lives that we do not understand. They are concerned with making sure the preparation for the Passover Seder is being addressed and managed. This is much like how we worry about the Easter Sunrise Service being attended to, and not placing time in to reflect on the reason for the Sunrise Service in the first place.

During the remainder of Holy Week, I encourage you to find time to pause…to reflect on why this time of year is so important. I urge you to make time to commune with Jesus. I pray you well during this Passion Week.

 – JMH+

St. Peter Damian (21 FEB)

21 Thursday Feb 2013

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“O holy Virgin, 
Mother of God, 
help those who implore your assistance.
Turn toward us.
Have you perhaps forgotten us
because you have been elevated
to a position close to God?
No, certainly not. 

You know well in what danger you left us.
You know the miserable condition of your servants.
No, it would not benefit such great mercy
as yours to forget such great misery as ours.

Turn toward us, then,
with your power,
for He who is powerful
has made you omnipotent in heaven and on earth.
For you, nothing is impossible.
You can raise even those who are in despair
to a hope of salvation.
There more powerful you are,
the greater should be your mercy. ..

 – Excerpt from St. Peter Damian’s Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

St. Peter Damian, like yesterday’s inspirational figure, was born into poverty. While he struggled financially, he was not deterred mentally. His older brother Damian (who Peter adopted the name Damian from), an archpriest, encouraged him to study the faith and become a scholar focusing in Theology and Canon Law. St. Peter Damian did so. At some point while serving the  church and the academy, he decided to leave both and become a Benedictine monk. He dedicated his life to reforming the church, as in that era, the church was full of hypocrisy and corruption.

REFLECTION

I had a conversation regarding PhD programs with a colleague of mine. She completed her program, PhD in hand at a school I’m considering. We kind of did it in reverse; I earned my M.Div and DMin (expected) and then, hopefully, PhD. She did the PhD, MDiv (expected), and hopefully DMin.

I struggled to articulate my concern for the PhD. She hit it on the head. She said:

“You are concerned with the expectations of getting the PhD aren’t you? The expectation to get a job at a prestigious university, fight for tenure, publish tons of articles and a couple of books. The pressure to adding something new to the Academy. This is on top of your role as a clergyman and the demands of the ministry. Listen, you have to make sure that if you do embark on a PhD, then it must be on God’s terms. If you earn one, you must use it for God’s purpose. It is all possible that God may want you to get a PhD, and not serve full time in a professorship. God may want you to get a PhD, so you can be an adjunct and serve the church at the same time. The skills and prestige of a PhD are needed for both. In the end, if God wants you get one, you will get it. You have to make sure you use it the way he wants you to.”

St. Peter Damian used his education the way God wanted him to. He could have went into teaching at the university level and wrote enough books that seminarians in 2013 would be forced to read. However, he chose to become a reformer and monk. He decided to use a worldly good, education, and use it for the uplift, development and sustaining of God’s Kingdom on Earth. His story really resonated with me. We all should use our worldly goods for the Kingdom of God. I have a lot to ponder. We have a lot to ponder.

 – JMH+

St. Conrad of Piacenza (19 FEB)

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

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St Conrad

Almighty God, You attracted Saint Conrad through his zeal for justice to serve You faithfully in the desert. Through his prayers may we live justly and piously, and happily succeed in coming to You. Amen.

 – Roman Catholic Prayer

St. Conrad was a relatively “well-to-do” man whose carelessness and repentant heart turned his life around. The story begins with St. Conrad hunting with his servant or entourage equivalent. He tells them to light a fire in woods. The fire then spreads and destroys everything in its path. A random peasant is blamed for the fire and is sentenced to execution. Right as the man is being lead to his death, Conrad comes clean about the fire being his fault. He pays for the damages, which wipes out all his possessions. He is reduced to poverty.

He takes this experience as a time for he and his wife to grow closer to God. As a result, they decided to split up. He became a Franciscan hermit, and she became a nun in the Order of Poor Clares. He earned the reputation of being devout and holy. Soon after, we went into the desert in order to escape the crowds and grow closer to God. He died on 19 FEBRUARY 1351 while praying in front of a crucifix.

REFLECTION

St. Conrad’s story is one of redemption. It’s the story of a guy who messes up, attempts to fix the mistake, and realized that the opportunity to make the attempt is granted by God. The act of selling all his material possessions and splitting up with his wife, all to serve God is remarkable. Many in today’s society one would never sell all their possession, and would divorce their spouse at the drop of a dime.

He, in effect, went from riches to rags, and then to riches. Its a story we can learn from. Rather than chasing financial wealth, we can chase the spiritual wealth, that is a right relationship with God.

 – JMH+