Comments on: What Would St. Francis Say About a ‘Year of the Priesthood’

By: Sister Julie Ann

Sister Julie Ann — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:18:05 +0000

Here’s what Pope Pius XI said about St. Francis in 1926 (Rite Expiatis):

What evil they do and how far from a true appreciation of the Man of Assisi are they who, in order to bolster up their fantastic and erroneous ideas about him, imagine such an incredible thing as that Francis was an opponent of the discipline of the Church, that he did not accept the dogmas of the Faith, that he was the percursor and prophet of that false liberty which began to manifest itself at the beginning of modern times and which has caused so many disturbances both in the Church and in civil society!

That he was in a special manner obedient and faithful in all things to the hierarchy of the Church, to this Apostolic See, and to the teachings of Christ, the ‘Herald of the Great King’ proved both to Catholics and non-Catholics by the admirable example of obedience, which he always gave.

It is a fact proven by contemporary documents, which are worthy of all credence, ‘that he held in veneration the clergy and loved with great affection all who were in Holy Orders.’(Thomas of Celano, Legenda, Chap.I, No.62)

‘As a man who was truly Catholic and apostolic, he insisted above all things in his sermons that the faith of the Holy Roman Church should always be preserved, and in violably, and that the priests who by their ministry bring into being the sublime Sacrament of the Lord, should therefore be held in the highest reverence. He also taught that the doctors of the law of God and all the orders of clergy should be shown the utmost respect at all time.’ (Julian a Spira, Life of St. Francis, No. 28)

That which he taught to the people from the pulpit he insisted on much more strongly among his friars. We may read of this in his famous last testament, and again at the very point of death, he admonished them about this with great insistence, namely, that in the exercise of the sacred ministry, they should always obey the bishops and the clergy and should live together with them, as it behooves children of peace.’

By: Sister Mary Ann

Sister Mary Ann — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:13:37 +0000

Thank you for your thoughtful insights Peter!
I agree with your thoughts especially about our need/the need of the Church to deepen our practice of humility and faithfulness.

In the thirteenth century, St. Francis of Assisi held the practice of penance close to his heart. To the first penitents who approached him, desiring to share in his Gospel way of life, he wrote an exhortation through which he urged all those who love the Lord with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength (Mark 12:30) and love their neighbors as themselves, to hate their bodies with their vices and sins. He continued to encourage them to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and produce worthy fruits of penance.

I believe that Francis would encourage all with these words today also! For it is through the Eucharist that one experiences the humility of our God. How can we not learn from this?

By: Peter Sloan

Peter Sloan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:59:33 +0000

Francis’s faithfulness to, and appreciation for, the longevity of “Holy Mother Church” is just one more thing to love about him. At a time when roving bands of penitents like the Waldensians were de-emphasizing the role of priests, Francis and Clare–though zealous penitents themselves–were affirming those roles. With the perspective that only history provides we can see that affirmations like the ones excerpted above (from the Admonitions and Testament) harmonized nicely with the clerical emphases of the IV Lateran Council (e.g. Eucharist, confession).

Today’s atmosphere is very different. The clerical are threatened not by the piety of lay penitents but from cultural disinterest and–in a small number of high visibility cases–from self-inflicted wounds. One doubts that Francis could fail to perceive the threats inherent in our own time. One has to believe–in my opinion–that he would find a way to affirm the office in harmony with the tenets of Vatican II.

In doing so, I have a feeling he would have taught us all another badly needed lesson in humility.

This is a superb blog. A Franciscanized world is where I hope to live. Come visit us at http://www.franciscanaction.org, too! Pax et Bonum.