Introduction to the construction of the Franciscan house
The 4 pillars
On September 17th 2013, the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis while the Institute has entered the Jubilee year, every day of this year will lead us towards September 17th 2014, the anniversary when we received in the church and by the church, the name of Franciscan Servants Mary.
To get a new name is a grace and a light on our daily journey, and also a commitment.
Upon entering the Franciscan family we entered a house built on the Rock of the Gospel. The foundation of which is Christ with his message of washing the feet, ” I give you a new commandment: Love one another” (Jn.13). This founding speech is taken up again in our rule and life: Fraternal life No. 23. The strength of a house depends on its foundation, nothing can shake it. Despite the storm, the wind, the rain, the house cannot collapse (Mt.7, .21 – 27).
A Franciscan house is built on the word of St. Francis who in his testament tells us: “After the Lord gave me brothers, no one revealed to me what I should do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the gospel.”
For us FSM, this foundation is our life of sisters called fraternal life of which Christ is the Centre, the Source (Constitutions n°. 137-142). By my Profession I am committed to live the gospel in fraternity, with the sisters that God gives me.
Once foundations are dug deep, the construction rises, supported by the four pillars that support the house: contemplation, poverty, minority, conversion. Throughout the year we march together in each community working to assemble the four pillars of our home, our home: we will be asked, proposed to remain at length and hold the laying down of each of the pillars to strengthen it. Knowing that the four pillars are dependent on each other, the strength of the construction of a house depends on the strength of the quality of each detail, foundation, pillar, roof, etc.
The first pillar is contemplation. When we think of contemplation it is often linked with prayer: contemplative prayer, contemplative order, etc.
CONTEMPLATION
Contemplation: Action of contemplating: carefully observing something, a person who likes to contemplate is called a contemplative… «to gaze at, to contemplate “. Contemplating: Looking at something at length, watching with attention and admiration, remain contemplating something that I find beautiful, nature, a sunrise, a sunset.
Look with admiration, love, and reverence, a work of art, the face of a loved one. Contemplating: look at length and carefully with a general sense of awe or admiration. Unable to take one’s eyes off a spectacle that arouses strong emotions.
Synonyms for the word contemplate: admire, consider, examine, watch, scan, search, fix, see.
Contemplation: deep meditation where the soul of the person is concentrated, absorbed in God, in recollection, meditation, observation. Consider with all the force of one’s attention, either with the eyes or by thought.
Each of us is a being, a contemplative person, each of us is attracted to what is beautiful, by what our soul, our mind, our thoughts are fed; we would like to keep as a souvenir (taking a picture) want to share with every person around, “come and see how beautiful it is. ”
In the light of the Word of God:
At the beginning of the world God contemplates, looks at the creation, the man he created, and He sees that it is beautiful.
The Psalms are filled with an attitude of contemplation: “I ??saw you in the sanctuary, I contemplated your strength and your glory, your love is better than life, you will be the praise of my lips” (Ps 62). This contemplation of what God made ??springs wonder.” What is man that you should be mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him” (Ps 8). The prayer of the Office invites us to contemplate this: “O only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we contemplate in your face, the glory with which you shine with God before the ages.”
Contemplating Christ through the gospel: Jesus looks, observes, contemplates his surroundings, he invites us to take a long look, to observe, to discover the marvels that God, Providence has done for us. “Look at the birds, the lilies of the field” (Mt 6, 26-30).
Jesus contemplates the action of the Father in the lives of children and rejoices under the action of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10: 21). Jesus looks carefully at the people around him: the widow’s mite … scenes of everyday life, the lost coin, the leaven in the dough, he uses a parable to reveal to us what the kingdom of God is like … St. Peter invites us to fix our gaze “as on a lamp shining in a dark place until the day shines and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Pet 1-19). Saint Paul invites us to contemplate the Spirit who prays in us. “Abba, Father.” The meditation of the Word of God nourishes, strengthens, and consolidates this pillar of Contemplation.
From contemplation is born the desire to share, to witness: ” What we have seen what we have contemplated with our eyes, we proclaim to you” (1Jn. 1, 1).
Contemplation of Francis. His biographers Thomas of Celano, St Bonaventure speak of a contemplative man: ” His most ardent desire, to observe the holy Gospel, he spoke his words in assiduous meditation and entertained in a deep contemplation the memory of his actions. Two subjects engrossed him so much that he could hardly think of anything else: humility manifested in the Incarnation and love shown by the Passion. 1Celano, 84 . ” The contemplative soul was happy to find, during his travels, a shack in a solitary place, staying there a long time and annihilating himself in contemplation of the wounds of the Saviour, it was not a quick prayer” 1 Cel 171.
St. Francis used the word contemplation very little, only once, in his writings. The contemplation of Christ through the apostles, in connection with the Eucharist: “The apostles, when they watched with their bodily eyes, saw his flesh, but when they gazed with eyes of the spirit, and contemplated, he was God” Adm 1.
Meditation of some events in the life of St. Francis can make us understand the contemplative soul: The Crucifix of St.Damian, Greccio, the canticle of creatures, the perfect brother.
The Crucifix of St. Damian. “Driven by the Spirit there he came to pray and prostrate before the crucifix, fixing his eyes on the cross … The Crucifix is printed in his heart throughout his life he will bear in his heart the marks of the Stigmata of the Lord Jesus ” 3S ch. 5 No. 13-14 . LM , c. 2 , verse 1.
Greccio. At this time when we march towards Christmas we will be invited to meditate at length, to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation: the message of the crib in Greccio. ” He spoke his words in assiduous meditation and entertained in deep contemplation the memory of his actions … I want to see, contemplate with my bodily eyes, as he was, lying in a manger and sleeping on the hay” 1Cel.30 No.84. Clare also contemplates the mystery of the Incarnation: “Behold the poverty of the child lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. What an admirable humility and shocking poverty ” 4th letter Verse 19.
Canticle of the Creatures: St Francis looks at length, observes everything that surrounds him, and deeply imprints it in the memory of his heart: flowers, water, the moon, the sun the stars, and even the earth worm which takes him back to the Passion of Christ, “and I ‘m like a worm,” Psalm 4. When he is blind and suffering from many infirmities, from his heart gushes forth praise and thanksgiving, “Lord be praised. You’re beautiful, you’re great, you are our great sweetness, you are humility.”
Contemplate the qualities of brother. “Francis has transformed the brothers into saints by the ardour of his love, and with the fervent zeal he had for their perfection, he often examined in himself the qualities and virtues that a good friar Minor should possess.” Mirror of perfection85. Reminder to look at length, to see the qualities of our sisters, to contemplate the presence of God in every person I meet.
Saint Clare: Receiving the name Franciscan, Sister Marie Virginie became Mother Marie Ste Clare . Pondering on the writings of St. Clare feeds our soul.
Testimony given by her sisters at the process of her canonization recounts: “She was steadfast in prayer and continual contemplation: Minutes of canonization 4.4. In the advice given to Agnes of Prague Clare wrote: “Behold this mirror every day. Behold the one whose love makes one happier and contemplation stronger. 4th letter. Viewing him, meditate on him, contemplate him and have no other desire than to imitate him ” 2 Letter 20.
Reading the life of St. Francis and St. Clare, meditation of Our Rule and Life, of the Constitutions, provides us the necessary conditions that promote this attitude of contemplation.
Prayer life:Chapter 3 of our Rule and life and Constitutions: Word of God, spiritual reading, spiritual stops, community prayer. “We want to contemplate in silent prayer”: No. 67. St Bonaventure reminds us of the zeal of Francis for prayer, and the power of prayer: ” He tried always to keep at least his mind in the presence of the Lord by a continuous prayer, to avoid being without the consolation of the Beloved … he stated with conviction that the grace of prayer is what a religious must ask before anything else” LM chapter 10.
After contemplating Providence at work throughout the day, at night before we fall asleep, we can repeat: “Now Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen, contemplated your salvation ” Prayer of Complines .
With the Virgin Mary who kept all things in her heart, let us ask for each other this grace of contemplation.
