Laying the third pillar of the Franciscan house: minority .
After contemplating Christ in his Incarnation, and having chosen to follow Him in his poverty, we lay, with St. Francis and our Foundress, the third pillar: minority. The word minority is rarely used today and its definition in the dictionary has very little to do with what we call in the Franciscan language ‘ Minority ‘, if not the concept of: ‘least, small’. “State of a person who has not attained the age of legal majority. Group that has the least number of votes in an election or in a voting. Small community within a larger whole : e.g: ethnic minorities.”
Minority is often confused with humility yet minority and humility do not have the same meaning.
Humility is a human, spiritual attitude. To be humble, to recognize one’s weaknesses, limitations, sin … of such a person we would say that he/she is humble
Minority is an action, a free choice to place oneself ‘lesser than’ in one’s relationships, mission, one’s fraternity … of such a person we would say to be beholding oneself as a minor. Minority cannot live alone because it is a quality of relationship.
Francis did not use this word of minority, but he uses the word coming from the Latin “minor» which means little, less, least. Francis rooted his desire of “minority” in the person and the teaching of Christ-Servant. For Francis, the one we must follow, the one we should imitate, is Christ.
In the Person of Christ. For Francis minority is rooted in his way of contemplating Christ-servant. The attitude of Christ who, on the evening of Holy Thursday, tied the apron of the servant to wash the feet of his disciples. “I have given you an example that you also should do as I have done to you.” (Jn 13:15).
In His teaching. “A dispute arose among the apostles as to which of them, in their opinion, was to be regarded as the greatest. But Jesus said to them: the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.” (Luke 22, 24-27) Francis takes this passage especially as a guideline for the brothers, in their relationship to one another: ” but it will not be the same among the brothers: who wishes be the great among them shall be their servant, and the greatest among them will be the smallest ” 1st Rule, Chapter 5 , verses 9-15.
For his brothers: Francis wants for himself and for his brothers this attitude that goes against the current in the usual way of being in relationship : “We should never desire to be above others, but we must be servants and subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” 2nd letter to the faithful 42 and 47.
Francis wants that brothers be called Minor: “All without distinction will be called «minor ” 1st Rule 6, 3
The rule included this sentence: “let them be small ” (1st R 5.12 ) or one day while reading the rule, he interrupted: “I ??want our fraternity to be called the Order of Friars Minor.” And in fact, they were minors, subject to all, they sought the last place and despicable jobs that might mean some humiliation; in so doing, they wanted to lay on the solid foundation of true humility the spiritual edifice which would group all virtues in a blissful architecture.” 1 Cel 38.
Following the example of St. Clare. Our Foundress received the name of Clare. It is for us an invitation to meditate her writings. She has left us this spiritual legacy of service. Both of them, by their life wanted to be “Sister and Servant ” “lesser than”. St Clare wanted to be the mother, sister and servant of her sisters and not their Abbess. When she writes to Agnes of Prague, Clare defines herself: “Clare, unworthy servant of Christ and useless servant of the servants of Christ who live at St Damien’s ” (4th letter verse 2). At the end of her testament Clare signs: “Your mother and your servant.” In the process of canonization are many testimonies. “Clare often washes the feet of the servants returning from the quest, and when they are washed, she imprints them with kisses, she thus reproduces the gesture of Christ on Holy Thursday.” Invitation to meditate on the writings of St. Clare.
Our name Franciscan Servant of Mary gives us a colouring in the Franciscan family which is perceived by others as our originality, our identity. To be lesser than, to be a servant, to take the lowest place, this is stated clearly in the first chapter of the Constitutions No. 7: “Each of us is invited to be the servant of all, and seek to occupy the last place. This is our particular way of living and announcing the Gospel and especially this Commandment of Christ: “If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet .” (Jn 13,14) Happy shall we be if we do it.
Our manner of conducting ourselves, and entering into relationship with everyone is defined in a few and very simple words.
Chapter 5 of our Rule and Life and the Constitutions “The way to serve and to work” gives us concrete guide lines:
– Living preferably with the little ones of the society No. 98
– Serving and working as servants: Not to be concerned to have a work in the lime light or better paid. No 104
– Not by a vain seeking of diplomas or personal glory. No 102
– The service of Minority will determine the choice of activities to be maintained or to be undertaken, always under the mandate of the Institute and in fidelity to its proper aim. No 103
– We must be sisters, servants and friends. This excludes all power of domination and will to power and in general all responsibility placing us in a position of superiority. No 106
However, in certain situations, before such an event, we are sometimes called upon to accept responsibility. Then we must be doubly vigilant and contemplate Christ in His humiliation “Christ Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” – hymn of Philippians 2,7.
To consider ourselves as less than, is not natural to us, and is not the fashion of the day. To embark on this path may seem to be ridiculous, impossible without having received this call and this grace of the Lord to follow Him … “This way is difficult. It is a great grace to be received. Being lesser, according to the gospel is not only to oblige oneself to do what the last one does but to do it with the heart and the Spirit of the Lord. This changes everything. ” (‘Wisdom of the Poverello ‘).
In order to remain faithful to the mission that we have received in the Church, we must constantly redefine together our identity of Franciscan Servant of Mary, which is deepened every time through Chapters, Assemblies and anniversaries of the Institute. These texts reread during our spiritual reading, can also be a guide and enlighten one or the other aspect of our relational life in fraternity and in our apostolic activities.
March 25, 1916: 60th anniversary of our founding: “Conduct yourself as a servant . The servant is not the one who commands or the one who says I’m in this place and I remain there, nor the one who refuses to work or to devote himself, be it even in the smallest jobs … she is humble, dedicated, serviceable in difficult tasks as in those that are pleasant to her. To all these qualities add ‘doing for the love of God’ “(brother Eugene Oisy, Provincial Minister of the Capuchins ).
General Chapter 1994: Our priorities for the promotion and welfare of women, as well as our other apostolic activities, demand that we rethink of our way we live and work. Attitude of minority, service and peace
General Chapter of 2000: ‘sisters and servants.’ Following Francis and Marie Virginie, in all situations, we want to be and act as sisters and servants, companions of the poorest, in a spirit of minority, humility and simplicity.
Assembly of the Institute in Varanasi in 2003. Let us become more and more sister and servant.
General Chapter of 2006: Our Identity of FSM . ” Inspired and nourished by the Word of God, ( Philippians Ch 2) I feel the urgent need to live an evangelical attitude of sister and servant personally and in my relationship with others in the community as well as those who are around me. I want: to be clothed in simplicity and littleness, disappropriate myself of all that I am and all that I have, in a spirit of minority, consider others as better than me, the sisters that God gives me and those with whom I work or I meet, consider it a privilege to serve and not be served regardless of the milieu and the situation where I live.”
Simple texts that do not require any commentary, but a relecture, a meditation, a choice, a commitment renewed each day to remain in the following of St Francis and our Foundress: simple and small, it is our special way of living the gospel, as it is said in the Assembly of the Institute in Bangalore in November 2009 “It is by our life of simplicity, of poverty, by the spirit of service in the way we serve and work that we can transmit this heritage to our younger generation.”
These guidelines can enlighten us still in our sharing in fraternity. In preparing this reflection on minority, I read and meditated several recent articles of the Franciscan family. I share this questioning that challenged me in my way of understanding and living the minority today: What is our attitude? Do we act as proprietors of our jobs, of our mission ( making of our activities a private enterprise ) and do we perform the humble tasks that befall us like the many services meant to contribute to the common good? In the various areas of our social life which are the aspects of our behaviour that are marked by the spirit of minority or the desire to dominate?
Each one by her experience and in the truth of her heart knows that it is difficult to remain long in the attitude of minority for very often power and domination exercise a powerful attraction on every person. So it is good to remember this word often, this advice given to our first sisters:
“Remain always simple and small, you had been created to take care of the humble and small. If you are seeking to raise yourselves, putting on airs of grandeur, those for whom you had been founded will not dare to approach you. Remain what you are. If you want to be pleasing to God. The field is vast; you have where to spread yourselves.”
An exhortation taken from the first letter of Peter, (Ch 2, 21 ) appears frequently in the writings of Francis “Follow in the footsteps of Christ.” May we be given the grace, personally and in fraternity, during the Holy Week, especially on Holy Thursday, to “follow in the footsteps of Christ” in his abasement, kneeling at the feet of his disciples. Then ‘happy shall we be, if we put it into practice. ” (Jn 13, 17).