Was St. Francis a dreamer? 

The answer to the question which forms the title of this reflection is, Yes! St. Francis of Assisi was a dreamer, but he was also a very practical man. He may have started to dream about something, but he usually came forth with a conclusion. The Secular Franciscan Order (OFS), was a grand dream of St. Francis, and it is through this order that lay people, men and women, married or single, have the opportunity to achieve something of great beauty: Heaven.

In the days of Saint Francis, most lay people were not educated, unlike the clergy and those in religious orders. Whether that prevented them from getting into Heaven, we'll never know, but St. Francis made it possible for lay people, through the OFS, to pledge their lives to God, and be of service to all people. We are to evangelize Catholicism, Christianity, and God's love... and as Franciscans, we have been given a spiritual instrument to feed those who hunger for the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thanks to St. Francis, we have found a way to live a holy life, and to pass what we learn along the way, to many other people. So perhaps we are dreamers, too.

In Pope Pius XI's Encyclical Letter "Rite Expiatis" (1926), he writes: "it seems necessary for Us to affirm that there has never been anyone in whom the image of Jesus Christ and the evangelical manner of life shone forth more lifelike and strikingly than in St. Francis.” For this reason, while he called himself "the Herald of the Great King," he has justly been styled "the second Christ," because he appeared like Christ reborn to his contemporaries no less then, to later ages, with the result that he lives today in the eyes of men and will live unto all posterity."

In reflecting on the Holy Rule of the OFS, when read carefully, one inalterably comes to the conclusion that Christ is reborn through those who master daily conversion, the way St. Francis intended for us, through a life of humility and penance, where He increases, and we decrease. Going from Gospel to Life, and from Life to Gospel is living in obedience. Our Lord "humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death on the Cross". Through your profession, you have pledged yourself to follow Jesus and Saint Francis! If we love Our Lord, you will find his commandments easy to follow. Like Jesus and Francis we must be moderate, charitable, grateful, givers of good examples, if you want to reach for it through prayer. But our Order isn't a society of saints, not by any means. When we start out as Secular Franciscans, there is nothing saintly about us. Perhaps after many years as a Franciscan, others may say we have become a holy person, but that's not for us to say. In other words, brother John can never say of himself that he's holy. Because the minute he claims to be holy, he's committed a sin of pride! And that's so un-Franciscan.

The OFS is an true Order for lay people. We differ from the First and Second Order of St. Francis, because we do not live in community in the same way they do. Our Community, is the Fraternity, and we do not formally meet every day, but many of us see each other daily. As Franciscans we are never alone. God is with us, so is Saint Francis. And, our Franciscan sisters and brothers are with us too, in prayer, and in spirit. We are all on a pilgrimage, together. This is a pilgrimage dreamed of by our Seraphic Father, St. Francis. We are all striving to get into Heaven, and we know that St. Francis gave us a definite way to accomplish the task and reach the end goal. It is OK to dream of Heaven!

As I have written previously in these reflections, some people have no idea what Heaven could be. We know that in Heaven, we will be with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and with the Angels and Saints, and of course, with Our Lady, and with Saint Francis and all those who followed him. There will be a lot of people there. As people of a modern culture, we undoubtedly ask ourselves what about our dogs and cats, will they be there? And, are there sports in Heaven? I have no idea whatsoever, but it seems to me that when we are with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we will be so filled with His love that we do not need anything else to stimulate our sense of Joy.

Once in a very deep meditation I saw an image of what Heaven could be. But I cannot describe it. The image projected an idea rather than something recognizable. It seemed like a Globe, consisting of thousands of people with God in the center. These people were Spirit. It conveyed that no one lacked anything, there was no more pain and anguish. There was only pure Joy. What else do we need? Nothing! As Franciscans we are on this pilgrimage of holiness, this highway to sanctification. Dream of it. Do your share and God will help you. He will bless you and keep you eternally. He will show his face to you in the sanctuary of the saints. He will turn His countenance to you and give you eternal rest in eternal peace. 

Fred Schaeffer, OFS, September 2020

from: Reflection #309, Oct. 2008, rev. 2018, 2020

(Republished from Reflection website 10/4/2022 /fss