Franciscan Reflections - 2

Going Up the Mountain

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Our beloved Saint Francis of Assisi went up the mountain of La Verna to be open to the Lord. La Verna, "an isolated mountain, situated in the center of the Tuscan Appenines, and rising about 4000 feet above the valley of the Casentino. Its name (Latin, Alverna) is said to come from the Italian verb vernare, to make cold or freeze. On May 8, 1213, La Verna was given to St. Francis by Count Orlando of Chiusi as a retreat "specially favorable for contemplation". Thus the saint withdrew in August 1224, to keep a forty days fast in preparation for Michelmas (Sep. 29), and it was while praying on the mountain-side that he received (on or about Sep. 14) the stigmata. Thenceforth La Verna became sacred ground¹."

As enthusiastic and, hopefully devout, Catholics, and Franciscans, perhaps we should ask ourselves from time to time - "What do I discover in my heart/soul as I go up the mountain? And perhaps, this is a good time of year to get into that, because it was during September that Saint Francis went up the mountain.

Francis prayed: "May the power of your love, O Lord, fiery and sweet as honey, wean my heart from all that is under heaven, so that I may die for love of your love, you who were so good as to die for love of my love²."

Saint Francis shunned the ways of the world, and his only desire was to love God and for God to love him. A contemplative person would think this way, even in the 21st Century. Saint Francis was a radical, and by that I mean that he was counter-cultural. People running around in a patched-up habit or tunic with a white cincture - that's not what his time period was all about. If you go back in history to Perugia of the 12th-13th Century, the mode of dress was different, especially among the gentry of the times. Saint Francis totally believed in Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Mother Mary, our mother. He was, what we call now, a "fool for Christ," and when I was in religious life (albeit an order of contemplative monks rather than friars), I felt very much the same as one day we made an outing to the Boston Computer Museum dressed in our habits - talk about a counter-cultural experience. People gawked at us, as if we were from Outer Space. I don't think, however, that Saint Francis was aware, nor cared, how people perceived him, and thus he just carried on.

Saint Francis had an unforgettable experience on the Mountain, he received the Stigmata, the wounds of Jesus Christ, in his hands, feet and side. Very similar, by the way, as a more recent friar, Saint (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina. What do we hope to gain as we go up the Mountain? Well, that depends, but let me tell you, that in this age, there is a lot of suffering, and the life of a Franciscan, likewise, can lead to suffering. And perhaps, it is suffering, we will encounter on the Mountain. The best line, in my opinion in the, now older, Franciscan formation text ("The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, With a Catechism and Instructions," by Fr. Conelio Mota Ramos, O.F.M., Fr. Zachary Grant, O.F.M. Cap., et.al.) is this line:  "Sufferings and pain, fatigue and disappointment, service unrewarded and humiliations are part of every life. All Christians should accept them patiently. Saint Francis has shown us, however, that they are to be seen as opportunities to share an intimacy with Jesus in his mission of salvation. True penance must be filled with a spirit of gratitude and joy, not pessimism. Through the Cross we will share in Christ's Resurrection."

"Opportunities to share an intimacy with Jesus' precludes crying about situations we cannot fix. For example, after a Tornado or Hurricane, people point at God and say - "Why did he allow this to happen to me?" There is no answer to that, but I certainly would not place blame on the Lord. He loves us and does not bring chaos or catastrophe to our lives. The blame can be placed on the devil, the root of all evil, if blame needs to be affixed at all. Franciscans, however, do not cry (or worse, whine) about bad experiences in life - following Saint Francis, and his example, they long for the intimacy with the Lord as a result of suffering WITH HIM. Our cross is His Cross. That, to me, is going up the mountain.

In this day and age, it is so difficult to find a quiet place to concentrate on how we feel in relationship with Jesus, Mary, Saint Francis and all the Saints. If married with kids, private time is almost nonexistent, and even for retired webmasters (e.g. myself) it isn't always easy to find just the space and time where I am not distracted. That usually means as far away from the computer as possible. Sometimes it is a nearby parish's Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Ideally, it would be a private non-directed retreat but retreat houses are few and far between in Florida and also expensive. There are no Franciscan friaries around here (nearest one is in St. Petersburg, I believe, and that's on the opposite coast where I am). In that respect I miss central Massachusetts. I am not from there, but I spent part of my religious life experience there in a town called Petersham (Worcester County). With a lot of woodland (Harvard Forest Preserve) there was solitude. I enjoy solitude and nature and the combination of the two is heaven!

Well, I've been up the mountain (religious life for 5 years), and I've come down, quite a letdown, but thank God I am a Franciscan. Saint Francis and his Rule keeps me going on the straight and narrow. There is much emphasis on the Charism of the Franciscan Order, as a whole (not just the SFO). We must heed the admonition of St. Francis to become men and women of mercy, living the charism of poverty, humility, contemplation and, above all, of ongoing conversion

May the Lord bless you and keep you well!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
2008 rev. 6/28/2022

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 (1) Source: Catholic Encyclopedia
 (2) Omnibus - "Absorbeat" prayer

Jesus wants to heal us!

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

"He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (the sick)". (Luke 9:1-2) Jesus wants to heal us, otherwise He would not have made it possible for the Twelve, that is, his Disciples, to heal us from sickness. Sin is also a sickness, and very often it is an addictive sickness, because people sin over and over again. People who repeatedly sin, especially the same transgressions, for them the sin has become habitual and this can be as strong as an addiction to drugs. But with the help of the Lord, one can curtail this sin and stop altogether. It is possible. And remember, with His help, nothing is impossible.

If one prays for healing for the right reasons (faith, love of God rather than self, love for the person being prayed for, etc.) any serious problem can be reversed with God's help. It doesn't matter if the problem is physical, mental or spiritual. God can do anything we pray for, and often, He does. How often we hear of miraculous healing, people who were suddenly healed through prayer, usually through others over them, where scheduled surgeries were no longer necessary?

Then why, you ask, has He not healed me? Those are always difficult questions to answer, because He heals when it is good for our salvation, so the healing comes when He determines the time to be right. A friend asked me once why God wouldn't heal his feeling of misery, as if I would even begin to know what God thinks. No, I don't know what He thinks, but I am utterly convinced of His love for us. Sometimes His healing is so obvious, and we do not see it, because we are too wrapped up in ourselves. I have used the example of a friend who had a knee replacement but he also was very much alone and kept complaining about his life in general. When I reminded him of the miracle of his knee replacement he said the doctors did that, and he paid for it. Well, think about it... who gave the doctors their skills? And, also health insurance took care of a lot of his expenses. Sounds like a pretty good healing to me! But he couldn't see it. I hope that wasn't the reason why he stopped going to Holy Mass. I was sad when he dropped me from his correspondence list, because this prevented me from trying to get him back to church.

I have another friend who was doing very poorly in health, and lots of people prayed for her, and she was healed. In fact, there have been several people who crossed my path, who have been healed, but just remember, Jesus heals, I do not. At best, through our prayer, we can ask Our Lord for his help. So, please give Jesus the opportunity to help you. Tell Him you love Him, and talk with Him in prayer. Sure, tell Him what you need, but first pray a while just praising Him and ask about His help with other people. Then listen for His voice and if you are very quiet and peaceful, you will know He is with you. In time, you will come to know what He wants you to do.

God bless you all!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
2010, rev. 2022. FR2-535

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Praying Scripture with Imagination: writing yourself into the scene.
An old Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Recently, we were instructed in a technique that isn't new; but that is new to me... the Prayer of the Imagination. That's where you take a passage of Scripture, and in your mind's eye, you write yourself into the scene ... it's a good way to learn how to meditate and at the same time to center yourself on Jesus. I would like to demonstrate this, although it is usually not appropriate to write meditations down. Please read Matthew 27: 45-60 about the events that occurred between Jesus' death on the Cross, and His burial in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea.

Here's my Prayer of the Imagination:

“It was dark in Jerusalem and there was great unrest. I stood at the base of the hill, the place of the skulls, Golgotha, staring at the Cross. Being swept up by the crowds, it was as if I was pushed toward this location. I could not take my eyes of that Jew who hung on it, who was savagely nailed to it. A few minutes ago, “it was mid-afternoon, and He opened His eyes and He spoke: ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? -My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?’ A few minutes later, he died. I wondered about his passing, and I couldn't help but think-there hangs a great man who never should have been on that Cross. I felt it with my whole body, a trembling of fear, of excitement. Then tension was palpable, as the sky darkened even further, and thunderclaps, rain, and shaking earth attested to the great injustice before my eyes. Mary was standing with some other women and a few of the men who had followed Jesus, a distance away. It was hard to fathom what must have gone through her: the grief, the pain and sorrow to see her Son being brutally placed on the Cross, then fastened to it with spikes. Each hammer blow, as He was nailed to the Cross by the soldier now standing to my left ... It could have been me, who pounded these cruel spikes into His wrist with blood and flesh spattering everywhere. In my soul I felt it was I who delivered the blows and the thought revolted me. I was sweating now, feeling myself go white, and almost passing out at the thought that I could even partially be responsible for having delivered these blows. And, on top of that, they stuck a lance in his heart!

The women were discussing what to do; what to do with Jesus' body, and from the crowd a man came forth whom we all knew: Joseph of Arimathea. He was a rich man who was known to be virtuous, and since he was not well, he had just recently ordered a burial vault to be hewn out in the rocks nearby, a brand-new grave that had never been used. He offered to speak to the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate. Joseph returned a little while later, making haste as the Sabbath was about to begin. Even Joseph, who was, a member of the Sanhedrin, was not permitted to break Sabbath rules. As soon as he returned to Golgotha with Pilate's authorization to take Christ's body down from the Cross, we began that task. The nails were pulled out and the crown of thorns, the weight of man's inhumanity, was removed from His head, while I tried to imagine the excruciating pain that Jesus had felt. I could not think of it. How could we have stooped that low?

"As I was wrapped in thoughts of fear and confusion, Joseph called out to me: "You there, what is your name?" I replied that my name was Aaron. I heard him say to me: "Aaron, go to Sophia's house, and fetch for me the burial shroud that will be waiting there for you." So, off I went to Sophia's house, which was not far away. There, the shroud was waiting and I brought it to Golgotha immediately because the evening hours were drawing nearer. Jesus' naked body was clothed with the linens", from head to foot to prepare His body for burial. Precious perfume and spices were used to anoint Him as Jesus was placed in this new tomb. We rolled a huge stone in front of the entrance so no one could get in, and a seal was affixed to it. Then we left quietly some of us sobbing. As it was almost sundown, I had to rush to be inside before all light was gone. I closed my door and sat down in the corner of a room, feeling very much alone. I began to cry and felt the tension and grief that had been, building all day, drain from me. Then I began to pray for forgiveness, as I pondered the man, we had just buried, and deep within my soul I knew Him. Indeed, he is the Messiah, the Son of God!"

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Written in 1998, probably late March when I was in OFM Novitiate at Cedar Lake, IN

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(There will be an index to these special Reflections, when they are all done; there are about 15 of these)

Simplicity
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

The word "Simplicity" is often misunderstood. "Simplicity of lifestyle and a readiness to share all we possess in a spirit of gratitude become the foundation of our Franciscan life." (From: The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order with Catechism and Instructions).
A long time ago, when I was still living in Europe, in the Netherlands, in my pre-teen years, I knew a lady who often helped in our household and baby-sat for my parents (I was in her charge). Her name was Gertrude, and she was a Secular Franciscan Tertiary, and what seemed to me, a very holy soul.

She lived with another Franciscan Tertiary, whose name I have forgotten, in a small apartment, in utter simplicity. She did not have anything to speak of, but what she had, she shared. I revisited her, as an adult, in 1963 while I was stationed in the U.S. Army in Germany, and she still lived with the other lady in that same small apartment. Every once in a while, I need to lift her up in prayer, because she was a major influence in my upbringing, and the fact that she was a Franciscan probably contributed to my desire and vocation to become one, later on.
Gertrude was not married but had been. Her husband had walked out on her, because she was always sick, and he was an alcoholic. During her life, she was fighting Tuberculosis (TB). Normally, we think of TB being a disease. of that attacks the lungs, but it can attack other parts of the body too. She wore prostheses (artificial legs), having lost both legs to just above the knee, as a result of TB. If she did not joke once in a while about having cold feet at inappropriate times, no one who knew her casually would know that she had prostheses because she did not even use a cane. Nevertheless, she was in constant pain, particularly just after World War II; when her limbs were of poor quality and did not fit right. She never complained.

Though she lived simply, she was not a simple person. She knew a lot, and had a lot of common sense. She could not do enough for people who were in trouble. She did a lot for my parents, particularly my mother who was very ill at the time. She also helped my mother when she was suffering under Nazi persecution during the war. My mother came from Jewish origins.

Simplicity is also acceptance of the inevitable. We can complain about the high humidity, but we cannot change it, so why complain about the inevitable? We make our lives so complicated, when in fact, we only make ourselves and those around us miserable by complaining. Life is a gift from God no matter how it turns out. We must be thankful for it.
Our pride often gets in the way of things. I know mine does too. There are people who stew about life when it doesn't go their way. They cannot let go and keep thinking..."Now if I could just" do this or that.... that's how you get yourself sick, by overly worrying about life. Instead of praying about it, we theorize about it, and fear the worst. Quiet acceptance, accepting in simplicity, and life in general as a fine gift from God ••• let us be thankful for this life, for having brought us together as Franciscans ... God has given us the gift of Franciscan joy so let's apply that to our lives as we live the Gospel among our brothers and sisters.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

June 26, 2022

September 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows

Pietro Torrigiani, sculptor (1472–1528)   
Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
(Public Domain)

Other possible references to Mary's sorrow, pain or hardship are:

 Lk 2:7: no room for them in the inn
Mt 2: 16-18: massacre of the Innocents
Lk 2:41-50: search for Jesus until the third day in Jerusalem
Lk 4:28-30: Jesus' life threatened by the townspeople of Nazareth
Lk 11:53-54: Jesus' life threatened by the Jewish authorities

Source: All About Mary   Univ. of Dayton  "The University of Dayton is a top-tier Catholic research university with offerings from the undergraduate to the doctoral levels" - All About Mary is found here. I visit their website a lot. /Fred S.

Clare was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1193 to wealthy parents, and was taught to read and write as well as spin yarn and do needlework. She had little interest in her luxurious surroundings (she lived in a palace), and influenced by her mother's religious devotion, Clare dedicated her life to God at an early age. She also showed early on that her calling would involve helping the poor, as she set aside food from her family table to give to the needy on the streets. 
--Francis of Assisi's Influential Visit
When Clare was 18, Francis of Assisi came to preach in the church of San Giorgio at Assisi. Inspired by his words, Clare asked Francis to help her in dedicating her life to God, and he vowed to do so. The following year (1211), Clare's parents chose a wealthy young man for Clare to marry, but she pointedly refused, fleeing soon after for the Porziuncola Chapel, where Francis received her. She took vows dedicating her life to God, and that moment, occurring on March 20, 1212, marked the beginning of the Second Order of Saint Francis.
--A Life of God
Clare's sister Agnes soon joined her, and they moved to the Church of San Damiano, recently rebuilt by Francis. It wasn't long before other women joined them, and San Damiano's residents, known for their ascetic lifestyle, became known as the "Poor Ladies." (Known as the Order of San Damiano, 10 years after Clare's death the order would be renamed the Order of Saint Clare.)
Clare became the abbess of San Damiano in 1216, and, while spending her days doing manual labor and praying, she began dedicating much of her time to changing the governing rule (established by the pope) of the order from the Benedictine spirit to one of the newly established Franciscan rule. (Two days before Clare died, Pope Innocent IV finally approved her request.) The order became known for its life of abject poverty and committed life of prayer, prayer that Clare used to attain worldly victories that are credited with saving Assisi on two occasions.
The first involved Clare raising the Host up in a window, thereby causing Frederick II's invading troops to fall back. In the second instance, Assisi was again under attack. Clare and her nuns prayed for the safety of their town, and a storm swept in and scattered the attackers.

Clare cared for Francis toward the end of his life and was with him when he died in 1226.       Home