"May the angels lead you"
a Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

In November we celebrate All Saints and Blessed (Nov. 1). We also celebrate those who have gone before us and are on their way to Paradise (Nov. 2). I was thinking about the beautiful words of the hymn: “May the angels lead you into paradise.” The words of this hymn are as follows:

May the angels lead you into Paradise

May the martyrs come to welcome you

and lead you to the holy city,

the new and eternal Jerusalem.

It is a very calm hymn, says exactly what one would want to hear. The musical score is beautiful. It has an ethereal quality to it. November always seems to lead my thoughts to that beautiful hymn. I’m reminded of St. Teresa of Avila, also called, St. Teresa of Jesus, whose feast day we celebrate on the 15^th of October; she wrote "The Way of Perfection" where she teaches us about detachment, and more spiritual qualities. “Her nuns must be detached from relatives and friends, from the world, from worldly honor, and -- the last and hardest achievement -- from themselves. To a large extent their efforts in this direction will involve humility, for, so long as we have an exaggerated opinion of our own merits, detachment is impossible.” “Humility”, to St. Teresa, “is nothing more nor less than truth, which will give us the precise estimate of our own worth that we need. Fraternal love, detachment and humility: these three virtues, if they are sought in the way these chapters (e.g., Ch. 4-15) direct, will make the soul mistress and sovereign over all created things -- a "royal soul", in the Saint's happy phrase, the slave of none save of Him Who bought it with His blood.”

Sometimes it does well to quote other contemplatives and St. Teresa of Avila is one whose advice I frequently ask for by reading her beautiful writings. We learned a very important aspect here of detachment - detachment from ourselves. It may be difficult, but it must be done or else we will never find that state of unity with the Lord. Now you might say that goal is too difficult for a person who lives among sinners to achieve, but we know from the lives of Saints that it can be done.

Let's take it one step at a time. First there is detachment from relatives and friends. If we are seeking perfection, then we cannot use others as a crutch. That is true in the convent or in monastic environment as much as it is true where people who love Jesus, and Franciscans, who are living in the world. For some, it seems that the Lord is guiding them through paths less travelled, so that they have no choice but to live in Him (such as contemplative nuns), but even where we live on a well-travelled path, leaning on anyone is not particularly good. What about a spouse? Well, there one can lean on one another but only to learn from one another.

The relationship we can attain with our Lord as spouse (an intimacy of the soul rather than physical intimacy) is an intimacy where we cannot lean on our own strengths, only on the Lord. In other words, we have no power to exist if we do not acknowledge him 100 percent. So with God, I am 100 percent, but without Him, I am nothing. That realization is practicing detachment from self, and from anyone or anything else. We cannot just say that we should live accordingly. We have to DO it.

We also cannot have any attachments to the world, worldly honor. Let's say a nun is a virtuoso, a highly accomplished musician or singer. Even though she might be leading the convent's Schola Cantorum, there must be detachment from worldly name and fame otherwise the effort in ministry will probably not please the Lord. Detachment takes great humility, and I have a nun in mind I am thinking of, now, who was very humble and detached as she led her schola through the challenge of well-sung Gregorian Chant.

How does this apply to followers of Saint Francis of Assisi? Well, as St. Francis told us in many wonderful ways, when we preach (and/or instruct people through sharing) we should use words if necessary. That is, first teach by example, and then when they still don't get it, use a few words too. Just trust in the Lord, in all our teaching rather than on our world experiences, the world did not do anything for us, but the Holy Spirit teaches us all things and we need only listen to Him!

Many Franciscans have learned over time, that it is not even necessary to tell people we are Franciscans. People can figure this out from the example and love that is natural in us as a result of detachment from ourselves, from worldly things, from our simple lifestyle, etc. If one is close to Jesus, to our Mother Mary, and to the teachings of our Seraphic Father, St. Francis - it'll all work out. All we do is for Him, not for us.

I thank the Virgin Mary, our Mother, for all her help with this reflection on detachment. If you live a life with detachment as a goal, you will become a friend of her Son Jesus, and when the time is right, angels will lead you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem, to Paradise.

Fred S. Schaeffer, OFS

2013, rev. October 9, 2021

Fred Schaeffer, OFS, spent about five years in a Contemplative community of Monks. The Community is no longer active. He has made Vows of Obedience and Chastity. He is also an active Secular Franciscan (27+ years).

Credits: Gabriel Fauré, in the late 1880’s composed: “Requiem op 48 VII. In Paradisum.”

In Catholic Funerals, it is often sung as the remains (casket or urn) are carried out of the church. 

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