Franciscan Intellectual Tradition

Br. Bill Short offers a few areas in which our Franciscan tradition offers the possibility of speaking a “new” language in today’s Church and society. Like the White Mountain Apaches, we face the erosion of our Franciscan culture and language today. We experience the pressure of the surrounding society, both civil and ecclesiastical, that most often speaks a dominant language that we slowly internalize. We may be the last speakers of the Franciscan language. Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: Give an Account of the Hope That Is Within You

Eloi Leclerc, in his book Francis of Assisi: Return to the Gospel, describes the historical period into which Francis was born as one in which humanity, coping with complex changes, had become forgetful of its covenant with God. He describes Francis’ ability to discern these critical changes through the lens of the Gospel and call people to required conversion as his unique contribution to history. Leclerc reminds us that this gift today — eight centuries later — “still possesses a potential for renewal and rejuvenation.” Can the vibrant creativity with which Francis lived his original evangelical experience — his radical walking in the footprints of Jesus — be retrieved today? Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: Francis of Assisi – Return to the Gospel

This biography presents Francis not as charismatic or as a man of the rule, but focused on his own times and in his relationship with his brothers. We have here a synthesis of spirituality revealing an entire life experience. How does one begin to describe the spirituality of the Poverello, a man who has touched the lives of people for over eight centuries? Decades later the question is still being debated as reflections and discussion of the uniqueness of Francis’ spirituality gain importance. Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: The Spirituality of Francis of Assisi