FROM FR. MANOJ, OFM – REGIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT
You are the Church…Remain Open
March 27, 2020
Covid-19: an unknown virus till it struck the earth and turned the world upside down and brought the world to a standstill. The virus has spread to almost all corners of the world causing hundreds of deaths and thousands infected. The life and activity of humanity is closed down. It has also closed down the Church buildings, but one thing is for sure, it has no power to close down the CHURCH; the real Church that you are. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person, for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” Or, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we read; “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body.”
So, dear Church you are to remain OPEN. Are you reminded of the call of St. Francis of Assisi in the 12th century to repair the house of God? This is the time to be what our calling is: to be the true church/house of God wherever one is, in everyway possible and return to our loving Father. On Ash Wednesday, we have the call to return to the Lord: “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing (Joel 2:12-13).”
Thousands of people who may have been exposed to the Corona virus are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. The word quarantine comes from mid-17th century Italian quarantina ‘forty days’, from quaranta ‘forty.’ Maybe at this time, during the season of Lent, this season of grace, we are reminded to self-quarantine spiritually in order to establish a right relationship with the Heavenly Father. Remain open in your domestic Church to your family, to your family members, to God, to love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Parents be vibrant witnesses of faith to your children at this time; children be strengthened in your faith through prayer life and spiritual exercises.
Covid-19 has cancelled many things, but not everything is cancelled: the sun is not cancelled; rain is not cancelled; spring is not cancelled: reading, dance, music, imaginations are not cancelled, prayer and devotions are not cancelled; relationships and conversations are not cancelled; ALTAR (Adoration, Love, Thanksgiving, Asking, Resolution) is not cancelled; kindness, mercy, compassion and forgiveness are not cancelled; LOVE is not cancelled; and above all HOPE is not cancelled. The public liturgical services held at the church buildings are cancelled and closed. Social distancing, now called physical distancing, and no public liturgical services at the church buildings could be hard on each one of us, but you as the Church of God can remain open to be true church wherever you are. You can be the church that God expects you to be…nobody can close the church that you are. It is sad that we have to go through these ordeals. In this troubled time, dear people of God, remain open to God and to others by being good humans. Strengthen your domestic church, spend time in spiritual communion, prayer and other spiritual exercise. Spread the virus of Love around you, give hope to each other and hold each other in prayer. Please, do not cancel the GOOD NEWS of Jesus from you.
As it is said: “The Church building is closed, but as long as priests live, the altar will not rust. The priest will offer the Eucharistic sacrifice and will lift up all the faithful to God.” We, the friars in Richmond, as a community are open to lift you all up in our prayers and the Eucharist that we will solely celebrate as a community. Be assured of my prayers when I offer the Eucharistic sacrifice.
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6: 1-3)
FROM FR. MANOJ, OFM – REGIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT
A REFLECTION FOR ADVENT
DEC. 4, 2019
“The Lord gave me brothers, may God be praised.” I never get tried of saying and using this quote in my reflections. I truly believe that I did not choose brothers to live with me in a community but they are given to me by the Lord. Same way, I did not choose the people to workwith but they are given to me by the Lord. For all this, I give prSise to God always.
I am sure we have heard this phrase “Joy is being Franciscan.” I have heard it many times since I joined the Franciscans and have seen many posters hanging in our friaries. I have experienced a great joy being with my OFM brothers. Also, it has been a great joy to serve as the Regional Spiritual Assistant to you my brothers and sisters in St. Francis of Assisi. So far, I have been to all the fraternities of BC Coastal and I have experienced as Franciscans you radiate a joy that is unique. I am grateful to meet so many joyful Franciscans and the world needs more of it.
The true JOY of being Franciscan is when…
Jesus comes first in our life. Jesus was the first person in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He followed Jesus from the core of his heart. For St. Francis, Jesus was the ultimate reason for his being. He was so much in love with Jesus that he was imprinted the marks of the wounds of Jesus (the Stigmata) on his feeble body. We must give Jesus the first place in our life and make Him the center of our life, all that we are, all that we do and pleasing him all in things at all times and in all places. “Prayer” (Pillar of Lent) helps us to strengthen our relationship with Him.
Others come second after Jesus. Our family, friends and neighbours, they form the second circle. We must love, serve, and care for them. Joy is therefore a by-product. We get it when we give it. St. Francis of Assisi says, “It’s in giving that we receive.” Giving of your ‘Time, Talent and Treasure’ for the growth of your fraternity members and fraternity has to come out of love and not out of obligation. “Almsgiving” (Pillar of Lent) helps us to strengthen our relationship with the other. We sacrifice something for the good of our brothers and sisters and that becomes an acceptable offering to God.
You think of yourselves last, you experience joy. When we recall and remember the times we experienced joy we will realise that it was when we thought of ourselves last. Parents are the best example for this; they always think of their family, their children before themselves and go all the way to give them their best that they can. “Fasting” (Pillar of Lent) helps us to curve our own will and desires in order to make a way for others. It helps us strengthen ourselves inwardly.
As we enter the season of Advent to celebrate the LOVE (Jesus) which is the reason for the season, let us be reminded to live the Christian JOY in our life. And as a Franciscan bear witnessand give this JOY to the world… so never forget Jesus-Others-You= JOY.
FROM BR. GERRY CLYNE, OFM
REGIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT
March/April 2019
This is my last regional spiritual assistant monthly message. As of March 1, Fr. Manoj Xalxo has taken over from me. He is an amazing young friar! I hope he will be able to introduce himself next month. But for this month, I asked him if I could write this last message as a way of saying goodbye and creating some closure. According to my computer, this is the 48th regional message I have sent out. I hope that they have provided some spiritual nourishment. Thanks for all your positive feed-back. It has always been a support to me.
Looking back on my messages I have covered a wide and varied array of themes. I have spoken much on Franciscan spirituality and we have looked at such themes as the Franciscan understanding of Christology, the Trinity and poverty, among many other related topics. I also wrote on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. This was of particular interest to me as I have Protestant roots. And, as a good Protestant, I wrote on many Biblical passages. To keep this connected to you, I chose Scripture passages that you were familiar with that came from Morning and Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
I often wrote on a personal level – writing from my own experience. These articles tended to elicit the greatest response. And among these, judging from your response, my messages during my sabbatical were of particular interest. I wrote from various places. Message 21 (Sept. 2015), for instance, I wrote on my last day at St. Michael’s Retreat near Lumsden, Saskatchewan in my empty room as I was already packed to leave. This was a sad day as the Friars were moving after so many years. I did my novitiate there and ended up being the last guardian. Message 22 (Oct 2015) was from a bus while at the first inter-provincial meeting between the friars in the west and the east which finally led to the creation of one Canadian Franciscan Province: Province of the Holy Spirit. Message 24 (Dec 2015) was from Ottawa at my first Christmas at home in decades. And I wrote messages 26 to 29 (Feb to May 2016) from Oakland, California where I was enrolled in a sabbatical program for religious from all around the world. Perhaps the most interesting message from that time, was the one where I wrote about my Easter experience in the famous poverty stricken area in San Francisco called the Tenderloin (28). Message 30 (Jun 2016) was shortly after I had completed the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. What an experience that was – walking over 775 km. in 30 days!
And speaking of traveling, looking through all these messages again, I have, in a sense, taken you with me on a pilgrimage through many topics and experiences. Apart from the fact that being regional spiritual assistant required some travel, I can say: “It’s been quite the journey”. But I have traveled with friends – you, beloved Seculars. But you are not done with me so quickly! I will still remain local spiritual assistant for three fraternities and I will still teach the on-line course. I hope to always be connected to the OFS.
A few days ago, after visiting my wonderful friends of Mary Queen of Peace Fraternity in Pincher Creek, I took off to Lethbridge (about an hour from Pincher). I needed some peace and solitude. I spend two blissful days at Martha Retreat Centre there. Although the weather was extremely cold, I went for a long walk in the river valley parks to which the retreat centre has immediate access. Surely as you know by now, walking in nature is always restorative for me. It was in this context that I came across a poem at the retreat centre by a Saskatchewan poet Clara Armstrong (1895-1983) called God Dwells in Beauty. It captured for me my sense of God’s presence in creation as well my present some-what burnt out state. I would like to end this last letter to you with a few lines from it. After Clara skillfully describes the beauty of a wet, rainy night she concludes:
“The magic beauty of this midnight hour
Enfolds me with a peace I thought had fled,
The moist breeze, fragrant as an open flower,
Whispers of hope that short while since seemed dead:
Gone is my selfish grief, my doubts and fear,
I rest content – I feel God’s presence here.”
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry Clyne, OFM
January/February 2019
Recently I returned from a mini stress leave at our friary in Victoria. For eight days I followed a simple routine of prayer and reflection in the morning and then some walking in the afternoon.
Those who have been to our Victoria friary know how ideally it is located. It is situated only a few blocks from downtown, yet it is also just short walk (at least by my standards) from Beacon Hill Park on the ocean and Government House where there are formal flower gardens and a Gary oak nature sanctuary. Furthermore, those who have been to our Victoria Friary, but also to our other places, know that it has the most beautiful of all the Franciscan chapels in the west. (I can’t as of yet speak of our chapels in Quebec.) Added to these positive aspects about the friary, is the Friars themselves who are easy-going and welcoming. And it was so nice to visit friars with whom I lived while in Saskatchewan.
Yet I arrived a pretty stressed-out person. And this broken state caused me to ask some fundamental questions. During the reflective mornings, therefore, I ended up writing a five-page reflection entitled What My Life Would Look Like If I Were Not A Religious. In this paper, I was not so much questioning my religious vocation, however, as the stressfulness of the particular situation I find myself in.
Though the reflection was enlightening, it was even more affirming. It reinforced the important values that need to have in my life if I am to be true to myself, to who I am, to who God made me to be and therefore, to my personal vocation. These values give me meaning, purpose, satisfaction, fulfilment and a sense identity. My present life situation, however, causes me to significantly compromise these, and I felt I was losing myself.
During my reflective mornings I did more than write, I also read. My reading led me to two truths that seemed contradictory, but which I need to hold together. The first came from Mathew Kelly’s Perfectly Yourself (1): True happiness comes from
being the person who God intended you to be – as he would say, the “best version of yourself”. Unhappiness is experienced, Kelly states, when we try to be what society says we have to be according its materialistic, consumeristic, self-centered ideals. In my case, although I’m not trying to be something I’m not intended to be, I am placed in a position that demands me to be something I’m not.
The second truth came from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling (2): It is often in our weaknesses that God accomplishes His will. We see this truth throughout Scripture. Ponder for a moment how often God choose those who seem least qualified. We should not be afraid of our limitations, but trust in God. And God will not allow us to be completely overcome by the trials He allows us to go through, if we but stay connected to Him.
(2 Cor. 12:9; 1 Cor. 10:13; Deut. 31:8)
In my reflection I felt that God was speaking both truths to me. Carving out quality time for me to be myself is absolute necessity. I must not be controlled by my overly developed sense of duty and sacrifice. I need to make this vital time – even if it means I can’t do all I should be doing for others. While at the same time, I need to rely on God better in fulfilling a position that is not in sync with my personality and gifts (who I am) and which brings me trials, but, apparently, is where God wants me at the moment.
At Christmas we celebrate the great event of God entering into a situation of weakness. He is born as a human child into poverty. From His birth onward we see Jesus struggling with these two truths. On one hand, we see Him making time to be in touch with His Father and with Himself even when it meant leaving the people from time to time. Yet we also see His incredible trust and dependence on God to accomplish what He was being called to do even when He preferred some other way. (Mt. 26:39; Mk. 14:36; Lk. 22:42)
Pax et bonum,
Br. Gerry Clyne, OFM
- 3rd. ed., c. 2017, Beacon Publishing
- Thomas Nelson, c. 2017
September/October 2018
Prayer or spirituality is nothing more than developing a relationship with God. So the same rules of relationship apply to prayer. To develop a relationship with anyone, you have to make and take time with that person. So it is with God in prayer. Likewise, to get to know someone, you have to dialogue with the person. An important form of dialogical prayer is Lectio Divina. Through the centuries it has had many names: meditation, meditative prayer, mental prayer, lectio.
The Latin name Lectio Divina means divine reading. This could be a misnomer. It is not simply reading: it is Divine reading. What makes Lectio different from ordinary reading is what we read, why we read it, and how we read it. In other words, Lectio becomes prayer when we read the right material, when we read for the right purpose, and when we read in the right way. Let us take a brief look at each of these aspects of Lectio Divina.
What is Lectio Divina?
St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”. And St. Isidore said, “When we pray, we talk to God; when we read (Scripture), God talks to us.” Lectio then is praying, using the Bible as the avenue for dialogue with God. The Bible is what we read in Lectio Divina. As Christians and Catholics, we believe it is a special source of God’s revelation. God speaks to us through many avenues, but most importantly, through Scripture.
But Lectio is not Bible study. Studying the Bible is good and important. Catholics need to know Scripture better. Lectio, however, is praying Scripture. Bible study can be more objective. We tend to stand outside the subject and observe it objectively. The emphasis is on learning about something. In Lectio, we engage the Bible personally and subjectively.
In Lectio, it is good to have a systematic approach to the Bible. There are many such reading plans available. Often, however, their goal is to read through the Bible in one year. The amount of Scripture assigned for one day is too much for Lectio. There may be two to three readings assigned. Choose only one for Lectio. The other readings just read for further edification. I recommend the daily readings for the Mass, especially the Gospel. And use a modern translation of the Bible. The old Douay-Rheims Bible might be quaint, but modern translations are more accurate and more understandable.
Why do we engage in Lectio?
In Lectio, we read for the purpose of prayer. We don’t read primarily to gain knowledge as in Bible study, although we may gain knowledge in Lectio. Nor do we read primarily for pleasure as in a novel, although Lectio may also be pleasurable. In Lectio, we read to develop our loving relationship with our all-loving God. This is the why of Lectio then, and it indicates how we read.
How do we engage in Lectio?
The process of Lectio has been described in many ways, but a handy memory devise for the process is the Five Rs: ready, read, reflect, respond, rest.
- Ready: Prepare yourself. Quiet your spirit. You may use preparatory prayers or a centering chant.
- Read: Read a short passage of the daily Gospel or another reading of your choosing. Read the passage slowly, two or three times.
- Reflect: Meditate, reflect while you read. Pause and ponder. Be alert to words or phrases that stand out in your consciousness/awareness. Develop this spiritual sensitivity. Ask: “Why does this come to my notice?” “What is it saying to me?” Speak to God conversationally in your own language. Allow for periods of silence and adoration.
- Respond: Draw one lesson to apply to your life for the day. Re-dedicate yourself to God, especially as it might apply to the lesson.
- Rest: Rest in the Lord. The prayer of presence, of being. Silent contemplation.
After giving you this handy little structure, let me give you this precaution. All the spiritual masters through the centuries state that what is most important in Lectio is that a person communes with God. The actual process or form of prayer is secondary. So, if one enters into deep silent communion with God (contemplative prayer) before completing the process or even the reading, one should let the process go. The form is only to accommodate the purpose or function which is to develop your relationship with God.
May the Lord bless you as you pray God’s written Word!
Br. Gerry
May/June 2018
My students in the Spiritual Assistants’ on-line course just completed chapter six. It was so inspiring that one student stated that all Secular Franciscans should read it. Hmmm… that gives me an idea on what to write about this month.
Chapter six is on Secular Spirituality. The word secular has sometimes gotten bad press. Sometimes it is used in opposition to the word sacred. We talk about the sacred and the profane or secular. Furthermore, in some genres of Christianity, the word secular is used as synonymous with the word worldly or hedonistic. In other words, to be secular is to selfishly seek pleasure (especially sensual, physical pleasure) as the main orientation and drive in life, and at the exclusion of God.
This, however, is not the way the Church uses the word in speaking about people. Secular is a designation used to distinguish anyone who is not a religious. Very briefly, a religious is anyone who lives under the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and lives in intentional community for the purpose of ministry and prayer. In the Franciscan family, this includes men and women who belong to the three branches of the OFM (First Order), the cloistered Poor Clare Nuns (Second Order) and the Third Order Regular (those belonging to active religious congregations which use the Third Order Regular Rule).
But this is to describe what seculars are by what they are not. What, then, is a secular stated positively? A secular is a person, married or single, who lives wholly inserted or imbedded in society. As Catholic, Franciscan Christians, seculars are called to be in the world, but not of it. This is to say, they live in the midst of society, but do not participate in its hedonistic, consumeristic values. By living this way, they are a witness of Christ with their lives.
Building on this description of what a secular is, we can state that Secular Franciscans are people who follow a Franciscan spirituality while remaining in the world, in “ordinary life” as the chapter states. Chapter six emphasizes that being a secular is a vocation. It is a calling from God. It comes with a vision and a mission – to bring the Kingdom of God to the world in the midst of it. It has its challenges. Jesus said “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves…” (Mt. 10:16) But, it is a call to evangelize from within society.
It is a legitimate vocation, as legitimate as that of a religious vocation. Seculars are not second or third-class Christians or Franciscans. A religious vocation is not a higher calling. Secular Franciscans used to be called the Third Order. But, the third here is a designation of chronology, not of degree of importance or legitimacy. Seculars need to own their vocation whole-heartedly. They need to respect it and be proud of it.
Chapter six also emphasizes the place of the Secular Franciscan Order in the greater Franciscan family. Truly the Franciscan family has to be envisioned as a whole. It is a unity made up of equal, interdependent parts. I already mentioned the religious Orders. Without the Seculars, however, the family is not complete. I know this on a very real, personal, experiential level. You Secular Franciscans have been an important part of my Franciscan journey.
I’ll end this article with mentioning two provocative points that Chapter six makes to draw out the importance of the secular vocations. The first is that Jesus Himself lived his life as a secular, especially the thirty years before his public ministry. Jesus was not a religious or a priest. Before he became an itinerant preacher, he lived the ordinary life of a trade’s person in Nazareth. Likewise, the chapter points out that 99.88% of Catholics are seculars. This stat could even be higher now. It is nonsense, then, to think that only .12% of the Church has a real vocation! Secular Franciscans, understand, love and embrace your beautiful vocation!
Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
FROM BR. GERRY CLYNE, OFM
REGIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT
November, 2017
Recently I gave a presentation on honesty to two Serenity Weekends. It was a positive experience for my own growth, so I though it a good idea to adapt it considerably and share it with you.
Honesty. What do we mean by the word? Morally or ethically, honesty means acting in an up-right fashion, or in right or righteous conduct. It implies that a person is trustworthy, that he or she can be trusted not to cheat, lie or take unfair advantage of someone or a situation. Therefore, an honest person is not deceitful, but truthful; not deviant in behavior, but straightforward.
By extension, pertaining to relationships, honesty means being open and authentic. It means being transparent – not hiding alternative motives. It means dropping our masks and pretenses. Honesty means living without duplicity not being a hypocrite. It’s being genuine, real, not being fake, false or a fraud. Honesty means not living a lie, but being who we are, being ourselves, our true selves.
Honesty needs to be practiced in three directions: towards self, God and others. This is the logical order in which it happens. And each area of honesty builds upon the other.
We can hardly be honest to God and others if we are not honest to ourselves. This happens when we are willing to fearlessly move out and beyond our self-deceptions and face our faults and failings. We usually are very good at denial, lying to ourselves and playing games. We are afraid of what we will see. But, when we are honest with ourselves, we can grow towards greater self-knowledge and understanding.
Furthermore, only when we are honest with ourselves, can we start being honest with God. It is foolish to think that we can pull one over on Him. We’re not fooling God. Our dishonesty is no great revelation to Him. When we’re honest with God, however, we find Him waiting patiently for us to finally come to the truth that we need His help. God waits, because He loves and cherishes us. If we are secure in this marvelous identity, being honest with God becomes easier.
Being honest to God, in turn, gives us courage to be honest to others. This is so important for Seculars because we are a fraternity. The more honest we can be, the more authentic our fraternity can be. We fear not being accepted if we expose our real selves. Rejection is a powerful motivation for not being honest. But if we are to experience “abundant life” (Jn. 10:10) we need to take this risk. Seculars, however, know God’s love and forgiveness and are ready to forgive others. (A point of discretion: Our honesty must not become an occasion of hurt to others.)
Without humility and courage, we cannot be truly honest. We need these to honestly look at our lives, to face our faults and admit them to ourselves and to God and make amends to others. It can be painful, but with strength from God and through prayer and the support of our fellow Seculars, we are able. Looking at the truth of ourselves can be freeing: “The truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:32)
Honesty, also calls for trust and faith in God that if we take the risk of being honest with others, we will become better people for it. Even if we are chewed up by another for being honest, God can turn the experience into an opportunity to grow if we are open to His guidance.
As Seculars, we have marvelous examples of honesty in Jesus and Francis. Jesus’ prayer on the cross is an honest prayer. Jesus felt forsaken. He expressed his feelings even though he knew he wasn’t. St. Francis also was an honest person. It was an aspect of his simplicity. He had a complete lack of duplicity. What you saw, is what you got. He had no hidden motives or agendas.
For Jesus and Francis, honesty was a way of life. Like them, we continue to grow more & more honest with ourselves, God and others as we cultivate our spiritual life. Growing in honesty is like peeling an onion. We gradually peel away the layers towards our authentic selves where God resides. Our whole life is a journey toward complete honesty.
In all honesty, Br. Gerry, OFM
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
March 2017
The next reading from the Liturgy of the Hours that I would like us to pray with is from Evening Prayer of Ash Wednesday: Philippians 2:12b-16a:
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life.”
I am making my comment based on the revised New Testament of the New American Bible. I also included a little more of the text because it is profound.
What caught my attention was the juxtaposition of the idea of our effort and God’s grace. Throughout Church history, this has always been a creative (and sometimes destructive) tension. Even in the Bible we see this tension. The apostle James reacted to those who overemphasized grace through faith at the cost of any effort on our part. He addresses this issue in James 2:14-26 and ends by saying: “Faith without works is dead.” (v.23). It continued to be an important issue throughout Church history. In the Protestant Reformation for instance, to oversimplify it, Catholics emphasized our effort, while Protestants emphasized God’s grace. Of course, “It’s not either, or; it’s both, and” – to quote my old theology professor.
What intrigued me was that the two aspects of our effort and God’s grace are presented side by side. In the first place, St. Paul admonishes the Philippians to “work out” their salvation. Not only that, but he uses a traditional Old Testament expression to emphasize the humility and earnestness with which we are to do so – “with fear and trembling”. (See Ex. 15:16; Jdt. 2:28; Ps. 2:11; Is.10:16) On the other hand, he follows this up right away in the next verse: “For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.”
So, while we are to make an effort towards our salvation, we must always keep in mind that it is by God’s grace alone that we can accomplish any level of holiness or even to desire it.
There are two aspects of grace, one passive and one active. First, the passive aspect of grace is God’s unearned, unwarranted, undeserved, unmerited love towards us. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love because He already offers it freely. You can’t earn it by doing any amount of good works because it’s free. St. Paul said in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (emphasis mine)
Second, the active aspect of God’s grace is that it is Divine strength or ability given to us to achieve what is humanly impossible given our sinful, fallen state. Perhaps this is most obvious when it comes to forgiveness. God enables us to forgive when we are just incapable of overcoming resentment. Historically, Protestants tended to emphasize the first, passive aspect while Catholics the second, active aspect.
This echoes another passage of St Paul’s (Ephesians 2:8-10) in which he again juxtaposes our efforts and God’s grace. In this passage the apostle adamantly insists that “…by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast.” But in the next verse he says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (emphasis mine)
So, although we are not saved by how “good” our deeds or works are (as they can never be good enough for God), in response to God’s grace we can do good works. In other words, we are created and saved so that we can manifest God’s love in the good deeds we do.
A few more words on this passage: The phrase “with fear and trembling” connotes the attitude which we must have in order to be receptive to God’s active grace enabling us to do things which are otherwise impossible for us (such as recovering from an addiction). With this attitude, we are able to receive God’s grace.
Living a life “without grumbling”, but in joy is a powerful witness. As you know, joy is an important aspect of Franciscan spirituality. And as Seculars Franciscans inserted into “the midst of a crooked and perverse” society, it is your joy that will “shine like lights in the world“. And this is none other than the light of Christ. Being joyful in the Lord gives people an opportunity to inquire how you can remain so positive. This gives you a chance to speak of Christ. And how do we continually access this joy from Christ? By “hold(ing) on to the word of life.” In other words, praying the Scriptures is our resource to the joy-filled life in Christ. And this is a joy that is not contingent on external circumstances. It is a deep, calm delight that remains constant in our souls.
April 2017
On the Wednesday within the Octave of Easter, the friars celebrated Solemn Vespers. Our provincial, Fr. Robert Mokry gave the homily on the reading from Evening Prayer of the Tuesday within the Octave of Easter. So for this month I thought to use Fr. Bob’s message. So, you get a break from me!
“Come to the Lord, a living stone, rejected by men but approved, nonetheless, and precious in God’s eyes. You too are living stones, built as an edifice of spirit into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)
These two verses from St. Peter’s first letter are very rich and bring us right to the very core of what we’ve just celebrated during our Easter Triduum. They remind us of what it means to be a Christian.
Peter calls us to come to Jesus himself, and, using the image of a house or temple made of stones, he tells us that Jesus is the key stone that God has given to us so that we can be fashioned into God’s own temple. Jesus is a living stone because, though rejected and cut off in death, He has been raised from the dead and now lives forever.
But Peter goes even further: he now applies the imagery of Jesus, the living stone, directly to us, the Christian people. Like Jesus, we are to become living stones who let ourselves become a spiritual house by participating with Jesus. We, the Christian people, by our faith in Christ risen from the dead, become the dwelling place of God; we are brought together to form “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”. We are no ordinary house made of lifeless stones, but a true spiritual temple made up of living members with Christ Himself the key stone of the temple.
More than this, we are called to serve in this house as a holy priesthood. What does Peter mean by calling us, and the whole Church, a “holy priesthood” called to “offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”? Our answer is found a few verses later, in this same passage (in verse nine which was not included in the reading), when Peter announces that believers in Christ have become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.
Peter asks us to consider Israel’s, and our, salvation history. He asks us to reflect on God’s promise to Abraham and his successors (a chosen race) and on how God directed this holy race by anointing kings (David and his successors) to make of it a holy nation. When this kingly dynasty died out, we are called to consider how God directed the people of Israel through prophets and finally, by the priestly caste of Levi who served in the temple in Jerusalem. But, in the fullness of time, God Himself came among us in Jesus Christ who is a descendent of Abraham in the kingly line of David and is the fulfillment of the prophets.
But unlike the priests from the lineage of Levi, Jesus was “a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” – that mythical and mystical righteous king who made a priestly offering to God on behalf of the people. Christ is the continuation and the fulfillment – the Alpha and the Omega – of God’s personal relationship with the men and women He created (and continues to create) and with all creation.
Peter’s four phrases – a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own – communicate the incredible love God has for us and the dignity that is ours in Christ. We have become a race, a nation and a people specially chosen by God for his own possession, to be holy as He is holy. By virtue of our incorporation into Christ, we have attained a truly kingly and priestly status not only as individuals but more importantly as a people, the Church.
We have now become a spiritual house and a priesthood offering “spiritual sacrifices.” Spiritual does not mean immaterial or unreal or otherworldly. Spiritual refers to the divine life and activity of the Holy Spirit in and through us. Because each of us by baptism has been called to be a member of a “royal priesthood”, each of us is also called to participate in the mission of Jesus’ priesthood to the whole world. We are now the house where God’s Spirit dwells and we are called to announce the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
To do this, each of us needs to know and experience the wonder and freshness of being called to share in God’s own life given to us by our baptism into Jesus. We should recall Peter’s first words this evening: “Come to the Lord.” Like the people to whom St. Peter wrote 2000 years ago, we who are in Christ constantly have to make an effort to come nearer to Christ. And when we do, we will discover the great deeds that God has worked in our lives; we’ll be grateful to God for the great love and the life He gives us; and we will be able to witness just by being who we are how God works in our own lives.
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry
January February 2017
With the arrival of the New Year, I began to ponder on what approach I might take in writing my monthly messages. I reflected that many of you are committed to praying the Liturgy of the Hours. So I decided that each month I would give a short reflection on either the Psalms or the readings from Morning or Evening Prayer. Except for high feast days such as Easter, I will choose them from the four weeks of Ordinary Time. Hopefully, the next time you pray these passages, your experience of the Liturgy of the Hours will be that much fuller.
If any of you have a psalm or scripture reading that you would like me to reflect on, please e-mail me the Bible reference and where it is found in the Liturgy of the Hours: the day of the week, whether Morning or Evening Prayer and in what week of the Psalter. For example: Judith 8:25-27, Monday Evening Prayer of week 4. My e-mail is gerryclyne@outlook.com.
JANUARY 2017
To start this off, I would like to comment on the reading from Sunday Evening Prayer I of Week 1: Rom.11:33-36:
“How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable his judgments, how unsearchable his ways! For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has given him anything so as to deserve return?’ For from him and through him and for him all things are. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
This passage is the conclusion of Chapter 11 of Romans in which St. Paul speaks of the salvation of the Gentiles through the disobedience of Israel. It is a rather complex chapter and somewhat difficult to understand. For this reason Paul ends the chapter with this poetic flourish on the mystery of God.
In a sense this is the conclusion of all our ponderings on God. Ultimately so much of God is mystery. Even St. Gregory the Great concluded that the Scriptures were “like a river … broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.” (Commentary on Job (Moral. inscr. 4 [CCL 143:6]) (http://andynaselli.com/on-swimming-elephants)
We can only understand God to a limited extent, and in the end, we are left praising God’s inscrutability for God is ultimately unknowable and incomprehensible.
And yet St. Paul also says that “He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God…” (Col.1:15 RSV). Jesus, himself, said of himself: “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Mt.13:16-18 RSV). St. Paul, likewise, reiterates this same thought about Jesus: “None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” (1 Co.2:8-10 RSV).
How, then, is Jesus is the fullest revelation of God if God is ultimately unknowable? Although Jesus is fully God, it is His revelation of God that was limited. It was limited by what our finite minds and hearts could comprehend. Secondly, although we cannot fully comprehend God, Jesus is the fullest revelation of God in that there will never be anyone else who will reveal a clearer understanding of God.
We still wait for the fullness of revelation. This will come when we meet God face to face. St. Paul concludes: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.” (1 Cor.13:12 RSV).
This thought gives us hope, yet in the mean time we approach God with great humility because of His ultimate unknowability and our finiteness. I have always thought that the last part of the reading of Romans 11:33-36 was humbling: “For from him and through him and for him all things are.” It takes us out of our anthropocentric (man-centered) perspective on the world. Ultimately, the world is not made for us; it’s God’s and He made it for Himself. We may have a special part in God’s creation, yet we, along with all other creatures, are part of creation which God made for Himself. This line reminds me of the second half of the Colossians passage I quoted above. Referring to Christ, St. Paul said: “(I)n him all things were created … all things were created through him and for him.” (Col.1:16 RSV).
Let us, then, this year approach the Great Mystery (Mysterium Tremendum) who is God with humility. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (Prov. 1:7; 9:10 RSV) For though God is utterly beyond us: “Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’ ” (Acts 17:27 RSV).
FEBRUARY 2017
The next reading that I would like to comment on is from Friday Morning Prayer of Week 3: 2 Cor. 12:9b-10:
“I willingly boast of my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.”
The immediate context of this reading is Paul describing a certain thorn in the flesh that God allowed to harass him as a messenger from Satan to keep him from being too elated by the abundance of revelations he had. (See note below.)After imploring God three times to remove this thorn, Paul received this answer from God: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor.12:9).
This is why Paul willingly boasts of his weakness – because his weakness makes God’s power more perfect. But isn’t this an odd statement? I mean, in what way, or how, does Paul’s weakness “perfect” God’s power? And what is said of Paul, of course, applies to us as well. How does our weakness exalt God’s power?
Firstly, God’s power is made perfect in our weakness in that it is perfected in us. That is to say, God’s power itself is not perfected, but it is perfectly accessed and used and made evident in us. When we accept our weakness and depend on God’s strength, then truly the power of Christ is able to rest upon us.
Secondly, our weakness makes God’s power more evident. When we do by God’s grace what is not possible for us to do given our weaknesses, we give witness to God’s power. When we do what people know is not possible by our own strength, they will know that it is by God’s power that we do it.
It strikes me that this is most evident when it comes to forgiveness. So often we find it difficult not to hold a grudge even when we don’t want to; even when we know that our grievances are petty compared to the atrocities that some have gone through. We sometime see acts of heroic forgiveness where people have forgiven others for horrendous harm against them and their loved ones. We realized that this is beyond human ability and can only be done through God’s strength. Forgiveness can only happen when we admit our weakness to forgive and cling to the power of Christ.
As well our weaknesses keep us dependent on God. They keep us from becoming prideful and too self- assured or “elated” (New American Bible) or “exalted” (New American Standard Bible). When we get too self-assured, we are bound to fall. We fall into pride, arrogance, egoism, and this always leads to sin, that is, to not acting in love. And pride leads to bondage, addiction and unhealthy life styles that spiral downward into greater unhealthiness.
Furthermore, Paul said: “I am content with weakness, with mistreatment with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ”. The word content caught my attention and reminded me of two other passages where Paul uses this word: “I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.”(Phil.4:11) and “There is great gain in godliness and contentment.”(1 Tim.6:6). If we are grounded in Christ and dependent on His power, and are aware of our weaknesses and do everything we do for the sake of Christ, we can have an inner contentment which is not altered by the negative circumstances of life.
Lastly, this Scripture reading also led me to reflect on God’s answers to our prayers. I believe in miracles. I believe God always answers our prayers. But sometimes His answer might be: “No”. Sometimes God’s answer to our prayers might be: “I know what is best for you, and it is better that I do not take this ailment away. My grace is sufficient for you. For when you are powerless, it is then that you are strong in My power.” Sometimes we may have to accept an answer like this. If we do so with humility and see it as a challenge to live by the power of Christ, we will always become more loving people.
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry
Note: Many scholars think that Paul’s thorn in the flesh may have had some sort of eye ailment. Paul says: “(Y)ou know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. …I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.” (Gal. 4:13-16 NASB). Again, in the same, Paul says: “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” (Gal. 6:11 NASB). This seems to imply that the letter to the Galatians was dictated. Was this because he had trouble seeing? The part that he does write with his own hand is, apparently, larger. Again, is this due to poor eye sight?
November/December, 2016
The Jubilee Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis will end on November 20, the feast of Christ the King and Christmas is also drawing near. My reflection, therefore, combines the two events.
The word Incarnation is the name given to the mystery of God becoming a human being. This is the great celebration of Christmas! Jesus is God Incarnate. That is to say, God came to love us and show us the way to life as one of us. God came to us not just as a spirit, but as a physical human being in the flesh. In other words, the spiritual came to us through the physical. In the Incarnation, spirit was wed to matter.
And the Incarnation was not just an added feature that made the Gospel all the better. No, it was an essential part of the Gospel. Without the Incarnation, there would be no Gospel.
People are both spirit and matter. Both, together, constitute a whole person. We are not disembodied spirits. In the Apostles’ Creed we say: “I believe in … the resurrection of the body”. Although this is difficult to understand, at least it points to the importance of the body and that we are a whole, a unity when we are spirit and body. Christianity is not like pagan Greek philosophy which looked for the final liberation of the soul from the burden of the body. Integral to the Christian concept of resurrection is wholeness. We will be whole, with body and spirit existing in unity and harmony, not warring against each other. Christmas brings this promise!
Furthermore, this mystery of the Incarnation sets a pattern of how God continues to come to us in concrete ways. This is an important spiritual principle: the spiritual comes through the physical. This is why the Church has sacrament and sacramental. These are selected material things through which we encounter God. They are avenues or doorways to God.
There are the official seven sacraments of the Church and then there are the sacramentals. These are things such as holy water, blessed salt, crucifixes, and icons. And throughout the history of the Church, doorways have been used as a sacramental. This year throughout the world, holy doors were set up to allow people to celebrate and receive God’s incomprehensible mercy.
Doorways are a metaphor or symbol for life. They are entrance ways, but also exits. They separate barriers, but they also connect. They lead to passageways which indicate movement and progression. There are front doors, back doors, side doors, revolving doors and secret doors which all symbolize different things.
We have many symbolic sayings that include doors. When we have a foot in the door, we have at least a chance; when we have knocked on doors, we are persevering; when we show someone the door, we have fired that person; when we have the door slammed in our face, we have been rudely dismissed.
The symbol of the door is featured in many stories. In C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, the children go through a long, dark clothes closet to find a hidden door that leads into the magical world of Narnia. In The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy and her companions stand facing the doors of the Emerald City. And a favorite of mine is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Here a little girl discovers a locked, secret door in a wall which is covered with vines and brush. It leads to an abandoned garden and to the hope of life and rebirth.
Doorways symbolize transitions and passages in our lives. I heard of a man who froze with fear in the doorway of his first A.A. meeting. Going through the doorway was a decisive moment that would change his life forever. It meant that he would finally admit to himself and others that he was an alcoholic.
Doors, therefore, also symbolize conversion and decisions to let God into our lives more fully, either initially, or as one of the many decisions we continuously make in our on-going conversion throughout life. Doors symbolize commitment, dedication and consecration to God.
Jesus uses the image of a door precisely this way. He said “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev.3:20). He promises always to receive us saying: “Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be open to you.”
We all know how special Christmas was for St. Francis. He was the saint of the Incarnation. As Franciscans then, Christmas is a special time that calls for us to answer the gentle knock at the doors of our hearts. And as the old Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, says: “Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Lord enters in”.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Br. Gerry Clyne, O.F.M.
October, 2016
Well, I did it: over 775 kilometres from St. Jean Pied de Porte in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain in 30 days! And then with one rest day after the day I arrived, I pushed on to Finisterre, a three-day walk to the Atlantic coast making my pilgrimage well over 800 kilometres. Walking the Camino is an experience of a life time and it may take a life time to process it. I hope, however, that I can impart at least a little to you.
I was intrigued by how the Camino reduced life, especially the physical aspect, to a simplicity that allowed me to make interior room for God. Because walking the Camino was so physically demanding, my physical concerns were reduced simply to getting enough to eat and getting a good night’s sleep. Although a great physical concern for everyone was feet and knees, I was very fortunate not to have had too much trouble. Amazingly, I got no blisters!
Life during the day was reduced to putting one foot in front of another. Although I went with two others, we knew that we had to walk at our own natural pace and rhythm. This afforded me long periods each day in which to walk alone with my thoughts and prayers. And the beautiful countryside also inspired me to prayer and praise.
There was simplicity at the albergues where we stayed at the end of our day. We slept in bunk beds in open dorms. There was sometimes a common kitchen. Washrooms, most often, were for both genders. And when we would finally arrive at our destination, I followed a simple routine. First, I would have a shower before too many others arrived. Nevertheless, I would do this quickly so as not to hold it up for others who might be waiting. Another reason for showering quickly was that the showers were usually telephone booth size and sometimes not all that private. With shared toilets, showers and sinks, grooming was kept to the basics. There was no place for such frivolities as trimming my beard.
There was simplicity also in clothing. Because it was important to keep my pack light (every extra ounce feels like a pound after carrying it all day), I only had two sets of clothes – one that I wore and the other that I packed. So, next in my simple routine was to wash clothes. This I did at outside sinks which had built in washboards. In only a couple of albergues was there hot water for this. When I finished, I safety pinned my clothes to a clothesline.
In preparing for the Camino, I typed a page of my favorite prayers as well as some pages of scripture passages which had their themes journey, pilgrimage, walking and pathways. I also had another page of people and concerns for which I wanted to pray. I can assure you, that I prayed for you all along the way and at the tomb of St. James. And I know that you were praying for me.
One of the things for which I prayed for myself was that God would give me greater faith. He answered by allowing me to experience firsthand His providential care. In planning for this trip, for instance, there were many things I had to do that I had never done before such as booking train tickets on line to get from Paris to St. Jean. And there were countless details of which many could not be addressed before hand. All this required trust that God would work things out – and He did. All these uncertainties could have had me in a permanent state of anxiety, but I also prayed for peace. They are related gifts: with faith, comes peace. I also prayed for intercessory prayer which is also related to faith.
Likewise there were so many times during the pilgrimage when God looked after us. Sometimes, for example, the markings which point the way were not very clear. On several occasions local people showed me the way without even asking or even realizing that I had gone astray. Walking the Camino, of course, is an analogy for life’s journey and what a lesson for life – to be open to the “angels” God sends to keep us on the right path! God provided for us in many other ways – often through the generosity of fellow pilgrims and locals at just at the right time. God, in fact, spoke to me often through meeting people from all over the world, walking for all sorts of reasons. Since we had nothing else to do but walk for six to eight hours, people opened up and shared. It was also delightful to share meals with them. There was an amazing natural kinship on the Camino that crossed ethnic and language barriers. Everyone was on the same challenging journey helping each other along.
I am filled with tearful gratitude when I ponder how fortunate I am to have had this gift of a sabbatical. I am amazed at all the interesting things I did: work on a Christian organic far; spend time at Madonna House in one of their poustinia; spend time with my parents, especially over Christmas, getting in touch with their lives and getting in touch with my own roots which have so profoundly formed me; spend four months in California discovering amazing things through the School of Applied Theology Program; and finally, walking the Camino.
A few days ago I briefly met some Seculars at Mount St. Francis. It put me in mind of serving you again. I look forward to it. Through these messages throughout the year, you were able to journey with me in some small way. I thank you for your enthusiasm and support you have shown throughout this adventure.
I would like to end with a poem that I received at the School of Applied Theology. I brought it with me on the Camino and it became a favorite in my prayers together with my traveling companions. It is about trusting in God’s providence along the journey of life which springs from His incomprehensible love for us.
Pax et bonum,
Brother Gerry
Beloved Is Where We Begin
If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.
Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has traveled this path
before you.
Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ear,
and if you find
it is hard
to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.
I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of the sun,
or the fall
of night.
But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.
I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.
I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on the road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
towards our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:
Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.
-Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
May 2016
My celebration of Easter was very different this year. First, I attended all the beautiful, transcendent liturgies of the Dominicans. This was different in that I am not normally exposed to that style of worship. But it was after Easter that I celebrated the risen Christ in a most unusual way. And it stood out in strong contrast to the celebrations before and on Easter day.
One of the presenters who spoke to my sabbatical class was Marianne Finch, the founder of the Care Through Touch Institute. This is an organization which ministers to street people through massage in the famous, or rather infamous, Tenderloin district of San Francisco. This is the most economically depressed, dangerous and crime ridden section of the city. It was at St. Boniface Church, served by the Franciscan Friars in the Tenderloin, that I and my class went to meet Marianne.
St. Boniface church is a grand old building with beautiful stained glass windows and elaborately painted walls and vaulted ceilings. It is over 100 years old. But as wonderful as this was, the church contained a treasure yet more precious. Before entering the church, Marianne instructed us to first go to front section to pray in silence to prepare ourselves to walk around the church. The first section closest to the altar is for sitting and praying. However, the rest of the pews (about ¾ of the church) were full of street people lying down and sleeping! The contrast between the beautiful decor of the church and the dirty and smelly mass of broken humanity in the pews was shocking.
After this we went to the Care Through Touch Institute where we were given a presentation on the Tenderloin district. The presenter explained that the people who live in this area fell into roughly five groups: recent immigrants, seniors, addicts, the mentally ill, and veterans. Often people living in the Tenderloin would fall into more than one category, but they were all HALT – hungry, angry, lonely and tired. Furthermore, the area was full of SROs – single room occupancy complexes. These are run down, rat and cockroach infested apartment buildings in which people pay weekly for a single small room with no washroom. It is common for people to only be able to afford two weeks out the month. The rest is lived on the streets. This talk gave us the background for our next experiences.
Next we headed to the St. Anthony Foundation to have lunch with the street people. The Foundation is owned by the Franciscans Friars. Various ministries take place here including a soup kitchen. We took a ticket and joined the long lineup that strung out along the sidewalk in front and rounded the corner. Surprisingly, for the staggering amount of people that are served each day, we had our food in a relatively short time. Unlike the three soup kitchens at which I have worked, St. Anthony was modern, clean, spacious and brightly lit. With lively music playing, there was a real effort to infuse a sense of dignity into the situation. The simple meal of beans and rice was tasty and ample – actually more than I would normally eat. It was interesting to observe that most people did not spend much time socializing. Efforts at conversation were limited. They ate and left, perhaps conscious of the long line waiting. It was a strong contrast to my experience of meals where there is leisurely fellowship around a table with friends. Homeless people do not have that privilege.
Finally came our last and most profound experience. Our class was divided into small groups and guided through the inner city neighborhood. My guide was Walter, himself a homeless man. He took us to various places where great numbers of people lived on the sidewalks. He kept referring to them as his family and he truly made an effort to support them. It was evident that he was well known and loved. Simply put, he was a kind man. This was made amply clear when we came upon two men fighting. The man on the ground was defending himself by kicking. By the time we got there, the altercation was over and the beaten man was very distraught. As we passed by, Walter reached and hugged him. The man readily received his embrace. Walter said but a few words to him and I don’t think the man could even talk. But it was amazing the calming effect that this simple gesture had on him. The whole incident took less than a minute. As we walked away Walter said: “He just needed to know that he’s loved”.
As we left for the Tenderloin that morning, it was hard not to feel that after celebrating Easter, we were entering Good Friday again. Walter, however, showed me that there can be resurrection in the most dire of situations.
Happy Resurrection!
Br. Gerry
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
November 2015
From October 1 to 28, I was at Madonna House Apostolate, a public association of the Christian faithful within the Church. The people there live a simple, communal life under promises of poverty, chastity and obedience. It consists of lay people and priests. Their founder, servant of God, Catherine Doherty was a Secular Franciscan and their spirituality bears Franciscan influences.
Madonna House is situated at Combermere, Ont., in the beautiful hills of the southern Canadian Shield about 2.5 hours northwest of Ottawa. The terrain is very similar to the Gatineau Hills with which I grew up. Staying there, especially in the fall season with all the red maples, had a very powerful emotional effect on me. Furthermore, this experience was intensified by two factors.
The first was that during the week from Tuesday to Friday I was in a poustinia. Since Catherine Doherty was Russian, Madonna House uses that name for a hermitage. Four glorious days each week was given to silent solitude, fasting and praying. St. Elias poustinia was a very rustic 12’x12′ log cabin in the woods. Contact with nature, therefore, was close up and immediate. Nature has always been a very intricate part of me, intimately connected to my spiritual life. Prayer came easily immersed in nature.
The second factor to intensify my experience was praying through my first diary that I wrote when I was 12 years old. I have kept one ever since. I have, in fact, 44 years’ worth of diaries! My goal is to prayerfully read through at least the first 10 and trace the hand of God in my life and then burn them!
Going through this diary in an attitude and atmosphere of prayer, especially in an intense poustinia situation, was an experience of confirmation from God. It was a confirmation of my life direction. Within the pages of almost illegible scrawl, atrocious spelling, grammar and penmanship in faded pencil, I traced the essential elements of my life vocation: love of God, prayer, silence, solitude, art, poetry, and nature. I was amazed at just how far back and how intense my love for these things went. It was also interesting to detect and name things as an adult which, as a child, I could only intuit, but not articulate. I used words, for instance, like retreat and cave without being aware of the spiritual significance of such words.
My poustinia experience reinforced the importance of spending time in prayer and reflection and staying connected to nature. It is tantamount to breathing in our physical lives. I resolved not only to redouble my discipline of personal prayer, but also to make use greater use of the hermitage at Mount St. Francis.
However, I did not spend all my days alone in the poustinia. Other days I prayed with the community. Although Madonna House is an intriguing mix of diverse spiritual influences, there is a prominent Eastern Christian stamp to its liturgies. An example of this mix is their Morning and Evening Prayer. They are straight from our Liturgy of the Hours, yet done in a Byzantine style or ethos. Likewise, the church is a beautiful classic Russian style log church complete with iconostas. A Byzantine Mass, however, is offered only one Sunday per month. During the rest of the month, a Roman style altar, on the congregation side of the iconostas, is used for a Roman Mass. On the Byzantine Sundays, that altar is simply removed and the Byzantine altar on the other side of the iconostas is used. Being musical, I was intrigued by the music of Madonna House. Other than the Mass parts, most of the music consisted of chanting the Scriptures, especially the Psalms. In Byzantine style, they sang with no instrumentation, but in beautiful harmony.
Lastly, I did not simply pray, but also worked and ate with the community which, in true Madonna House style, is considered prayer if we offer all we do to God. I was amazed at the amount of young people present. Many were there to discern God’s direction in their lives. There were also over 120 members there living at several different properties, including St. Benedict’s farm. To my delight I met many people I had met before from the Marian Centres in either Edmonton or Regina. I was edified that it seemed general knowledge among the community at large of how generous the friars at St. Michael’s Retreat had been to them.
I could say so much more but space is limited. I will end by simply stating that I have for many years wanted to visit Madonna House and I was not disappointed when I finally did! It is truly a spiritual centre.
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
September 2015
Hello everyone! I hope you had a good summer. From the perspective of our fraternity bulletins, August is the beginning of a new year after a break for summer. And it is a very much a new year for me as I put the final touches on preparations for a year-long sabbatical beginning September 1. Part of the preparations concerns my responsibilities towards you, the Secular Franciscans. Among these preparations was finding replacements for me as both national and regional spiritual assistant. I am happy to say that both positions have been filled! Fr. Peter Knaapen, OFM Conv. will replace me as national spiritual assistant and Br. Joseph Glaab, OFM as regional spiritual assistant for Our Lady of the Angels region. Peter is the regional spiritual assistant for the Trillium OFS region (southern Ontario) while Joe lives in Edmonton.
One of the duties I have not passed on, however, is the writing of this letter. Through my continued messages, I hope to share with you some of my reflections on what this unique year brings from wherever I happen to be.
So consider this the first of this new series. I write this in the midst of the turmoil of a major transition, not merely for myself, but for the friars of Western Canada. After fifty-two years, we are leaving St. Michael’s Retreat Centre at Lumsden, Sask. This entails the infinite details of closing a friary and moving both personal and common things. There are also the details concerning the friar’s retreat, Br. Ben’s solemn vows, and the final farewell.
In the midst of all this transition, I find myself in a very interesting “interior space”. I am full of conflicting emotions. On one hand, I feel sadness for leaving St. Michael’s (it was the place of my novitiate) while on the other, I’m pleased to move back to Mount St. Francis. At the same time, I cannot emotionally embrace my new home as I won’t really be living there for the next year.
This year looms up in front of me yet, because of all that preoccupies me, I sense an emotional disconnect in me. In fact, with the arrival of August, it suddenly struck me anew: “Next month my sabbatical begins!”
In times of transition (and life is full of them), we cling to things that maintain for us a sense of identity, meaning, purpose and belonging. They are times that strip us to the essentials and call forth an awareness of what is most important. If we are not firmly anchored in this, we can easily fall apart. Transition times are full of “letting go”. We are called to let go of the nonessential things and re-evaluate what we put our trust in.
At times like these we who are Christians, Catholics and Franciscans know in whom lies our sense of identity, meaning, purpose and belonging. Christ is our true identity. We are children of God in the Son, who in the bond of Love, which is the Holy Spirit, is in the bosom of the Father. As members of the Body of Christ, we are also members of the Catholic Church – Christians who recognize the Pope, and those bishops in communion with him, as their principle ecclesial and spiritual leaders.
Furthermore, as we are Franciscans, our identity is also derived from the spiritual legacy left to us by St. Francis of Assisi. Yes, in times of change we know anew that in Christ “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Thanks to our very own Russell Grigatis, OFS for some of the information in this letter.
Pax et bonum!
Br. Gerry Clyne, OFM
This is a rough itinerary of my sabbatical year, lest you may be interested in what I’m doing and where I’m doing it:
Sept 1 to 15: Brooksdale Environmental Centre, Surrey, BC
Sept 20 to 23: Chapter of Mats, Caladon, Ont.
Oct 1 to 30: Madonna House, Combermere, Ont.
Nov, Dec and early Jan: Ottawa
Jan 19 to May 7: School of Applied Theology, San Francisco Bay
Mid-May to mid-June: Camino, Spain
June and July: St. Bonaventure University
Aug. 3 to 7: Men’s retreat, Princeton, Illinois
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
June 2015
FRANCISCAN POVERTY: PART TWO
This month’s message will continue the theme of Franciscan poverty. Last month we approached the theme by addressing the subjects of simplicity and contentment. This time we’ll look at poverty from the life of Jesus.
The life that Jesus lived on earth speaks of poverty and serves as an example for us. First, the very fact of the Incarnation is an example. In this great act, Jesus divested himself of all divine power, privilege and prerogative (Phil. 2). He chose to come to us not merely as a person, but as a poor person. He was born in the stable under the circumstances occasioned by the Roman occupying power. Furthermore, the offering Joseph gave at the Temple after His birth testifies that Jesus was born into a poor family. Two doves were designated by the Law as the sacrifice of the poor.
Although we do not know much about His early life, we can assume that Jesus must have lived and worked among the common poor people. Joseph was a carpenter and it is assumed that Jesus took up that trade as well. This indicates that Jesus did not belong to the lower classes of society such as unskilled day-workers, beggars and lepers. He would have he belonged to the tradesman class – a class perhaps lower than merchants, but not the lowest class of society. The Holy Family was not rich. On the contrary, their situation was one of working hard to make ends meet. This is the lot of the working poor and surely Jesus’ affection for the poor comes from this experience.
When He entered public ministry as an itinerant preacher, Jesus began to live off the hospitality of others. He depended on the means of a group of women who supported him (Lk 8:1-3) and He often stayed at people’s places. His statement that “… the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Mt 8:19-20; Lk 9:58-59) may be more theological than fact. Jesus was enormously popular, traveling within a relatively small area with probably lots of relatives there. In fact, at times, He had to resort to seeking out privacy in houses (Mt 13:36; Mk 7:24). He also had friends – some wealthy – with whom he He entered public ministry as an itinerant preacher, Jesus began to live off the hospitality of others. He depended on the means of a group of women who supported him (Lk 8:1-3) and He often stayed at people’s places. His statement that “… the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Mt 8:19-20; Lk 9:58-59) may be more theological than fact. Jesus was enormously popular, traveling within a relatively small area with probably lots of relatives there. In fact, at times, He had to resort to seeking out privacy in houses (Mt 13:36; Mk 7:24). He also had friends – some wealthy – with whom he
stayed: Nicodemus (Jn 3:1-21, 7:50, 19:39), Joseph of Arimathea (Mt 27:57-60; Mk 15:43; Lk 23:50-54; Jn 19:38-42) and Zecchaeus (Lk 19:5). He regularly lodged with Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Lk 10:38) and He stayed at Peter’s mother-in-law’s place (Mt 8:14-17; Mk 1:29-38; Lk 4:38-43). We see Jesus preaching and healing from houses at which we assume He was staying (Mt 9:27-28, 12:46; Mk 2:1-4, 3:31; Lk 5:18-19, 8:1). Lastly, observing His own instructions to His Apostles, He stayed at people’s places and ate the food put before Him (Mt 10:11; Mk 6:10; Lk 9:4, 10:5-7). In fact, Jesus sent out disciples ahead of Him to the next town “to make ready for him” (Lk 9:52, 10:1). There are several other places referring to Jesus staying at a house (Mt 13:36, 17:25; Mk 2:1-4).
Although He instructed his disciples to “take no gold, nor silver, nor copper …” (Mt 10:9), they did have a common purse. Judas was the bursar (Jn 12:6, 13:29). In John 4:8, we note that the disciples went to buy bread. The instruction to “take no gold, nor silver” seems to pertain specifically to when the disciples dispersed on preaching tours. The context is “for your journey…” (Lk 9:3). Jesus said to the rich young man: “…go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor…and come, follow me” (Mt 19:16-24). He knew how possessed the man was by his possessions. In this case, Jesus knew that a radical break was necessary. We see, however, that Jesus did not demand this of everyone. It was sufficient for Zecchaeus, for instance, to give away only half his possessions (Lk 19:8).
Space does not permit me to say more, but this is enough for us to draw some lessons from Jesus’ life. It was a simple, humble lifestyle. Yet, compared to that of John the Baptist, for instance, Jesus’ life was balanced. It demonstrated a priority given to the spiritual. The material is always in service of the spiritual, but without condemning it. For this reason, we see great detachment from wealth and property, but with great trust in God’s providence, especially as it came through others. He knew how to receive.
In the next newsletter, we will see that Jesus’ life underscored His teaching.
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry Clyne, OFM
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
March 2015
Franciscan Poverty: Part One
For this month and at least the next, I would like to address the sometimes thorny issue of Franciscan poverty. Probably more ink has been spilt on this subject in Franciscan history than any other. Unfortunately, it has often led to polarization and division in the family. It is an important and essential part of the Franciscan identity, however, and “fools rush in where wise men dare not tread”. Joking aside, I think that if we remain anchored in the teaching of Jesus and the Scriptures we can look at this subject with beneficial results.
Essentially, the issue, which for lack of a better name has traditionally been called “poverty”, really has to do with the place of material goods in our lives and how they affect, for good or for bad, our relationship with God and others. The name poverty is an unfortunate one because it frightens people. It congers up images of being dressed in rags and going through the dumpster in the back alley. It sounds so radical that we can’t relate to it. We shy away from it and miss the message it has for us. (We should note that Jesus never used the word.)
I find that one way to approach this subject is to look at it under less offensive names. Two such words that make up the concept of poverty are simplicity and contentment. These words are very appropriate for seculars who are not called, as religious are, to formally renounce ownership of property.
The word simplicity as it applies to material property, implies a simplification of one’s life style and possessions. But this simplicity is not something in and of itself. It is for a greater purpose: a spiritual purpose. It is so that we are not drawn away or distracted from the most important things in our lives which are the love of God, family, others, self and creation. When the central focus of our lives is taken off love, we fall into sin (because sin is simply to act unlovingly) and our soul, our true self, becomes warped and we lose our centre.
Simplicity calls for us to examine our life style and see if our possessions are taking us away from God and His love. It may ask us to reduce the amount of gadgets we own (or it may not). It may simply question our use of the things we have, perhaps calling us to give them less priority.
Contentment goes hand in hand with simplicity. As you examine your life through the lens of simplicity, keep contentment in mind. I would like to leave for your pondering three important Scripture texts that encapsulate the concept of contentment:
Philippians 4:11-13 (NRSV)
“I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NRSV)
“Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NRSV)
“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
With these basic attitudes of simplicity and contentment in place, we will look at Jesus’ teaching on the subject of poverty in part two.
Pax et Bonum!
Br. Gerry Clyne, OFM
From Br. Gerry Clyne OFM
September 2014
Recently during Mass, there was a reading from Ezekiel 9 where a man is commanded by God to go throughout Jerusalem and mark with a pen all those who were to be saved. This made me think of the Franciscan connection with the Tau cross.
It is my understanding that, at least in ancient Hebrew, the word for mark was actually a mark. The X shaped Taw or Tav (the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet) was used. This would have been the Hebrew word for mark in the Ezekiel text. When this was translated into Greek, it was changed to the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, the Tau, because they have similar pronunciations. The letter Tau has the shape of a capital T, which is similar to the shape of a cross. Christians long ago, reading the Ezekiel 9 passage, made the connection between this passage and being marked with the sign of the cross, a symbol of the saving power of Christ in His death on the cross.
The Hospitaller Order of St. Anthony the Hermit, for instance, used this symbol because it resembled both a cross and a crutch used by the lame. St. Bonaventure tells us that it was at their hospital that St. Francis stayed while he was in Rome. Surely Francis saw the Tau on their habits and their walking staffs. Another significant connection was that it is likely that St. Francis was present for the opening of the Fourth Lateran Council. On this occasion, Pope Innocent III preached on Ezekiel 9:4 and, following tradition, likened this to the sign of the cross. He challenged his listeners to “be champions of the Tau and of the cross!” He also said “mercy will be granted to those who bear the Tau, a mark of a life of penance and renewal in Christ.” St. Francis in his characteristic simple directness took this personally and literally. Friar Thomas Celano tells us: “The Tau symbol had, above all others, his preference; he utilized it as a signature for his letters and he painted a drawing of it on the walls of all the cells”. As we know, there still exists today Francis’s small parchment to Brother Leo, which he signed with a Tau. One can also still see a faded Tau on the wall of the tiny chapel at Fontecolumbo.
More significantly, however, Francis took the message of the Tau – the cross – to heart. The cross is the message of God’s love for us. It illustrates the length to which God would go to win us back from a life of self-destructive sin. And so this is our Franciscan legacy of the Tau. And Pope Innocent’s challenge is still for us today: to bear the message of the cross – God’s love – in our lives and to all we meet.
Pax et bonum!
Br. Gerry
(Thanks to our very own Russell Grigatis, OFS for some of the information.)
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