franciscanreflections July-August 2023

Vocations to Priesthood and to Religious Life
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS¹

Many Roman Catholic unmarried or widowed men of all ages, young, middle-aged, even retired men are trying to discern why their life has no meaning anymore. Something is missing, and they cannot figure out just what that is, but they may have an idea. They recall their youth, the influence perhaps of the sisters or brothers who taught them in parochial elementary or high school, and the idea  they once had, even for a fleeting moment, to take up the study for the priesthood or for religious life. Oftentimes parents quickly dissuaded their sons from this idea, hoping they would follow Dad in his business, or go to college. Some parents have these things all planned out. Then again, you might have been in college and found emphasis on religious vocations in your Newman Society  activities, but again, having decided on a line of study and a major, you decided it just wasn't the time.

When is the time? Well, I'm going to tell you a little about my own road to that vocation and perhaps put some of your own concerns to rest. There is still time, in your life, to do what you feel God is calling you to do. We are not locked into our lifestyles, provided of course you're not married or have made another permanent commitment. I'm also going to tell you what a religious vocation is not. Some folks have an idea that religious life is something you undertake to become happy or to have a good life. If that's what you want, religious life or the priesthood isn't for you. We'll delve into this a little deeper. If you are a practicing Catholic, attending Holy Mass and receiving the Eucharist on Sundays and Days of Obligation or more frequently, and you aren't married, please continue reading.

I was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands at the beginning of World War II. The first four-five years of my life were more or less in a war zone so it wasn't too pleasant. A couple of years later, when I turned five or six (after the war ended), my parents were again able to bring me to church to attend Sunday Mass, I felt a strong desire to be a priest. Nowadays, at this age level, kids want to become firemen, policemen, and perhaps space-walkers these days, but I wanted to become a priest. As I grew older and bolder, there was some discussion about that, but my parents said NO, and that ended the discussion. In 1954 we immigrated to the United States. We settled in Jamaica, New York, and I went to public high school. Every Wednesday afternoon some of the Catholic students and I had religious training which was given to us by a Capuchin-Franciscan priest who belonged to a parish in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Eventually, now 17 years of age, I joined the Third Order of Saint Francis (renamed Secular Franciscan Order in 1978) there, and the idea of becoming a Capuchin priest became a very lucrative thought.

After an interview or two and some paperwork I was accepted to the last year of their minor seminary to learn some Latin, Greek, basic religion, and to learn more about the life. A year later I was accepted to their novitiate. I learned there that religious orders aren't interested in applicants who are running away from life or who are afraid to take on responsibility. People who are unhappy in life before application to the service of God are carefully examined. What is the reason for the unhappiness? Applicants must be strong in their convictions, willing and 100% able to make the commitment, are interested in being a part of the religious family, and are folks who are able to compromise a little, and if they feel they have a vocation, then there's a good chance they will be accepted. I've heard all sorts of excuses from would-be religious in my various associations with friends who were "thinking about it," and some were not 'making it' out in the world in general and it was clear to see they would not make it in religious life either. In my experiences with employment in the airline industry (18 years) I've met all sorts of people and if I had been the employer, I would not have wanted them on my staff. Religious Vocation Directors think the same way. If you're unable to hold down a job because you don't have self-esteem and a certain amount of confidence to carry it out, religious life is not an alternative. But let's concentrate on the positive.

That the Capuchins did not work out for me had nothing to do with my own feelings and the calling I felt to religious life. I was an only child, and my father was experiencing bad health problems (and three years later died of cancer), and my mother really never was in favor of my idea to become a priest, so the decision was taken for me to return to my family, which I did with a very heavy heart.

After returning home (Jamaica, New York), my military Selective Service exemption had expired and I faced that responsibility head-on by enlisting in the Army. That took up the next three years and during that time interest in the Catholic Church sort of went by the boards. It took me twenty years to see the error of my ways. After mother's passing in the early 1980's, I moved my job to a branch office of the airline I had been working for. The next three years in Miami, Florida were taken up by an increased awareness of my responsibilities as a Catholic, and an increase in thoughts about religious life. I wanted to get back, somehow, to the idea of fulfilling my vocation.

In 1987, I moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where I found, after some unemployment experience, a great job with the Federal government. At the same time, I found a great parish, St. Helen Catholic Church, where I began to volunteer more and more of my spare time. In 1994, I made application to one of the Franciscan provinces. By that time I was in my mid-fifties and most religious orders are very "age-conscious." There's a good reason for that. Older vocations can be set in their ways and are hard to mold. It comes down to "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" principle. The application process took two years and never, ever, have I been subjected to so much psychological testing, physical examinations, and what not. There were four meetings, several where the vocation director came to Florida. Eventually, though, I was accepted and from what I could gather, I was the oldest vocation they had accepted for a long, long time. But something was wrong from the start. After further prayer and discernment, when I was already a postulant, I began to realize that my vocation wasn't to an "active" order (one that does ministry to people, parish work, etc.) nor to priesthood, but rather, I felt called to monastic life. My mistake, perhaps, was not to accept this as a reality from the beginning, and moreover, I erred by not sharing these ideas with my mentors. We could have saved each other a lot of time, I think, had I done so. Anyway, in December of 1997, I left. It was a very difficult decision to leave. It wasn't that I had no funds to restart my life, I even had an annuity income that gave me some financial security and some savings, but I still wasn't sure if I was making the right decision. I was so sure that God was calling me to His service.

After returning to Florida, I was surfing the Internet one evening (in my government job I had worked extensively with computers) and found a most interesting website, that of The Monks of Adoration‡. After reading about their charism (the reason d'etre for their religious existence) it was as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I knew in prayer, in my soul, that this was it.

I've been a monk for almost five years. Novitiate and probation periods have been completed and as a priest-friend of mine advised me recently, "plant that stake where you are and don't look for any other place. The grass is always greener on the other guy's lawn. You've tried so hard to become a religious, and now you're there. Unless God tells you to go somewhere else, and sends his Archangel to take you away... stay where you are." I think it was good advice. It is also the advice I would give to new applicants. If you are currently living a life that greatly satisfies you, and your idea of pursuing religious life, all other things (maturity, good health, etc.) being equal, is just a passing thought, then stay where you are, stay put. But if you are seriously thinking and praying about a vocation, let's go into some specifics. Read on!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to "The Religious State" in paragraph 916, "The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a 'more intimate' consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come." In paragraph 931 we read, "Already dedicated to Him through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to the God he loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God's service and to the good of the Church...." That's only a part of this paragraph but the word I would like to emphasize is surrenders. That's so true because God's calling, the vocation He knew about way before we even existed, what He has in mind for us, for our life, is a mysterious thing. Those who are called often do not realize this for quite a while. Many years passed by in my own life before this reality took hold. It wasn't until a Deacon-friend of mine said one afternoon as we were having a soft drink, "Fred, you ought to look into religious life... you have something to give!" And then, quite a number of years later, another friend said, as she saw me sit on the couch reading something, "the way you're sitting there reminds me of a monk." God places "stepping stones" in our way, little reminders of that call that we're fighting. Most serious vocation-seekers "fight" these impulses, precisely because a call from God is so complex and mysterious. They want to "hold off" until they are absolutely sure, and then they pray about it some more. Entering religious life is not a decision taken lightly. It is a dramatic change in one's life.

Vatican II reminds us that all Christians are fundamentally called to holiness. We are invited to a special relationship with God. Discerning a religious vocation is not something easily accomplished without help. If you feel such stirrings, please contact your parish priest! Talk it over with him, first. Also, seek out the experiences of others who have felt similar calls build up in their own spiritual life. Find someone who has the time to provide you with some solid spiritual direction. I've received this direction from a priest, and from two close friends, both Deacons in the Catholic Church. Lay people have also helped in small ways. You need to find out what your underlying motivations are, the values that go into the decision-making process, and find some understanding of God's will for you in your life. Spiritual direction offers us the objectivity we lack in coming to a decision. Each "call" is unique, there really is no pattern. A religious vocation is thus based on our relationship with God, but it is also based on our relationship with others.

Most religious communities offer three vows, those of Obedience, Poverty and Chastity. Diocesan priests are bound by celibacy and obedience to their Bishop and Pastor. For those who are truly "called" by God to "Follow Me," and do so with enthusiasm and joy, will begin a relationship with God that will lead them to eternal life. Sure, it's a difficult life. We live in an imperfect world and for those in active orders whose 'battlefield' is often the slums, the sick and the dying, their life isn't easy. Even for contemplatives, whose day is split about halfway between prayer and work, life isn't that simple. I know I have days that when my alarm goes off at 5:00 am, I'd rather sleep some more, but in the end I'll get up and greet Jesus and Mary and even half asleep I know I've got a job to do, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for my sins and the sins of the world.

"Unless God tells you to go somewhere else...";Well, it didn't quite happen that way, but briefly, I left the Community of the Monks of Adoration‡ after an intense discussion with my Superior in the hospital after I had experienced a mild stroke, and after, over a period of time, I had experienced several mini-strokes or TIA's. I enthusiastically rejoined the Secular Franciscan Order back home. Now, 22+ years later, I am content and although I have other health problems, Jesus is with me and so I can cope. I do miss religious life. My seven years total in religious life were not wasted, on the contrary, I learned a lot about people and about myself, but most of all about the love of God, of Jesus and Mary for all of us.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Spring, 2001, rev. 2023

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‡Unfortunately, The Monks of Adoration, ceased to operate as a Religious Order in 2003 (I believe), They ran into difficulties with a new Bishop who had different ideas about such a small order. It was most unfortunate.

1. Fred Schaeffer, formerly, Br. Frederick of the Cross. This paper was written while I was a monk. I've placed it here because it does not appear on the Monk's website anymore and it is still useful to teach about discernment for entering any order, even the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). However, in lay orders such as OFS, there is no "living in community" aspect. (2005; rev. 2023)

Freshen up your Faith through Daily Conversion

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

In the Gospels, Jesus healed gentiles ... and we know that gentiles in those days weren't part of the Jewish establishment. God may have healed a total stranger, someone who doesn't regularly speak with or to God. Of course, for God, no one is a stranger but people have other values and they are often very judgmental. We need to periodically refresh our Faith.... just as stale bread needs to be dispensed with, and fresh bread will be baked. Generally, Lent is a time to make this happen, this personal renewal. How have we offended the Lord? What did we do this time to increase the distance between us and God? This distance needs to be narrowed again.

Reconciliation is an excellent way to begin the process of healing. If you are afraid to tell the priest everything, don't be. He sits there "in persona Christi" (representing Jesus Christ) with the power to forgive our sins, if you are sincere. Now, if you are not sincere, and what you say will give that away, no doubt, then he could withhold absolution. But if he is a good man, he will try to talk to you to help you out. Maybe in the old days priests got angry once in a while but that has not been my experience. So, stop suffering for nothing when there is a way to be healed. And for those who are not Catholic, I realize that you do not have the Sacrament of Confession, although any priest I know would happily speak with you, if you are sincerely sorry for having offended God you will receive His forgiveness.

There are, however, Catholics who try to cut corners by telling us that they do not need to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as long as they are sorry for having sinned. Well, maybe in a life/death emergency, but this is usually not the case. If you are sincere about wishing to be forgiven, you'll go the extra mile to do it right.

Confessing your sins is really the first step to reconciliation, and then of course, we have to make sure we don't fall into this same sin again. Daily metanoia, daily conversion no matter how difficult, will get one back on the right track. And if you increase your prayer time a little, and put some enthusiasm into it, it will get easier every time. That's because Grace is cumulative... it gets better and better if you keep at it. The key is to keep the internal fires burning, you may recall in my writings that I keep emphasizing having an "internal life of the soul" - seeking our Lord in prayer and in contemplation, and when that becomes a steady part of your life, the Presence of God becomes a true Gift to us. The temptation that bothered us initially, falls away, maybe not entirely but as Faith increases.

Pretty soon, what was begun in Lent, or really at any time as needed, becomes an annual thing - provided we set up a regular prayer time where we meet God one to one. That could be when you receive Him in Holy Communion, or after Mass, when you're back home and you pray for other people.

There are so many people who need our help. I hope you have a running list of prayer requests, people who’ve come to you for prayer. Pray for those, not just once but several times, as needed. Many people who are hurting or in trouble, do not contact others for prayer because their hurt is too personal. Please pray for those folks, too. I pray for those, and I hope you will join me by praying for the "unpublished intentions of the day." Here’s a place to request prayer: https://www.ffmr-ofs.org/prayer-requests/

This link leads to the Prayer Request page on the website of the Five Franciscan Martyrs Region of the Secular Franciscan Order.

Faith is the key to what we know about God, because other than what Jesus told us about the Father, while He was on earth, we do not know much about God - but what we know, we know in our Hearts. Always give praise to the Father, and do so in the Name of the Son, Jesus. And one can invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is an excellent intercessor for our prayer requests. Likewise with the Angels and Saints. We can also pray to those who have gone before us. Especially those whom we knew and loved. Our Faith tells us they are in Heaven with the Lord, now and forever. And, our Faith tells us what we need to know to be better people, always seeking out the Lord, and giving Him the love, he has given us. Amen.

May God bless you and keep you.
Fred Schaeffer, OFS

July 3, 2023

In Difficult moments, ask God to help

A reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Most people encounter difficulty during their lifetime. Many fall away from Church, from the Sacraments. Blessed are those who have such admirable self-control and detachment from suffering and other difficulties that they simply seek God in everything that happens to them.

During my seminary training, I learned all about emotions. More than I wanted to, perhaps. I was taught that we all have emotions and that there are good emotions and bad emotions. In my experience with people and with myself, I must say that people really were wrapped up in their ordinary problems emotionally. Ordinary problems, daily living, becoming reactive to what other people say about us (they shouldn't be gossiping, but unfortunately, they do), all sorts of things that if viewed with less emotion could make our lives simpler and happier. Difficult moments will pass if we do not attach ourselves to them emotionally. To put it quite bluntly, difficult moments will not bother us as much as long as we stop making mountains out of molehills, and put all difficulties at the foot of His Cross immediately, rather than dwelling on them.

Surely, you've heard of the angler (someone fishing), who tells about that magnificent catch of 15 inches and so many pounds... and the next time the story is told the size of the fish becomes 20 inches, and so on. Or a story about our neighbor's brand-new car, that gets more expensive as the story grows older. These are little "power trips." Meant in good fun, no doubt, but they are peer pressure in a way. They pressure us to go one better... "One upping each other," is pointless and it bores me to death. Isn't that what we do with our difficulties and problems, too? Ever sit in the waiting room of a doctor's office? Listen to the stories people are telling. Awful stories of suffering and sickness. And, invariably, someone will pipe up with a variation of one of these stories and it is worse.

Do these outward displays of emotion make our own difficulties better? No! Oh, sometimes when you hear about some other person's problems you think - thank God, I do not have his problem. And here we have a chance to pray for that other person... but we don't, because we think only of ourselves in those circumstances. When are we going to turn to God, when we're finally on our deathbed? It is never too late to turn to God, but you will have fewer difficult moments with run-away emotion if you ask God to be a part of your life, your spiritual life, your every day, hour, minutes. Even every second of the day.

Quietism - what is that? Well, that's when you tell yourself that the Lord will take care of everything, and you just go on and do your thing without any active thought. Here's a more formal definition: "Quietism (Lat. quies, quietus, passivity) in the broadest sense is the doctrine which declares that man's highest perfection consists in a sort of psychical self-annihilation and a consequent absorption of the soul into the Divine Essence even during the present life. In the state of "quietude" the mind is wholly inactive; it no longer thinks or wills on its own account, but remains passive while God acts within it. Quietism is thus generally speaking a sort of false or exaggerated mysticism (q.v.), which under the guise of the loftiest spirituality contains erroneous notions which, if consistently followed, would prove fatal to morality." (Catholic Encyclopedia c.1908)

When people tell us to practice detachment, (e.g. detaching our emotions from a difficulty) we want to make sure that it doesn't become quietism. We want to make sure that detachment is for the right reasons, to love the Lord our God and our neighbor (that is, everyone everywhere, as St. Francis is such a great example of), and to actively (rather than passively) strive to offer up our difficulties for the intention of others. Detachment for the right reasons is a beautiful thing. It's not sticking your head in the sand, but it is a way, under God's watchful care, to control our emotions from going overboard on the little problems in life. But it takes lots of conversation with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit and with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin whose life was lived in detachment from worldly things, including sin. Without daily prayer, a spiritual life that is deep and long-lasting, detachment can be impossible. But for people who pray daily, detachment is seeking God in difficult moments.

Then we come to quiet moments. In quiet moments which are helped by quieting our overactive imagination and emotions and by a firm and lasting belief in God, we may worship God. A quiet moment is sitting at this computer composing this spiritual reflection. Jesus and St. Francis make it possible for me to talk to you as I would to someone I know in town, or a friend, perhaps. I'm given a talent for writing, praise God. But when you examine all the teachings, essays and reflections found on this website, you'll find that they all point to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, to Mary, the Angels and Saints. And I praise God for His greatness and the love He has for all of us.

Let us all turn these difficult moments around into quiet moments. Take the overactive emotions out of the situation and the difficulty remains small, indeed. Offer such moments to God or suffer them quietly for the intention of another person's suffering... and your moments of difficulty will turn to the quiet moments of the soul where you will adore God for all this greatness, mercy and compassion. Amen.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

9/21/2004 repub. 7/10/2023 (based on, fview011)

The Clean of Heart

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

I was struggling recently with the sixth verse of the beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-11), “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” So perhaps this is as good a time as any to examine this maxim, this instruction from the mouth of Our Lord.

 "Purity of Heart" is a complex theme. It is not the organ of the heart we are making clean, but our Will. God gave us a Will, and we have the duty to keep that Will purified, by not attaching ourselves and our actions to persons, places and things. Here we are referring to the exercise of the moral virtue of chastity. All people share this obligation, married, unmarried, clergy or lay persons. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in #2348 "All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has "put on Christ," the model for all chastity. All Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is pledged to lead his affective life in chastity." To accomplish this, we must learn self-mastery (see CCC 2395 Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery.)

For anyone who seriously desires to become a friend of Jesus, it is counterproductive to dwell consistently on images and ideas that threaten to draw us away from Jesus. I asked myself, "Does that include seeing people who are beautiful, on a beach?" If the sight of beautiful people create in us erotic thoughts then, as a practical matter, pursuing these thoughts isn't helpful to priests and religious, and lay people who are serious about their spiritual life. I know this is a very "counter-cultural statement" but it is true. In order to be a true friend of Jesus we need to practice temperance and total detachment from anything worldly.

When we are clean of heart, the Beatitudes state, then we shall see God. That doesn't mean that we shall see Him in visions, but it does mean that we will have a strong sense of His Presence in our lives. We see Jesus with the eyes of our soul, when we surrender our will to God. Jesus gave us the gift of a free will, knowing that His love will draw that gift back to Himself as reciprocal love. St. Thomas of Aquinas states: "when the eye of the mind is purified by the gift of the Spirit one can, see God.” (I II, 69,2, ad 3). The eye of the mind cannot see God when the field of view, is cluttered up by disturbing images and debris.

St. Thomas also speaks about vices that blunt spiritual vision. There are two obstacles that can harm us in pursuing a life with Christ. "Lust" will cause spiritual blindness, and "Gluttony" dullness of the spiritual sense. These are sins of the flesh, as St. Thomas explains: “Carnal vices, namely gluttony and lust, are concerned with pleasures of the sense of touch in matters of food and sex; and these are the most impetuous of all pleasures of the body. For this reason, these vices cause a man’s attention to be very firmly fixed on corporeal things, so that in consequence man’s operation in regard to intelligible things is weakened, more however, by lust than by gluttony, inasmuch as sexual pleasures are more vehement than those of the table. Wherefore lust gives rise to blindness of the mind, which excludes almost entirely the knowledge of spiritual things, while dullness of these senses arises from gluttony, which makes a man weak in regard to the same intelligible things. Dullness of sense in connection with understanding denotes a certain weakness of the mind as to the consideration of spiritual things; while blindness of the mind implies a complete privation of the knowledge of such things. Both are opposed to the gift of understanding, whereby a man knows spiritual goods by apprehending them, and has a subtle penetration of their inmost nature.” (II II, 15, a.2,3) Every person, from time to time, suffers from this spiritual blindness. It occurs when we find ourselves in a rut, a periodic time of spiritual unrest, when we are lukewarm, and when the actions by the Holy Spirit, in our lives, go unnoticed. When these weaknesses are realized, we could avail ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and go on from there.

What also impairs our spiritual vision is when we succumb to sins of pride. By failing to recognize danger signs that could impair our relationship with God, that special friendship with Him, by telling ourselves that what we are doing is perfectly alright, when we know it isn't, then we are committing an act of pride. We are telling God that we know better. If we remain attached to our own worldly views, and stubbornly refuse to accept God's goodness and love, then the special relationship with Our Lord will falter.

The Lord gave us a free will, so that we may choose to follow Him. Following Jesus is a deliberate decision on our part. Let us pray that all of us make the right decision, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will. Let us pray: “Create a clean heart in me, O God” (Psalm 51)

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

12/29/2007 republished 7/14/2023

Be Kind to One Another

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph 4:29-32 (RSVCE).

... "and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (v.32).

When one sees a humongous mob of people raising their fists, throwing stones, shooting rifles and machine guns, tenderhearted thoughts and forgiveness rarely will be part of that picture. People who live that way are oppressed, for them love may not even be possible. I hope I am wrong, but we see scenes like that on television in the Middle East and sometimes also in the Americas. Some people talk about "the past" when things were better, but in my life's experience there has been one conflict after the other. It began with World War II, and pretty soon after that we were embroiled in Korea, Viet Nam, and other places, and then in the Middle East. Can a people who have seen nothing but violence and hurt even know what it is to have peace?

Many young people have experienced much hurt and frustration while they grew up. Many came from marriages and dysfunctional relationships. That is a different experience of violence but many of these teens and young adults were hurt for a long time, maybe forever. Let us pray for all people who were hurt through no fault of their own, that they may find solace in the Lord, and peace in their souls by getting to know Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then there are people in different circumstances, those who are seniors often all alone, abandoned. They need our prayers too. No person can live without friends. We all need someone we can talk to when things aren't so hot in our lives. I’ll be 83 next month, and there aren’t too many close friends left. But besides people with us here, we also have friends in Heaven, all of us! Jesus is our friend, our brother, and He wishes only what is good for us. And we should not forget His Mother, our mother, the Virgin Mary - she is our best intercessor and when you ask her for favors, she will not let you down as she has her Son's ear.

Some folks need to experience that special healing at least once in their lives so that they can begin to understand what Jesus wants for them, and that they can make a commitment to do likewise to other people. The least we can do is pray for others, and we don't even have to make an announcement about it. We just do it, when they ask us for prayer. Some people are prayer warriors, with parish prayer groups, and/or parish outreach departments. Others participate in a daily Rosary. I coordinate Prayer Requests for the Secular Franciscan Order, Five Franciscan Martyrs Region. If you have a prayer need, please contact me here - https://www.ffmr-ofs.org/prayer-requests/

The Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, are prayers that are in Holy Scripture. Jesus gave us the "Our Father" a prayer He used toward God the Father. The Hail Mary is part of the announcement given to Mary by the Angel who announced the coming birth of the Lord. And, the "Glory Be" doxology is a prayer ending from the 7th Century, although similar texts can be found in Scripture. Suffice it to say that these prayers, part of our Catholic Tradition, have been around for thousands of years and because they are treasured prayers should be on the lips of all Catholics and many other Christians.

Even if your "religion" prescribes other prayers, please do pray! Prayer is a conversation with God, and without God's help we cannot stay close to Him. And even if we lapse from our relationship with God, He reaches out to us, for He loves us all, even sinners. He just doesn't appreciate sin itself, and we should all try to eliminate sin from our lives.

Be kind to one another! Calm down whatever obstructs us from this kindness. It starts with two or three people because kindness needs reciprocation. Could you imagine a very large group of people who love each other as neighbors, acquaintances, relatives, sisters and brothers, parents... let us pray that these hordes of people walking to Jesus all show signs of love, for you have love within you. The Holy Spirit gave us love, and continues to provide this great Gift. Let us often spend time with God and listen to His voice as He speaks to us in our hearts!

Peace and Good,

Fred S. Schaeffer, OFS

2013 rev. 7/27/2023 

file ref. Eph4

In His Presence
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

This reflection was recently published in the Canticle, our fraternity's newsletter

Be comfortable in God's presence. Enjoy being with Him and spend much time with Him. Keep Him in your thoughts no matter what else you are doing. Yes, you can think of God while doing something else, even if that something else demands your total concentration. There are work times, family times and leisure times. When we're on the job, whether this job is in an office or in a factory or at home, how many times do you think "God, I wish I knew the answer," or, "God help me?"

Family times are often times for reflection about God. If married with children you may often think or wonder about His creation which allowed you to have children. Think of the great miracle of having children in the first place and what a joy this has brought into your life. Yes, I know, kids are often noisy or unruly, and some kids gives rise to all sorts of pressures, but you know you love your children, deep down, because you see them as a gift of God. And they are.

If you don't have children there is your spouse and we hope that you see in him or her a reflection of God's love. If this is not the case pray that God will help you find middle ground. Begin with yourself: What have I contributed to this relationship, and, have I been Christ-like in this union?

For each one of us, married or not, there is a very special possibility of a union, a special relationship with God. It is, for most, a contemplative relationship, and Franciscans who know about solitude and meditation may pray to God for that gift, if they wish to deepen in their Faith and Franciscan spirituality. 

It may take many years of prayerful living in a peaceful way, loving one's sisters and brothers as we love God and ourselves, seeking some solitude from unnecessary noise (television), the living in God's presence, before the realization comes home that there is a contemplative dimension to our life.

Why would we want to live that way? In today's society, that seems a very radical way of life. Perhaps so... but we need to start thinking about the time to come. Do we want to get into Heaven to be with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and Mary, St. Francis, and all the other angels and saints? If so, adopting a solid Inner Life of the Soul, another name for that relationship with God we're hoping to have, would be appropriate. 

St. Francis of Assisi had a very special relationship to Jesus. Even though from rich and well-educated parents, his desire for a life of poverty provided the ideal setting for this solitude that can often lead to an inner life of the soul. Solitude is many things to many people. It is a silence of mind and spirit so that you may hear His voice. 

As we get older, we gravitate toward a quieter existence. I don't know about you, but I desire peace and quiet. Away from fast talking, incessant commercials, just noise in general. The "Peace" we know awaits us in God's love is so near and yet so far. 

Take a hint from the young people who attended the World Youth Day 2023
The joy on their faces will tell the whole story!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Aug. 5, 2023

Interior Life is for all Franciscans!

by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

What is meant by the term "Interior Life?" In a homily by the Holy Father (Pope John Paul II) about Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska, he writes: "Externally nothing revealed her rich mystical interior life. She zealously performed her tasks and faithfully observed the rule of religious life. She was recollected and at the same time very natural, serene and full of kindness and disinterested love for her neighbor. Although her life was apparently insignificant, monotonous and dull, she hid within herself an extraordinary union with God." I’ve underlined part of the last line because that’s what the Interior life becomes when it is practiced every day. It is an extraordinary harmony with God, with Mary, and it is not only for religious. It is for everyone who desires this close union. Cultivating an Interior Life seems to go hand in hand with being a Franciscan. So let’s begin.

First, we should talk about the relationship we have with God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and with the Holy Spirit. We cannot talk about "Interior Life," which is an intimate filial life with God until we sort out our relationship with God, as it is today.

There is much to gain by having an intimate life with God, but to accomplish that, one must keep in mind that this life is a gift from God, and that it sometimes takes a lifetime to get there. In other words, you must love God dearly, and act accordingly - that means - stopping sin in your lives. Some people stop us right here. "Not sin? Everyone is a sinner! Do you mean to say that if I sin, I cannot love God?" Well, we are saying that if you continue to sin, then you do not love God enough! And yes, now that you know this, you can stop sin. We never said it was easy but God gave you a free will. Use this free will wisely. It is God's gift to you, so do not trample on His goodness and love.

Sin is a Crown of Thorns. Jesus suffered for our sins, not just for sins committed up to the point He died, but for all time. Sins are also a crown of thorns for us. We suffer the effects of continued sin: poor health, being unforgiving to those who offended us. Through our sins we are getting further and further away from loving God, but He continues to love us. That is a very significant Gift... He continues to love us.

How does one become a friend of God? If you have unforgiveness or other obstacles that prevent you from loving God, go see a priest, in order to talk about your past life. He will welcome you and help you through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And Jesus will help you get back in good graces with His Father. And you know something, the Grace of the Sacrament will help you to persevere to sin no more. All you need is Faith, Love and Charity. Most of all, Love -- Love your brothers and sisters, regardless of their background, religion, life practices, color of their skin, speech inflection, or whether they are fat or slim, male or female, when you find the love of Christ in your heart, treat others in a Christ-like fashion and get on with your life. Turn a page. Turn the corner. Love your brothers and sisters. St. Francis loved even the leper. There are plenty of lepers in this world: the sick, the outcast, prisoners, the lonely, the alienated, sinners, and so on.

Yes, we are related. God created all of us. God the Father is our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ, His Son, is our Brother, and the Mother of God, Mary, is our Mother. We can ask Mary to help intercede for us in the favor we are asking from God, and she will help. She always helps! Being Franciscans, we have a whole army of Saints and Blessed’s up in Heaven who are all beautiful intercessors. They help us too. We’re one of them. We’re all Franciscans!

If you are living in sin now, and if you want to be able to feel God's love, then do something about it. Take a radical step, step out of your comfort zone, and say "Yes, Lord, I want to be your friend." Then next time you're poised to do something less than honorable, you'll know that you are breaking your word to God... and if you have guts (what some of us call "intestinal fortitude"), if you have guts, you'll discern what has to be done. You've promised to love God, so you will not continue to sin. And while I’m at it, when you professed to be a Secular Franciscan, you also made some promises. They are to be kept. Fraternity meetings are paramount and get first priority in your life.

To love God, we need to start being honest with ourselves. We want to go to Holy Mass more frequently than just on Sundays and Holidays of Obligation. Secular Franciscans are urged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, because it is the official prayer of the Church. When we do this, we please God. It is a happy prayer task and brings one closer to Jesus and closer to that interior life we so desire.

The Interior life is a close friendship with God the Father, with Jesus, with Mary, where we hope to become united with God. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1431: Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart).

The last sentence alludes to pain and sadness. Conversion of heart is so immensely difficult that to reach this plateau of ending sin, it brings much pain and sadness. I know this to be true. A short while after I began the novitiate of the Monks of Adoration, I came to the clear realization that in order to sin no more, I had to give up my own will. I could no longer use my will to do the things I wanted to do.

Anyway, I got sick, so sick that I was forced to bed. I had nightmares, heard things in the night that scared me half to death. This went on for about three weeks, maybe, and the other brothers were beginning to worry about me. They sat with me; read me stories, prayed with me, etc. I shall never forget it. Then the sickness, still undiagnosed, ended as mysteriously as it began. To this day, I believe that this illness was the affliction of the spirit and the repentance of the heart. This is not to infer that all people will be so affected, but I was.

OK, suffice it to say that Satan will fight you tooth and nail to keep you away from any close friendship with Jesus. But we are stronger than Satan when we renounce all sin! There is no question about that. If you want to have a really deep interior life of prayer, it is necessary to renounce all sin.

Incidentally, when I left the Monks of Adoration to return to private life, to the life of the laity, I made a voluntary private Vow of Obedience and Chastity. I really wanted to. I want to serve Jesus Christ all the days of my life for His glory. The website, to a large degree, is the result of my inner life with Jesus, with the Holy Trinity, because it is through the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit that He tells me what to write so many times.

When we get past this difficult "affliction of spirit" and "repentance of heart", then there will be a time of great peace in your life. But it is then also easy to think that things are going so well that we can let up our guard a little. No we can't. We always have to be vigilant. From that point forward, it gets more difficult but you’ll desire it more, too. The result is a little Heaven on earth.

Fred S. Schaeffer, OFS

Let's make this a "kinder" world!
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Yes, there is a way to make this world kinder ... all those in favor of this project, begin with yourselves! That's right, there has to be a new starting point, and if you're not a kind person, those around you will be put off. But if you do give out kind vibes, that rubs off on the next person you meet, right? Is that your experience too?

"Well, there is nothing to smile about!" The economy stinks, friends can't find jobs, everything is more expensive than it was last month, the rent is going up, my spouse is sick, I'm a nervous wreck, people still get Covid, what's there to be kind about? - All valid questions and concerns to be sure, but you can still be kind to others.

I was thinking about this the other day, as I began to realize what a blessing my friends and neighbors were - and their kindness was outstanding. The other night as I looked at the fridge, and there wasn't much to be had, there was a knock on the door - one of my neighbors brought me enough food for the next four days. Praise God! God provided as He said He would!

Kindness is charity, compassion, and friendship for its own sake. Empathy and trust without prejudice or resentment. Unselfish love and voluntary kindness without bias or spite. Having positive outlooks and cheerful demeanor; to inspire kindness in others. One of your neighbors is looking sad, not smiling, on the verge of crying, you can see it in his or her face - be especially kind to him/her, ask what the problem is, how you can help? Many people have no one to talk to, and so the problems they experience grow exponentially as time wears on. Your effort to be kind to her (or him), to lend a willing ear, is often enough to change that person from sadness to joy!

A "kinder" world is one where people are not strangers to one another. Where people care for each other. Where people like you and me take an interest in others. That’s what a Secular Franciscan fraternity should be, a place of peace and kindness. I am aware I am temperamental; I get angry at times at others who rub me the wrong way, and this is a fault I’ve got to repair, with God’s help. The medium or method is conversation and/or facial expression. If you try to engage someone in conversation, make it a witty comment, not a mocking comment, but start a conversation. Sometimes people are just not receptive to being talked to, especially by strangers. They are in a world of their own, and probably wouldn't even listen if they were spoken to. So most of the time, I wait till we make eye contact, or someone says something to me.

If this world were kinder, better disposed to one another, the pressures in life would certainly be easier to bear. It does not help that every day we hear of crime, politicians who are stealing us blind, basically, who are living high on the hog while the rest of us grovel, and even the leaders of this Nation who just do not seem concerned with our concerns, but live in a fantasy world - that's what it looks like to me. I am generally not interested in politics, I will get interested again after the primaries, and my choice will be a pro-life candidate, and in that I am unshakable. Some people tell me, you have to choose the best candidate, never mind how he or she feels about the sacredness of life. No, I will worry about the sacredness of life. That is important. That is kind. That is what Jesus wants me to do.

Many of us are so miserable and feel so low every day. You're just waiting to hear a kind remark directed at you ... so reciprocate ... do likewise. When someone smiles at you, SMILE BACK!

Thank you!

Peace!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Rev. August 18, 2023

A kinder world? Begin with yourself