Franciscan Media

Pilgrimage Post #5 For the first post in this series, see https://lnkd.in/gi9AvztV In the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, kneeling in the pew, I see the famous Portiuncula (the well-used headquarters for St. Francis and his brothers) under repairs in preparation for the Jubilee Year, which Pope Francis has titled: Pilgrims of Hope. The scene reminded me that life, lived positively, is a continual process of building and repairing, rebuilding and redesigning. Life changes us and we respond by readjusting our lives, or we don’t respond and we remain stagnant and static; and life moves on without us. Often these decisions to rebuild or not are precipitated by an experience of having arrived at a personal “crisis” (Gk:”crossroads”) of sorts. Personally-speaking, this pilgrimage has been one, big crossroads experience for me. I have spent days soaking in the Franciscana that is all around me in an effort to open myself up to God’s plans for my life, regardless of how strange or surprising the invitation. In terms of my role at Franciscan Media, I face another kind of crossroads: which direction to take this important and gifted, but challenge-laden ministry. These challenges aren’t unique. They are shared by many non-profits whose dreams of mission are periodically purified by the scrutinizing light of financial reality. All I can say (admittedly, in a cryptic way) is that we will meet these challenges head on, with hard work and joy, and with the support of our benefactors. There would be no Franciscan order today—and no Franciscan Media—without the financial support of men and women, moms and dads and grandparents, who want to ensure that the “church in the world” (cf. Gaudium et Spes) will always have a Franciscan character and witness. Like the under-construction-Portiuncula, the way forward for Franciscan Media requires a rebuilding process. In fact, rebuilding will be the ministry and future focus of our organization. I envision our future media resources directly supporting the work of rebuilding the spiritual lives of individuals, families, and those who minister to them with resources that present all the hope, love, and possibility for growth that is found in the gospel message, presented within a rebuild “curriculum”of sorts. More to come on this! Our resources need to be diverse in media, engaging, real, and practical. To pull this off, we will have to reforge some partnerships and establish new ones. We will have to draw on familiar and unfamiliar talent and resources; and we will have to do some things a little differently. I invite you to pray with me about the kind of rebuild your life needs right now. Another way to put this is: How do you need God right now? And how does God need you? These questions are derived from St. Francis’ own prayer before receiving the stigmata: Who are you, Lord? And who am I?

Pilgrimage post #2 For post #1 click the link below: https://lnkd.in/gi9AvztV This is my first full day in Assisi. We began at the Chiesa Nuova. In the piazza we see these statues of St. Francis’ parents. Notice the chain in his mother’s hand. Francis participated in a regional conflict and was captured and confined as a POW. His father, who was wealthy, chose not to ransom him until a year later. The anger, indignity, and abandonment Francis must have felt is hard to imagine. Upon returning home, Francis began encountering Christ in ways that altered his perception of the traditional roles of father, mother, sister and brother. This would eventually lead Francis to break from his family and go off, on his own and with nothing, to serve his new father, God the Father, and claim his new family: the whole of creation. I don’t know if Francis ever reconciled with his human family, but I do know that this “broken home” experience, along with his rediscovery of God as his Father, formed the context for the kind of saint Francis would become: a wounded healer, with the stigmata as the ultimate sign of this identity. Family division would also set in motion the mission Francis would be about: repairing his new Father’s house, a commissioning he would receive from God at San Damiano. One of the ways Francis went about repairing God’s house was to invite people into that house, into the holy fraternity of the family of God. Rebuilding God’s house, in part, is to make God’s house a home for all. This holy mission is still carried out today, not only by the Franciscans but by anyone who invites others into the Father’s house to be fed, loved, and accompanied. As the President and Publisher of Franciscan Media, my prayer is that, through the creation of compelling, inexpensive, and practical resources for adult evangelization, Franciscan Media will play a renewed role in supporting faith formation in the family, and, in a more general way, extend the invitation to all to come and be a part of Our Father’s house. Ciao!