Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness! Since the Third Sunday of Advent, the word that God keeps giving to me to ponder is JOY. It speaks to me in various readings in the Liturgy of the Hours, in my daily encounters with life, and in my search for who I am and who God wants me to be.
Our Franciscan spirituality calls us to be joyful in all circumstances. Not always easy, especially when there is disharmony, stress, deadlines, pain, and heaven only knows what else in our daily lives. I trust you are all familiar with St. Francis explaining perfect joy to Brother Leo. If not, it’s in The Little Flowers of St. Francis (Fioretti); or, you can always “google” it. I’m sharing the following from The Assisi Project website, an excerpt from “St. Francis Explains Perfect Joy”:
“Finally, St. Francis said: ‘Brother Leo, please listen to me. Above all gifts of the Holy Spirit, that Christ Jesus gives to his friends is the grace to overcome oneself, to accept willingly, out of love for Him, all contempt, all discomfort, all injury, and all suffering. In this and all other gifts, we ourselves should not boast because all things are gifts from God. Remember the words of St. Paul: ‘What do you have that you did not receive from God? And if you did receive it, why do you oast as if it were not a gift (1Cor 4:7)?’ But in the cross of afflictions and suffering, we truly can glory because as St. Paul says again: ‘May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:14).’ Amen.”
So, cry out with joy, all the earth, serve the Lord with gladness!
And, don’t forget to serve your brothers and sisters in fraternity with gladness and joy; plus your family, friends, Church, and ________________. (You fill in the blank, as the list goes on and on.)
Let’s really live our vocation!
Which reminds me. This year of 2019 is a Chapter of Elections year for our BSSF Region, to be held in August at our Annual Regional Gathering. May the Holy Spirit enrich you to live your vocation more fully by considering serving on your regional council.
Please note that this year’s Annual Regional Gathering is Aug. 9, 10, 11, at Ridgecrest Conference Center, near Asheville, N.C. In response to your requests to have more
interaction/sharing with other fraternities, we are planning opportunities for this. Also note that our National Fraternity Priority for 2019–2021 is “Fraternity Life.” Please see “News from the National Executive Council: National Priority for 2019–2021” on page 18 of the 2019 Winter Issue of Communio.
Your Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis Regional Executive Council wishes you God’speace, love, joy, and all good as we continue our Franciscan journey together!
Joyfully, your sister in Christ and St. Francis,
DorothyAnn
DorothyAnn Rowland, OFS, Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis Region’s minister, is a memberof Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Fraternity, Hilton Head Island, S.C.