As we continue to ponder the various
aspects of our Franciscan family spirit, the central
"A"
in SERAPHIC lifts us to the heavenly heights where the Seraphs
dwell, ARDENT, ADORING and on fire with that zeal for God's
glory which, for the followers of St. Francis, translates into a
mission-conscious, world-embracing APOSTOLIC
spirit.
The
S*E*R*A*P*H*I*C Order.
How to describe the spirit of our
Franciscan charism?
We can discover a whole range of life-imitable
traits contained in the letters of the title which Holy Church herself has
attributed to the spiritual family of St. Francis of Assisi.
PART 4
The Scriptures tell us
that the Seraphim are aflame with the love of God. Church tradition
long ago bestowed the same title on St. Francis, who burned with such love
for Christ that he was known to go about the countryside weeping that
LOVE
is not loved! Thus every member of the Franciscan family
should be striving daily to enkindle and rekindle an ardent love for our
Triune God,
ADORING
living and true, who is, who was, and who is coming. That
this ardor of love should spill naturally (or, should we say, supernaturally
into adoration.
Adoration
should come as no surprise when we recall the Apocalyptic scenes of
angelic choirs prostrate in adoring love and eternally singing:
HOLY!
HOLY! HOLY!
The great Eucharistic prayer of St. Francis:
We adore You, O most holy Lord Jesus Christ!
is but an echo of this
unceasing celestial cry. The Little Poor Man had only one mission
plan, one outline for evangelization, to impart to his first
followers. He instructed them to exhort the people to
Fear God
and Fear Him, praise Him and bless Him, thank Him and
adore
Him.
And so, firmly rooted in ARDENT prayer and humble
ADORATION, there came the Franciscan flowering of the apostolic spirit.
The Good News was not something that Francis and his
brothers kept to themselves. It was a vibrant, life-giving reality
to be shared that everyone, - the rich and the poor, knights and
robbers. So successful was St. Francis in his apostolic labors that
almost eight centuries later, the Church is still singing of
Franciscus,
vir catholicus et totus apostolicus:
"Francis, a catholic
and totally apostolic man."
APOSTOLIC
