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Meaning hard but possible to find 
Earlier this year, the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province took an unusual route in reaching out to young adult men about considering a life of prayer and spiritual service in our Catholic faith community.

With our Manhattan provincial headquarters a stone's throw away from a subway stop, the friars decided to sponsor an advertisement aimed at New York City commuters that boldly asked:  "Day Shift, Night Shift - How about a Life Shift?"

As Franciscans, we know making a "life shift" can be a very risky endeavor. We have our own history of taking risks to fulfill our mission to be "heralds of the Gospel in the midst of society."

This history began eight centuries ago this spring in the year 1209, when a dozen shabbily- dressed men managed to gain entry to the Papal Court. To gain an audience with the pope then, just like in 2009, was no easy feat - especially for such an insignificant group. But these men and their calling were different.

Led by a young man named Francis from the town of Assisi, these men were seeking the approval of Pope Innocent III to lead a radical life according to the pattern of the Gospel. The pope granted their petition and thus officially launched what has become the largest and most popular religious movement in all of Catholic history. 

To this day, St. Francis of Assisi continues to inspire, especially as the patron saint of animals, the environment and peace, families, merchants and even the state of Colorado, and against dying alone. 

But what did Francis mean by "living according to the pattern of the Gospel?" How is that relevant and why is it risky in 2009?

This life demands "doing penance" - not in the sense of performing acts of self-denial, but renouncing a life based on self-interest and re-orienting toward the values of the reign of God. 

Francis and his brothers abandoned all their possessions, deliberately choosing "to follow the humility and poverty of our Lord, Jesus Christ" by becoming "lesser ones, subject to all." 

They believed, by making this choice, they could more easily open their hearts to God and one other - creating a brotherhood of mutual care based on Gospel values. 

Franciscan scholar David Flood said: "They left the world to get closer to people." 

By being unencumbered from status-seeking entanglements, friars are in a position to attend to the lesser ones of society and call on others to change their lives. 

Franciscan priests and brothers live the Gospel today as preachers, confessors, teachers, pastors and workers in various ministries, while helping the poor and the marginalized of society in such important areas as peace and social justice, education, health care and immigration.

They do not abandon "the world," but plunge into it in a modern way. You can see this on the streets of Manhattan every morning when the friars host the longest-running daily breadline in the U.S.

The challenge as we begin the next 800 years is to continue to find new ways to share Christ's love as proclaimed through the Gospel and to foster a deeper relationship for individuals with God and each other. 

One way may be found on the inside wall of a subway car.

(Rev. Dominic Monti, OFM, is vicar provincial for Holy Name Province, which serves at Siena College in Loudonville and St. Francis Chapel in Colonie.)

(06/04/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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