Fr. Francis' Greetings - September, 2014

Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,Bartolome-Esteban-Murillo-Saint-Francis-of-Assisi-Receiving-the-Stigmata[1]

The Lord give you his peace!

The world seems inundated with tragedies of all kinds. The Middle East and Africa are plagued by severe persecutions against Christians primarily but also other minority religious groups. Refugees in the Middle East, Africa, as well as at the border of the United States and Mexico arouse multi-national concern for their safety and well-being. Natural disasters are occurring more frequently around the world displacing or killing thousands of people. These occurrences are only a few signs of the sadness and suffering happening around our world. The cross of trials and suffering is not foreign to anyone. Trial and suffering was the culmination of the life of the One we call Lord and Savior. His years of silence and short-lived ministry, were all in preparation for the reason for His Incarnation. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the throne of fulfillment where Jesus spoke His most eloquent sermon and fulfilled the Will of the Father. It is from the Cross that we were “washed in His Blood” (Revelation 1:5) and made “coheirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) to the fullness of Life with the Father through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the Name of Jesus, the Cross becomes a sign of hope not despair, of love not hatred, of life not death. How can we accept the “cross” experiences of life – sickness, persecutions, violence, death, uncertainties, and more – the “suffering moments” of life – as beneficial, though not necessarily desired, when they come our way? » Click to continue reading “Fr. Francis’ Greetings – September, 2014” »

Fr. Francis’ Greetings – August 2014

St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity

Regional Spiritual Assistant

St. Francis of Assisi Friary

1901 Prior Road

Wilmington, Delaware 19809 

tel: (302) 798-1454     fax: (302) 798-3360

 regional website: www.skdregion.org  –  email: pppgusa@gmail.com

 

August, 2014

 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Sts. Francis and Clare,

The Lord give you his peace!

Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). The “vocation” to holiness and “perfection” is a call directly from God. Life is a sign of God’s love for and trust in us, and his confident view for the future we are created to build. The world, this “Theater of Redemption” as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen entitled it, is the place that prepares us for the fulness of Life with God. He knew us before we existed and God has a part for us to fulfill in the Divine Plan for creation. We are “destined” for greatness in God’s time, a “destiny” however that we can refuse with the gift of our free will. We are “called” to be and act in God’s Name; this is our “vocation”. After our assent to God’s invitation, we are “commissioned” to fulfill some specific purpose in our individual life for the glory of God and good of others as well as ourselves. Is this not the essence of holiness: to live unconditionally and totally in the will of God? Each “yes” we offer to what we believe to be God’s will, is a step further in holiness and perfection.

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Fr. Francis’ Greeting – July 2014

Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,

The Lord grant you his peace!

We continue this month, dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, with our consideration of the Eucharist. We can note in the two passages taken one from our Seraphic Father and the other from one of his sons, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, love for the Eucharist not only expects a certain composure but also promises definite effects on ourselves and others. We can speak about “charism” and “spirituality” and fulfillment of basic requisites to belong to the Franciscan Order, but if Jesus is not in our hearts, if He is not the Center of our Life, nothing really matters.  And, this “real presence” in our life will undoubtedly affect our lives visibly.  » Click to continue reading “Fr. Francis’ Greeting – July 2014” »