Franciscan Spirituality #18: Sources, Part 8 – Mar 29 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Mar 29, 2023, on how the historical times and places that St Francis lived formed his spirituality.

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., "I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana" in Italian, which translates as "The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality". No English translations exist at the time of this recording.

Notes:

Lifetime 1181-1226 AD

High middle ages between the dark ages and the renaissance

Monasticism and feudalism declining

The number of servants was decreasing, freedom was increasing, growing cities, production and money were increasing, and the Italian language was taking shape at this time.

Monasteries were less frequented and Latin was becoming less known.

Many clerics were not very devout.

Maria Sticco, The peace of St. Francis, Biography of St Francis https://www.amazon.com/peace-St-Francis-Maria-Sticco/dp/B0006AXP5Q

Cross was everywhere on things but not on hearts

Religion was still very prominent

All sciences were considered in service to theology

Later triumph of nature over grace in the renaissance, enlightenment,

St Francis did not want to be detached from society as the monks and hermits but sent his friars out among the people.

Reevaluation of man in the light of him being made in the image of God, which is quite positive

He saw nature in a positive light as created by God, which was radical for his day.

Son of a wealthy merchant became rich in good deeds, and he imitated and purified the ideals of navigators, explorers, knights, all the secular heroes of the day, but in service of God

Called his friars "minors" that to be the greatest, we must be the least.

made what was ordinary to extraordinary, holy

Full of supernatural charity

Devotion to the humanity of Christ, incarnation

Later Franciscans developed his ideas, Bonaventure and Scotus.

Harmony between action and contemplation

Playlist for this series - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom

Ave Maria!

Mass: Wednesday 5th Week of Lent - Wkdy
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032923.cfm
1st: dan 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
Resp: dan 3:52-56
Gsp: joh 8:31-42

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1680

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