FS #61: Man in Franciscan Spirituality, Part 7 – Jan 16 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jan 16, 2024, on Franciscan spirituality, focusing again on the Franciscan view of the nature of a person rooted in the Christian mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation and how this is the basis of our individuality, and our capacity to understand and love. This continues his series and the subsection, "Man in Franciscan Spirituality," humanity's role in God's plan.

In Father's homily, he delves into Franciscan spirituality, focusing on the concept of the human person from a Christian anthropological perspective. He emphasizes that understanding our identity stems from the Christian mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation. These mysteries have guided Church Fathers and scholastic philosophers in distinguishing between nature and person, thus enriching the doctrine on human personhood.

Father explains that a human becomes a person upon receiving a soul from God, which elevates them to a spiritual, reasonable being capable of understanding, loving, and self-perfection. He cites Bl. John Duns Scotus and philosopher Jacques Maritain to elaborate on the concept of personhood. Scotus introduces 'haecceitas', the individualizing principle, while Maritain describes a person as a spiritually gifted universe with liberty of choice.

Moreover, Father discusses the subsistence and incommunicability of the human person, highlighting our unique, autonomous existence. He contrasts this with the existence of inanimate objects, plants, and animals, describing the latter's existence as 'precarious'. The human person possesses a spiritual subsistence, implying a self-possessive and incommunicable nature.

Despite our autonomy and independence, Father notes that our existence is still under God's domain, emphasizing our relative independence and the respect for individual internal freedom. He concludes by encouraging respect for the human person as created by God, aligning with Franciscan spirituality's emphasis on humility and reverence for all creation.

00:00 – Introduction to Franciscan Spirituality
00:23 – Exploring Human Nature
00:43 – Christian View of Man as a Person
01:15 – The Human Person: Individuality vs. Personality
02:24 – Philosophical Perspectives on Personal Identity
03:38 – St. Bonaventure and Scotus on the Nature of Personhood
04:50 – Spiritual Existence and Human Autonomy
06:27 – Communicating and Respecting Individual Personhood

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

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 of this book exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Sts. Berard and companions - Mem - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02485b.htm
Readings: Tuesday 2nd Week of Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011624.cfm
1st: 1sa 16:1-13
Resp: psa 89:20-22, 27-28
Gsp: mar 2:23-28

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=594&r=1572

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and YouTube: https://youtu.be/EtkYNWXH9vo