FS #87: End Game, Part 1 – Aug 06 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 06, 2024, on how Franciscan spirituality calls us to focus on Christ and allow His love to lead us to perfect union with God through grace and self-denial. This is a continuation of his series on Franciscan spirituality and a new subsection, "End Game," the final goal of all spirituality, union with God.

The final goal of Franciscan spirituality, like all Catholic spirituality is union with God, or perfect transformation which is highlighted by Christ's Transfiguration today in the gospel. He emphasizes that this union is achieved by aligning oneself with God's perfection. Franciscan spirituality uniquely highlights the importance of supernatural charity, equating sanctifying grace with charity.

Father explains that the journey towards perfection involves collaboration between divine grace and human will. The spiritual life has two key aspects: subjugating passions and cultivating virtues. He references Romans 6:6 - "Our old self was crucified with him" - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/6?6 and Colossians 3:5 - "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3?5, explaining the need to overcome the "old man" within us. The first aspect is ascetical, involving self-denial and mortification, while the second, unitive or mystical, is led primarily by grace.

Father emphasizes that the spiritual life is profound and mysterious, driven by love, which is both the starting point and the culmination of the journey. The Franciscan path encourages focusing more on Christ than on oneself, seeking to fall in love with Jesus and allowing His supernatural attraction to guide the soul. He concludes by urging the faithful to follow this Christocentric approach, with the aid of Our Lady.

00:00 - Introduction and Feast of Transfiguration
00:11 - Goal of all Spiritualities: Union with God
00:27 - They Differ on the Means to Achieve the Goal
01:06 - Franciscan Spirituality: Love and Grace united
02:02 - Role of Grace in Spiritual Growth
03:02 - Ascetical and Unitive Aspects of Spirituality
05:07 - Two Paths to Spiritual Perfection
07:01 - Theocentric Spirituality is Franciscan: Focus on Christ

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 "End Game," the goal of union with God.

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: Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15019a.htm
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080624.cfm
1st: dan 7:9-10, 13-14
Resp: psa 97:1-2, 5-6, 9
Gsp: luk 9:28-36

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1125

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