FS 111 – The Fruits, Part 2 – Feb 26 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Feb 26, 2025, were he explores interior freedom as the first fruit of Franciscan spirituality, examining John Duns Scotus' philosophical understanding of the human will as radically free and how this freedom works with divine grace.

Father explores interior freedom as the primary fruit of Franciscan spirituality, beginning with St. Paul's declaration in Galatians 5: 1 that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free" and his reminder in 2 Corinthians 3: 17 that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." He emphasizes that according to Galatians 5: 13, we must use this freedom to serve others, living as "servants of God" as described in 1 Peter 2: 16, thereby imitating Christ's love.
Father then introduces Blessed John Duns Scotus' profound philosophical insights on human freedom. Scotus, building upon the foundations laid by St. John Damascene and St. Anselm, locates freedom in the human will, which he describes as "radically indeterminate" and fundamentally different from the necessities of nature. He explains that Scotus defended the "incoercibility of the will," meaning our will remains free despite external influences, even when our culpability might be diminished by circumstances.
According to Scotus, whose thought aligns with the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 1731 concerning human freedom, "nothing is more immediate at the disposition of the will as much as the will itself." This conception of freedom finds its roots in earlier Church Fathers, as Father notes that Saint Augustine declared "nothing is in our power as much as the will is," while Saint Anselm described the will as "an instrument that moves us as its instruments."
Father concludes by resolving the apparent tension between divine grace and human freedom, explaining that grace "proceeds and creates in us the possibility of supernatural action" as described in CCC 1996, but finds its point of insertion in our free will. He uses the metaphor of the will as "an antenna that receives the waves of divine grace," emphasizing that our "supernatural personality is constructed in Jesus Christ" when we exercise our freedom wisely. Father closes by asking Our Lady's intercession to help us discover the freedom God has predestined for us in our spiritual journey.
For Further Reading

Galatians 5: 1 - NAB - Freedom in Christ - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/5?1
2 Corinthians 3: 17 - NAB - The Spirit and freedom - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/3?17
Galatians 5: 13 - NAB - Freedom to serve others - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/5?13
1 Peter 2: 16 - NAB - Live as servants of God - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/2?16
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1730 - Human Freedom - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1730.htm
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1996 - Grace as God's free gift - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1996.htm
Franciscan Media - Blessed John Duns Scotus profile - https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-john-duns-scotus/

This is a continuation of his series on Franciscan spirituality, and the subsection, "The Fruits," explaining the four fruits of Franciscan spirituality: interior freedom, holy simplicity, perfect joy, and the works of the apostolate. - Play List - 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 of this book exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Wednesday 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Wkdy
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/022625.cfm
1st: sir 4:11-19
Resp: psa 119:165, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175
Gsp: mar 9:38-40

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1397

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