Franciscan Spirituality

Whatever we do, the most basic question has to be, “So what?

If we can’t at least care about that question, it’s not worth doing.  Our Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, following in the Pathways of Francis and Clare, is no exception. Why bother with Francis and Clare, two obvious eccentrics who lived eight centuries ago? What does that mean to us trying to survive our way through the 21st-century with some degree of dignity and integrity?

Of course, Francis and Clare started a movement that has had great transformative influence on many people and peoples throughout the course of centuries. Not all of it has been above criticism, and with so much fear, hatred, polarization, and violence in our world, one could ask the the “So what?” question with greater urgency now than ever before.

Spirituality is a word that could describe the energy behind action. I’d like to latch onto that word, and share with you some reflections by Franciscans themselves on how they see “Franciscan spirituality.”

Brother Bill Short, OFM.

Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, on “Dating God: Intimacy, Prayer, and Franciscan Spirituality.”

Bishop John Corriveau, OFM Cap, on “Franciscan Spirituality: Contributions of the Franciscans to the Life of the Church.”