Brother Fire

With the onset of fall, there is plenty of excitement here at   the Order of Sts. Francis and Clare as we prepare for the   Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th.   It will undoubtedly include the Transitus , typically held on the eve of his Feast Day.   The Transitus is an annual Franciscan devotion remembering Francis’ passing from this life into the Reign of God.   In addition, on October 6 th , the Sunday following the Feast Day, along with one or more church communities here in Charlotte, NC,   the Order will participate in Pet Blessing of the Animals. While Francis of Assisi is well known for his love of all creatures great and small, his influence on Franciscans around the world is his vow to be humbly Christ-like in all things:   his discipline, his spirituality, and especially his prayer life.      For centuries Franciscans have embraced a four-fold pattern of prayer that enables them to partner with Chr...

A homily by Don Pratt Sunday, October 7, 2007 -- 27 th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C) Readings : First Reading : Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm: Psalm 95 Second Reading : Second Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Gospel: Luke 17:5-10 Just preceding today’s Gospel Reading from Luke 17, Jesus had just warned his disciples about the dangers of sinning against others, or causing others to sin, and that they must forgive those who sin against them – unconditionally – no matter how many times they cause harm and ask for forgiveness. What a tall order! We know in our own experience how difficult that can be. The apostles responded with a request of Jesus, “Increase our faith.” I imagine that this is a common request. Many of us in our prayer lives ask that we be better Christians; we ask that our faith in God become stronger. And often we make the mistake in believing that in order for this to happen we must do dramatic things. That our lives must change s...