SPIRITUALITY
Franciscan spirituality shares many aspects with other schools of spirituality, but can be distinguished by the four pillars of Franciscan spirituality which are: Creation, Scriptures, The Church and Fraternity.
Creation
St. Francis saw God our Father in everything. If God is the great Creator, then everything in the created world has a little bit of God in it. As part of God’s creation, St. Francis did not view humans as above any other form of creation but rather, in partnership with the rest of creation. Saint Francis preferred to see humans as living in harmony with the rest of creation rather than trying to dominate it. With this in mind, St. Francis referred to everything in creation as Brothers and Sisters. St. Francis even accepted death, Sister Death as he put it, as something we must all embrace as everything in God’s creation must die.
Scriptures
Jesus is the life model for all Christians and it is only in Holy Scripture that we find that model for our lives exemplified in the life of Jesus Himself. St. Francis recognized the Word of God as the preeminent source for knowing and following the Will of God, oftentimes referring to the Scriptures in his decision making.
The Church
God called St. Francis to live within the Church, for the Church and in service to the Church. God has called the entire Franciscan Order not to be an entity by itself, but at the service of the church at large. Franciscans living in poverty, chastity and obedience does not place them above the Church, but as a necessary part of the Church.
Fraternity
Fraternity is a necessary aspect of Franciscan spirituality as it produces an environment conducive to the Franciscan journey. It is easier to live a Christian life when others are doing like wise. For St. Francis, his brothers strengthened each other and the Church as a whole. All in fraternity are called to be single minded in the goal to know, love and serve God. In fraternity, Franciscans do what Christ meant for them to do and to share the fruits he has blessed each individual with, each in his or her own way.
To learn more about Franciscan spirituality, please visit our Resources page.