Refound in the Franciscan Tradition

4. Mirrors and Windows

4 Mirrors and Windows During the early days of this administration, many issues common to contemporary American religious communities needed our attention: individual and corporate self-absorption, an entrenched magical administration of the sacraments, a lack of direction, and a lingering demoralization due to these and any number of other substantive issues. As we prepared for the Provincial Chapter of 1990, I addressed some of these concerns in a preparatory letter that was intended for use at house chapters in order to elicit an agenda for the upcoming Provincial Chapter. As hoped, it generated both discussion and agenda items. It is presented here in edited form. Every three years we gather in chapter to review our life and ministry and "begin again" in the spirit of Saint Francis. Over the years chapter experiences have produced uneven results. Some united us; other, tragically, divided; some encouraged, others demoralized . But all had lasting effects. So as we prepare for the one now approaching, let's be determined that it will encourage us all by helping us to recognize and respond to God's initiative as we move toward the year 2,000. During the past two years I often communicated with you regarding our life together. I sent you two documents ("Where We Stand" in 1988 and "Refounding through Ministry" in 1989) and several letters about the Franciscan charism and ministry; and just this past year I reflected with many of you on some historical developments of Franciscan missionary evangelization and its relationship to our fraternity and spirituality. Finally, the Provincial Council and I met each month with one of the provincial directorate to share our thoughts on the provincial planning process and Chapter '90 preparations. The substance of all these reflections is 26 Anthony Carrozzo, O.F.M. herein presented to the entire Province as a stimulus for the upcoming triennial meeting. As a backdrop for this discussion, my mind turned to a mid1970s article in the Cord, by Father Harold Niedzwiecki, O.F.M.1 Writing about St. Francis' concept of "home" he invoked an image that has remained with me over the years. It concerns a narcissistic prince who lived in a wonderful palace that had lots of mirrors but no windows. He wanted to see himself everywhere as he roamed the palace, and thus be reminded of his greatness. One day, a palace servant replaced a mirror with a window. The king, much to his surprise, saw not himself but his people, marking a turning point not only for him but for many others. The author's point is that the prince's self-absorption is quite unfranciscan, for Francis lived in a house of windows, not mirrors. Franciscans, like Francis, replace mirrors of self-reflection with windows opening on the marketplace, allowing us to see and love the world for what it is. The letters of St. Clare and the writings of St. Bonaventure reveal the aptness of the mirror-image of our Franciscan tradition. Franciscans gazing into the mirror of self normally come to a spiritual moment of moving beyond self into the experience of God. However, there is always the danger of not making the Godward move and getting lost in the hall of mirrors. I see this as a problem in contemporary formation programs. A young man comes to us from a ruggedly individualistic society and we, instead of making him countercultural, send him deeper and deeper into himself, hoping he will eventually move outward toward others. But it rarely happens. Too often he compounds the error by becoming more and more inculturated in self-absorbed individualism. To overcome this with other-regarding attitudes, formation people need to replace some mirrors with windows onto the real world. This image holds true throughout Franciscan history. Many wonderful books about our Order are, for the most part, chronicles of mirrors. Moorman,2 for example, writes about our disputes over poverty, debates about contemplation, difficulties and struggles 1Harold Niedzwiecki, O.F.M., "Francis Builds a Home," Cord July–Aug. 1975: 202. 2John R. H. Moorman, A History of the Franciscan Order from its Origins to the Year 1517 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968). Mirrors and Windows 27 regarding lifestyles. This mirror-approach might even be appropriate to describe our recent history, since most of our gatherings have focused on one predominant issue: fraternity. While fraternity may be our most attractive characteristic, it seems to be the...