Mission in the Franciscan Tradition

Today's Franciscan Missionary Calling

Today's Franciscan Missionary Calling Andreas Müller, O.F.M., Francis lived and preached a form of mission in accordance with the spirit of his time. It was not a call to missionary action imposed by the sword, but mission in the spirit of the Gospel. Defenseless and unarmed he crossed the front-line between the hosts of the crusaders and those of the Muslims. He tried to convince by the force of love and openness. He listened to and learned from pious Muslims, sensing and grasping that the Lord was already among them. Francis had this intuition of the presence of the Lord since his historical encounter with the leper. That was the beginning of his new life. For him, it became a first step to a radical change of position, as he crossed over to the side of the poor and those marginalized by society. It was the starting-point of a consequent following of the poor Jesus of Nazareth and was to become his "forma vitae," his form of life, the key to a new interpretation of the Gospel: namely, the encounter with the suffering Christ in h i s suffering brothers and sisters. This became - 800 years ago - t h e origin of a new age of missionary history. Francis recognized t h e "signs of the times" and deduced from them his understanding o f mission. In his Testament, he states that "there was no one to tell me what I should do; but the Most High himself made it clear to me that I must live the life of the Gospel." Henceforth, this was to become his mission: to be poor and to stay so, while following .the precepts and the footsteps of Jesus by proclaiming the Kingdom o f God. What does this mean today? Tentatively, the answer is summarized in nine short theses. They prove that mission in the Franciscan spirit is possible even today. As an answer to the "signs 214 / Andreas Muller, O.F.M., of the times," this form of missionary understanding is of immediate significance and extreme urgency. Thesis 1 Franciscan mission today means to go forth as people capable of listening and discovering; i.e. listening to others and discovering how God is present among them. Francis was ready to wait with the proclamation of the Gospel till he was sure this was God's will. Thesis 2 Franciscan mission presupposes the acknowledgement of and the admiration for God's activity in other religions. Thus it becomes a dialogue among human beings, gradually leading to a dialogue among religions. This form of mission is distinguished by sensitivity and submission to the Spirit and the Will of the Lord. Only in this manner can mutual respect and a true encounter between Christians and members of non-Christian religions occur. Thesis 3 Franciscan mission is based upon a recognition of the dignity and equality of others, even strangers, just as Francis encountered people without any feeling o f superiority and free from prejudices. He wanted to meet people from other cultures and religions as a brother, ready to serve them. Thesis 4 Primarily, Franciscan mission is determined by the promotion of justice. To identify and analyze acts of injustice, to show how they manifest themselves in society, is a precondition for peace. As long as the discrepancies between North and South have not been overcome and the majority of humanity continues condemned to a life of misery and need, the search for justice continues being the irreplaceable prerequisite of any missionary activity. Thesis 5 Franciscan mission furthers peace because it is defenseless and rejects violence. By renouncing the use of arms when struggling for the cause of Christ and by not being willing to Today's Franciscan Missionary Calling / 215 fight with words and arguments against false claims, Francis established a fundamentally new model of missionary understanding. Thesis 6 In his Canticle of Brother Sun, Francis sang the praise of an all-embracing peace that involves humanity and the entire creation. Consequently, the preservation of the integrity o f creation is an inalienable element of Franciscan mission. The increasing destruction of nature endangers the life of future generations. Only a theology and sprituality of creation is capable of averting this threat and bringing it to a good end. Thesis 7 Franciscan mission is motivated by love, because a vital outpouring of love is the only means...