The Franciscan Order; a Victim of Its Own Success Essay

Brian Taylor’s attraction to the Benedictine way is that it is a counterculture of wisdom. He states that this pathway has five different qualities—ordinariness, commitment, self-denial, simplicity, and silence—that make its followers challenge the normalcies of our world. One of the qualities of the Benedictine pathway that stood out to me was commitment. This section of his article stood out to me the most because I am a huge commitment phobe; This has always affected my relationship with others as well as other aspects of my life. Taylor discusses how commitment in the Benedictine language is synonymous to “stability” and “devotion to a community for the rest of one’s life” (Taylor, 132). Today, we live in an environment where it is okay

After years of preaching, Saint Francis of Assisi returned to his native country to find that his brotherhood had expanded to 5,000 people. Although it was a group of faithful followers of God, they were constantly arguing and debating about who should be the leader, completely disregarding the fact that Francis was the one who changed them all. He new he would not be pointed a position in the brotherhood, but was fine with the idea of just being a brother.

The religious movement, a break of religion all over the where the main control of the catholic church broke. The ides of marriage were altered , “by which all that is the husband's is also the wife's” to show separation from the main part of religion (Luther document 4). Where people would not just give in to the christian way , “cannot submit [their] faith either to the Pope or to the Councils... frequently erred and contradicted eachother” because of these contradictions happening between the church's ranks (Luther document 8). The monks became vile , “breaking the vows of the church by having concubines and illegitimate children” their celibacy was now non existent (Bosch document 7). Also The added religions that formed at this time , “[They] ought not, by way of custom, to speak of predestination...they become negligent in the works” which all have changed their ways of how things happen which anger other. While people break the main religion religions produce like wildfire, however the were other thing affected at this period which made life in Europe drastically different, the social and political changes. The social and

inferior to those of rulers, and far removed from manliness an uprightness” (Doc. 5). He

I pray all had a most blessed Christmas and the council extends the best to you and your family for a most joyous new year.

While Na Prous was not the only Spiritual Franciscan, her public performance in court nonetheless caught the personal attention of the papacy:

With the Reformation came a number of leaders with many different theologies and ideas. Some worked so hard and risked so much that whether one agreed with their views or not, their effort and sacrifice demand respect. Others, however, became disillusioned, aggressive, or used this period of religious tension to their own advantage.

Giovanni Bernardone, more widely known as Francis of Assisi, was a Catholic friar that founded the Franciscan Order in the early thirteenth century. The Franciscan Order, under the spiritual guidance and teachings of Francis and his disciples, became one of the largest sects of the Catholic church today. Francis’ teachings brought about a reform in the Catholic church that changed ideas on grace and salvation of the Christian

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as St. Francis of Assisi (Assisi, July 5, 1182 1 - October 3, 1226), was a Catholic friar from Italy. After a restless and worldly youth, turned to a religious life of complete poverty, founding a mendicant Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans, who renewed Catholicism of his time. With the habit of itinerant preaching, when the religious of his time used to set up in monasteries, and with his belief that the Gospel should be strictly followed, imitating the life of Christ, developed a deep identification with the problems of our fellows and humanity of Christ himself. His attitude was also said when the original goodness and wonder of creation at a time when the world was

For a society to function properly, hierarchies are established to ensure organization, collaboration, and different levels of authority. While people in positions of power hold many responsibilities, man is still fallible. This inevitable conflict is illustrated when Ambrosio, an idolized member of the church, succumbs to temptation and sins. In Matthew Lewis’ The Monk, Ambrosio’s downfall as an esteemed religious figure depicts the contamination and corruption of a man of God, and by extension, religion as a whole. The dissonance created within Ambrosio in turn jeopardizes a society and its faith in God.

The unit that I chose to reflect on is unit 8 from the book Building with Living Stones. The title of this unit is “A Franciscan perspective on the economy and the global reality.” The first section of the unit is an introduction into the life of Francis, the son of a wealthy merchant. This section also illustrates his transformation from being wealthy to extremely selfless. The second short section gives the reader a simplified version of Francis’s conversion which was the result of him responding to the social context in which he lived. The third section includes information about Francis’s relationship with his father, Pietro Bernadone, the economic status of Assisi during the time of Francis and Clare, and societies view of the poor.

During the thirteenth century, two movements of church reform came into existence. These are the mendicant orders. It began with Saint Francis of Assisi who was born in 1181. At age twenty one he fell ill and began contemplating the meaning of life. In his illness he had a dream and was convinced that God told him to rebuild his house and holy

The order was different in that the priests did not wear a habit, they did not pray the Office (daily prayers said by priests and monks), there was no hierarchical structure, and they did the work that the pope ordered them to do (Cunningham 205). The order believed that the problems of the Church were more of a people’s problem than a doctrine problem (Lindberg 335). They thought that if a believer masters his will and follows God freely, then there would be no need for reform (Lindberg 335). According to the Jesuits, “Catholics had fallen away from pure faith by not participating in pure obedience to the hierarchical Church,” (Holder 197). The priests went all over the world, spreading the word of God in places like India, South America, and China (Holder 198). The order also established many colleges as well to teach their ways (Holder 199). They practised an untraditional type of prayer called “interior prayer” (Holder 197). It was a “form of silent prayer that sought out God in the inner recesses of the believer’s soul” (Holder 197). Loyola wrote a book called the Spiritual Exercises which “was to be used as a handbook designed to help somebody guide another through a program of reflections and meditations that would lead to a deeper sense of purpose in life and to a deeper commitment to the ideal of Jesus” (qtd. in Holder 199). The idea of this order is similar to another order in Spain, who saw that self-reform, and not conflict, was the

The order that Francis founded would start with a simple idea of living a very poor life, preaching the teaching of Jesus and submission to the church or anyone in need. A main part of Francis vision involves helping those in need without anything in return. The reason for Francis’s resignation comes from his coming to terms with the size of his movement. The way the lepers help show Francis understands the size of his movement since it shows the way of life he preached, the struggle with some of his follower and the need to create a rule for his followers.