Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Apr 24, 2023, where he continues his series on Franciscan Spirituality, focusing on how the soul of this spirituality is love and that friars should love as much as the Seraphic angels do, who are the highest creatures in creation. We need to move from a self-centered love to a God-centered love, and this involves renouncing self and building the virtue of humility, but, again, all out of love for God who loves us.
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The heart and soul of Franciscanism is charity or love. Franciscans see love as the synthesis of everything in natural and supernatural life. Every divine manifestation and action has love as its source and goal. Love is the alpha and omega, as referenced in Revelation 1: 8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty" - [ Ссылка ]. All creatures have the imprint of God's love, and our return to God is accomplished through love. Love is active, not passive, and resides in the will.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux and William of St. Thierry see love as starting off egocentric, turned inwards towards the self. Through God's grace, this love is transformed, leading us to love God for who He is. St. Francis, however, followed the paths of St. John the Apostle and St. Paul, who knew that love comes from God as a gift (1 John 4: 8 - Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love - [ Ссылка ] and 1 John 4: 19 - We love because he first loved us - [ Ссылка ]). Love inside us is an impulse towards the infinite, reaching out to embrace the infinite good that is God.
Renunciation is necessary in the spiritual life, but only for the love of God. Humility can be the foundation of the spiritual life, but without love, it can lead to discouragement and despair. Love comes from God, is given to us through grace, and is meant to bring us back to God. St. Francis said, "we must love very much the love of the one who has very much loved us."
The love of God should guide Franciscans' actions revealed in Christ. St. Francis emphasizes finding delight only in our Creator, Redeemer, and Savior (First Rule, Chapter 23 - [ Ссылка ]#.-(Prayer-and-thanksgiving.)). Let's ask for the grace to understand love more from God's point of view as we continue with our series.
This is a continuation of Fr. Terrance's series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality - [ Ссылка ]
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:10 - The Soul of Franciscanism: Charity or Love
00:01:04 - Divine Manifestation and Action in Love
00:01:59 - Love in the Soul and Will
00:02:28 - Attraction towards Good and Disordered Love
00:03:17 - St. Bernard and William of St. Thierry's Perspective on Love
00:05:27 - St. Francis' Simplicity and Approach to Love
00:06:44 - The Impulse of Love towards the Infinite
00:07:02 - Looking for Love in the Right Places: God
00:07:49 - Renunciation, Humility, and Love in Spiritual Life
00:08:10 - The Importance of Love in Spiritual Growth
00:08:38 - God as the Final and Efficient Cause of Love
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen (Rev 3) - Feast
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