Those Dang Franciscans!

I'm sure you've heard folks say it before:  "Well, you know, they are Franciscans..."  Usually this is meant to explain a "liberal" view expressed by an individual or organization flying the banner of St. Francis, particularly one deemed overly poetic, artistic, naturalistic, or non-traditional by the speaker.  So, does being a Franciscan guarantee brainwashing and intiation into the Sacred Rites of Hippiedom?

A theology professor once told me that a key difference in the understanding of the Church in Protestant and Catholic theologies is where the holiness of the Church resides (you know, the whole "one, holy, catholic, Apostolic Church" thing).  For some Protestants, the holiness of the Church lies in its members.  As we look back on the long history of those who have claimed membership in Christian churches, all the while committing atrocities on small and grand scales, it would be hard to find a "holy" Church.  However, the Catholic understanding of the "holiness" of the Church lies in Who founded her, Christ.  So, membership in the Church is not a guarantee of a person's holiness.  Of course, by mortal sin, we remove ourselves from communion with God, so I guess those who are committing mortal sin are technically not FULL members of the Church, or, at least, not members in good standing.

What does this have to do with the Franciscans?  Well, just like joining the Church, putting on a brown habit and tying the three knot cord around your waist does not guarantee infallible Franciscan-ness.  People are people are people.  The Franciscan message is just as prone to warping and misinterpretation as any other message laid down throughout history--on both ends.

In the world of broadcasting, there are several "points of failure" that could explain why a radio signal does not reach you correctly.  Of course, there are plenty of problems that could happen on the broasters end: blown microphones, loose cable connections, power outages, lightning striking a broadcast tower, etc.  However, there are the same host of problems that could happen on the listener's end: radio receiver shorts out, antenna becomes unplugged, the listener is too far away from a tower to receive signal, they forgot to turn the power on, etc.  

When a person does not receive their favorite radio station, because they forgot to turn their radio on, they can hardly blame the broadcaster.  In the same way, a person who already regards the Franciscans as some goofy pseudo-Druids will try to interpret the words and actions of Franciscans through this lens.  So, the Franciscan can't really be blamed for being regarded that way.  

Back to radio reception problems, there's also the possibility of intereference from other stations and weather events.  This is a lot like the interference of outsiders, like non-Catholics, who do not understand the history of the Franciscans, nor the method behind their madness.  

So, for example, let's say a Franciscan friar keeps an all-night prayer vigil outside of a prison where a criminal will be executed.  As Catholics, we know that the Church encourages nations from using the death penalty sparingly, only when no other method can safeguared public safety.  However, someone formed more in his faith by conservative pundits than teachers of the faith (teachers, priests, etc.), will believe that the friar is acting along "typical liberal" lines in caring more for the rights of a prisoner than in giving closure to the family and friends of the person victimized by the convicted.  Of course, the media will probably trumpet this friar as "boldly standing up against the Catholic establishment, conservative bishops, etc."

In the end, there are just two men who are God's children.  The friar loves the convict, not for the sins he has committed, but because they are both created in God's image.  The friar is called to make God's love known in a radical way, and no one is in more need of radical love than the convict.

Those darn Franciscans, loving the "unlovable," living out the Great Commandments and Beatitudes.