Franciscan View # 001

Franciscan Life and the Eucharist

There can be no Franciscan life without the Eucharist as its center. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the center of our Christian life and therefore also the center of our Franciscan life. We attend Holy Mass not as Franciscans but as members of the Body of Christ, where we thank and praise the Father united with the entire Church. The life of Saint Francis exemplifies a life of total love for Jesus, of suffering for Jesus through the Stigmata, the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet and side.

Our Seraphic Father was drawn to the Eucharist, the real presence of Jesus Christ in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. From his relationship to Christ in the Eucharist, Francis grew closer to all other Christians whom he regarded as his sisters and brothers on an equal level to himself. Franciscans, therefore, give first place in their daily lives to the Mass and to receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. This makes an intimacy possible with Jesus which drives Franciscans with the fervor and zeal of Saint Francis toward the radical living of the Gospel which is their daily life.

A Franciscan strives to live his life in the shadow of the Cross, a life of prayer and sacrifice, of courageous action and total love for sister and brother not only on the fraternity level but worldwide. Franciscans are people who have dedicated their Christian lives to minister to their sisters and brothers in the way of Saint Francis in a quiet and understated way and without prejudices of any kind.

An intimacy with Jesus is the desire of all Christians because Jesus desires to have that close relationship with us. How can we as Franciscans tell you that we yearn for God's closeness without giving the impression that we somehow want more than others do? The closer we come to Jesus, the more we feel the need for prayer, and the more we pray, this intimacy increases. I recall a story of a Protestant Minister, who daily visited a Catholic church during his noon lunch hour. One day, the parish priest could no longer restrain himself and went up to the man to ask why he sought out the Catholic church for his noon-time visits rather than his own church where he preached and ministered. The Protestant Minister answered quite simply ... "I believe that in the Catholic church, the Lord Jesus is really present in Body and Blood in the Tabernacle." (see also: click here)

Let us think about this for a few minutes. Do Catholics really believe that Jesus is present in the Tabernacle in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity? That's a question that is asked over and over again in current days. When one sees Catholics receiving Holy Communion there is very often a total lack of piety and one wonders if they really understand the great gift they have received. They receive the Son of God in their souls, a pre-eminent guest but their behavior often tells another story. This is very, very sad. It adds to the sin of humanity and we must in some way, in prayer and penance, do reparation for the outrages toward, and the abandonment of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Several months ago, I left religious life because of reasons of bad health. This worked out well because my age allows me to live on Social Security, so in effect I have retired. In my intimate life with Jesus, Mary and the Angels and Saints, there has been no change at all. The charism of the order of monks, of which I had been a member for four years and six months is one of Eucharistic Reparation. Now that I have rejoined, with great happiness, the Secular Franciscan Order in which I was professed in 1994 before entering religious life, I would like to dedicate the rest of my Franciscan life to work, pray and suffer that I may repair for all the outrages toward, and the abandonment of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Amen.

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
November 27, 2002