Near the end of his life, St. Francis told his brothers, “I have done what was mine to do;
may Christ teach you what is yours.” As we begin 2024, I can think of no better question
to take to the Lord in prayer and to ask each other: what is ours to do this year?
If you feel a bit overwhelmed by that question, it might be that you—like me—tend to
think that whatever is yours to do this year must be something extra on top of everything
you are already doing: prayer, service, work, family obligations, fraternity obligations,
etc. Or that your health or other circumstances do not permit you to do anything new.
When I was working with our OFS sisters and brothers from another fraternity on our
Advent Day of Reflection, we discussed what St. Francis did at Greccio to make the
Incarnation real and tangible in his time and what we feel called to do in our time. One
of the other members said, “I always feel guilty and overwhelmed by questions like that;
I just can’t do any more than I am already doing!”
As I thought later about that conversation, I realized that it is not necessarily a matter of
doing more but perhaps doing something different. Maybe what God is calling me to do
is not to pile more and more tasks on top of an already busy schedule—and certainly
not to strain my health or resources to the breaking point—but to set different priorities
and do different things to serve Him at this time. What might that look like in 2024?
When I entered formation in January 2014, ten years ago this month, I found it exciting
to set my feet on a path of spiritual growth that I expected to last the remainder of my
life. And that turned out to be correct; I have found that God has opened one spiritual
door after another in front of me over the past ten years, giving me many opportunities
to grow as a Secular Franciscan. All I need is to remain faithful to my Franciscan
vocation, open to seeing the doors that God opens before me, and brave enough to
step through at least some of them.
How might God be showing you what is yours to do as a Secular Franciscan in 2024?
And what is ours to do as a fraternity of followers of Jesus in the footsteps of St.
Francis? Please pray about this and come ready to discuss it on January 21.
Meanwhile, I wish you a very blessed beginning to this new year