Prayer of the Absorbeat
The Five Lents of Francis
The early sources about the life of Francis mention five “Lents”.
A Lent to prepare for Easter and one for Christmas
For 40 days before Easter, Francis observed the “Great Lent”, what we know as Lent today. Francis observed a similar period of 40 days of fasting and prayer in preparation for Christmas, beginning after the Feast of All Saints on 1 November. It was at the end of a Lent preparing for Christmas that Francis arranged for the display of the Nativity scene at Greccio. Both Lents were observed by his brothers as well (Later Rule, Chapter 3).
A fast like Jesus’ in the desert
Francis also recommended a fast of 40 days after the Epiphany, 6 January. On this day in Francis’ time, the Church celebrated the Baptism of the Lord (as well as the visit of the Three Kings), so Francis reasoned that Jesus began his fasting of 40 days in the desert on 7 January.
A Lent in summer
In some years, Francis observed a Lent in summer, from the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the Church of Rome, on 29 June until the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (whom Francis called “the virgin made church”) on 15 August.
A Lent to honour Saint Michael
Finally, Francis observed out of personal devotion a Lent in honour of Saint Michael after the Assumption until 29 September. It was during such a “Lent of Saint Michael”, in 1224, that Francis received the vision of the Seraph on the mountain of La Verna, followed by the appearance of the stigmata on his body.
We have indications from the early sources about how Francis observed these Lents: in fasting, solitude, and prayer.
If these Lents are indicative of his usual practice each year, Francis would spend probably three to five periods of about 40 days each in relative seclusion, dedicating himself to prayer and fasting in solitude, sometimes with one of the brothers, sometimes by himself. This would amount to about four to seven months a year in a secluded, contemplative way of life, frequently spent in the hermitages, a characteristic feature of early Franciscan spiritual practice.
Basically, Francis was creating the space and time to step apart and reflect on how God was asking him to deepen his commitment in terms of the ever-changing situation of his life. “When blessed Francis stayed constantly in a place to pray . . . he was always anxious to know the will of the Lord, about how he could please him better” (Assisi Compilation, 118)
From a post by Friar William J Short OFM in the Commission on the Franciscan Intellectual-Spiritual Tradition website.
Mother’s Day concert – Bringing to birth
We honour our mothers bringing us to birth. We honour our fathers too, but it is our mothers who carried us as part of themselves, nourishing us with nutrients while taking away toxic waste from our systems. Our mothers fed and freed us when we were still in their womb.
That is how St Francis saw his mother, who fed his dream of becoming the person God created him to be, and freed him from his father’s ambition for him. When Francis was seen straying from this ambition, his father would imprison him in the house cell, and his mother would free him when his father was away.
In the same way, Francis saw himself accompanying his friars, sicut mater (‘like a mother’ in Latin). It may sound strange for a man to see himself as a mother, but it is precisely this uniquely maternal imagery that drives the fraternal relations in our Franciscan communities. We are a community of men who free one another from the chains that bind us, who help one another become the persons God created us to be.
On Mt Alvernia, where Francis received the Stigmata 800 years ago, he had asked for two graces: to experience the pain and suffering on the cross, and simultaneously to experience the joy and love that brought Jesus up on the cross.
Is this not like childbirth? The suffering of birth pangs and the joyful love for the newborn are like two sides of the same coin. One comes with the other, much like the mystery of our life.
So, at this year’s Mother’s Day Concert, we will celebrate the trials and triumphs of motherhood, where a mother brings to birth her children, and the bringing to birth of her own identity as mother and the gifts God has given her for this role.
As usual, the Mother’s Day Concert will be held at the Church of St Mary of the Angels, Singapore. We have prepared a simple and hopefully heart-warming evening of songs and stories, so join us on Saturday, 4 May 2024 at 8pm. Limited edition merchandise and yummy treats made by the friars will also be available. Your kind donation will go towards the Formation and Care for Friars Fund.
Check out this LINK to get your tickets.
Recollection for Friars ‘Under 5’
A small group of young Franciscan Friars from the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) began 2024 in Danang, Vietnam.
Except for Custos Friar Derrick Yap, who guided the recollection, all of them are in their first five years of Solemn Profession or Ordination. This is one of the most volatile periods in Religious Life, when statistically most breakdowns happen. Hence this “Under 5” effort to accompany more closely Solemnly Professed “young friars” who are “under 5”.
There are seven Solemnly Professed friars “under 5” – two in Singapore, one in Johor Bahru, three in Penang and one in Sabah. Five of these seven went to Vietnam.
The five days (1-5 January) had a good balance of prayer, formation and fellowship. It was also an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of Vietnam, as well as the local cuisine.
Friar Derrick used “Clowning in Rome”, which is a compilation of Henri Nouwen’s addresses to Religious Men and Women in Rome, to set the framework for the recollection.
In line with the Order’s desire for friars to be ‘Contemplative Fraternities in Mission’, the five young friars delved into the chapter on “Contemplation and Caring”. In the recollection, they were invited to recognise how their life of prayer is deeply connected to their life in ministry. Especially being young friars, there can arise a very real temptation and expectation to work and minister, and give more of themselves, at the expense of their prayer life and spending time in contemplation.
As Nouwen said in “Clowning in Rome”: “To contemplate is to see, and to minister is to make visible, the contemplative life is a life with a vision, and the life of caring for others is a life revealing the vision to others.”
Striking this balance of prayer and ministry, or “contemplation and caring” as the recollection material called it, has been a real challenge, as the friars shared vulnerably. Guided to re-centre themselves in the Lord in contemplation once again, the friars returned from this recollection renewed in their vocation, ministry and relationship with the Lord, as well as in fraternal love and support for one another.
“This recollection together with my batch mates in fraternity really helped me to begin the year on a right footing of prayer and fraternity. Now that all of us are in full-time ministry, more so we need to recognize that a solid prayer life is foundational in enabling us to minister effectively,” said Friar Gerald Tan
Springing into New Life!
Lent comes from the Old English word for “spring season”. Although we do not have the four seasons in Malaysia and Singapore, we know of the astounding beauty of Sister Mother Earth coming alive again in spring with the blossoming of flowers (think Sakura cherry blossoms in Japan) and the eventual fruiting of trees.
We know that preceding this explosive flowering and fruiting is a period of hibernation and apparent lifelessness. As with Sister Mother Earth, so with our souls. We need a period of shedding off everything (Lent) to come to the essence of ourselves, which will result in a greater appreciation of the beauty of life and the mystery of new life (Easter).
Lent is a spiritual detox, a spring cleaning of the soul. What our souls are made of and made for is the life-giving freedom to love. Toxic energy and acting out are the antithesis of this life-giving and loving freedom. The good news is that toxic energy, such as jealousy, deep shame, spitefulness, insecurity and narcissism, can be transformed when we are mindful of our toxic internal programming, and when we intentionally and lovingly adopt a kinder, gentler and more compassionate demeanour, in other words, when we try to be like Christ.
When we enter into our own Lenten deserts intentionally, we reveal our desire to allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate the innermost core of our being and transform us from within, to reveal our true selves more and more. This is like the coming to new life of the springtime, our souls blossoming into our own Easter.
St Francis of Assisi, after his powerful conversion experience in the embracing of the leper, knew that God was leading him gradually into the death of his ego (the False Self), and that is why he did three to five Lents every year. This means he spent between 120 to 200 days a year in solitude and prayer in caves, intentionally entering into the cave of his own heart to discover God within. This is the secret of his powerful preaching (using words when necessary) and many miracles. You can read more about the Five Lents of Francis in the Spirituality page.
Francis emerged from these Lents renewed in the Spirit, and shared this new life of goodness and wholeness with all he came into contact with.
This is my dream for all the friars in the Custody of St Anthony. We resolved at our Chapter in 2022 to implement the Fraternal Life Project (FLP), which is meant to animate our fraternal life through community prayer, recollections, recreation and common ministries, etc. This year, I have strongly encouraged the friars to discern their Personal Life Project (PLP) – to connect with God more intimately (Prayer) so as to know what destructive aspects of our lives need to be transformed (Penance), and thus live our Franciscan fire with THE Essential without anything of our own (Poverty).
Prayer, Penance and Poverty. So thank you our friends and benefactors, for your continued prayers for our intentions and missions. Please be assured of our prayers as you journey through your own Lent into Easter. May you feel the guiding hand of God leading you to greater life-giving freedom to love first God himself, and then all of God’s beloved children.
