May the Lord give you peace!
I read the following from letter Pope Francis wrote to the priests in the Diocese of Rome:
Besides, our priestly ministry is not measured by pastoral successes (the Lord himself had fewer and fewer of them as time went by!). At the heart of our life is not even the frenzy of activity, but remaining in the Lord to bear fruit (cf. Jn 15). He is our refreshment (cf. Mt 11:28-29). And the tenderness that comforts us springs from His mercy, from welcoming the “magis” of His grace, which allows us to go ahead in our apostolic work, to bear failures and setbacks, to rejoice with simplicity of heart, to be meek and patient, to always start again and begin again, to reach out to others. Indeed, our necessary “recharging moments” occur not only when we rest physically and spiritually, but also when we open ourselves to fraternal encounter between ourselves: fraternity comforts, it offers spaces for inner freedom and prevents us from feeling alone in the face of the challenges of the ministry.
What he wrote applies to us as ministers in the OFS. Our service as ministers is measured by how we remain in the Lord. I’m sure we can all share stories about our challenges, frustrations, and apparent setbacks. But in the end, what matters is not whether or not we succeed in our initiatives; what matters is we rejoice with simple hearts, remain meek and patient, and are willing to start again (after all, for up to now, we have done little or nothing!).
As Pope Francis reminds us, it’s important that we have “recharging moments” for ourselves. To that end, CIOFS has created a few websites to commemorate the Centenaries on a global scale:
https://ciofs.info/projects/8th-centenary-events/https://www.centenarifrancescani.org/index.php/en/what-is-the-centenary-en
I hope these websites serve you and your fraternities in “recharging” your Franciscan spirits!
Also, please keep our sisters and brothers of Ohana ‘O Ke Anuenue Region (Hawaii and Guam). I received the following message from our sister, Liz Ishimitsu, the regional minister:
I’m trying to reach out to Maria O Maluhia’s Minister Toni Rodrigues, but have not heard back from her. The fraternity members live throughout the island. I will provide an update as soon as she responds.
This afternoon, I heard back from my nephew (one of my oldest sister’s sons. …My nephew Dale lives in Wailuku (central Maui). His siblings live in Lahaina. Two of them lost everything-house burned to the ground. The other is uncertain if her home is still standing. All are staying with a friend in Napili further west from Lahaina.
Lord, may you bless all our sisters and brothers of Maui. May they live in safety and be free from injury.
Thank you for all you do! Peace and all good,
Bob B.