From Our June 2015 Newsletter

Our June Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, June 14th at 12:30 pm in Conway Hall. We will participate in ongoing formation, recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and, after our regular meeting and prayers, we will proceed to St. Francis Church for Benediction.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390
“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”
–from The Lay Franciscan* Monthly Pledge

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Antoinette if you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated each month.

• Ray, COPD
• Jerianne, 2 Miscarriages
• Jim, Dom & Keith, Guidance
• Christine, Nursing Home
• Carol, Gastritis
• Tim, Find Another Job
• Sale: Mom’s House, Resolve Tension
• Father, Peace: Depression
• Jim, Cracked Knee
• Charlie, Kidney Dialysis
• Lily (4), Ear Operation
• Terry, Cataract: Left Eye
• Marie, Coping: Stress
• Dottie, Arthritis: Knees

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Travel-Sized Toiletries (Especially Deodorant)
• Stainless Steel Dinner-Sized Forks & Spoons (No Knives)
• Baby Wipes
• L & XL Adult Underwear-Style Diapers
• Prayers

Formation Information

Lee isn’t going to be able to attend the June meeting so Marie has been kind enough to agree to facilitate a discussion about a story called “The Rabbi’s Gift.” This story was used by Rosie Viragh, our regional formation director, in a session during the recent regional retreat in Easton.

The Rabbi’s Gift

There was once a long time ago a monastery where monks lived that had fallen on hard times. They sold wines, soaps and made preserves for the monastery and just could not keep it up any longer. They were part of a great order that began to fade.

Deep in the woods surrounding the monastery was a little hut that the rabbi from a nearby town used for a hermitage. One day, the abbot was feeling so blue that he decided to visit the rabbi.

The rabbi welcomed the abbot and commiserated with him.

The abbot explained now they use to sell goods from the Monastery to keep it going and now it was slowly dying.

The rabbi told the abbot how strange it was that he came to his door, because while he was in prayer he said Elijah came to him and said the Messiah lives over there in the Monastery.

The time came when the abbot had to leave.

They embraced.

“It has been wonderful being with you,” said the abbot, “but I have failed in my purpose for coming. Have you no piece of advice that might save the monastery?”

“I am sorry,” the rabbi responded, “I have no advice to give except to tell you that the messiah is one of you.”

When the other monks heard the rabbi‘s words, they wandered what possible significance they might have.

“The messiah is one of us? One of us here, at the monastery? Do you suppose he meant the abbot? Of course it must be the abbot, he has been our leader for so long. On the other hand, he might have meant brother Thomas, who is certainly a holy man. Or maybe he meant brother Elrod, who is very grumpy, but also very wise. I don’t think that he meant brother Phillip, he’s too passive, but then he always seems to be there when you need him.

As they contemplated the possibilities, the old monks began to treat each other and themselves with extraordinary respect, just in case one of them was the messiah. They began again to work to help build up the Monastery and began to grow in number.

In this session we were asked by Rosie to think about the following: “How can we apply this story to our Franciscan way of life? Could we not see the gift in each person? After all, our Rule 13 says As the Father sees in every person the features of his Son, the first born of many brothers and sisters, so the Secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ.”