James Macdonald
“Rebuild
my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.” This was the command that
brother Francis received from Jesus in the church of St. Damian. This has been
the call of all Franciscans since, ‘rebuild my house’. Francis is a
colourful, charismatic figure who has inspired generations. As a university
student in Dunedin, I heard about this man, his dramatic conversion and
distinctive way of living out the gospel. Mainstream churches have a way
sometimes of smothering the faith within the faithful. In Francis I found an
historical figure who stood up against the excesses of the church of his day
and lived a Christian life of extreme simplicity. He lived out the love of God
that knows no bounds and no distinctions of class, race or creed; he expressed
an awareness and sensitivity to the whole of creation. He did this without
creating a new philosophy or sect, but by merely following Jesus, within the
bounds of the established Church.
As
a member of the third order of the Society of St. Francis, I have found a
community of people who live follow Christ after the example of St. Francis of
Assisi. As a community ‘in dispersion’, we have different obligations and
commitments, to family or work, and so our outward life is mixed and varied.
For me I have found an antidote to the bureaucracy, lethargy and
bricks-and-mortar mentality that seems to plague mainstream churches.
For
the last few months I have explored life in another form of community, as a
brother in the first order of the Society of St. Francis. The journey
continues. ‘Francis, rebuild my church...’
