Living the Gospel

Article 4 of our Secular Franciscan Rule tell us we should devote ourselves to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to the gospel. 

So how can we “live” the gospel? When we are living the gospel, we are building relationships. 

Article 14 of our Rule calls us to build a more fraternal and evangelical world so that the kingdom of God can be brought about more effectively. We do that through fraternitas, building relationships with each other, the Order and the Church. We do that through our everyday lives infusing Gospel values into every aspect of our lives. 

When we are living the gospel, we are engaging and inspiring others to seek God. 

Article 6 of our Rule calls us to share Christ’s mission. We should go forth as witnesses and instruments of her mission, proclaiming Christ by our life and words. 

When we are living the gospel, we are forming ourselves. 

Article 7 of our Rule reminds us of the personal disposition for achieving union with Christ through conversion and worship and reminds us that human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily. 

When we are living the gospel, we are attracting others to our way of life. Article 45 of our Constitutions states “the promotion of vocations to the Order is a duty of all the brothers and sisters.” 

When we are living the gospel, we are rebuilding the Church. 

Article 6 of our Rule also tells us that called like Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, we should devote ourselves to living in full communion with the pope, bishops and priests. 

When we are living the gospel, we are involved in the activities and challenges of the world and we are integrating faith and action in our daily lives. 

Articles 15 through 19 of our Rule on how we live the gospel and witness to Jesus deals with concrete action by being in the forefront of promoting justice (15), esteeming work (16), cultivating the Franciscan spirit in our families (17), being good stewards of creation (18) and with fraternal harmony through dialogue to be bearers of peace (19). 

When we are living the gospel, we are nurturing hope. 

By advancing social justice on the individual level and through community participation, we build hope for the disadvantaged. 

When we are living the gospel, we are sowing seeds and transforming hearts and minds. 

Sowing seeds and transforming hearts and minds involves a delicate balance of intention, action, and reflection and begins with small, deliberate steps. By cultivating empathy, fostering inclusive dialogue, and supporting creativity, we plant seeds that, over time, will grow into something extraordinary. 

When we are living the gospel, we are what Christ would be to the world!  To live the gospel is not merely to profess belief in its tenets, nor is it solely to perform religious rituals or uphold doctrines in isolation from the world’s needs. At its heart, living the gospel is to become, moment by moment, what Christ would be to the world – an ongoing transformation where His compassion, truth, and love are manifest through our words, actions, and presence. 

To proclaim the good news is a call to action, to convey the words and actions of kindness, justice, and compassion. It is to live in such a way that one’s very life becomes a testament – words and actions woven together – declaring hope, and planting seeds for the possibility of sprouting up new beginnings. 

I invite you to “go into the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation (cf. Mk 16:15).” 

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"They have been made living members of the Church by being buried and raised with Christ in baptism; they have been united more intimately with the Church by profession." Secular Franciscan Rule 

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