Throughout the Franciscan world, the year 2006 marks the beginning of three years punctuated by feast days in honor of the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Order. In Jerusalem, the celebrations began on November 29th. This is the date of the signature in 1223 of Pope Honorius III’s bull approving the Rule of Life that had earlier been approved orally by Pope Innocent III. In the Order’s Sanctoral, this is also the feast of All Saints of the Franciscan Family.
The Basilica of Gethsemane was the site of the jubilee’s opening celebration for the Franciscans living in Judea. The Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, solemnly presented them with an olivewood Tau* fashioned by a Bethlehem craftsman. The tau, which for Saint Francis of Assisi was a symbol of divine election (cf Ezekiel ch. 9), is one of the symbols of the Franciscan family. In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration, the Father Custos thanked the friars for having come in such large numbers to Jerusalem (there were over 150 of them), thereby forming a union of generations—young postulants, novices, “seniors” in religious life—all gathered together around the banquet of the Word and the Eucharist. Remarking on the First Reading (Ezekiel 9), the Custos emphasized that, in spite of the extermination due to sin, this “is never the end of everything. There is this sign, given to those who wept and sighed over sin, this sign that saves”.
Similarly, in remarking on the Gospel passage of the rich young man, the Custos emphasized that Jesus “loved him”. “We are required, first of all, to follow the Lord. The rest comes as a consequence of this, it is a natural consequence. We must offer ourselves up, give ourselves to the Lord; otherwise, he cannot act because he respects our liberty. We do not belong to ourselves; we have given ourselves to him. Today, we give ourselves to him again by renewing our vows. These profound words challenge us. They resound in the basilica, in this place where Jesus gave himself to the Father before definitively giving himself to the Father at Calvary. This is an invitation to faithfulness, along with the invitation to ask ourselves, ‘Where is my initial enthusiasm?’ It is an invitation to the liberty that is born of giving oneself in unconditional love. These reflections are prolonged for the friars who will read on the Tau that was give to each, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” The Jubilee starts at Jerusalem for the friars of the Custody with a “new beginning” in following Christ in the very places of his birth, his death and his resurrection. Happy Anniversary to everyone, here and all around the world!
MAB
* The Tau is a Greek letter and/or the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Bible it has a particular importance, as well as a long tradition in art history. Saint Francis used this sign frequently, drawing it on houses and trees.
The Basilica of Gethsemane was the site of the jubilee’s opening celebration for the Franciscans living in Judea. The Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, solemnly presented them with an olivewood Tau* fashioned by a Bethlehem craftsman. The tau, which for Saint Francis of Assisi was a symbol of divine election (cf Ezekiel ch. 9), is one of the symbols of the Franciscan family. In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration, the Father Custos thanked the friars for having come in such large numbers to Jerusalem (there were over 150 of them), thereby forming a union of generations—young postulants, novices, “seniors” in religious life—all gathered together around the banquet of the Word and the Eucharist. Remarking on the First Reading (Ezekiel 9), the Custos emphasized that, in spite of the extermination due to sin, this “is never the end of everything. There is this sign, given to those who wept and sighed over sin, this sign that saves”.
Similarly, in remarking on the Gospel passage of the rich young man, the Custos emphasized that Jesus “loved him”. “We are required, first of all, to follow the Lord. The rest comes as a consequence of this, it is a natural consequence. We must offer ourselves up, give ourselves to the Lord; otherwise, he cannot act because he respects our liberty. We do not belong to ourselves; we have given ourselves to him. Today, we give ourselves to him again by renewing our vows. These profound words challenge us. They resound in the basilica, in this place where Jesus gave himself to the Father before definitively giving himself to the Father at Calvary. This is an invitation to faithfulness, along with the invitation to ask ourselves, ‘Where is my initial enthusiasm?’ It is an invitation to the liberty that is born of giving oneself in unconditional love. These reflections are prolonged for the friars who will read on the Tau that was give to each, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” The Jubilee starts at Jerusalem for the friars of the Custody with a “new beginning” in following Christ in the very places of his birth, his death and his resurrection. Happy Anniversary to everyone, here and all around the world!
MAB
* The Tau is a Greek letter and/or the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Bible it has a particular importance, as well as a long tradition in art history. Saint Francis used this sign frequently, drawing it on houses and trees.