What would Francis do?

Back on the 19th of November, the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans), Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo, addressed the International Congress of the Commissaries of the Holy Land in Jerusalem.

The Franciscan friars have held the Custody of the Holy Land since the early 1200s. Francis himself visited the Holy Land in 1219 and demonstrated a deep love of and devotion to the land of Jesus' life. The Custody of the Holy Land, said Fr. Carballo, has been the "uninterrupted and providential mission of the Franciscans in the Holy Land since the 13th century until these days."

Very soon, in 2009, the Order will celebrate the 800th anniversary of its founding. With this in mind, the Minister General said:

With the celebration of the grace of our origins, we don't only want to return to those values lived by Francis, even when this would be necessary, if we have separated from them, we want, and we wish passionately to "pour new wine in new wineskins" so we would respond in new ways to new questions. It is in this sense that we talk about re-foundation of our life and mission. In this context I believe I am not mistaken if I state that the must urgent question in the circumstances in which we are living is not: What did Francis do in his time? But what would Francis do in this very moment, in the circumstances in which each one of us is living?

This is a most intriguing question, at least for those of us devoted to the Poverello and friends of his sons and daughters.

Many Franciscan provinces throughout the United States are experiencing a sharp decline in men seeking to join the Order. I have my own thoughts as to why this is that I will not share here. Suffice it to say that I am deeply saddened at this, especially when one considers the Minister General's final plea:

I would ask you to try to stimulate new vocations for the Holy Land. There is a numerical decrease of vocation[s] from other countries and there is a numerical decrease in the number of missionaries that come every year. During the last three years of my service as minister general, I have given 30 new letters of obedience. They are not enough. We all have to work to increase vocations in number and in quality because the necessities increase and every day greater specific qualifications are demanded.

I would suggest that if the friars - who deeply love and respect - would seriously ask the question, "What would Francis do in this situation?", there vocations will dramatically increase. Not what would Francis as I have imagined him to be - the tree-hugging hippie who randomly speaks with birds - but the true Francis, the one who sought the Cross above all else. What would this Francis do today? What would this Francis have me do today?