Franciscan Spirituality
Presentation: September 20, 2008
Fr. Maury Smith, OFM, D.Min.
Brief Description of Presentation
The eight hundred year old Franciscan charism has three intrinsic essentials: fraternity, mission and contemplation. Francis also wrote a Rule for Hermitage. From this contemplative and eremitical tradition God has given the gift of being a mystic to many friars. This session will focus on three of the greatest mystics of the Franciscan tradition: Saint Francis of Assisi; Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church; Blessed Angela of Foligno.
The goals of the session are to give an introduction to Franciscan mysticism through these three mystics, to taste their actual writings with an emphasis on the importance of reading their writings, to practice the Franciscan approach that all knowledge is to lead to holiness.
We will reflect on four of the mystical experiences of Francis: God calling Francis through the San Damiano Cross speaking to him, the meaning of his stigmata, the Canticle of Creatures, and his Testament. Saint Bonaventure’s mystical theology will be introduced through his great synthesis, The Journey of the Soul into God with an emphasis on chapter seven. Evelyn Underhill compares Angela to other mystics and we will taste some of her Memorial.
Prayer Exercise
Fr. Maury will lead participants through a four-step prayer process, developed from Celano's spiritual theology based on St. Francis: 1. Hearing - Conversion; 2. Doing - Action; 3. Seeing - Contemplation; 4. Becoming - Transformation.
Preparation for Session and Bibliography
If you only have time for one book, read Hayes, Zachary. Bonaventure: Mystical Writings. NY: Crossroads, 1999. (Unfortunately this book is out of print but it may be found on the internet and in libraries. I will put a copy on the reserve shelf at OST.
Angela of Foligno. Angela of Foligno Complete Works: Classics of Western Spirituality by Paul Lachance and Romana Guarnieri. NY: Paulist Press, 1993.
Bonaventure. Writings on the Spiritual Life. Works of Bonaventure, Volume X. Introduction and Notes by F. Edward Coughlin. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2006
For an article on Francis’ experience at San Damiano see Noel Muscat’s web page. The Crucifix of San Damiano. http://www.ofm.org.mt/noelmuscat/articles.html
The Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis, go to this web page: http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1172&chapter=83223&layout=html&Itemid=27
The Testament of St. Francis, go to this web page:
http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religion/monastic/francis/testament.html
Selected Bibliography
Francis of Assisi – Vol. I - The Saint (Among other things this volume has the Writings of Francis, Celano’s Life of Francis and The Sacred Exchange between Saint Francis and Lady Poverty.)
Francis of Assisi -Vol. II - The Founder (Among other things this volume has Bonaventure’s Major Legend of Saint Francis, Celano’s Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul, The Legend of the Three Companions and The Assisi Compilation.)
Francis of Assisi - Vol. III - The Prophet (Among other things this volume has The Mirror of Perfection, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis and the Tree of the Crucified Life of Jesus.) All three volumes edited by Regis Armstrong, Bill Short, and J. Wayne Hellmann. (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001)
Armstrong, Edward A.. Saint Francis: Nature Mystic. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973
Blastic, Michael. “Franciscan Spirituality.” in The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality. Ed. by Michael Downey. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1993. 408-418. An outstanding brief overview of Franciscan Spirituality.
Bonnefoy, Jean Francois. The Triple Way: A Bonaventurian Summa of Mystical Theology.(Grayfriars Review Supplement, Vol. 16) St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2002
Cousins, Ewert. "Francis of Assisi and Bonaventure: Mysticism and Theological Interpretation." in The Other Side of God: A Polarity in World Religion
ed. Peter Berger. Garden City: Anchor Press, 1981.
Cousins, Ewert “Francis of Assisi: Christian Mysticism at the Crossroads.” in Mysticism and Religious Traditions, ed. Stephen T. Katz (NY: Oxford University Press, 1983) 166.
Cunningham, Lawrence. Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdsman Publishing Company, 2004. A theological reflection on Francis.
Delio, Illia. “Toward a New Theology of Franciscan Contemplation: The Mysticism of the Historical Event. The Cord 46.3, (1996): 131-140.
Longpre, Ephrem. A Poor Man’s Peace. Chicago: Francsican Herald Pesss, 1968.
See Chapter Seven Mystical Journey, pages 97-108. His diary and spiritual letters indicate that Longpre, who was a Franciscan scholar, was also a mystic himself.
McGinn, Bernard. “Was St. Francis a Mystic?” in Doors of Understanding: Conversations on Global Spirituality in Honor of Ewett Cousins. ed. Steven Chase (Quincy, IL, Franciscan Press, 1997) pp 145-74.
Tomkinson, Diane. “Angela of Foigno’s Spiral Pattern of Prayer.” in Franciscans at Prayer. ed. by Timothy J. Johnson. Boston: Brill, 2007.
Underhill, Evelyn. “Franciscan Mysticism,” Chapter V in Mystics of the Church. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 1925.
About Fr. Maury Smith
In his ministry over the past 41 years, Fr. Maury has served as program director of Alverna Retreat Center in Indianapolis, was instrumental in developing contemporary programs for spiritual development, and has taught courses in spirituality, spiritual direction and Franciscan spirituality. He received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Among other professional credentials, he retired as a diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
Fr. Maury taught at St. Bonaventure's University in New York, lecturing on Franciscan spirituality and community, prayer, and spiritual direction. His publications include a book on value clarification. He collaborated on a series of books for religious education. He also was editor and contributor to Retreat Resources, published by Paulist Press.
Fr. Maury has also served as pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Memphis, director of the spiritual renewal program of all the English-speaking Franciscans, and novice director for the Sacred Heart Province of Franciscans.
His current ministry is as Southeast Deanery Resource Coordinator in the archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas. As DRC he facilitates ministry at the deanery level and is liaison between the deanery and archdiocesan services.