August is known as the dog days of summer, the time of year when life slows down.
Those who work hard throughout the year might find the August slowdown a burden. We live in a culture that doesn’t often honor quiet time. ‘Doing’ is our mantra.
Yet that is far from the Franciscan ideal.
St. Francis of Assisi was known as a man of action, renewing the church, traveling the known world to forge ecumenical dialogue, and establishing religious communities that are still active today.
Yet Francis might well have been criticized for being lazy in contemporary terms. Some biographies note that he would spend more than half the year in prayerful contemplation, seeking God and marveling at creation.
Francis took time and space to discover how God was working in his life.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that Franciscan life has always been characterized by a tension between action and contemplation.
“Francis didn’t need to create a monastery, as the Benedictines and Augustinians had done. He didn’t want us to be enclosed monks. He wanted us to be friars, living in the middle of the people,” notes Fr. Rohr.
Francis offered a revolutionary concept that Christians could combine both action and contemplation.
“It’s almost like human consciousness just couldn’t imagine that anyone could find God except by going into the desert, into the monastery, away from troubles, away from marriage, away from people. And 800 years later, we’re still trying to learn how to balance contemplation and action,” writes Fr. Rohr.
Philosopher Josef Pieper, in his landmark Leisure, the Basis of Culture, pointed out that faith can only grow with time away from work. He warns that unless we regain silence, the ability to do nothing, we will destroy our culture and ourselves.
Summer vacation is more important than we might realize. It is a recognition that we are more than working machines, captive to notions of efficiency. We long for the spiritual and, in the spirit of Francis, need to celebrate the contemplative dimension of our lives.
So happy dog days!
As we consider Doing/Doing Nothing as a new mantra, perhaps we can also consider Giving as part of our enduring legacies. Planned Giving, or Legacy Giving, to the Franciscans allows you to make a charitable contribution as part of your overall financial and estate planning. Planned Giving ensures that your kindness and presence will be felt everywhere the friars serve, at breadlines, soup kitchens, food pantries, health clinics, thrift shops, and through many outreach programs. It will also help to educate young friars, ensuring the Franciscan tradition endures and care for our elderly and sick friars, honoring their lifetime of service.
To learn more about how your legacy can be an instrument of peace, an example of God’s love to all people, and a lifeline to those in need, contact Bro. Paul O’Keeffe, OFM, via email at pokeeffe@friars.us or by calling 646-473-0265, ext. 303.
