By: Christine Morrison, SFO Minister of St. Francis Fraternity, San Francisco, CA Franciscan Spirituality is first and foremost a process of becoming a Peacemaker. Secular Franciscans promise to live the gospel life, as everyday people in their families, their work situations and in their communities. To join a Fraternity requires about two years of Formation to learn the Franciscan Way of Life and to catch the Spirit of our beloved founder, St. Francis. Formation is on ongoing process that requires a life long commitment. Formation requires "Conversion of Heart" to live the gospel of Jesus. It requires self-discipline to have the patience and determination to preach the "Good News" by words and actions. No one can live the Christian life perfectly, but by prayer, by fasting, by trusting in God and practicing love of others, we grow. Formation implies that we have a model in mind of how we will live our lives. The main models that we conform to are the Secular Rule of St. Francis, the Scriptures and the Catechism, which contains the mainteaching of the Magisterium of the Church. The General Constitution guides us more specifically in carrying out the Rule of St. Francis to live a gospel life. The six Commissions given to us by the National Fraternity give us focal points for the Fraternity to grow as a group of gospel people andpeace makers. Peace and Justice, Work, Family, Youth, Ecology and the Integrity of Creation are all wonderful channels of Peace and opportunities to grow in Formation or "Conversion of Heart". The Peace and Justice Commission is one of the hallmarks of the Franciscan way. We need to learn non-violent ways of handling conflict in our personal lives. We need to fast, pray and take action to have a more just world. We need to treat ourselves in non-violent ways, for example, by not overly criticizing ourselves. Working for Peace and Justice is a great opportunity to learn discernment and to grow in "Conversion of Heart" to love outside of our comfort zone. We need the courage of our conviction topractice Peace and Justice in a world that sometimes shows little value for the poor and needy. The Work Commission calls us to see work as a gift and a means of living out our Christian vocations. By growing in the work place we learn tolerance and sometimes we learn how to listen and be patient with difficult people. We can learn to handle the stress ofdeadlines, lack of understanding and/or the lack of appreciation, etc. The opportunities are endless for evangelization in the workplace. Make no mistake, Christians are constantly judged for their ability to love in word and deed. Often in the workplace we have the opportunity to learn to "turn the other cheek". Whether the work is paid or volunteer work, we are called to grow in conversion of heart. We do not have to be doormats, but humility calls us to learn anger management and obedience to authority figures. As Secular Franciscans, the Family and Youth Commissions call us to humble service, love and respect on a deeper level than our more limited associations with others. For those of us with grown children or single we may be called to humble service and love of friends as a means of ongoing conversion. We may be called on to fast, pray or volunteer for families in distress or for our troubled youth. If we don't have a support group that we associate with on a regular basis, we may need to find someone to be "family" to us. If we don't have family, we may need to answer to someone like a spiritual director, who can reflect back the truth and beauty of ourselves. On a regular basis we need to create ways to be nurtured and to show love, care, hospitality and support to at least one other person. As "People of Penance" our rule calls us to live a simple life. The Ecology and Integrity of Creation Commission calls us to make sacrifices that move us from greed and over consumption of goods to recycling and conservation of goods and services. Poverty callsus to "Conversion of Heart". We need to be prudent,but we also need to be generous to others and to rely on Divine Providence for our needs. We are called to live in gratitude for all of creation and to appreciate the wonders of what God has given us. We need to bless and make sacred the things we see, touch and hear and the places in which we dwell. Poverty and Humility go hand in hand to help us to be grateful and responsible stewards of our world. If we dare to pray for "Conversion of Heart" because we want to be humble servants of the gospel, we are almost certain that God will answer our prayers. Watch out! We have only to look carefully at the lives of our models - St. Francis and St. Clare. You may be in for a wild ride if you want to change your imperfect ways of living and grow in love and holiness. Francis never thought he had it made and he never could stop thinking of himself as an unworthy son of God. There is always an enormous gap in our potential to be converted. There are two famous quotes that come to mind: "Go for the gold" and "Ride until the wheels fall off". Good luck and may God bless you in your desire for "Conversion of Heart." If you are interested in more information please leave your Name and Phone number on our answering machine (415) 621-3279 or contact us at: St. Francis Fraternity 109 Golden Gate Ave. San Francisco, CA 94102