FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF THE THIRD ORDER REGULAR
PROVINCE OF SAINT LOUIS BANGALORE
Our common creed is our belief in the Bible, our deep faith in
Jesus Christ, and our acceptance of the unconditional love of God
Penance for us the Third Order Regular Franciscans is the way of life. As elucidated in our Rule, we “the brothers and sisters of this order are to persevere in true faith and penance” (TOR Rule #2). The Franciscan ideals of penance and ongoing conversion are best lived when we truly understand the mind of our Seraphic Father as well as the Catholic tradition of prayer and abstinence during the Holy Season of Lent. The key to understanding the meaning of Lent is the Sacrament of Baptism. The Church reminds us that the indelible mark of Baptism is the basis of Christian life. This sacrament brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one can “enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5). However, today the loss of the sense of sin drives us far away from the Baptismal graces. As Pope Francis once remarked, “When you lose the sense of sin, you lose the sense of the Kingdom of God”.
In order to regain this “sense of the Kingdom of God” and to stay holy and without blemish we have the Season of Lent which invites us to conversion and putting on Christ. Yes, those of us baptized into Christ have to put on Christ (Gal 3:27). For the Third Order Franciscans, the Gospel Project of putting on Christ is manifested in continual conversion.Our sense of sin, repentance and penance must not be limited to the Season of Lent alone, it must be continuous. We are the brothers of St. Francis of Penance and hence the spirit of Lent must have a deep impact on our entire life. The brothers of St. Francis of Penance must “strive to realize their vocation to holiness, initiated at Baptism” (TOR Constitution #2) and embrace ongoing conversion and constant renewal. In simple words, our Lenten observance is for the whole of our life. We abstain from all evil and persevere to the end in doing good (TOR Rule #2), imitating Father Francis and Jesus Christ the true model. We must devote ourselves to the three Lenten practices of prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbours) on a daily basis. By such astute Lenten observances day by day we draw closer to God and to our neighbor and thus fulfill the dream of Francis of his brothers taking possession of the kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the world. So then, what’s Lent for the TORs? Well, it’s the whole of our life!