A Framework for the Gospel Life

Members of the Third Order are called to a life of daily prayer. This includes the praying of the Daily Office — at minimum Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer — as well as a daily period of silent contemplative prayer of no less than fifteen minutes. Members are encouraged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in its fullness and to observe the traditional Franciscan practice of pausing at noon to recall the Incarnation. The Eucharist is the center of our common life; members are to receive the sacrament as often as possible, and at minimum on all Sundays and principal feasts.

Following the example of St. Francis, members are called to a spirit of poverty and simplicity in their manner of life. This does not require the renunciation of property, but it does require a detachment of heart — a willingness to hold lightly the goods of this world and to use them in service of God and neighbor. Members are to examine their relationship to wealth, consumption, and possessions regularly, and to practice generosity as a discipline of the spirit. Simplicity extends to speech, dress, and the ordering of one's home and work.

The Franciscan charism is inseparable from service to the poor and marginalized. Members are called to identify at least one concrete work of mercy — corporal or spiritual — to which they commit themselves regularly. This may take the form of direct service, advocacy, financial giving, or hospitality. Members are to examine their service annually and to seek the counsel of their spiritual director or chapter in discerning how best to embody the love of Christ for the least of his brothers and sisters.

The Third Order is not a solitary vocation. Members are to participate in the life of their local chapter when one exists, gathering for prayer, study, and mutual support no less than monthly. Where no local chapter exists, members are to maintain regular contact with the broader community through correspondence, retreat, and the annual gathering. Members are to pray for one another by name and to bear one another's burdens in the spirit of fraternal charity.

Following the example of the Canticle of the Sun, members are called to a reverent and responsible relationship with the created world. This includes practices of environmental stewardship in the home and workplace, advocacy for the protection of the natural world, and a contemplative attentiveness to the beauty and goodness of creation as a revelation of the Creator. Members are encouraged to spend time regularly in the natural world as a form of prayer.

Members are called to ongoing formation in the Franciscan tradition and the catholic faith. This includes regular reading of Scripture, the writings of St. Francis and St. Clare, and the theological and spiritual tradition of the Church. Members are to meet annually with their spiritual director for a review of their life under the Rule and to participate in at least one retreat per year. Formation is not a stage to be completed but a lifelong journey to be embraced.

Francis was a peacemaker. He walked into the camp of the Sultan. He reconciled enemies. He called his brothers to be instruments of peace in every situation. Members of the Third Order are called to the active pursuit of peace — in their families, their workplaces, their communities, and the world. This includes a commitment to nonviolence, to reconciliation, to the forgiveness of enemies, and to the prophetic witness of peace in a world torn by conflict.