[Dear Brothers here in we present the Second part of the article of Br. Kees Thönissen Ofm Cap., on Contemplation, He is a Franciscan Scholar from South Africa, who makes a fraternal call to return to Contemplation to renew our Capuchin Life. You would find the find the First Part in our Formation Office Blog: https://www.ofmcap.org/it/curia/nostri-blog/segretariato-generale-della-formazione We hope these articles and other ones found in our blog will inspire us to re-root ourselves.]

Part 2   Depth-formation, prayerful experiential pedagogy, sharing contemplation, reform

Francis was sure what prayer can do. He told a dejected brother to go and pray until his spirit and depression had changed. Francis was sure of an experiential impress that will alter one’s entire psycho-spiritual disposition in praying. He expected this to occur at a deep level. Are we convinced so as to be able to assure our postulants/novices that we expect them to blossom in ‘affective relationship’ with God as they keep praying during their coming years? (cf. PCOII^4a,h).

Francis’ desperately searching in the caves opens everything for him. We must struggle through our ‘cave symbol’ too. The cave represents his emptiness, his frantic ‘heart’s desire’, his exhausting but fierce ‘naked intent’ to find his treasure, Jesus. He shows how longing turns into the delight of being overwhelmed by love: falling in love with a (metaphorical) ‘Lady’ beautiful beyond compare; tasting God’s delectable ‘sweetness’; in exquisite visitations; in burning fire within; or the inebriation of joy in a free troubadour-heart that dances, soars and sings (PCOII¹⁸).

Humanly, there is always an inner struggling with oneself: to drop all work, bypass inner disquiet or dullness, to set aside time for our beloved, and to expect to experience that affective touch of God, that ‘sensible devotion’, that fire of seraphic love that Br Francis de Osuna told us we would feel. Only those that have resolutely ‘entered’ and have genuinely ‘experienced’ can show others the way and impassion others (it’s indispensable for formators cf. PCOII^16,17,21,23).

It is all God’s work, our part is to commit to prayer every day - and just to wait on him.

Our past routine we called ‘living the regular life’ will not sustain our young men that seek ‘beautiful, holy adventure’ (PN.8/16⁵), ‘life in the Spirit’, and enthusiastic service given out of an ‘abundance of love’ (C148³). They will find life and love elsewhere. We surely don’t wish to fall back into a style of ‘formalistic formation’, merely adhering to soulless basics and ‘hard’ rigid horariums.[1] This ‘rote formation’ suppresses creative exploring, thrilling discovery, with expansion of heart (Rm 5:5). We really need to be ‘seduced’ into prayer as daily intimate relationship with God. It’s not ‘a knowledge about’ - it asks for a freshly designed pedagogy that moves one into affective experience making its own kind of impact – far beyond any knowledge.

Francis, Clare, Bonaventure and our Saints delved with passion. From their ‘pattern of life’ we can fashion a ‘spiritual roadmap’ inspiring our entire spiritual journey through life (PCOII⁶).

Why is ‘our mystic’ St Bonaventure so hesitantly promoted until recently, and in formation?

The order needs to gain confidence from Bonaventure our Seraphic Doctor as he is a sure ‘exemplar’ of ‘how our own mystical experience can and must be trusted’ (Rohr, Eager to Love. 2014:172). Our mystical theologian lays out Francis’ entire scope of affective contemplation and so is ‘a man for our times’. He was not afraid to use the language of Francis’ own experience when calling this ‘ecstatic prayer’ - a ‘loving praying’ that pulls one out of oneself into ‘an-other’.

A pedagogic method for prayerfully entering the experiences of Francis with him can be designed (PCOII^4f,27). Francis is our model. Experiences given him by God (e.g. being enabled to kiss the leper) surprised Francis time and again, and ‘overtook him’ to each time change him, and the order, forever. Our ‘method’ can absorb one into Francis’ profound encounters with God (cf. PCOII¹³). One can personally ‘reverberate with’, and so ‘co-experience’ with Francis, one of his ‘typical’ life-stories (e.g. the San Damiano crucifix speaking to him). Francis’ experience can then ‘spark’ or catalyse one’s own experience in which God personally ‘speaks’ to one. Beyond the story, one now has an inner encounter with ‘God Himself’. This ‘God-experience’ may be a taste, a look, or a joy but it is felt to be a truly transformative event. It affects an intimate (C46⁶) and intense ‘experience of God’ (C54⁴). I call Francis’ way of unmediated, direct experience a ‘shortcut way to God’ (as intuitive-relational, using no method). Our contemplative way uses Francis’ ‘God-experiences’ to trigger a ‘parallel experience’ in which God comes and touches one (e.g. my feeling Francis’ temptation lets God enter and heal mine). Our doorway re-opening to God needs to go through Francis’ way of entry into God (Itinerarium in Deum) - one enters his various experiences and God uses that to work a transformation in one. We can ‘systematise’ a unique Franciscan approach and promote a prayerful experiential path for all formative growth.

Our General Chapter might fittingly see it as opportune that our contemplative core - and our entire formation that must be animated by it - can well be completely re-envisaged.

We need to reform ‘the spirit of prayer’ of our heritage as expressed in our General’s messages way back from Br Paschal Rywalski, so to creatively ‘build-in’ an updated[2] lived contemplative foundation – as upholding all formation. Brothers need to ‘tune in’ to God in total self-giving that opens the heart (PCOII¹⁷). A revivified faculty, spiritual sense or spiritual intuition is needed to receive him. Our holy Capuchins (e.g. St Pio) had profound spiritual charism in this domain: deep intuition of God, discerning spirits, insight, prophecy and healing, because they prayed.  

We have been asked to be experts at prayer refining in ourselves and stimulating in others that intuitional ability that opens to God … our charism of contemplation for the world. We really should believe that we can offer this! Bonaventure held that Francis has ushered in a new era of contemplation for all.[3] We can rise to this prophetic call to make it also our dream and passion.

Many movements such as Contemplative Outreach and Centering Prayer are well ahead of our order in promoting a contemplative way that is accessible and normal for all. Desire for spirituality, mysticism and contemplation seen in books, retreats and methodologies has mushroomed. Shouldn’t we be ‘men on fire’ teaching prayer. Other orders promote this. In spite of our abundant mystical tradition in Francis, Clare and our Saints, are we too timid in sharing ‘our mysticism’? (PCOII^4b,g,24). There is surely a very fortuitous congruence here. A desperate, spiritually thirsty world is searching for meaning and healing. We Capuchins, have from our origins been attuned to an ability to pray (PCOII²⁰). Often a whole generation is losing their innermost sensitivity for God. It is we Capuchins that are called to reawaken and stir that receptive heart that must intuitively open one up to God. We should say, ‘Come close to God - we as Capuchins will help and guide you!’ (PCOII²⁷; PN.8/16⁷). Francis’ way of direct experiencing of intimate relationship can rouse that badly needed capacity for direct encounter with God (C45¹). The time is most ripe! People will relish a fresh and direct Franciscan method.

The General Chapter needs to be the stimulus driving us forward so as to reground our charism. The General and Curia could well set up a robust commission(s) to revision our foundational spirituality, entire identity, and reflect on, deepen and consolidate our entire formation approach (hard work has been done…). Reform, we understand, is always ongoing.

It’s back to Francis’ experience, to our contemplative roots, to rediscover, discern in prayer… and then creatively re-envisage and restructure. Br John Corriveau said St. Francis started not with ‘a concept’ but ‘with a relationship with Jesus’. This can only happen in an experience of Jesus through deep re-immersion into our primary charism of contemplation.  

Our crisis can cause the order to shrivel, or it can spur resurgence and transformation.

St Francis calls us ‘to do our part’… but at this rather late juncture… urgently so.

[1] Did our, not so distant, rigorist, often harsh, male-type of Capuchin asceticism suppress and even distort such an intuitive, receptive, more feminine ‘Francis-centred’ approach? Today the young expect the latter.

[2] PCOII. Our Life and Practice of Prayer, held 45 years ago needs expansion for contemplation has flourished since.

[3] ‘Francis was the initiator of a new order in which perfect contemplation will flourish and a deeper understanding of scripture will be given to ‘a multitude’’ (Collationes in Hexaëmeron in McGinn Vol.III 1998:98).

Thanks to Br. Kees Thönissen Ofm Cap.