Begging in the 21st Century:
The Little Portion Appeal

As persons responsible for storage of FAN's earthly treasure, Fran Eskin-Royer and I can report that we are not in danger of transgressing Jesus' instruction any time soon.  We are not "storing up for ourselves an earthly treasure."  That, one might say, is the good news.

Earthly treasure is a topic many Franciscans would rather avoid.  The zealous young Francis sought to avoid it, that's for sure.  After hearing Matthew's Gospel (10:9), he resolved -literally-to "carry no money with him."  In both the Early and Later Rules, he required his brother friars to do the same. His early position was crystal clear: take nothing for the journey. Some scholars even see the founding of the Franciscan Order as a reaction against the mores of a monetary economy.

What's clear from history is that the early friars and followers of Clare preferred the interdependence of the barter system to the impersonality of cold hard cash.  Both bartering and begging alms involved relationality and you can't hoard that.  We know that over time Francis suffered an easing of his prohibition against money. In its place, a survivable austerity emerged; one that still animates the vow of poverty eight centuries later.  It may have been that Francis realized that a charism steeped in poverty could not long survive without its primary foil: money!  Or it may have been this one arresting practicality:  his friars could not be poor enough to beg for food on the one hand but too good to beg for money on the other.

Whatever the case, an appreciation for the profound relationship between Franciscan spirituality and money is not a bad place to begin begging as an organization.  That is what the Little Portion Appeal is:  21st century begging.  It is also why it is so important to the future of FAN.  We beg for your participation mindful that one's heart is where one's treasure lies.  We treasure each other, not money.  This is why:

The Little Portion Appeal will be successful if we get you to participate. It will be successful not because we will be able to pay our bills (though we trust this will be the case!) but because we demonstrate the Franciscan value of participation actually working!  Our culture needs this witness badly.  A Franciscan confidence in abundance tells us that if we all just give a little, we'll have enough. Franciscans may owe a historical debt to the emergence of money as a currency of exchange, but we owe a much greater debt to each other, to the Franciscans who have gone before us and to Him who creates us every day. With St. Clare let us "choose the things of heaven over the goods of the earth."

Please hit the blue "Contribute Now" button. Give what you can. Donations will soon be able to be accepted over the phone, too. Ask friends to participate. For just a little portion they participate in FAN's mission of transformation as assuredly as the largest donor.

Fran Eskin-Royer, Fr. Larry, Marc, Grant, Russ, the Action Commission, the Board of Directors, the entire family of Franciscan-hearted persons and I all hope to see as many persons as possible share in our Gospel mission. Treasuring participation leads to a discovery of the location of one's heart. May we find ours together in Him. 

Action and "Christ-like Things"

by Grant Clifton,
FAN Coordinator of Growth & Outreach 

In light of the recent actions many of you took in support of the American Clean Energy and Securities Act (H.R 2454) I would like to describe what unfolded in front of my eyes here in Washington DC. I was amazed to watch all of the Franciscan teachings I have been recently inundated with put into action. I must be honest, I was nervous about trying to organize such a large effort with so many new people that I had never worked with, most of whom are very busy running very active lives and are part of very active Religious communities. (whew!)

I knew from experience that it takes time to build relationships even when you meet in person let alone convince someone you've never met before to take action. However, I found this to be completely false when it came to dealing with the Franciscan world. In fact, I was overwhelmed with supportive responses and warm greetings in reply to the first communication sent out about the campaign. 

Click here to read more. 

In concern for addressing climate change issues, people of faith have looked to their own various traditions to identify insights and wisdom to help create practical, concrete steps that will make a difference.  Christians have looked to the Scriptures, and the Catholic Church has supplemented that effort with insights from its own theological and pastoral tradition.  The Catholic Church has found tremendous insight within its own Franciscan heritage, and so contemporary Franciscans in particular are being called upon to draw deeply from the Franciscan Tradition to provide leadership in efforts to address Climate Change.

Why a FRANCISCAN Action Network?

At FAN, we believe, at our core, that we have a gift to share. This light is not to be hidden. Click here to read why a Franciscan Action Network is so urgently needed.