2. Communion of Life in Fraternity
MP 12-13, 18-19, 23-26.

We Friars Minor, having committed ourselves to "follow more closely the Gospel and the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ", are constituted into Fraternities and as Fraternities. In these is granted to us the grace of having brothers as a gift; we cultivate those human and Christian values through which full human, Christian and Franciscan maturity can be attained; we entrust ourselves to God and make ourselves followers of the poor and crucified Christ; we welcome the "words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the words of the Holy Spirit"; we listen to the invitation to go and announce the Gospel. It is from the Fraternity, therefore, that the practical orientations of our life and mission must spring.

Our Fraternities must truly be such and as such make themselves "visible". For this reason we ask that the Provincial Fraternity and the local Fraternities in their Project of Fraternal Life encourage all that can promote fraternal life, and draw attention to all that can compromise it. The Project, to be evaluated every year, should be drawn up with everyone making their contribution and in a climate of reflection and prayer, so as to help:

1) the Ministers, Guardians and friars in their effort to build up a real and profound fraternal life, to cultivate human values like dialogue, deep-level communication, a family spirit, mutual friendship, courtesy, willingness to serve, joy, justice, transparency;

2) the Ministers and friars to present clearly the identity of the Order as a Fraternity, above all in the pastoral care of vocations, initial and ongoing formation and in the service of evangelization;

3) the Ministers and friars to promote in our life the equality of all the friars at the level of principle, legislation and formation;

4) the Ministers and all the friars to care with special solicitude for the old and sick Brothers;

5) the Ministers to consider their fraternal visits to the Brothers as important moments for the growth of fraternal life;

6) the Brothers to consider the Fraternity to be a place of encounter with God, and the witness of fraternal communion to be the first form of evangelization;

7) the Brothers, especially the young, to cultivate the study of languages as an element of communication for the growth of brotherliness between one and all;

8) the Ministers to seek and increase communion and collaboration with all the members of their own Conference and with the whole Franciscan Family, particularly with our Poor Clare and other contemplative Sisters, with the members of the SFO and Franciscan Youth.

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listening

• Mt 7:1-5, 22:34-40, 23:8-11, Lk 7:36-38, 17:3-4; Jn 8:1-11, 13:1.17, 15:12.17; 1Jn 4:7-21; Eph 4:32 -5:2;

• Rnb VI,3; IX,10-11; X,1-2; Rb VI,7-8; X,1-5; Siena Testament (=STest) 3; Adm XI; 2LF 28-29; LMin 9-17.

• GGCC 38-63; RFF 17-21; ET 6-7; FE 69-72.117-121; RGC 118.130-139

• FLC 21-42.54; VC 41-53

1. What kind of image do our Fraternities present?

2. What is the formative role of the local Chapter for each Fraternity? Has the Chapter become the most valuable occasion for sharing about our life and our mission? In what way does the Fraternity concern itself with the older friars, the sick, or those in difficulty?

3. What does it mean to be an international Order? Are we ready to increase our solidarity and collaboration? How is communion/collaboration with the entire Franciscan Family to be expressed?