Principles Day 18 – Attend, Attune, Atone

Day Eighteen — The Second Way of Service (continued) 

As well as the devotional study of Scripture, we all recognise our Christian responsibility to pursue other branches of study, both sacred and secular. In particular some of us accept the duty of contributing, through research and writing, to a better understanding of the church’s mission in the world: the application of Christian principles to the use and distribution of wealth; questions concerning justice and peace; and of all other questions concerning the life of faith.

A wise man said, ‘Attend, attune, atone.’
The world and humankind – attend to all:
the rustling breeze, the strong wind’s howl or moan;
the tetchy argument, the angry brawl;
the trills, the cheeps, the cawing of the birds;
the angry rants, the cries of love or spite:
Attend! For then it may be that our words
will be more more wise, more merciful; less trite.
Our study is to listen and attune
to ecstasy and pain, to grief and love;
not by the force of will do we atone,
but by attending to the Holy Dove.
Where we would be, She is already there:
to see as God sees is atoning prayer.

Principles Day 21 – Humility, Love and Joy

Day 21 – The Three Notes of the Order

Humility, love, and joy are the three notes that mark the lives of Tertiaries. When these characteristics are evident throughout the Order, its work will be fruitful. Without them all that it attempts will be in vain.

'Humble, humus, homo, of the earth.'
Grounded, but gladly answering when called;
not puffing up nor playing down our worth;
to love ourselves just as our neighbour's loved.
To meet the other's eyes and smile; to keep
no score of wrongs; to see the sparks that guide
each child of God; to care, and trust, and hope
in darkness and in light, all ego laid aside.

And in this grounded, loving walk is joy.
To share our Mother Earth's good gifts with all;
to bask in Brother Sun who brings the day;
heed Sister Moon and stars, whose whispered call
awakes the subtle beauty of the night.
All praise to God, who hallows dark and light.

The Shorter Oxford Dictionary informs me that the origin of the word 'humble' is the Old French 'umble', from Latin 'humilis' which is in turn from 'humus', the ground or earth, which is also related to 'homo', human.

Principles Day 16 – The Spirit Groans

Day Sixteen — The First Way of Service (continued)

Tertiaries recognise the power of intercessory prayer for furthering the purposes of God’s kingdom, and therefore seek a deepening fellowship with God in personal devotion, and constantly intercede for the needs of his church and his world. Those of us who have much time at our disposal give prayer a large part in our daily lives. Those of us with less time must not fail to see the importance of prayer and to guard the time we have allotted to it from interruption. Lastly, we are encouraged to avail ourselves of the sacrament of Reconciliation, through which the burden of past sin and failure is lifted and peace and hope restored.


Do we misjudge the God, to whom we pray,
as fickle, waiting on a whim to act,
or stern and fierce, preferring us guilt-racked?
Lordly, exacting pledges to obey,
a host of duties to perform each day?
Mysterious, a code that can’t be cracked,
or jealous, demanding fine words laced with tact?
The fount of goodness but with no real sway?

But Jesus says, ‘Come to me, rest from strife.
As bees dance round the flowers, dance with me
and sip sweet nectar from the cup of life.
Lay down these false conceits, and let the Dove
weave all your prayer and praise in unity
into a shimmering tapestry of love.’

Principles Day 11 – The Good Life

Day Eleven — The Third Aim (continued)

Although we possess property and earn money to support ourselves and our families, we show ourselves true followers of Christ and of Saint Francis by our readiness to live simply and to share with others. We recognise that some of our members may be called to a literal following of Saint Francis in a life of extreme simplicity. All of us, however, accept that we avoid luxury and waste, and regard our possessions as being held in trust for God.

I find myself heartachingly weighed down

with all the clutter of this modern life. 

I dare not take a short walk into town 

without some talismans to keep me safe:

keys, smart phone, money. Be Prepared! – if not,

just think what dire disasters lie ahead:

a sunset left unsnapped, a cake unbought,

a meeting left untweeted, text unread. 

St Francis stripped off, threw the gold coins down,

and free from clutter walked through his new life

in rough and ready robe from town to town, 

without desire to stay well fed or safe. 

God grant that we too, might learn how

to turn from future fears, and live the now. 

Principles Day 12 – A New Attitude

Day 12 – The third aim: to live simply

Personal spending is limited to what is necessary for our health and well-being and that of our dependents. We aim to stay free from all attachments to wealth, keeping ourselves aware of the poverty in the world and its claim on us. We are concerned more for the generosity that gives all, rather than the value of poverty in itself. In this way we reflect in spirit the acceptance of Jesus’ challenge to sell all, give to the poor and follow him.


My latest purchase – oh, the joy it brings –
a joy that never lasts. It's not enough.
An empty heart cannot be filled with things,
but only love: I will not worship Stuff.
I will not hug my treasure chest to me,
be Scrooge, or Silas Marner with my gold:
fling wide the lid! And throw away the key –
a locked chest makes the heart grow stale and cold.
What joys our lavish, reckless maker shares:
fresh water; Ave Verum; birds at dawn;
electric cars; wind farms; well-crafted chairs;
a fox in sunshine basking on our lawn.
We prize them when this truth is understood:
God saw all God had made, and it was good.

Principles Day 25 – Love is patient and kind

Day Twenty-five – The Second Note of the Order, love

Jesus said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ (John 13.34-35) Love is the distinguishing feature of all true disciples of Christ who wish to dedicate themselves to him as his servants. 

Love is patient, likes to watch things grow
at their own pace. Friendship, seeded by chance
becomes a sacred grove where we may go
for shelter and delight; and children dance
to life's unfolding rhythms as they learn
that there's a time to rest, a time to run,
a time to wait, a time to take your turn.
Love keeps no score of wrongs; it feels the pain
both of unmeant and of deliberate slights,
but will not let the dross of them congeal
and clog the soul, or plague with restless nights.
Love blesses what we do and what we feel:
a light in darkness, bridge across the abyss,
a father lifting up, a mother's kiss.

Pray, study, work – Principles Day 13

Day Thirteen — The Three Ways of Service

Tertiaries desire to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, whom we serve in the three ways of Prayer, Study, and Work. In the life of the Order as a whole these three ways must each find full and balanced expression, but it is not to be expected that all members devote themselves equally to each of them. Each individual’s service will vary according to his or her abilities and circumstances, yet each individual member’s Personal Rule of Life must include each of the three ways.

 I stand, rapt, gazing at the boundless Sea,

whose constant pulsing stillness seems to say,

‘Dive in. Swim deep. Immerse yourself in Me –

to float among My currents is to pray.’

  Such depths, beyond the ken of humankind,

I can’t begin to sound without Your grace.
O Boundless One, explode my puny mind,

and blind and heal my eyes to glimpse Your face. 

   Then, steeped in beauty, Love, O send me out

to live and serve in all I say and do;

to greet each task, each chore and chance, without

regret, each stranger as embodying You. 

  For love of boundless Love, may I not shirk

  the call to pray, to study and to work. 

Principles Day 15 – Bread of Life

Third Order Franciscan Principles, Day Fifteen — The First Way of Service (continued)

The heart of our prayer is the Eucharist, in which we share with other Christians the renewal of our union with our Lord and Saviour in his sacrifice, remembering his death and receiving his spiritual food.

We shall not live by bread alone, but by
each word of God, and by God’s one true Word.
The Word breathed life, bid nature multiply,
quickened each rustling tree, each soaring bird,
Leviathan, and Behemoth – and we
now dare presume to stand above them all:
What foolish pride! What selfish vanity!
We come from dust, and back to dust we fall.

Those in God’s image should not grasp at power:
to serve as stewards is our true concern.
Our Eucharist recalls us to the hour
our Lord allowed his life-blood to return
to Earth, whose fruits, whose grains become the food
that dares us spend ourselves in gratitude.

The Beauty of Service – Principles Day 20

Day Twenty — The Third Way of Service (continued)

Tertiaries endeavour to serve others in active work. We try to find expression for each of the three aims of the Order in our lives, and whenever possible actively help others who are engaged in similar work. The chief form of service that we have to offer is to reflect the love of Christ, who, in his beauty and power, is the inspiration and joy of our lives.

There’s beauty in a daisy in the grass,
a dog's uncompromising gaze of love,
a fern that quivers gently in the breeze,
a hurtling throng of clouds far up above.
And beauty in a carer's skilful touch,
a nurse patrolling quiet night-time wards,
a fireman for whom no danger is too much,
a carpenter with clamps and saws and boards.
All business men and women, all PAs,
all teachers, builders, sweepers, engineers,
artists, accountants, cleaners, all whose days
are spent with nets, drills, cookers, wiping tears,
or changing nappies. Lord, transform our duty
into the joy of service, into beauty.

in your presence – principles day 14

In case anyone wonders, I’ve been reading e e cummings, and this is in part a tribute. The unorthodox typography is based on his – see, for instance, “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in”. This is also inspired by the Third Order booklet of reflections on the Principles, which points out how for Francis the Lord’s Prayer was the starting point and model for our prayer. I’m aware that I have left out ‘Forgive us our sins …’ but hey, fourteen lines is not much to fit in the Our Father and the Prodigal Son.

Principles Day Fourteen – The First Way of Service: Prayer

Tertiaries seek to live in an atmosphere of praise and prayer. We aim to be constantly aware of God’s presence, so that we may indeed pray without ceasing. Our ever-deepening devotion to the indwelling Christ is a source of strength and joy. It is Christ’s love that inspires us to service, and strengthens us for sacrifice.

our father(/mother,gazing down the road)

in(and running out from)heaven,hallowed

be your(blessed and cursed and trampled)name

your kingdom(of foot-washing,robe/ring-giving)come

your will(to bring us prodigal home)be done

on earth( ’s far fields,feeding with the swine)

as in(our angry brother ’s fields,your)heaven 

give us(not pods,not slaughtered calves)today

our daily bread(of life,hand-made,earth-given)

and lead(oh lead)us,(lead us not astray)

not into(sick,grasping)temptation

but deliver us(mother,birth us into light)

from evil( ’s twisted,tangling desecration)

(oh mother/father,kiss us into sight)

Read by the Word – Principles Day 17

Day Seventeen — The Second Way of Service: Study
‘This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’ John 17.3

True knowledge is knowledge of God. Tertiaries therefore give priority to devotional study of scripture as one of the chief means of attaining that knowledge of God that leads to eternal life.

To know you is eternal life: life full,
life lived, not just endured; a joyous gift
to give away; on course when set adrift,
buoyed only on your tide of love for all.
How to receive that gift, to heed that call
to die that we may live? With ego left
behind, naked and bruised, we float bereft
of anchors, moorings, havens great and small,

and wait. Wait out the murmurings of the world,
and wait. Wait out the mutterings of our fear;
wait on the Word made flesh, attend and hear
the words that witness to the one true Word,
the cloud of witnesses to our true Friend
who reads us, knows us, loves us to the end.

Lady Poverty – Principles Day 10

Day Ten — The Third Aim To live simply.

The first Christians surrendered completely to our Lord and recklessly gave all that they had, offering the world a new vision of a society in which a fresh attitude was taken towards material possessions. This vision was renewed by Saint Francis when he chose Lady Poverty as his bride, desiring that all barriers set up by privilege based on wealth should be overcome by love. This is the inspiration for the third aim of the Society, to live simply.

I kiss you with the kisses of my soul,
My bride, with lips more sweet than reddest wine;
More beautiful than gold, than much fine gold,
For I am yours, beloved, and you are mine.
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
You sitting hunched beside a busy road,
Head bowed, a begging bowl beside your hand:
God's face with lips now turning blue with cold.
You call me out, dare me to break the habit –
The fix of comfort, mainlined privilege –
To let the fiercely sharp blast of the Spirit
Cleanse me of grime, to join you at the edge.
My priceless pearl, my Lady Poverty,
My joy, my call to spurn safe certainty.


cf Song of Songs, and John Keats' To Autumn

Coals of fire – Principles Day 9

Day Nine — The Second Aim (continued)

As Tertiaries, we are prepared not only to speak out for social justice and international peace, but to put these principles into practice in our own lives, cheerfully facing any scorn or persecution to which this may lead.


Do I dare throw my hat into the ring?
Will I be ridiculed? Will I be heard?
Will all my thoughts and passions seem absurd?
Amidst that market place of dogmas, echoing
With talk of hope and threats of reckoning,
When boundaries between right and wrong are blurred,
Why should the punters take me at my word?
Dare I presume my speech is anything?

Yet that’s not right. It’s time to cast off fear.
When angels touch your lips with burning coal
And fire for justice catches in your soul,
Dread of rejection starts to disappear:
When words and deeds form one harmonious whole
Then those with ears to hear will surely hear.

Wretched bigotry – Principles Day 8

Day Eight — The Second Aim (continued)

Members of The Third Order fight against all injustice in the name of Christ, in whom there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for in him all are one. Our chief object is to reflect that openness to all which was characteristic of Jesus. This can only be achieved in a spirit of chastity, which sees others as belonging to God and not as a means of self-fulfilment.



The pitiful excuses that we make
for all our wretched, squalid prejudice:
‘They’re scroungers. Probably terrorists. They’ll take
our jobs, destroy our precious heritage.’
‘They’re deviants. The Bible says they’ll burn.’
‘The Bible says you women should submit,
and men should lead.’ O God, when will we learn –
belittling others cannot make us great.

To Jesus on the mount, the Tempter said,
‘All power is yours, if you just bow to me,’
but Jesus turned away and bowed his head
to God. Not clinging to authority,
the servant king poured out himself to seek
the lost: man, woman, slave, free, Jew or Greek.

Perfect Love – Principles Day 7

Day Seven — The Second Aim
: To spread the spirit of love and harmony. 
The Order sets out, in the name of Christ, to break down barriers between people and to seek equality for all. We accept as our second aim the spreading of a spirit of love and harmony among all people. We are pledged to fight against the ignorance, pride, and prejudice that breed injustice or partiality of any kind.


Unclean! The angry cry rings down the years

wrenched from some primal instinct of disgust. 

Our bodies need to learn which foods to trust

and which to shun, but somehow healthy fears

of germs and toxins turn to hateful sneers

against outsiders, and we deem it just

to spurn the unclean other; feel we must

stay safe and pure, protect the Church frontiers. 

When Francis felt his gorge rise at the sight

of lepers begging, what he learned was this:

no child of God’s unclean. And with a kiss

what once was bitter turned to sweet delight. 

The Gospel message that we need to hear

with him is: Perfect love casts out all fear. 

I would like to acknowledge that I got the idea of the disgust instinct leading to an irrational fear of outsiders from Richard Beck’s book, ‘Unclean: meditations on purity, hospitality and morality’ (Cascade Books 2011) which I heartily recommend.

Preach without ceasing – Principles Day 6

Day Six — The First Aim (continued)

The primary aim for us as Tertiaries is therefore to make Christ known. This shapes our lives and attitudes to reflect the obedience of those whom our Lord chose to be with him and sent out as his witnesses. Like them, by word and example, we bear witness to Christ in our own immediate environment and pray and work for the fulfilment of his command to make disciples of all nations.

I passed a fervent preacher in the street:
dark suit, dark Bible, darker words as he
assailed the shoppers who tried not to meet
his fierce, judgmental eyes. But how are we
to make Christ known and loved in all the earth?
'Preach without ceasing, and if need arise
use words.' And all our words are nothing worth
unless we greet and meet with loving eyes
the folk whose paths we cross. St Francis danced
and sang, embraced and shared his bread with those
he met. And some poured scorn, and some, entranced,
saw Jesus' love reflected in his gaze.
Knowing we're loved, may we like Francis show
the Father's love; let living water flow.

Face to face – Principles Day 5

Day Five – The First Aim of the Order: To make our Lord known and loved everywhere.

The Order is founded on the conviction that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God; that true life has been made available to us through his Incarnation and Ministry; by his Cross and Resurrection; and by the sending of his Holy Spirit. Our Order believes that it is the commission of the Church to make the Gospel known to all, and therefore accepts the duty of bringing others to know Christ, and of praying and working for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ picture was in a children's book:
a hero, bearded, robed, with loving eyes,
who welcomed children, touched and healed the sick –
he charmed me with his heart so kind and wise.
But as I grew, I put off childish ways
and wrestled with the meaning of this man:
this history-shaker, God in paraphrase,
the Ground of Being born a poor girl's son.

But no. A glimpse through the dark glass of thought
won’t do. I need to meet him face to face –
fling wide the gates of mind and soul and heart,
till every cell is steeped in his bright grace.
I cannot meet the call to make him known,
unless I first let him make me his own.

Money, sex and power – Principles Day 4

Day Four – The Object (continued)

When Saint Francis encouraged the formation of the Third Order he recognised that many are called to serve God in the Spirit of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience in everyday life (rather than a literal acceptance of these principles as in the vows of the Brothers and Sisters of the First and Second Orders). The Rule of the Third Order is intended to enable the duties and conditions of daily life to be carried out in this spirit.

Set free in Lady Poverty's embrace
our Father Francis set us an example
of how to meet the challenges we face;
but living simple lives is rarely simple.
Those raucous sirens, money, sex and power
distract us from the Dove's more gentle voice,
and tempt us to postpone another hour
our promised aim of taking up the cross.

Come down, O Love divine, and help us learn
the beauty of desire set free from lust;
wealth given, wanting nothing in return;
communities of service, built on trust.
Give us anew, most holy Trinity
the spirit of divine simplicity.

First thoughts on St Francis

The little man stands before the crowd

as his father raves and rants in fury:  

'This son – disgraceful, wasteful son –

refusing his father's reasonable demands,

adding nothing to the family coffers,

stealing to fund his ridiculous schemes. 

Useless soldier, no head for business,

bringing shame to Pietro di Bernadone, 

who twice sent him out in the brightest armour,

and would clothe him in finest purple silk

if only he'd take his allotted place,

the next strong branch in the family tree.'

But the crowd and the kindly, worried bishop,

no longer attend to the spluttering man,

for his son has quietly cast off his clothes,

which lie, with the gold, at his father's feet,

and the bishop is offering his cloak to the man,

impressed by the soul but unnerved by the flesh. 

The father's rage flares at this new outrage. 

'Damn his eyes! Damn his belly, his buttocks, his mouth!

Let him freeze, let him rot, get him out of my sight!'

And the little man leaves in a borrowed cloak,

seeking his place in a different world.

Written in response to Howard Worsley TSSF, who led a course at Lee Abbey on St Francis in the 21st century, and inspired me to investigate becoming a member of the Third Order.

The Call – Principles Day 3

Day Three — The Object (continued) 

Jesus calls those who would serve him to follow his example and choose for themselves the same path of renunciation and sacrifice. To those who hear and obey, he promises union with God. The object of the Society of Saint Francis is to build a community of those who accept Christ as their Lord and Master, and are dedicated to him in body and spirit. They surrender their lives to him and to the service of his people. The Third Order of the Society consists of those who, while following the ordinary professions of life, feel called to dedicate their lives under a definite discipline and vows. They may be female or male, married or single, ordained or lay.

Undisciplined, weighed down by wealth, we hear
a still, small voice call, 'Come, and follow me.'
How can we follow? Count the cost, and we
must stand aghast, quite overcome with fear.
Must we be torn from all that we hold dear:
fine dining, stylish clothes, cars, currency,
our stubborn, crass egocentricity,
the hoarded dross of many a greedy year?

But if we heed the call, if we submit
and die to self, then we're reborn to share
with others, poor in spirit, who commit
themselves to serve Christ in our Order, where
we humbly meet in joy and love, all knit
together in community and prayer.

A brief explanation of the last two lines for non-Franciscan readers: as part of our community obedience we pray every day, ‘Grant, we pray, that being knit together in community and prayer, we your servants may glorify your holy name...’