MARFAM WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER 4 MARCH 2026

What did St Francis think about Rights?  

MARFAM’s theme for March, picking up on the SA theme for the month,  is “Human Rights are Family Rights.”  Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia writing to families has a quite extensive section on families and rights. Families have the right to be able to count on an adequate family policy on the part of public authorities in the juridical, economic, social and fiscal domains.  AL 44.  And much more.   

But let us explore a little about St Francis during this Year of St Francis. Was Francis pro human rights or did he favour nature,  animal and creation, or both?  St Francis was the greatest pro-poor proponents of his day, in contrast and opposition to the prevailing values of materialism amongst the hierarchy and the people.   He embraced a life of extreme austerity and utter poverty and also promoted peace as we know well from the Prayer for Peace. “Lord make me an instrument of your peace.”  This certainly contains his sentiments and is attributed to him, but was not actually composed by him.  Written much more recently, first appeared in France in 1912, then copied and translated.  Its association with St Francis appears to have been quite accidental, let’s say incidental or probably Inspired?   Peace and non-violence rather than confrontation were lived out in his way of life and how he practiced leadership with love, but at the same time with determination.  

Why was his he dedicated to the poor and why to nature, or as Pope Francis proposed, use of the term creation as a more holistic understanding of “nature.” Francis, coming from a wealthy background, in his youth enjoyed his easygoing social life greatly, especially loved singing and wanted to be a troubadour – a touring singer popular at that time.  Like many young men of the time he was keen to be a soldier and defend his city in battles against the neighbouring city. He was captured and imprisoned for a year and during this time and after his release he had become restless and no longer interested with the empty, superficial valueless way of life he had led.  A true conversion experience came about over some time. This included a direct call he experienced from God – to go and repair his church –  and also a meeting with a leper, who he suddenly found he could accept with compassion and love. This affected him greatly and from then on he experienced an ever-growing love for Jesus and his compassionate acceptance of everyone especially poor and marginalized people.  Francis also experienced the joy and freedom of a life of poverty which he had chosen and which he shared with his friends who soon gave away and sold their possessions and joined him. Clare, a young girl of a noble family was inspired by him and chose to run away from her family to join Francis’ band.  She lived for many years of life, with other sisters who joined her, in strict poverty and contemplation.  Her determination to have this choice of simplicity and poverty accepted as a Rule for life, eventually led to its final acceptance almost on her deathbed.

So, what does all this say about Francis and Clare and rights?  The concept of rights does not really feature in the same way as today but the right to self-determination did in fact feature strongly.   Rights are closely linked with freedom. They both fought long and hard for the freedom to choose their own calling, which is the ideal way of all vocations in life in our day too.  Theirs was the right to choose to be poor, a rather countercultural choice while most people would claim the right to be free to accumulate possessions, become materially successful and own one’s acquired wealth.     

However acceptance of the concept of the common good, also promoted by the Church in different ways, overrides total freedom of ownership whether inherited or acquired by one’s own labours. The rights culture of today is often of individuals but there also exists the rights of families, communities to protection and provision of basic essentials as also of countries as the right to self-determination, a situation clearly in the happenings in our world right at this time.  Francis and Claire fought and lobbied for the right to be poor and that poverty should be the foundational right of their particular way of life.   This did cause conflict within their Franciscan communities at times, even in their own day but both Francis and Claire insisted on living out the true nature of their calling.   Their experience was living poverty with freedom, joy and love, resulting in harmony without conflict over possessions.    Francis with his early followers travelled to Rome to beg the Pope to approve their Rule built solely on the gospel of Jesus, in particular the Beatitudes.  They wanted the Pope to recognize his Rule and his right to be poor, and preach poverty. He was granted permission and the men went on to preach, but Clare waited almost until her dying days to have the Rule of the Poor Clares, of poverty and contemplation, approved.    

Is the right to choose poverty an anomaly today?   Isn’t it similar to the right – and freedom – to be able to do good?   But should these be rights or obligations intrinsic to a human concern for the wellbeing of others besides oneself?  Should they be freely chosen, or should they well up from deep inside the soul of a God-loving person?  In others words is the love of the poor – which was promoted by Pope Francis and very much emphasized by Pope Leo, to be a choice, a commandment, an obligation, an expression of “Catholic guilt,”  or as experienced by St Francis and St Clare an experience of loving God in another person?

Pope Leo,  focuses on this in  Dilexi te.  “Love for the Lord is one with love for the poor.  It is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation, contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us.  DT 5. 

The current Year of St Francis promotion throughout the Church appears to be mainly around poverty and peace.  Again on the topic of peace, he chose to travel barefoot and unprotected to Damietta, in Egypt, in the middle of a Crusade to meet, preach and share with the sultan rather than try to negotiate a deal or impose his views.  They touched hearts and minds, one could say, but they did not make a peace deal and that 5th crusade ended in defeat for the Christian army.    

The aspect of Care of Creation has not been a major focus this year so far except by specifc interest groups linked with the Laudato Si encyclical.   If we consider Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures it is not based on human rights but very strongly on the attitude of praising God for his greatness and goodness.

In our modern society where human rights, rights of women, of children, of the poor, of marginalised people, are such a major focus, justified as they are, is the underlying sense of love and joy missing?   How can we learn about that from our reflections and accompanying Francis on his often very painful journey during this Lenten season?  Many of our Lenten hymns do speak about sin, guilt, reconciliation, need for forgivness and more.  

What would St Francis be saying or doing today,  about the craziness of the wars being waged right now, causing so much suffering and destruction?   Would he go into the enemy camp, or camp on Donald Trumps doorstep in a peaceful protest, or even try to engaged him in dialogue?  Should Pope Leo be more condemnatory, confrontational in the search for a resolution or should we all take up the Lenten calling to fasting, prayer but especially growing closer to God and through our love for him sharing in the suffering of Jesus?       Those are some of the THOUGHTS OF THE DAY in MARFAM’s Lenten booklet about St Francis,  Love is his Law, Love is his way.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY. EVIL IN SOCIETY.

4 March.  Evil in society. Joseph made his contribution too.  “Whether it is in the US with President Trump carrying on so irresponsibly, or our own ex-President Zuma defying Justice, one can also see how people sometimes deliberately choose to do what is morally wrong for their own selfish reasons. Corruption is rife and sabotage happens, undermining those who choose justice. In our world today there are false prophets and religious leaders cheating and deceiving people too, while genuine and honest prophets calling for justice and integrity are ignored and maligned. Fake news adds confusion to the pot and makes it more complicated to judge between right and wrong.”    

From THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF ST FRANCIS.   It happened once that St Francis, in his concern for the brothers, became conscious of devils seeking to enter into the community. He saw that one brother, who was feeling offended by another, had let a devil tempt him to start thinking of ways to harm the other. St Francis addressed the issue with him and the brother humbly confessed and asked forgiveness. All the devils were chased away and harmony was restored. From other sources.

JUDGE, reflect and share. Scripture: They said, come let us make plots against the prophet Jeremiah. Let us strike him with the tongue and let us not heed any of his words. Jer. 18:18-20.   Pope Francis: There are huge economic interests operating in the digital world, capable of exercising forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, manipulating consciences and the democratic process. FT45. Prudence, good judgement and common sense are dependent not on purely growth factors but rather on a whole series of things that come together deep within each person.  AL 262.  Pope Leo: The contrast between darkness and light is not only a biblical image describing the labor pains of a new world being born; it is also an experience that unsettles us and affects us amid the trials we face in our historical circumstances. In order to overcome the darkness, it is necessary to see the light and believe in it. This is a call that Jesus’ disciples are invited to live in a unique and privileged way; yet it also finds its way into every human heart. Peace exists; it wants to dwell within us.  It has the gentle power to enlighten and expand our understanding; it resists and overcomes violence. Peace is a breath of the eternal: while to evil we cry out “Enough,” to peace we whisper “Forever.”  PM 1 Jan.

REFLECT-SHARE-ACT-PRAY. Do you sometimes deliberately choose to harm others or do something you know is wrong and harmful to others or to creation?   Pray for conversion.