Fourth Order
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THE FOURTH ORDER OF FRANCIS AND CLARE
The fourth order is an interfaith/transfaith order following the inspiration of Francis and Clare of Assisi in simplicity, right relationship with God, self and others, and a deep commitment to witness with compassion the unity of all beings. Francis of Assisi formed three orders in his life: the friar minors, the poor sisters of Clare and the third order of ordinary men and woman. Those three Christian orders have blossomed through the eight centuries since Francis' death. These three orders all demonstrate a focus of joy, freedom and simplicity, radical love of God and others, a deep bond with creation and other creatures. They were a move of divine grace to answer the need in the 13th century and onward. The Fourth Order extends the Franciscan madness as a radically interfaith order, a witness to unity - a movement of divine grace to answer a need in our own time.
Mission
The Mission of the Fourth Order of Francis and Clare is to continue the Franciscan embrace of the world and its people in the context of our times. The fourth order is a community of diverse people from many faiths and spiritual traditions who maintain their practices within those traditions. This is the foundational strength of our community. What we hold in common as persons is the experience of life. What we hold in common, whether we come from a theist or non-theist tradition, is the universal experience of an emanating love and compassion that infuses the world with life. That infusing compassion summons us all to discard the veils of separation and enter more consciously into union.
• To transform by being transformed. • To be fully present in compassion with each other, our brothers and sisters in our own neighborhoods, and throughout the world; through prayer, meditation, service and community. • To mirror union to a world suffering under the illusions of division. • To invite all to the banquet of holy wisdom, not as converts but as companions. We are not a new religion. • To summon the peoples of this diverse world to cultivate a spirit of family and relationship with one another as children of the divine mystery. • To mainstream once again the questions that holy wisdom asks of us; as wisdom has asked throughout the generations from the beginning of time. • To face the challenges within us both individually and collectively. • To repent, reparate, reconcile and forgive. • To co-create, re-create, celebrate and play. • To be simple seeds of compassion coming from many traditions, scattered upon the earth.
Traditions
The Traditions address fourth order organizational principles and companion practices, the communion in our community. The Traditions are the structure of the fourth order, creating the space for a community of almost outrageous diversity. The fourth order does not exist where these traditions are not the guiding practice. Something else exists, and that’s fine. It is just not the fourth order.
1. We are an integrated multifaith (interfaith, transfaith) community of men and women who practice radical awareness of God's presence within ourselves, in others and in all creation. We greet all beings, including ourselves, with respect as children of God and manifestations of holy wisdom.
2. The Fourth Order does not represent any religion, denomination or political affiliation, and makes no endorsements. We receive our inspiration and guidance from the teachings of holy wisdom and the life and spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi. Companions maintain practice within their own faith traditions. The depth of our practice brings depth to the order.
3. Although we come from diverse faith traditions or none at all, we proclaim the unity and transforming power of divine love experienced through silence, prayer, contemplation, joy, suffering and compassion.
4. We acknowledge a condition of interrelationship of being with each other and all creation, a co-arising with our companions in the world. Although in one sense the life we lead with its passing desires is illusion, on a deeper level nothing exists that is not an emanation of the stillpoint we call God.
5. We acknowledge in our condition of being, with its many expressions of individual and collective frailty, the co-occurring possibility of genuine loving kindness toward ourselves and others. In our own poverty, powerlessness or even in our endless human arrogance, this possibility is the seed of ongoing conversion and radical transformation.
6. We suggest certain conditions and practices that foster spiritual life. Our three great practices are sitting with the silence, the practice of presence and the humble poverty of not knowing. In these practices we lean with naked intent upon the cloud of unknowing that passes between us and the ultimate great mystery.
7. We seek right relationship with ourselves and others. To the extent we have participated in the cause of suffering by our actions or non-actions, we offer reparation through willing transformation. We make amends whenever possible. We pray for all other beings that are like us and all beings whose lives have been affected adversely by our actions or the actions of others like us.
8. We hold the paradox of our condition of being by being present to ourselves and others in the blessed here and now. As we enter prayer and silence consciously in union and companionship with all beings we bear in our bodies and in our hearts the joys and sufferings of all; united in loving compassion and prayer for others; united in loving kindness and compassionate action. In both joy and suffering there is the gratefulness that we are connected to the world and to our brothers and sisters. This is the fulfillment of holy wisdom and the embodiment of egoless compassion. May we all enter this sanctuary.
9. We practice the awareness of the states of being, non-attachment, non-aversion and trust in the providence of the divine spirit as we seek an organic experience of the divine presence in its movement and its stillness. We do this because if we don’t we will die in our individual despair, or in the collective trance of violence, or the illusion of separation. We become the foolish dancers of God through all our states of being when the truth of union cracks us open.
10. We mutually support one another through sacred conversation, meditation, prayer and contemplation of the wisdom scriptures of the world religions and the wisdom scriptures of our lives. We pray together in silence, sound, movement and story.
11. Companions act as companions of the Fourth Order but not in “in the name of the Fourth Order”. We are clear that the power of our actions is derived not through affiliation with an organization or community, nor by our ideas. The power of our actions is derived through the grace of the divine mystery and the depth of our presence to the stillness and silence that is beyond our ideas.
12. The Fourth Order is not a piety movement, a politic, an ecological movement, a psychological strategy to improve self-esteem or become “whole”. Nor is it a place of safety. Most of us live on one edge or another. We simply and humbly accompany ourselves and other beings in the presence of great mystery. In this manner may we reveal to ourselves and others the compassion of the great unseen source.
The Principle of Interdependence
The principle of interdependence is a founding principle of the fourth order expressing the Unity found in diversity of traditions. This principle is the Condition of Being. The Condition of Being The Giving The teachings of our brother and sister trees instruct us on our true condition of being. Trees rise up by rooting deeply in solid ground. They shelter and feed the nesting ones. They shade the weary; protect the frail from mighty winds; nourish the soil with their leaves, hold it safe from rushing waters or erosion, and provide needed oxygen for other creatures. In the rain forest one tree can harbor a whole species of insects. A tree does only two things: branch to light, root to water. Yet out of its essence everything is accomplished.
The Receiving What tree can grow without soil and minerals? Or continue to live without light and water? Or send forth its seeds without the aid of wind and bird, squirrel and insect? What tree can hide itself from the cycles of growth and diminishment? Trees in their death provide shelter, heat, light, and fire.
The Condition of Being Trees appear solitary and individual, rising to the sky, standing unto themselves, yet their lives reflect unspeakable union, cooperation, an interrelationship of being, a co-arising with their companions in the world. In the Fourth Order we recognize this true condition of being, and the healing properties of right relationship. We are dancers in the wind, servants and upholders of life who are ourselves upheld by our fellow creatures. Trees remind us that those who live in their true spacious nature uplift, uphold and love their companions on the way.
Primary Practices of the Fourth Order
The primary practices of the fourth order are those significant basic practices of presence found in the spiritual traditions: silence, breath, sound and movement, sacred conversation, and the humble poverty of not knowing. == Franciscan Embrace of Holy Poverty ==
The Fourth Order embraces the ancestral Franciscan love of Holy Poverty, utter dependence upon the Beloved, solidarity with the poor and outcast, an attitude of presence and not knowing naked intent toward God.
Troubadours, Clowns, Fools, and Wandering Mystics
Francis of Assisi considered himself a troubadour of the God. He demonstrated the power of the holy fool to bring about rebalance and restoration. Though acts of beauty, and pure backwardness, using right action, symbol, parody, the arts of all kinds, the holy fool through his/her many guises confronts, strengthens and restores in a reorientation to truth. Troubadours seduce our cold hearts inviting us to love and joy, to serve life openly with all its beauty and terror, struggles, and triumphs of grace. Inspiring us with song and poetry they stir the fires hearts and reveal the love that courses in our veins, love of the divine and human beloved, love of the other, love of life and its nobility.
Companions and Associates
Individuals from various traditions choose to associate with the fourth order in differing ways: • In community (www.ourladyoflaspalomas.org) • In local small groups • As individuals • As creative associates in art, bio-sustainability, & in building communities of justice & peace.
Formation
The formation program consists of: • The use of Doing It Another Way: The Basic Text of the Fourth Order. This text and workbook may be used for both individuals and small groups; • On-line courses • One annual retreat at Our Lady of Las Palomas Interfaith Retreat Center, Columbus, New Mexico; • Intensives given at different locales. • Limited residencies in contemplation and action from one to three months at Our Lady of Las Palomas Interfaith Retreat Center.
Sources
Doing It Another Way: The Basic Text of the Fourth Order
Website: www.fourthorder.org
For information on the Fourth Order of Francis and Clare, consult their website: http://www.fourthorder.org/
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