Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas PDF

Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas Module 1: Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God Introduction Saint Francis of Assisi is a humble follower of Jesus Christ. He has been a beacon for the Church through his witness to the Gospel. He was known as...

Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas Module 1: Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God Introduction Saint Francis of Assisi is a humble follower of Jesus Christ. He has been a beacon for the Church through his witness to the Gospel. He was known as the “alter Christus” (Another Christ). He chose to live in poverty and he encountered the Lord, whom he was searching for. Learning Outcomes At the end of the module, the students are expected to: 1. know the desire of man for God; Divine Revelation; and Faith as a response to God’s revelation 2. value one’s faith 3. appreciate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi 4. learn how to nurture one’s faith through prayer and good deeds Learning Content Lesson 1_ The Desire for God The desire for God is written in our human hearts because we are created by God and for God, and God never ceases to draw us to Himself. Only in God will we find the truth and happiness we never stop searching for. But this desire for God which is also the "intimate and vital bond of man to God" (GS 19 § 1) can be forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected by us. These are some of the causes why we forget God or this desire for God seems to be extinguished in the hearts of the persons: revolt against evil in the world; religious ignorance or indifference; the cares and riches of this world; the scandal of bad example on the part of believers; currents of thought hostile to religion; finally, that attitude of sinful man which makes him hide from God out of fear and flee his call. But although man can forget God or reject him, God never ceases to call every man to seek him, to find life and happiness. God himself will search for us until He finds us going back to him. As St. Augustine says: You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your wisdom is without measure. And man, so small a part of your creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though but a small part of your creation, wants to praise you. You encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. Lesson 2_Ways of Coming to Know God Created in God's image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. These are also called proofs for the existence of God or ways of coming to know God. How can we know God or say that God exists? First is through using our natural reason. By using our natural reason in the cause-and-effect principle, when we look at creation, we say that someone must have caused this creation (effect) to exist. There must be a God who created all these things. As St. Augustine states: Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky... question all these realities. All respond: "See, we are beautiful." Their beauty is a profession [confessio]. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One [Pulcher] who is not subject to change? Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 1  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas Looking at the human person (as one of the creatures of God): with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and happiness, man questions himself about God's existence. In all this, he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. The soul, the "seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material", can have its origin only in God. The world, and man, attest that they contain within themselves neither their first principle nor their end, but rather that they participate in Being itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and end of all things, a reality "that everyone calls God." Man's faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the existence of a personal God. But for man to be able to enter into real intimacy with him, our natural reason is not enough. God comes to meet man, God reveals himself to man (Divine Revelation), and gives man the grace of being able to welcome this revelation in faith. Lesson 3_ God reveals Himself and his loving plan God comes to meet man and reveals himself to us human beings. We call this revelation Divine Revelation (God revealing Himself to his creatures). It can be said also that God communicates Himself to human beings or makes known Himself to us humans. The Church document of Divine Revelation Dei Verbum states: It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal Himself and to make known the mystery of His will. His will was that man should have access to the Father, through Christ, the word made flesh, the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature… The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously by “deeds and words” which are intrinsically bound up with each other. (Dei Verbum 2) From this statement, we can infer that the object of Revelation is God himself, and the mystery of His will and its purpose or goal is that man might share in God’s divine nature or other words for man to achieve his salvation. And that God is revealed through his words and deeds in events of the history of salvation. Where God does reveal Himself? God reveals Himself in creation, in Scripture, in the Church, and other religions. A. In Creation The first way God reveals Himself to us is through creation. By using our natural reason and looking at creation, we come to know God. As the Psalmist states: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Ps 19:1). In creation, man holds a special place. God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen 1:26). God even gives us a share in His creativity: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). God creates the whole world for us, to support us in life and reveals Himself to us through His handiwork. B. In Scripture, through Salvation History The Bible records God’s entering into a special covenant relationship with His chosen people, the race of Abraham, and the people of Israel. “I will dwell amid the Israelites and will be their God” (Ex 29:45). God revealed Himself in stages. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through biblical signs made up of both deeds and words. He made covenants with Noah, with Abraham, and with Moses. He performed great works for His Chosen People and proclaimed their saving power and truth through the prophets’ words (cf. DV 2; CCC 56-64). Through chosen men and women __ kings, judges, prophets, priests, and wise men, God led, liberated, and corrected His people. He forgave their sins. He thus revealed Himself as Yahweh, He who is with His people. He is “the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Ex 34:6). Today, through His inspired word in the Old Testament, God still reveals Himself to us and inspires us to respond to His covenant. Christ Jesus, Mediator and fullness of All Revelation Yet, even God’s revelation in history was weakened by the infidelities and hardness of heart of His Chosen People. But God so loved the world, that in the fullness of time, He sent His only Son to be our Savior, like us in all things except sin (cf. Jn 3:16; Gal 4:4; Heb 4:15; CCC 65). Jesus Christ Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 2  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas “completed and perfected God’s revelation by words and works, signs and miracles, but above all by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead” (DV 4). Thus the Risen Christ, prefigured in the Old Testament and proclaimed by the apostles, is the unique, irrevocable, and definitive revelation of God. God has said everything in his Word (Jesus) as the Letter to the Hebrews stated, "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1;1-2). Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2: In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say... because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son...” C. In the Church Jesus himself had gathered around him a group of disciples who would form the nucleus of his Church. In this Church, the “Good News” of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed and spread to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent down upon the apostles at Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:8). God continues to manifest Himself today through the Holy Spirit in the Church. He is present in the Church’s preaching of the truth of Scripture, in its witness of loving service, and through the celebration of its Christ-given Sacraments. Christ’s revelation in the Church is “the new and definitive covenant [which] will never pass away. No new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 6:14; Ti 2:13)” (DV 4). 73 D. In Other Religions Do non-Christians receive God’s revelation? The Church, in its prophetic mission of “reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (GS 4), discerns the seeds of the Word in the history and culture of all men of goodwill. Thus, even non-Christians “who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, may achieve eternal salvation” (LG 16). 75. For whatever is true and holy in non-Christian cultures and religions is accepted by the Catholic Church since it “often reflect[s] a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.” Therefore, Christians should “acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, also their social life and culture” (NA 2). Lesson 4_ Transmission of Revelation in Apostolic Times The communication of revealed truths to mankind in the course of history, especially through Jesus, would have been useless had God not assured their incorrupt transmission through all ages. How was Divine Revelation transmitted? Christ, the Lord commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel (Gospel means Good News). This Gospel was to be the source of all living truth and moral discipline. In the Apostolic Times (Apostolic would refer to the Apostles), in keeping with the Lord’s command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: 1.) Orally - The apostles handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life, and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 2.) In writing - The apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing. So that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own poon of teaching authority." Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in specially inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 3  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas Lesson 5_ The Deposit of Faith: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition There is only one source of revelation: God -Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The content of divine revelation is the WORD of GOD or the Gospel and it is found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as a single deposit (the deposit of faith). The “Deposit of Faith” is the body of saving truth entrusted by Christ to the Apostles and handed on by them to be preserved and proclaimed. Sacred Scripture is the written Word of God –written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – contained in the collection of sacred books (Bible) that have God as their author, and it was entrusted to the Church. The Sacred Scripture is the inspired record of how God dealt with his people, and how they responded to, remembered, and interpreted that experience. Sacred Tradition is the Word of God, received from Christ himself through the Apostles, that was transmitted to us without alteration by the Church and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Tradition and traditions Tradition comes from the Latin word “traditio”, which is the noun of the verb “tradere,” which is translated as to transmit or to deliver tradere or traditio meant to hand over an object. In the Merriam- Webster dictionary, tradition is defined as “the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.” One characteristic of a tradition, from this definition, is that it is handed over or passed over from one generation to another. So, we can start a tradition or end a tradition. Another characteristic is “without written instruction.” Certain traditions in our families are not written but are passed on from one generation to another. Some elements of our faith also are passed on without written instructions. Tradition as the principle of the Economy of Salvation In theology, there are three distinct terms used – Tradition, tradition, and traditions. Tradition (with the capital letter “T”) is the Sacred Tradition which has its content the Word of God or the Gospel received from Christ himself through the Apostles, that was transmitted to us without alteration by the Church and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The word “tradition” (with the small letter “t”) is the process of handing transmitting or delivering. In the New Testament, the word used for handing over is “paradidonai” and it has the same meaning as “traditio.” The word “paradidonai” is used constantly to describe how God reveals himself for the sake of humanity and salvation. The handing over is first of all something that God does and it is called Divine Tradition. Tradition starts with none other than God; God as the word is understood in the New Testament, referring to the Father, the absolute Origin, the uncreated Principle, the primordial Source, not only of all things visible and invisible but of the very divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. God (the Father) then gives his son to the world; He delivers him to the world. The New Testament uses the verb “to deliver” to show that the Father did not spare his Son, but gave him up for us (Rom 8:31- 32), to show that the Son “gave himself for us” (Gal 2:20), and finally that the Son delivered or bestowed his Spirit on John and on Mary, at the foot of the Cross (John 19:30). Thus, the economy of salvation begins by a divine transmission or Divine Tradition; it is continued in and by the men chosen and sent out by God for that purpose. Tradition is an offering by which the Father’s gift is communicated to a great number of people throughout the world, and down the successive generations so that a multitude of people are incorporated in the Father’s gift which is the Divine Revelation made in Jesus Christ. What was begun by God, handing over himself is being carried on by the apostles. The apostles are said to carry on the divine tradition. Thus, we have what we call Apostolic Tradition. The apostles handed on not only a message, a teaching, or a doctrine but also a Person, the Word of Life. The goal of the handing on is to have fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Tradition in a broad sense Tradition in a broad sense is how the Church (the people of God), prolongs what is begun by God and continued by the apostles. Tradition in a broad sense refers to the entire process by which the total reality of Christianity is preserved and communicated throughout history, the process by which the Church continues the work of the Trinity and the work of the apostles. Tradition in the “broad sense” is the entire process by which the Church in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes. Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 4  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas Tradition as a process involves teaching, life and worship. So, Tradition in the “broad sense” involves everything. Examples of teaching/doctrine – catechism, theology class, homily; worship – sacraments, learning the sign of the cross as a child, prayer, popular religiosity, devotions; life – practices, structures of life, altar servers, sacristana, witness, meeting an edifying Christian, BEC’s, religious order, etc. Tradition in a strict sense Yet, in a strict sense, Tradition signifies transmission by some means other than writing. During the earliest years of the Church, the Gospel was preached and the Christian faith was handed on simply by “tradition.” When we speak of communication by some means other than writing, it does not refer to oral communication that was to be communicated in writing but it refers to a communication of a kind of knowledge that somehow defies concrete articulation in verbal form or beyond words. In tradition, there is the notion of “tacit knowledge.” Tacit means unspoken, silent and implicit. According to Maurice Blondel, there are two kinds of knowledge, objective knowledge (can be articulated in clear concepts and words/language) and tacit knowledge (things which we know but are not able to put into words adequately). In the Christian faith, there is also objective knowledge and tacit knowledge. There are many people, if we question them about the Christian faith, would be unable to give adequate answers but are probably more Christians than the theologians. Being a true Christian involves not just objective knowledge but also instinctual knowledge – a knowledge of the heart, a kind of tacit knowledge that has been described as the “Christian Spirit.” Tradition also is the process by which this “Christian Spirit” is formed, sustained, nourished in individuals and communities. What is communicated is not just conceptual knowledge. It is forming the mind of Christ in people, forming a spirit, a new way of perception, of feeling and of responding. Tradition, in this sense, is above all the transmission of the very substance of the Christian faith which surpasses any written statement. For example, the apostles did not only receive oral lessons from Jesus but they also learnt from Jesus’ actions and personal ways of life. Tradition, in this strict sense, is the communication of the entire heritage of the apostles effected in a different way from that of their writings. It is a communication by means of the concrete experience of life and of the familiar everyday realities of existence. Tradition in a strict sense is like upbringing or forming a child as opposed to instruction. We do not bring a child up by giving him lectures in morality and deportment (instruction), but by placing him in an environment having a high tone of conduct and good manners. A child receives the life of the community into which he enters, together with the cultural riches of the preceding generations (tradition), which are inculcated by the actions and habits of everyday life. Max Scheler wrote that the second active influence used by the models is called tradition and it is communicated automatically with life itself. It is a higher form of instruction. Jesus himself did not spread his teaching by the written word. Christ, who is the greatest of teachers, engraved his doctrine in the hearts of his listeners. The greatest among pagan philosophers, Pythagoras and Socrates, preferred also to write nothing. Their teachings aim to reach the heart of their listeners even without writing. traditions Tradition (with capital letter “T”), as content, refers to the revelation of God in Christ, the Gospel or the mystery of Christ. The process of handing on is “tradition.” Tradition is expressed in the “traditions” (with small letter “t”). The “traditions” are expressions and manifestations under different historical forms of the one truth which is Christ. There are many traditions and their aim is to hand on the Tradition. Tradition cannot be handed on without traditions. No one tradition can adequately, exhaustively communicate the Tradition. In the process of handing on Tradition, tradition gives rise to traditions such as traditions of teachings (e.g. dogma, catechism), traditions of devotions and worship (Simbang Gabi, Life in the Spirit Seminar), traditions of life (e.g. parish pastoral council, religious Life, Basic Ecclesial Communities). There are so-called “hierarchy of traditions” with different level of values. These are the Apostolic traditions and Ecclesial traditions. The Apostolic traditions are traditions which have the apostles as their transmitting and originating subjects. If a tradition is transmitted by the apostles, the originating source is Jesus. In, general, apostolic traditions are more important and permanent because they are what makes the Church to be a Church such as Scripture, earliest creeds, sacraments especially Baptism and Eucharist and ordained ministry. However, Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 5  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas there are some apostolic traditions that do not seem to be as central and constitutive, such as the sign of the cross, infant Baptism and praying in the direction of the east. The Ecclesial traditions are traditions which have the Church in its historical as the originating subject and these traditions are fruits of the Church in her historical journey such as devotion to the Sacred Heart, PREX (Parish renewal Experience), and celibacy. Lesson 6_The Relationship Between Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture 1.) Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture have one common source. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal (DV 9). Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own always, to the close of the age. 2.) Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are two distinct modes of transmission. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are two distinct modes of transmission. Sacred Scripture was transmitted through writing while the Sacred Tradition was transmitted other than writing such as by oral preaching. As a result, the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence. This means that both Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition are equally important, and no one is above the other. This shows the richness and beauty of our faith, we have both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as the source of Divine Revelation. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Scripture help each other. Sacred Tradition helps us interpret the Sacred Scripture as well and Sacred Scripture enlightens our understanding of the Sacred Tradition. Lesson 7_ Deposit of Faith and Magisterium The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form (Sacred Scripture) or in the form of Tradition (Sacred Tradition), has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. This is what we call Magisterium The Magisterium of the Church performs a very special function in the conservation and transmission of the deposit of faith, contained on the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Magisterium is the contents of the official teaching of the Church as well as the exercise of the teaching role. This role is entrusted exclusively to the Pope and bishops, the successors of the apostles. Their authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. Moreover, the Church can proclaim as revealed truths only those already contained in the deposit of Revelation, that is, in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Magisterium infallibly acts in an extraordinary and solemn way (this is a defining act), when the Pope on his own (when he speaks ex cathedra) or the College of Bishops gathered in the ecumenical Council define some truth of faith that must be believed in by all Christians. A doctrine is taught by ordinary and universal Magisterium (this is a non-defining act), when it is proposed by the Pope and the bishops dispersed throughout the world who are in communion with the successor of Peter. This Magisterium is also infallible when it proposes that a truth is to be held definitely. Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 6  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas The dogmas of the faith The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these. Dogma is a truth of faith contained in the Revelation proposed in and by the Church either by the teaching of the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium (teaching office) or by the extraordinary magisterium (definition by a Pope or a universal Council). Lesson 8_The Obedience of Faith To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to "hear or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. In the Old Testament, Abraham is the model of such obedience. In the New Testament, the Virgin Mary is the most perfect embodiment of faith. Abraham - "father of all who believe" The Letter to the Hebrews lays special emphasis on Abraham's faith: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go"(Heb 11:8). By faith, Abraham lived as a stranger and pilgrim in the promised land. By faith, Sarah was given to conceive the son of the promise. And by faith Abraham offered his only son in sacrifice. Abraham thus fulfills the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"; "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Rom 4:3). Because he was "strong in his faith", Abraham became the "father of all who believe." Mary - "Blessed is she who believed" The Virgin Mary perfectly embodies the obedience of faith. By faith Mary welcomes the tidings and promise brought by the archangel Gabriel, believing that "with God nothing will be impossible" (Lk 1:37) and so Mary gives her assent: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). Elizabeth greeted Mary with these words: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord"(Lk 1:45). It is for this faith that all generations have called Mary blessed. Throughout her life and until her last ordeal, when Jesus, died on the cross, Mary's faith never wavered. She never ceased to believe in the fulfillment of God's word. And so, the Church venerates in Mary the purest realization of faith. To whom do we believe? a. To believe in God alone Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. It is also a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature. b. To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God For a Christian, believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his "beloved Son", in whom the Father is "well pleased"; God tells us to listen to him (Mk 1:11). The Lord himself said to his disciples: "Believe in God, believe also in me"(Jn 14:1). We can believe in Jesus Christ because he himself is God, the Word made flesh. Jesus has seen the Father; therefore, Jesus is the only one who knows him and can reveal him. c. To believe in the Holy Spirit One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus is. For "no one can say "Jesus is Lord", except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3). “No one comprehends the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:11). Only God knows God completely: we believe in the Holy Spirit because He is God. Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 7  Franciscan Identity Mission 1101_Fraternitas The Church never ceases to proclaim her faith in one only God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Learning Tasks Preliminary Activity Questions: 1. What are you searching for in your life? 2. Who is God for you? Learning Resources Belmonte, Charles, ed. Faith Seeking Understanding, vol 1. Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines: Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc., 2006. Catechism for Filipino Catholics. Manila: Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, 1997. (65- 74) Catechism of the Catholic Church. Makati, Metro, Manila: ECCCE and Word and Life Publications, 1994. Congar, Yves. The Meaning of Tradition. Translated from the French by A. N. Woodrow. New York: Hawthorn Books Publishers. Cristiani, Leon. Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). Translated from the French by M. Angeline Bouchard. Boston, USA: St. Pauls Edition, 1983. (pp. 20-21) Habig, Marion, ed. St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies (English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis). Translated by Raphael Brown et al. Chicago, Illinois: Franciscan Herald Press, 1983. (pp 637-638, 646-647) https://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/the-deposit-of-faith-and-the-holy-spirit-of-god.html https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-10/st-francis-feast-anniversary-assisi- biography.html#:~:text=For%20over%20800%20years%20Saint%20Francis%20of%20Assisi, was%20small%20in%20stature%20with%20an%20extrovert%20personality, accessed on August 22, 2023. Huang, Daniel Patrick, SJ. Tradition Magisterium. Lecture on Theology 212, Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, Second Semester,2000-2001. Leclerc, Eloi, O.F.M. Francis of Assisi: Return to the Gospel. Translated by Richard Arnandez, F.S.C. Chicago, Illinois: Franciscan Herald Press, 1983. (pp. 22, 107) Module 1_Saint Francis of Assisi, a man searching for God 8