3. Sources of support: work & questing

14. Work contributes to the completion of creation, is beneficial to society, unifies the community and fulfils the person. Evangelical poverty, as a way of following Christ, restores the dignity of work in a world where it has been reduced to a mere commodity. For us Franciscans, work is a form of solidarity among ourselves and with the people, and is a primary source of support.

We wish to highlight some aspects here: work should promote the value of the individual and meet the needs of the community; our Brothers should have equality of opportunity in training for their work; we should be critically aware of the forces operating within the world of work.

15. The Franciscan tradition has always seen work as a grace. Therefore, any work is permissible for a Brother, as long as it is honest and in keeping with our lowly state.(cf. Test. 20; Rnb 7,9; IV PCO, 49). We know that the reality of work is relative to the economic conditions in force in various periods of history and in different geographical contexts. Given such variety, we should value all kinds of work: apostolic, charitable, intellectual and manual. The Order has always valued the apostolate, understood both as a sacramental action and as evangelization in many forms. This is one type of work that must be given appropriate space and dignity. As well as this, we wish to underline the dignity and usefulness of manual work, the widespread need today for specialization in particular jobs, with equal opportunities and access for non-cleric and cleric Brothers alike. In order to keep alive in us the sense of gratuitous giving, each community should keep a proper balance between paid work, necessary for the support of the fraternity, and work done without payment. We must always be convinced that a Brother is not to be valued for the work he does or the money he earns. There should always be a communal sharing and discernment of the activities chosen by individuals (cf. Const. 76,2; 77,4). This will also help to avoid the danger that a Brother’s work becomes his private property and makes him impossible to transfer, and insensitive to the needs of the local and provincial fraternity.

16. Domestic work is so important that whoever does not share in domestic work weakens the fraternity (cf. IV PCO, 19). The active collaboration of all the Brothers in the ordinary daily life of the fraternity - monitored in the local chapter - is useful for the growth of a sense of fraternity, equality and reciprocal dependence or assistance. Domestic work also makes us share in the lifestyle of ordinary people. It not only takes the form of manual work; in fact, in any community today, jobs can range from gardening to computing, and each Brother can make available his practical skills or intellectual abilities.

In some areas of the Order, lay people are employed to work in our houses because of the age, small numbers or the many commitments of the Brothers, especially when the houses are very big. This may be done as long as we act within the law, but we should be careful not to adopt such a solution automatically as a matter of course, or in a way that causes a "boss mentality" in ourselves.

17. We live in a fast-moving society, under pressure from commitments, deadlines, and modern communications media. Our fraternities do not escape these pressures, so that as well as avoiding idleness we need to avoid excessive activism, even in the apostolate. Confronted with this tendency, we must take care that our work does not eventually damage fraternal life by eliminating times for reflection, study, and interaction with our Brothers. Above all we must ensure that it does not compromise our "prayer and devotion", thereby unbalancing our life. The prevalence of activity may lead us to place too much trust in what we do and to put ourselves first, as if the Kingdom of God were not the work of the Holy Spirit, and as if listening, hospitality and silence before God meant nothing.

18. Work outside the friary or among outsiders, even of a non-religious nature, practised in our past and recent history, has in recent times taken a prominent form in the experience of "small fraternities" or "work fraternities". These ventures were motivated by a concern to be present or "incarnated" in the world of labour, especially as wage-earning working people. Today working conditions have changed: there is less work, and being a worker is no longer an advantage, as it sometimes was for "small fraternities". However, even today, the motives behind such fraternities can still justify the choice of being a paid worker, not necessarily in a factory, but in humble occupations that are burdensome and involve dependence. This is our way of sharing in the conditions of life affecting so much of humankind, it is a gospel witness to others and is formative for us. The fraternity always retains its crucial role (Const. 77,3; 79,1-2) as the place where one lives and receives challenge and support.

19. The type of commitments we engage in and the professional status required in some jobs today give our Order greater stability in jobs and presences, but there is always the risk that this will lead to immobility. To avoid losing the sense of itinerancy, which makes us "pilgrims and strangers" in this world (cf. Rnb 6,2; Test 24), we should often calmly discuss this question, both in community and with the Superiors. We should evaluate from time to time our readiness to change assignments or to remain, basing decision on the good of the community and that of the People of God, toward whom we have responsibilities.

20. In the life of Francis and of his Brothers, right up to our own day, the quest has played an important role. It showed their dependence on the people among whom they lived and established closer relationships with them. Also, it has always provided a way of becoming part of the fabric of popular society, and an effective tool of evangelization. Today new forms of the quest have emerged (mission secretariats, foundations, pious unions, newsletters and calendars, etc). However, we still need to find new ways of direct personal contact with people, and to conduct a humble, almost door-to-door type of apostolate among all levels of society, poor and rich.

The values underlying questing need to be reinstated, namely trust in Divine Providence and a sense of dependence and reciprocity between us and the people. People give to us because we give to the poor, and in order to give alms, we must welcome alms.

As far as fund-raising is concerned, we propose that it be subject to authorization by the Provincial Minister and Definitory and carefully monitored by them. The purposes for which funds are raised must be clearly and publicly stated. A proper statement of accounts must be presented annually to the Provincial Minister and Definitory. No individual Brother may be given control over the destination of funds collected.