Willing Transformation · States of Being · Wisdom · Poverty · Humility · Peace Statement · Right Relationship

The Fourth Order of Francis and Clare

There are two grounds of being. The first ground of being is divine life at play in the world. The second ground of being is that ultimate stillpoint, non being, the abyss of great mystery, from which all arises and to which all returns. From these we receive the revelation that is compassion. I can be in the place from which arises the experience that is compassion, that I love myself. I forgive myself. I come from a source. I am of that source.

We find compassion, and acceptance when we dare the journey through our own human hearts; denying nothing, embracing everything. We are Companions, not because we are good, or hold certain beliefs and religious affiliations. We are Companions because we hold this paradox: we are broken open by our suffering, yet we find in this breaking the experience of joy, the mystery of compassion.

To say it another way, in that fierce embrace of myself and others I find a new way of being. In my frailty the schemes to save my life are gone or seen as simply schemes. The defenses to prop up the ego are there, but appear pitiful. The house is empty and devastated. No one is home. Yet somebody is lighting the fire. My life as I believed it should be is destroyed, so who in me is dancing? Sweet Essence!

To receive revelation is to go into the desert of both grounds of being, denying nothing. Then we become value-making animals. A prisoner of war experiences evil and can name that evil. When he remains in the ground of being and non-being, he experiences a deeper reality of compassion. No separation. I come from a source. I am of that source and so are you.

"May all beings including myself be free of suffering.

May all beings from the least to the greatest abide in deep peace.

May all beings including myself be filled with joy”.

In need of grace, close to the gods of life and death, in a beautiful and terrifying world, one by one we enter this great tavern of ruin where egos are dropped like old clothing and we stand naked in the naked mystery of God.

Francis and Clare had this empowerment through the dialectic of being and non-being. They experienced obedience in its root and fundamental meaning of `listening' to the good news revealed within us and throughout this world.

Right relationship involves a horizontal and vertical embrace. The Four Forms of Suffering and The Practices of Willing Transformation are aspects of right relationship concerned with the difficult areas of suffering and transformation.

leads us to our true self, and develops our character through the rightful passages of life from birth to death. These passages through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and elder status challenge us through change, grief, responsibility and service to empower our spirit, to enlarge our understanding and to perfect us in wisdom.

caused by our own actions, beliefs, attachments, and aversions can lead to spiritual awakening. A drunk bottoms out. An addict has his moment of truth. A bitter person sees the effects of a sharp tongue, a cynical attitude; a crusader for a cause wakes to an awareness that his very passion for the good has blotted out the capacity for love. It's a moment of grace, a moment to get back on the path.

burdens the individual and community in a way that can crush the spirit. Aggression or deprivation of needed resources speak the lie, “You are not worthy of life, love or respect.” Whether individual or collective, abuse injures the other on a profound level. Power over domination; verbal, mental, physical, emotional, sexual abuses; economic, racial, sexual and religious prejudices; war and violence inculcate fear and injure the spiritual capacity for trust, especially in children.

the condition of being at one with each other and all beings in both joy and suffering, is the fulfillment of Holy Wisdom and the embodiment of egoless compassion. May we all enter this sanctuary.

We till the ground of transformation by praying for the gift of detachment from our aversions and attachments; by practicing the discipline of awareness of these; by refusing to repress; by living in our vulnerabilities; by honoring the cycles of creation and destruction; the faculties of light, dark and shadow; by cultivating our identity in unity with the silent uncreated source and as brothers and sisters in the community of creation.

When the abyss of our nothingness becomes the abyss from which all things are born, when we let go of perceived identity into our true identity, vulnerable and silent in the blessed here and now in trust or distrust we await the unveiling of what has always been present, what needs no effort and cannot be attained by addition but only through subtraction.

To the extent we have participated in the cause of suffering, we do the penance of willing transformation. We, whenever possible, make amends. We also 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.

As we grow in union with the Eternal, we bear in our bodies and in our hearts the joy and sufferings of all beings. We are united in loving compassion and prayer for others. We are united in loving kindness and compassionate action. In both the suffering and joy there is the gratefulness that we are connected to the world and to our brothers and sisters.