Fr. Franco's Letters

The Flame: July/August 2024

Dear Readers of the Flame,
I believe it was Fr. Francis Martin (+2017), a scripture scholar, leader in the charismatic renewal and a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington DC, who once said, “Community is the work of the Spirit. Isolation is the work of the devil.”

This foundational principle of life is a good tool for discernment. Are my decisions moving me toward community or toward isolation? Have my words been building up Christ’s body the Church or have they sown seeds of mistrust, negatively influencing people’s opinions about their brothers and sisters, separating members of the Body of Christ?

Before His saving death and resurrection, Jesus prayed thus in the Upper Room:

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (John 17:20-21)

Just before Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified, He prayed that his followers would be unified.

At Pentecost, we see Spirit freeing the Apostles from their self-centered notions of ministry. The eleven stood as one as Peter proclaimed the gospel, (Acts 2:3) and by end the of the chapter the Holy Spirit inspired the newborn Church in this way:

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers… (Acts 2:42)

The prayer of Jesus was being answered. The Holy Spirit was building community.

Relationships take intentionality. I remember Ralph Martin talking about the second most important commitment he made. (His most important commitment was to follow Jesus.) Ralph’s second most important commitment was to make time each day to pray. Over the decades that followed, his intentional decision greatly deepened his relationship with God.

Similarly, we need to intentional about our relationships with each other. We need to do things that strengthen our relationships in Christ. This may mean making time for each other. It may mean striving for conversation that centers on the Lord. Sometimes relationships benefit by sending a note or card. Intentionality means committing to do things that build up the Body of Christ. All of these things take time, effort and sometimes sacrifice.

We also need to be intentional about resisting the temptations to say and do things that tear down the Body of Christ. I was struck by this reading from Midday Prayer (Saturday, week III) in the Liturgy of the Hours. It highlighted some things to avoid, as well as things to do, that will foster healthy, brotherly/sisterly relationships:

Let us never be boastful, or challenging, or jealous toward one another. Help carry one another’s burdens; in that way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 5:26, 6:2)

Many people are tempted to be boastful in a subtle way. They put down their brothers and sisters in Christ to make themselves look better than those they criticize. This ought not to be. We are to be occupied with bearing the burdens of others and thus fulfilling Christ’s law of love. This love is to be the hallmark of our relationships with each other.

In the next couple of months, we will face again the onslaught of political campaign ads. There will be debates, editorials and an assortment of negative news reporting. We need to resist the negative affects of this kind of toxic news environment. If we soak up too much mudslinging, we will most likely stain our attitude. We can easily become negative toward people. It can easily bleed into our relationships and make us judgmental.

Our best response to this political climate is to pray, fast and do works of charity. Approaching people with the sweetness of grace will not only give witness to Jesus Christ, but it will also bring a bit of healing to the toxic atmosphere that often characterizes campaign season. We want to be instruments of holy community building. We want to keep ourselves and others out of the isolation silos that we are tempted to hide in.

Psalm 133 reads:

How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers dwell together as one! Like fine oil on the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robe. Like dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion. There the LORD has decreed a blessing, life for evermore! (Psalm 133)

The kind of unity that David speaks of here becomes a sort of platform for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Unity draws the fine oil of the Holy Spirit upon the people of God. Unity is the landing place for the dew of Mt. Hermon (the one snowcapped mountain on the border of Syria, Lebanon and Israel). In agrarian terms, this dew makes the land fruitful. In spiritual terms, this dew is the Holy Spirit who refreshes us and give us a taste of eternal life.

There are still a few days remaining to register for our 41st annual charismatic conference. This year’s theme is One Body, One Spirit. (Ephesians 4:4). I guarantee that you will be refreshed and equipped in the Lord. Many people who have had little or no exposure to the renewal often had profound encounters with the Lord. Details are inside this Flame. Do not hesitate to bring a friend.

Let us cooperate with the Holy Spirit and become agents of community, thwarting the devil’s desire to isolate and destroy the people of God.


In Christ,
Fr. Bob Franco