In the first half of last September was held the General Chapter of the Capuchin Order. The Franciscan First Order had grown into three branches, and the last of these is called the Capuchin Order. Chapter is the gathering of the Provincial Ministers to elect the Global Minister. During the Chapter which was held in Rome, the capitulars had the privilege of having an audience with Pope Francis. He had agreed to give a message or admonishion to the Friars. I shall quote a passage from his message that he gave to the Friars.

"In your meetings, therefore, I encourage you to be on guard lest economic resources, human calculations

or other such realities ever become the main priority. All these are useful tools that need to be taken into account, but always as means and never as ends. The priority must be people, those to whom the Lord sends you and those he has given you to live with, their good and their salvation. In a word, make fraternity your priority and promote it in your houses of formation, in the greater Franciscan family, in the Church and in all the areas in which you work, even if it means giving up projects and achievements of another kind in favor of fraternity. Fraternity comes first. You are friars. “But I am a priest!” Yes yes, but that comes after. The important thing is that you are friars. You are a priest, deacon, whatever you may be, but a friar: that is the basis."

I am amazed to see how clear he is about the priority that we have to have in our life of commitment. The priority is fraternity, and fraternity means people first!