Last two weeks of September 2025
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Charlie Kirk was killed on September 10th, and buried on the 21st. It was televised for all to see and experience. I did not follow Charlie’s talks to young people prior to the coverage of his death. It is difficult to understand how anyone can hate another person with such venom as to plan such an awful killing.
The list of speakers at his funeral was impressive. Our Secretary of State, the Honorable Marco Rubio, a close friend of the departed, delivered a poignant speech. He recounted the story of a remarkable young man, Charlie, who exhibited audacity in his pursuit of dialogue, particularly with those holding opposing views. Charlie fervently disseminated the Christian message. Rubio's talk was nothing short of impressive. Most impressive was Charlie’s widow, Erika, who forgave the alleged shooter. “I forgive him,” Erika Kirk said as she cried, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do.” Such faith! Such love!
On June 14th, my Secular Franciscan fraternity decided to seek a new home. You see, to exist as a fraternity in the Church, it is required to have Canonical Approbation, a public personality. There are certain conditions attached to that, and one is that at least five professed people must be in the group. For Divine Mercy Fraternity (about 32 years in existence), that hadn’t been the case for almost two years, so we were advised to seek another fraternity to join. I didn’t know it was going to be so hard. The first fraternity we found, north of us, didn’t work out. After two monthly meetings, we (the three remaining active members), decided to try a closer fraternity, south of us. That worked out well. The paperwork isn’t dotted and signed yet; it will probably take about a month, and then we will be members of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Fraternity, a vibrant group of 36 happy people. And they said they loved having us. Praise the Lord.
Switching fraternities—affects one’s spiritual life. Initially, I felt despondent, unable to think clearly or articulate my thoughts effectively. However, as our search shifted southward, my spiritual disposition began to improve. There are some positives for me. At Divine Mercy, I had been Fraternity Minister for four 3-year terms (two consecutively) during its 32 years and held various other offices, which meant I was “on Council” way too long. It is beneficial to the health of the fraternity if there are new officers periodically. I look forward to a rest, but not too much because I still do work for the Five Franciscan Martyrs Region. I’m the “Contact Person” and I distribute (and pray for) prayer requests. That is a happy but often demanding chore, and a chore very beneficial to my spiritual well-being.
So we go forward; when you’re 85, life is challenging on many fronts, particularly in the area of health. Living alone works for me because I am used to it, but I do miss companionship from time to time. That’s spiritually challenging. Finances are tough, but so many retirees feel that pinch. I try to pray a lot. Why? Because I love Jesus (God) and talking with God is prayer. I read a lot and probably watch too much television (in part, educational). I watch/pray with EWTN Daily Mass, the high point of my day, and if there is a Mass from the Vatican, I watch that as well.
There are some interesting Franciscan feast days coming up. Sep 23. St. Pius (Padre Pio) of Pietrelcina; and Oct. 4, Our Holy Father St. Francis; and on the previous night, Franciscans celebrate his passing (The Transitus).
Peace and all Good,
bro Fred
September 22, 2025