Ten minutes with Jesus

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Every morning, I spend an hour watching EWTN’s Live Mass on television. I do not have the means to get to daily Mass. Then I pray the Rosary, and the “Liturgy of the Hours” Morning Prayer. I do my daily email, and other urgent matters. Then everything else, starting with FB-Messenger and other messages. I try to not pay attention to notification sounds, during my prayer time. Occasionally, I shut notifications off because they disturb. No one’s message is so urgent that it needs to be looked at right away. All this got me away from Jesus, so I put on 10-15 minutes of Live Adoration on EWTN and tried to clear my thoughts to Him. Franciscans often say “My God and my All,” don’t ever let that become a cliché but mean what you say. I do.

Ten minutes with Jesus brings joy. What is joy? Delight, satisfaction, peace, happiness and, often laughter. Joy is more than that, a happy existence, for some a happy marriage. And if it’s not a happy marriage, do something about it. Try to fix it, not walk away from it.

Many years ago, I discerned a vocation to become a Franciscan. With others, I began a Secular Franciscan fraternity in Vero Beach, Florida in 1992 but I wasn't professed until Oct. 1994.  In 1993, I applied to one of the OFM orders but after a period of time, it was not for me. After that, I joined an Order of Monks, which closed, and then the Holy Spirit led me eventually back to the Secular Franciscan Order. My OFS profession was 31 years ago, and my life is happy and joyful. But to get back to the initial Franciscan experience, let me recall memories of 1993-1997. Those were years of discernment, and waiting until I was debt-free (took 3 years). In 1996, a visit to St. Anthony Shrine in Cincinnati: An Inquirers weekend, consisting of visiting various area friaries, meeting friars, and a visit to Oldenburg, Indiana. My host was, the late, Fr. Rock Travnikar, OFM., Vocation Director, a wonderful friar.

Awakened by the tower bell,  as it played out the "Angeles," I gazed out the window. There I saw a large lawn and spotted two young deer, affectionately known around the house as "the twins." It is very quiet, relatively cool especially in the mornings, the making of a great day.

In the Franciscan Order, there are two things that are most important: brotherhood and prayer. We began with a class of six in June 1996. One left after a few months. I was next to leave in December 1997. Of the remaining four, two became friars, and one of those left after 25 years due to family obligations. St. Anthony Friary and Shrine is located atop a steep hill at 5000 Colerain Avenue, about 15 minutes travel north of "downtown" Cincinnati, Ohio. I felt very much at home there as I spent one year there in 1996-97.

In 2003, visiting to attend an Ordination and at Sunday Mass (at St. Anthony's Shrine), all were invited to stand around the Sanctuary from the "Sign of the Peace" until after receiving Communion. This was a practice also in effect in 1996, and it is a very Franciscan way to make Holy Mass a very personal experience as it should be. The Ordination Mass was held at St. Francis Seraph Parish, build around 1850. It was the first Church built by the OFM of St. John the Baptist Province*, shortly after they arrived from Europe, from the Innsbruck, Austria area, I believe. It is a very beautiful church with glass-in-lead windows depicting St. Francis and his early friars and such. It still has, I believe, some of the original pews, which were not built for comfort, rather penance is the word that comes to mind. The friary adjacent to the Church is affectionately known as the "Motherhouse," as it was the first friary when it all began.

Another thing that struck me. That was during Holy Communion of the Ordination Mass, presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Carl Moeddel of Cincinnati. Extending Communion was Fr. Bart Pax, OFM (and others). As I arrived before him, he stopped, looked at me while his face relaxed into a very genuine smile. I smiled back. Then he lifted Jesus and spoke, "The Body of Christ." Later on, I asked him about that. He replied that for so many people receiving communion had become rote, a certain apathy has settled over many Catholics who are not strongly aware what's happening when they receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar - because it's something they do so often. So, the good priest felt that if he can show God's love by that smile, people will be more aware of the great privilege that it is to receive Jesus Christ in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at that particular moment. While I was with the OFM way back, I had visited Fr. Bart's parish in New Orleans with the other postulants. I will never forget Sunday Mass there. Here was a church, St. Mary of the Angels, on North Miro Street, where the friars and one or two other people where Caucasian, and the parishioners Afro-American. At the Sign of Peace, it was not just the few pew-mates around us that came to shake our hands. No, those in about three or four pews around us and across the aisle wished us the peace of Christ. Some years later, upon reflection, I had to ask myself: "What would have happened at the Sign of Peace, if I had been an Afro-American and the rest of the congregation was Caucasian? The answer is, ‘probably nothing’... and that's a scary thought isn't it? We are all brothers and sisters, as was so amply demonstrated at St. Mary of the Angels that day! So that particular Franciscan parish and Fr. Bart have been in my prayers for many years. Fr. Bart died in 2009. Another practice at St. Mary of the Angels was Liturgical dancing. It was done with great reverence and love, and it impressed me deeply.

Being a Secular Franciscan (OFS), all this means so much to me and I think back more positively on my experiences with the Order of Friars Minor. They will always be my brothers, and likewise, so will the Monks of Adoration where I spent the most time. Unfortunately that Order disbanded.

Always spend time with Jesus in Adoration. Adoration is so available now, it would be a shame to waste that opportunity, a true Gift of a Loving Lord.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Jan. 26, 2024
  (OFM experiences from fview004)



(*) Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, which was officially erected on 17th October 2023, is the result of the merger of five American provinces: Holy Name Province, Sacred Heart Province, Assumption Province, Our Lady of Guadalupe Province and Saint John the Baptist Province.

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