(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Spring 2026  Issue #119)

By Francine Gikow, OFS

My very first introduction to a Secular Franciscan was getting to know a gentle soul named Anna. When she described her relationship with God as “intimacy,” I knew that I wanted to have what she already possessed. I wanted to love God as she loved Him. Anna was my living model of loving Christ. She lived her Franciscan life as Francis did: with humility, simplicity and love for others. Although Anna surely knew suffering in her life, she still remained joyful and caring.

The roots of Anna’s spiritual life were the same as Francis’ and Clare’s. In her second letter to Agnes of Prague, St. Clare wrote:

If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him,

Weeping with Him, you will rejoice with Him;

Dying on the cross of tribulation with Him,

You will possess heavenly mansions with Him 

Among the splendor of the saints. (21)

Thus, if we are to truly follow Christ, then we also must follow Him to the cross. There is no other way to unite ourselves to Christ’s love for others except through His passion, His cross, His death, His resurrection. Francis knew Christ’s love in his very core and was filled with abundant joy – a joy that only God can give. It is through Francis’ joy that people came to know Christ.

My Franciscan friend, Anna, was also filled with the love of Christ which she carried in her heart. This abundant and joyous love seeped from her heart toward others through her deeds of kindness, gentleness, and compassion. Anna became my model and an example for others.

May you totally love Him Who gave Himself totally for your love. St. Clare, Third Letter to Agnes of Prague: 15Isn’t this our way of life as Secular Franciscans? Shouldn’t we totally love Him since He gave Himself totally for our love? If we love Christ, then we can become a model of Christ for others. In her Testament, Clare described becoming a model for the Lord: For the Lord Himself has placed us as a model, as an example and mirror not only for others, but also for our sisters [and brothers] whom the Lord has called…that they in turn may be a mirror and example to those living in the world. (19-20)

Love is our legacy from Francis. In this holy Year of St. Francis, we glory in Francis’ life – the free gift of God to us. According to St. Bonaventure’s Major Legend of St. Francis (14:1), Francis said to his brothers:

San Damiamo Cross “LET US BEGIN,

BROTHERS,

TO SERVE THE

LORD

OUR GOD,

FOR UP TO

NOW WE HAVE

DONE LITTLE.”