Become a lay-brother.
My all time favorite saints are Capuchin lay-brother saints. There is nothing like them, or any of the other lay-brother saints - be they Dominican, Jesuit, Cistercian, what have you. Having said that, there really is something special about those Capuchin Franciscans.
However.
Since the Council - that disruption of Catholic tradition in the 1960’s - the vocation of lay-brother has virtually disappeared, although the CFR’s seemed to have revived it, along with the Carmelites in Wyoming. Otherwise, orders with lay-brothers pretty much sent them all to school to get degrees and “make something out of themselves”. (Like massage therapists or clown ministry - kidding!) Although, in the U.S. most people always looked down upon lay-brothers as men who couldn’t make it to be priests, even before the Council. So the vocation was never really well understood in this country - outside of the cloister that is - and maybe not there either.
Above it all.
I knew a Carmelite brother who once told me he wasn’t about to do the cooking and laundry any more - he had been liberated from all of that. (How un-Brother Lawrence can you get?) I also heard of a couple of Carthusians moving into hermitages to be like the fathers, rather than have to live like lay-brothers any longer. I don’t know if they are missing the saint boat or what…
St Felix.
Anyway - go here to read about the wonderful Capuchin Franciscan lay-brothers. The following life of St. Felix of Nicosia (shown at top) is taken from the site:
Born on November 5th 1715, Giacomo Amoroso followed the trade of his father, a shoemaker. As a lad he held the greatest horror of any sin at all. At his work he distinguished himself by great modesty, docility, industry and patience. When his parents died he applied at the Capuchin convent for admission. He was refused. He persevered and he prayed and waited and at opportune times renewed his plea again and again. Finally after eight years, at the age of twenty seven, he gained admission. On October 19th 1743 at Mistretta he was invested with the habit and the name Felix after the first saint of the Order
Upon his profession, a year later, he was recalled to Nicosia to assist the questing brother in his mendicant rounds. Like his Seraphic Father, Saint Francis, Felix was very austere on himself in private but publicly his love of God was expressed itself in charity towards his neighbour. Like Francis, also he had a great love and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
He was endowed with the gift of healing temporal and spiritual diseases and he delighted in tending the sick. He could also bi-locate in the same way as Padre Pio. Called to aid the sick when a malignant epidemic was decimating Cerami in March 1777, he responded eagerly. Airlessly and indefatigably he went about ministering the sick, and his labours were crowned with abundant success. “So be it for the Love of God”, were the words with which he accompanied his miracles of healing, and for the love of God he may be said to have lived his whole life. Second only to love came obedience. He never did anything without permission, and when he was overtaken by his last illness he asked the guardian to give him leave to die. He passed away on May 31st, 1787, at the age of seventy two.
For thirty three years he lived under a superior who considered it his role to sanctify Felix by subjecting him to relentless severity and fantastic humiliations, all of which he heroically endured.
Many religious today often like to remind people, “The vow of obedience doesn’t mean we become door mats.” That’s right - you tell ‘em bro.
Links:
Australian Capuchins - check them out at WYD.
More Aussie OFM Cap.
Capuchins Midwest USA
Carmelite Monks
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
In today’s Gospel Our Lord warns us, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them… When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do… to win the praise of others.