Francis wanted his friars to be called “minores”, which can be loosely translated as lesser people, or smaller people. For Francis is was obvious that this pursuit of minority, of lessness, was at the heart of the example Jesus gave us, and at the heart of the Gospel. We see this especially in Jesus’ washing of the feet of his disciples before his crucifixion which Jesus himself calls an example for them and to them of how to live and who to be and his teaching to his position- conscious, mumbling and grumbling disciples that the greatest will be the one who is least and servant of all.
I am always amazed that this idea of minority is attractive to me and even more amazed that despite its attractiveness to me it is so difficult for me to put into practice. It would be liberating not to have to pretend to competence, knowledge or power, not to have to assert, not to have to push oneself forcefully forward, especially in the work environment. It would be inebriating to wander the world allowing oneself to be lesser, MINOR, rather than bigger, MAIOR, not first, or top, or even good. I suspect the attraction to this is partly borne of a desire to escape the demand of our culture to promote oneself, to act with a certain force and authority so that the things we care about get done and we are seen to be important, relevant, useful. It is so tiring to be or try to be MAIOR. It would immediately relieve us of this intense work of assertion if we could be MINORES. In fact, if I dared to pursue minority, what would I do all day? I think it would free up a lot of time and energy.
I wish I could keep Francis’ example of minority before my eyes when I am speaking to customer service representatives. I find myself becoming increasingly forceful, mostly because I fear that if I do not my ticket will not be refunded or my hoover or boiler fixed or replaced. My children even ask me to call companies to fight these telephonic battles. I change when I make these calls, just as I change when I wake up and face the world. I become immensely self-important.
I do this I think because of a lack of faith, not only in customer service departments but in God. Minority or lessness requires a confidence that we are shielded under the wings of a loving and compassionate Father, that we can trust in Him even if we cannot trust completely in anything else. The minority exemplified by Jesus and by Francis is thus ultimately a product of faith, faith that God is in charge, that God is sufficient, that I can be a child, needy, lesser. In becoming Franciscan, we are helped by this word minority, lesserness. It sums up an unspoken desire of the heart, a longing which we need help to pursue.