Franciscans as Living Icons

Iconography and the Secular Franciscan Vocation

Iconography in the Christian tradition is not merely religious art; it is visual theology. The word “icon” comes from the Greek eikōn, meaning “image” or “likeness.” Icons are not said to be painted, but “written,” because they proclaim the Gospel in colour and form. They are created according to a received tradition, in prayer, fasting, and humility, and follow theological canons rather than personal imagination. In this way, iconography offers a profound spiritual parallel to Franciscan formation and the lived vocation of the Secular Franciscan Order.

Icons are formed slowly, layer upon layer. A wooden board is prepared, coated with gesso, and polished smooth. Dark base tones are laid first, and light is gradually added until the face of Christ, the saint, or other pious image emerges. This movement from darkness to light symbolises purification, illumination, and transfiguration. The final white highlights represent divine life shining through redeemed humanity. It is worth noting that within the image are slight imperfections that help to enhance the overall expression of the image. This process mirrors the journey described in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, which commits members to “ongoing conversion” (Rule, Art. 7)⁴. From this process, we can learn that formation is not instant holiness; it is gradual transfiguration, in which Christ’s image slowly takes shape in the soul.

The theological foundation of iconography is the Incarnation. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory” (John 1:14)¹². Because God has entered visible human history, He can now be depicted in a form familiar to us. “… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). Icons, therefore, proclaim that Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. This same mystery lies at the heart of Franciscan spirituality. Saint Francis had a radical devotion to the Incarnation, most famously expressed at Greccio, where he re-enacted the humility and poverty of Bethlehem. For Franciscans, God’s entry into human poverty gives meaning to their own embrace of minority, simplicity, and humble presence in the world.

The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order begins by situating the vocation within the wider Franciscan family and the life of the Church: “The Franciscan family… makes present the charism of their common Seraphic Father in the life and mission of the Church” (Rule, Art. 1)¹. Like icons, Secular Franciscans are not private spiritual projects. They exist for the Church and for the salvation of others. Icons are never created merely for decoration; they are made for prayer, catechesis, and liturgy. In the same way, Secular Franciscans are formed not only for personal sanctity, but to become “witnesses and instruments” of the Church’s mission (Rule, Art. 6)³.

At the centre of both iconography and Franciscan life stands Christ Himself. Article 4 of the Rule declares: “The Rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the centre of his life.” In iconography, every image is measured against its prototype. The icon exists only to resemble Christ or the saint it depicts. Likewise, the Secular Franciscan vocation exists only to resemble Christ, as Francis did. “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)¹³. Christ is the perfect Icon of the Father, and Franciscans are called to become living reflections of this original Icon.

Prayer and contemplation form the hidden foundation of both iconography and Franciscan formation. Iconographers traditionally prepare themselves through prayer and fasting. Most of the icon’s structure is hidden beneath later layers of light. Article 8 of the Rule echoes this spiritual logic: “Let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.” Without prayer, no true icon can be written. Without prayer, no Franciscan life can be formed. The General Constitutions reinforce this interior foundation, teaching that Secular Franciscans are called to cultivate a deep life of prayer rooted in Scripture and the sacraments (General Constitutions, Art. 3; Art. 9).

Humility and self-emptying are also central to both traditions. Iconographers do not sign their work and do not impose personal emotion or originality. Their task is to disappear so that Christ may appear. This corresponds to the Franciscan call to minority and poverty of spirit. Article 11 of the Rule urges members to purify their hearts from every tendency toward possession and power and to use the things of this world with moderation. The General Constitutions further emphasise that minority is a concrete expression of Gospel humility and service (General Constitutions, Art. 12). In both iconography and Franciscan life, the ego must become transparent so that Christ may be seen.

The movement from darkness to light in iconography also reflects the interior journey of conversion. Saint Paul writes: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)¹⁴, and “We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18)¹⁵. These texts describe precisely what both icons and Franciscan formation aim to reveal: transfigured humanity. God begins not with our strengths but with our poverty. Grace does not destroy our weakness; it transfigures it. Over time, through prayer, obedience, fraternity, and service, the light of Christ slowly rises through the darkness of self.

Fraternity itself is an iconographic reality. Icons are never isolated objects; they belong to the Church’s worshipping community. Article 22 of the Rule teaches that fraternity is essential to the Franciscan vocation. God uses fraternity to shape, challenge, heal, and sanctify His people. The General Constitutions affirm that fraternity is the privileged place of formation and conversion (General Constitutions, Art. 40). Like icons displayed in a church, Franciscans exist in communion, not in isolation.

Ultimately, both iconography and Franciscan life are rooted in the same Incarnational logic: God has entered visible poverty so that His glory may shine through human weakness. Icons exist because God has become visible. Franciscans exist to make that visibility continue in the world today. The Secular Franciscan Rule can therefore be read as a spiritual manual for becoming a living icon of Christ—slowly written by grace, in prayer, humility, fraternity, and mission.

How can we sum up what we have just learned? Christian iconography offers a profound spiritual image for understanding Franciscan formation and the vocation of the Secular Franciscan Order. Icons are not painted as personal artworks but written in prayerful fidelity to a received tradition, slowly formed from darkness into light until the face of Christ emerges. This mirrors the Franciscan journey of ongoing conversion, in which Christ’s image is gradually written into the soul through prayer, humility, poverty, fraternity, and mission. Rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation, both iconography and Franciscan life proclaim that God has entered visible human poverty so that divine light may shine through redeemed humanity. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order provides a concrete Gospel form of life that shapes members into living icons of Christ for the sake of the Church and the world. Formation is therefore not self-expression but transfiguration, as Christ slowly becomes visible through surrendered human lives.

Anthony Saliba OFS
National Formator

Plenary Discussion Questions

1. In what ways is the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order currently “writing” Christ’s image into my life?
2. Where do I notice God patiently working in the hidden layers of my formation and conversion?
3. How central are prayer, minority, and fraternity in shaping me into a living icon of Christ?
4. How is my Franciscan vocation forming me not for myself, but for the sake of others and the mission of the Church?

Footnotes and Sources

1. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 1.
2. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 4.
3. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 6.
4. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 7.
5. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 8.
6. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 11.
7. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 22.
8. General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (2014), Article 3 (Prayer and life in the Spirit).
9. General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (2014), Article 9 (Sacramental life and Scripture).
10. General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (2014), Article 12 (Minority and humility).
11. General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (2014), Article 40 (Fraternity as the place of formation).
12. The Holy Bible, John 1:14.
13. The Holy Bible, John 14:9.
14. The Holy Bible, Galatians 2:20.
15. The Holy Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:18.
16. The Holy Bible, Exodus 3:14.
17. St John of Damascus, On the Divine Images, I.16.
18. Second Council of Nicaea (787), Definition on Sacred Images.
19. Thomas of Celano, First Life of St Francis, on Greccio (1 Cel 84–86).

DOWNLOAD THE PDF