Though both Franciscans and Cistercians are orders within the Catholic Church, their spiritualities diverge significantly in how they approach their vows, their prayer life, and their understanding of community and mission. Both paths offer unique ways of encountering Christ, with the Franciscans tending toward active service and itinerancy, while Cistercians focus on contemplation and stability within the monastery. These differences shape their daily lives, communal structures, and their spiritual practices.
Foundational Principles and Itinerancy vs. Stability
The Franciscans, inspired by the radical example of St. Francis of Assisi, emphasize living in poverty, humility, and joyful service. Central to their spirituality is an embrace of mobility—Franciscan friars frequently move from one place to another, living and working in different communities over the course of their lives. This itinerancy allows them to remain flexible and responsive to the needs of the people they serve, whether that is preaching, working with the poor, or engaging in missionary work.
In contrast, Cistercians follow the Rule of St. Benedict, which places great importance on stabilitas loci, or stability of place. Once a monk or nun enters a Cistercian monastery, they usually remain there for the rest of their life. This vow of stability reflects the Cistercian belief that holiness is found not by seeking new experiences but by staying in one place and allowing God to work through the rhythm of prayer, work, and community life. The Cistercians' rootedness is a sign of their dedication to contemplation, allowing them to focus fully on interior growth.
Communal Life and Prayer
Prayer is at the heart of both traditions, but how it is practiced differs considerably. For Cistercians, communal prayer is the defining feature of their day. The Cistercian day revolves around the Opus Dei (Work of God), also known as the Divine Office, where the entire community gathers for prayer seven times a day. A key characteristic of Cistercian prayer is their use of Gregorian chant, a traditional form of singing the psalms that enhances the solemnity and beauty of worship. Cistercian monks and nuns pray all 150 psalms over the course of two weeks, reflecting their rigorous commitment to the rhythm of monastic prayer. St. Bernard, commenting on the value of this deep liturgical rhythm, said:
"When you are in prayer, you are laying your head on the breast of Christ; you are listening to the beating of His heart."
Franciscans, while also devoted to the Divine Office, do not place as much emphasis on the traditional forms of chanting the psalms. Their communities are often smaller, and their way of praying is more flexible to accommodate their active ministries. Franciscans typically pray the 150 psalms over four weeks instead of two, allowing more room for mission work and interaction with the world. Their prayer life, though important, is often balanced with their external apostolic work, such as serving the poor or preaching.
The Size of Communities
The structure of Franciscan and Cistercian communities reflects their differing spiritual priorities. Franciscan friaries are typically smaller, with communities ranging from a handful to about a dozen members. This smaller size allows them to live more intimately with one another and easily adapt to the needs of the communities they serve. Because Franciscans are often engaged in apostolic work, they need to maintain smaller, more mobile groups.
Cistercian monasteries, on the other hand, are often larger. Historically, Cistercian communities could number up to 100 or more monks or nuns. Today most communities have 10 to 30 members. Their monastic life emphasizes communal stability and a close-knit, lifelong community where the members grow together in holiness. The size of Cistercian monasteries allows for a strong sense of shared prayer and work, all within the context of a highly structured monastic schedule.
Different Paths to Holiness: Active Service vs. Contemplation
Franciscan spirituality encourages an outward-looking approach to holiness, inspired by the example of St. Francis, who said: "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." Franciscans strive to imitate Christ through service to the poor, care for creation, and active participation in the world. Their spirituality often emphasizes simplicity, joy, and brotherhood, which extends to all of creation.
In contrast, Cistercian spirituality emphasizes withdrawal from the world in order to encounter God in silence and solitude. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most influential Cistercian saints, put it: "God is found in stillness, not in restlessness." The Cistercian way of life fosters interior transformation through contemplation, silence, and hard work. Their aim is to seek God in the quiet of the monastery, far from the distractions of the world.
Insights from Franciscan and Cistercian Saints
St. Francis’s radical call to poverty and simplicity resonates deeply in his writings, where his love for all creation and reliance on God’s providence shines through:
“The brothers shall appropriate nothing to themselves, neither house, nor place, nor anything at all. And as pilgrims and strangers in this world, serving the Lord in poverty and humility, let them confidently go seeking alms. Nor need they be ashamed, for the Lord made himself poor for us in this world.”
Additionally, St. Francis’s famous Canticle of the Creatures demonstrates his profound connection with God’s creation, illustrating the heart of Franciscan spirituality:
“Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Sun,Who brings the day and gives light through him,And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.”
Cistercian spirituality, as expressed by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, is more focused on stability, communal prayer, and interior contemplation. In The Steps of Humility and Pride, he writes:
"True humility lies in the knowledge of self, a profound realization of one’s own weaknesses and limitations. A person who knows himself for what he truly is cannot be inflated by praise nor deflated by criticism."
This deep humility, cultivated in the Cistercian life of stability and silence, opens the way to divine intimacy, which Bernard emphasizes in his treatise On Loving God:
"You want me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God himself is the reason why he should be loved. As for how he should be loved, there are no limits to that love. The reason for loving God is God himself; the measure is to love him without measure."
Conclusion
While both the Franciscan and Cistercian orders are deeply rooted in the Gospel, they represent two distinct expressions of Christian spirituality. Franciscans embody a missionary, joyful life lived in service to others, marked by simplicity and a deep love for creation. Cistercians, on the other hand, offer a path of contemplation, rooted in stability, silence, and the transformative power of a life devoted to prayer. Both traditions, while different, offer rich insights into how to seek and follow God, whether in the heart of the world or in the silence of a monastery.
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