Engaging Franciscan Wisdom

Join Dr. Patty Jimenez as she shares the joys of being raised with Franciscan values, translates theological terms and teachings into everyday language, and the creates spaces of belonging for young Latina woman raised in the United States. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/etFD7Z-4Vsw     From Patty Jimenez' interview: “When I returned to school I am reading Bonaventure, Scotus, and Francis and Clare's writings, I'm going, some of this stuff is pretty lofty.  But when I broke it down to the essentials of hospitality, of care for creation, this is what my family lived every day, especially the women in my family; it was really powerful to see that written theologically, to see that expressed and be like, oh yeah, this is us.”   Regarding moving between cultures: “I think first is to not make assumptions. It's really important to ask a lot of questions. Oftentimes people just kind of jump in based on what is on the surface level, but they don't really know what's behind it. … I've seen that happen over and over again in so many situations, making assumptions about other people without taking consideration about what we are doing or not doing that is causing what's happening.”   “When you deal with a lot of cross-cultural issues, oftentimes just feeling heard causes a shift. That's sometimes all people need, is to be heard.”   “We all belong. If we've ever felt that we didn't, it's usually because we haven't been adequately provided for or cared for. That has resonated for me as a Latina that's been raised here in the United States. And so I take a huge responsibility now of how do I create belonging for US born and raised Latinas. At times we have to, if we feel like, ‘hey, I don't belong', maybe it's the Spirit that's moving us to create spaces of belonging for others.”   Vernacular theologian: “How do you translate really lofty theological terms or teachings into everyday terms so that anyone can understand it? And so for me it's translated in what we Latina theologians or pastor ministers speak of la vida cotidiana, our everyday life.  And so how do we integrate it and speak in a language that is accessible to most people nowadays?”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Brother Ed Dunn and las Posadas at the Border: read about the impact of the San Diego and Tijuana border experience in Patty's life: http://www.ushispanicministry.com/la-posada-at-the-border/   Franciscan School of Theology: “There is a hidden treasure in Catholic Theology called the “Franciscan Tradition.” As Pope Francis reminds us, St. Francis of Assisi is a saint of peace, a saint of the poor, a saint respectful of each person's God-given uniqueness, and a saint with a great love for all God's creatures.” See: https://www.fst.edu/about/   Secular Franciscans: https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/ . You may also find it interesting to listen to Carolyn Townes' reflections on being a Secular Franciscan in Episode 27, including links to further information at https://engagingfranciscanwisdom.org/walking-the-path-of-grief-and-loss-to-joy-as-a-lay-franciscan-episode-27   Francis and the Sultan: a contemporary telling of the story: https://cac.org/francis-and-the-sultan-2019-10-10/ . An original source: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1    Wolf of Gubbio: read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485   Restorative Justice: there is much information online. A sample description: “The three core elements of restorative justice are the interconnected concepts of Encounter, Repair, and Transform. Each element is discrete and essential. Together they represent a journey toward wellbeing and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience. Encounter leads to repair, and repair leads to transformation.” See: https://restorativejustice.org/what-is-restorative-justice/   Recetas: This initiative, founded by Patty, is dedicated to empowering Latinas to live joyous, well-balanced lives while deepening connections with themselves, their community, and their culture. Consider seven areas of wellness: emotional, environmental, personal, physical, professional, psychological and spiritual. See: https://recetonas.com . To see their shop: https://shop.recetonas.com . Handles for all social media: @therecetonas   Centering Prayer is a contemporary form of contemplative prayer. See: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/. Consider also a smart phone app called “Centering Prayer,” offered by Contemplative Outreach. You will find many regional websites online listing area centering prayer groups. For those who live in Minnesota, see: https://www.minnesotacontemplativeoutreach.org/groups.html   Vernacular Theology: “Bernard McGinn … coined the term Vernacular Theology. This form of theology focused on an audience of ordinary women and men who sought to find God in their daily experiences instead of the educated elite or the monks and nuns in the enclosure.”  Excerpt from Francis as Vernacular Theologian  by Dominic Monti, OFM: https://www.franciscantradition.org/images/stories/custodians/03_Francis_as_Vernacular_Theologian.pdf   Patty Catholic School photo   Patty Jimenez being confirmed in Mexico

Join Franciscan Associate Arlen Casco as she narrates in video form what we're calling “Christmas in February: a journey through Latin America.” It will be an exploration by several Associates of how Christmas, that is, the coming of Jesus among us as a human being, is celebrated in their respective countries of Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela. The video is spoken in Spanish and subtitled in English, while the audio is in Spanish. For the original video version with English subtitles, see: https://youtu.be/3X6kH4YLhME   We hope you find a welcome in this bonus episode of word, song and visuals. You will be led on this journey by Franciscan Associate Arlen Casco in Nicaragua who interviews Sol, Beni, Estrella, Camilo and Maria José, and has produced this lovely window into cultural expressions and traditions across Latin America.   This episode is the first of an occasional series called TAO, an acronym for “Testimonios Actuales y Ordinarios” which in English means “Current and Ordinary Testimonies.” While these episodes will continue to be produced in Latin America especially for Spanish-speaking Associates, they will be shared with subtitles in English as bonus episodes on Engaging Franciscan Wisdom.    Special Note: If you speak Spanish, you may want to look up the Spanish versions of each Engaging Franciscan Wisdom podcast. The same Franciscan Associate Arlen Casco coordinates the Spanish version; see Sabiduria Franciscana  For further information, please email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.

Join Franciscan Sister Callista Robinson as she breaks open her experience as an African American woman of faith, rooted in her own culture. A life-long learner and teacher, her hospitality and compassion serve to build bridges of relationships across cultures.    For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/x9N0uDm-A_E     From Sister Callista's interview: “Franciscan values  of compassion, serving the very poor and underserved,  have really influenced me as a Franciscan Sister.  And peacemaking and social justice, those are Franciscan values. It seems to me you cannot talk to a Franciscan without hearing that person say something about social justice and how we have to go out to those who are not served. … Another Franciscan value that we have is we're very hospitable.”   Wisdom to share: “Have a conversation with God, which we call prayer, an open and honest conversation where you let God do the talking and you do the listening. And from there each person will receive the wisdom that they need, whether that is to be more trustful, to be more compassionate, to be more accepting of others from a different culture, whatever that might be. Listening and talking with God – but more listening rather than talking.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Sr. Callista Robinson, OSF – 35th Annual Black Excellence Awards Honoree: https://milwaukeetimesnews.com/35th-annual-black-excellence-awards/honorees/sr-callista-robinson-osf   School Sisters of Saint Francis: https://www.sssf.org/   Loretto Academy, Chicago, an integrated high school for girls: https://www.preservationchicago.org/loretto-academy-institute-of-the-blessed-virgin/   Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, founded by Saint Katharine Drexel; their mission was to evangelize and educate African Americans and Native Americans:https://www.katharinedrexel.org/st_katharine_drexel_overview/founding-of-the-sisters-of-the-blessed-sacrament/   Saint Anselm Catholic School, Chicago: https://stanselmchicago.com/?page_id=7   Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, history: https://www.fslf.org/aboutus; Sister Thomasine Schmolke: https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/little-falls-franciscan-sister-writes-new-history-of-her-community     Vatican Council II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg .To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More'), type ‘Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.   National Black Sisters Conference (NBSC), founded to support each other as African Americans: https://www.nbsc68.com/   LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious): https://lcwr.org/   Center for Consecrated Religious, at CTU (Chicago Theological Union): https://ctu.edu/cscl/   Network: https://networklobby.org/about/catholicsocialjustice/   Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Milwaukee: https://www.stfrancismil.org/   Brother Booker Ashe Lay Ministry Program, Milwaukee: https://blackandindianmission.org/news/congrats-brother-booker-ash-lay-ministry-graduates     Adult Learning Center, Milwaukee: https://www.alcmke.org/   Black History Month: https://asalh.org/about-us/origins-of-black-history-month  - also see: https://blackhistorymonth.gov/   Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, Archdiocese of Milwaukee: https://www.sfs.edu/SFSHome   Dr. Antoinette Mensah, MD, Director of Archdiocesan Office for World Mission and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Archdiocese of Milwaukee: https://cx.uwp.edu/antoinette-mensah.html     Sister Callista with students from Harambee Community School in Milwaukee    

Show Notes: Join former Franciscan Community Volunteer Nnedi Anoskie-Ogunu as she shares her learnings of what strengthens her connection with God and others, ranging from the place of welcoming communities to developing an interior spiritual life. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/z0QhmFbJ8Ss                                                                                                        From Nnedi's interview: “When I was in Nigeria, I was eager to come to the US because we'd seen all these images about the US and I was excited to experience all of it. But then when I came, it was much different from what I knew. … And then school, I faced some racism from teachers, administration, students. It was a very hard transition. That was rough. You're going through so many internal changes trying to figure out what your feelings are, and everyone is doing the same. So, we're all gonna bump into each other in very unhealthy ways.”   “I've always been drawn to community where I feel welcomed. Of course, when I was growing up in Nigeria, that was not a community that I chose, I was born into it. I was just part of it, right?    And as an adult, you're able to choose where you belong or where you find belonging, and I've been able to do that. And making it part of a spiritual practice was not something that occurred to me until I came to you all in Minnesota. The intentionality behind even our gatherings was something that has stayed with me. And those gatherings are what built our community, right?”   “It's very important for me to feel a sense of community with the people that I work with; the line of work that I'm interested in doing cannot be done without community. I'm very much into social justice, and I think that none of us can survive, can thrive without being, without having belonging anywhere. And part of the work that I do through “Faith and Public Life” is to create spaces and make sure that everyone feels a sense of belonging and not excluded because of things that are out of their control, you know, their skin color, how they pray, things like that.”   “I try to be mindful when I'm in community with other people, that someone may be showing up a certain way in my community, that there are stories there that I may not know.  It's up to us to continue to create safe communities, safe intentional communities, where they can bring their full selves.”   “I had been told almost all my life that I should be a nun. I think it's just because I had spiritual practice; I had a love for God and enjoyed things like that, so to them it meant to be a nun.  And I always wondered why it wasn't enough that I was a lay person, and that my love for God was evident - all of us should be living a life that is evident of our love for God and our love for one another. It gave me the opportunity to come and be with sisters, see what the life was like, and see if there was something that it stirred in me during my time there. And while I was there, I discovered that you all were normal people that loved life, loved one another. I think the first night there we played a game and that was the most peace I felt in a foreign place before, and I knew that I was in a right place. And since then there was such a strong welcoming. I didn't have to explain certain things, even though there were cultural barriers. There was still a willingness and openness to learning about me that felt like this was home, right?”   “For me, when I get to a certain point with my friends, with my relationships, I feel like it's almost transcended friendship, I will call them, I'll call my friends my sisters.  And so since my time with the Sisters of Little Falls, I call you all sisters. Not because of the title, but because I have also taken you as family in a way that I feel like you all have taken me as family.  So you all feel like my sisters and I just, I feel blessed to be part of this community; even though I'm far away, I still feel very much part of it.”   “Names are very, very important to me because mine has been part of my journey. And it's reflected like different stages of my life. When I was in Nigeria, I went by Nnedi. I knew myself as Nnedi. I knew myself as Nnedimma. That was, that was who I was, right. And then when we came to the United States, my parents really wanted me to assimilate. And they didn't want me to have a name that would "other" me further. And I started going by my middle name. So Nnedimma is my first name.  Annunciata is my middle name.  And it's shortened to Ann. … it's been years in the making of me contemplating wanting to change back to Nnedimma. … I truly have shed this skin that Ann was so uncomfortable in, … So now I'm getting to know Nnedima as an adult, as a woman who has really come into her own, also now as a married person.”   “Native American spirituality and Franciscanism have been a huge part of my spiritual life right now. … Franciscan spirituality can be practiced by anyone. … In my quest to be more in tune with Care for Creation, my primary focus is with God's people because I feel if we are good to God's people, and everyone has the things that they need to thrive and there's no exploitation of people, then there will be no exploitation of Mother Earth. “   “Franciscan spirituality is it invites you into the mess, and doesn't just leave you to figure it out, right? It doesn't leave you to struggle alone. It allows you to do it with community that can strengthen you, that can support you, that can love you.”   “In the Bible they refer to iron sharpens iron and I think that is what community is. You sharpen each other to become your fullest selves. And when we do that, I think part of the hardship that we're facing is that we're not living into who God has called us to be. We don't have an interior life that allows us to explore what it is we're meant to do in a safe space and live into it without holding back.”   “What is feeding my soul at this time is getting in touch with myself, with Nnedi, as an emotional person. I think I've struggled with that in the past, being able to express the full range of my emotions without holding myself back. … What that looks like is talking to God through journaling and being in therapy. Those have been key things that is allowing me to practice or to welcome God into my life and recognize that my emotions are also gifts from God, and not see them as a burden. So being able to work through that in therapy and to talk with Emmanuel, reflecting out loud, has been very important to my current experiences of spirituality.”   “I didn't realize this part about my spiritual journey, hoping that by exploring the full range of my emotions, I can become more connected to God. I didn't realize that until I started talking and articulating it and I'm like, yes, that is the hope that I have…that is what I'm pursuing, that connection with God, that connection with myself. I can't be comfortable with the humanness of God if I'm not comfortable with my own humanness.”   [Encouragement to others] “Be patient with yourself. I think sometimes I get so impatient with not seeing the progress that I expect to see at a certain time. There's no formula to this.  We're all stumbling and remembering that we're human. You deserve the grace that you extend to other people. So extend that same grace to yourself. Be patient with yourself and work on loving yourself; part of that is figuring out what makes you happy, what brings you joy, who brings you joy. So leaning into those things will help you remember who you are.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References added re: strengthening our connection with God: 1 Celano 43: “[Francis], living within himself and walking in the breadth of his heart, prepared in himself a worthy dwelling place of God.”   “Emotional Range and On-Going Conversion: Franciscan Joy,” a talk by Darleen Pryds, PhD. of the Franciscan School of Theology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etRlkWhlhg . Darleen has also been interviewed on this podcast, and has been a guest host as well. You can find these episodes by typing her name in the search bar of this website.   Accompanying photos:  Nnedi & Emmanuel Anosike-Ogunu, 2022 Nnedi's Grandma Josephine  Nnedi as a Franciscan Community Volunteer out on adventure with her group.                  

Join Jamie Deering as she shares stories and considers with curiosity what it is to be present to oneself and others as we allow God to flow through us in the midst of different ways of thinking, seeing and being in the world. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/PZ9MDBvRbe8   From Jamie's interview: “One of the first and primary ways that God grabbed a hold of me and that I knew the presence of God in me and in the world, was through music. When I was four years old, I began piano lessons and when I was in elementary school, there was a choir and I was so excited to be part of this, creating music with our bodies and with our souls, which has felt to me like a special portal, a special pathway to God. … The thread of music through my entire life is what has anchored me in knowing and experiencing God's presence.”   “It was so important for me as my kids were growing up to be sure that they had this experience of the diversity of humankind and the diversity of thought and movement and ideas. … It was such a blessing and gift to be exposed to different ways of thinking, different ways of being in the world. I served in the Peace Corps, as you know, and lived in Macedonia for a little under two years. That plus my experiences in a variety of churches throughout my formative spiritual formation years was understanding the power of a community to form, to be so influential, in how our worldview, I'll stick with me, how my worldview was formed.”   “Recently a friend of mine distinguished for me this word, interdependence, and we've been having conversations. We come from different cultures and so I've been curious about, again, the formation of this person coming, growing up in a different culture. And my growing up in the American culture, in sort of a spirit of independence; this other culture was a spirit of interdependence. I've been learning more about what that is and connecting that to all the experiences that I've had; they have been helpful in pointing me to what it means to be interdependent and communal in thinking.”   “There are some things in contemplation we can do to set down striving; this concept of being with our thoughts then gets integrated in somatic presence with being in our bodies, being in my body. What is my body experiencing right now? Because our bodies live in present time. And so to the degree that I can be in my body, I can be present in present time. So there's that sense of being with. Then in spiritual direction, being with another, companioning another. Again, it's so important for me to be able to know what it is that's going on in me, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, so that I can hold space. So I can offer that space to another person for them to be with whatever is going on in them.”   “Haecceitas … this notion that we are all uniquely gifted by God for work here on earth for God. Presence in God through us, manifesting God through us in the world. I feel this mysterious, mystical, and special gift that my gifts now are partnered so beautifully with the Franciscan Sisters, and what might God be bringing into the world through us.”   “There's an expression in contemplative prayer of the wellspring of love, the wellspring of God; that is probably the primary image that I use when I'm leading contemplation, because the wellspring is always available to us. Always. We just sit by the wellspring, contemplating the wellspring, being with the wellspring of love.”   “Living life from a place of curiosity - I find that to be very Franciscan. And expanding beyond that, the spiritual journey, to live from curiosity. To be listeners seeking to understand another, is also very Franciscan, rather than be understood. …The wellspring cultivates curiosity and the ability to be with another and hold space for another's essence, to see another in their essence.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Saint Francis, The Praises of God: https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=180   Peace Corps, Macedonia: https://www.peacecorps.gov/north-macedonia/   Contemplative Practice: see Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation: https://shalem.org/   Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Coaching: see Jamie's website: https://soulisticcoach.com/   Haecceitas: a Franciscan term coined by John Duns Scotus re: the unique value, dignity, ‘thisness', of every person and everything; two references: https://cac.org/irreplaceable-thisness-2018-03-18/ , and https://www.ssfamericas.org/post/a-hagiography-of-blessed-john-duns-scotus     Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota: https://www.fslf.org/ Franciscan Programs Ministry, including Engaging Franciscan Spirituality course: https://www.fslf.org/pages/Franciscan-Programs-Ministry   Third Order Regular Rule, reference to admonishing with compassion: If discord caused by word or deed should occur among them, they should immediately (Mt. 18:35) and humbly ask forgiveness of one another even before offering their gift of prayer before the Lord (cf. Mt 5:24).And if anyone seriously neglects the form of life all profess, the minister, or others who may know of it, are to admonish that person. Those giving the admonition should neither embarrass nor speak evil of the other, but show great kindness. Let all be careful of self-righteousness, which causes anger and annoyance because of another's sin. These in oneself or in another hinder living lovingly.   Sheffield train station fountain in England, image of the Trinity as fountain fullness of God; see photo below, see a YouTube of the fountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RPXt-MvN0Q      

Join Sister Meg Earsley as she shares the delight of discovery and learning through cultural immersion in intentional communities, both in the unexpected joy of religious life and in her immersion with the incredible people of Bolivia. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/11L8Oue8Y5Y     From Sister Meg's interview: “My community is blessed with a real attitude of inclusion. Even our constitutions have a title called Unity and Diversity. We are united as a community, but we are accepting and promoting of all of our gifts; how we find those gifts is a blessing in itself.”   “I had never lived in a larger community; before joining community, I appreciated and enjoyed living alone. My biggest fear of coming to community is like, am I going to be able to even do community? I have no idea. But I found it to be an incredible joy, although I valued my time alone because of the quiet and the only having to consider my own thoughts and ideas, being in community has a richness of communal sharing. … Living community, being in this living situation together and then being a support to each other, is something I had never experienced.  This is a really good thing. This whole mutual support is something I could sure get used to. I have really enjoyed living in intentional community.”   “Unity is based on the acceptance of the diversity. … Assimilation to me means that you're going into another culture and all of who you are is expected to be folded into that and to become like that culture, whatever that culture is that you're going into. I think some of that is necessary. But there's also the other side of things where bringing your uniqueness and who you are is also very necessary when you're coming into another community, another culture. Then how do those things work together? I think that that is the joy of the whole, the phrase and the living of unity and diversity is, there's an acceptance and each person's uniqueness.” “If I hadn't heard the call to become a religious sister, I wouldn't have ever experienced it. I would've gone through my whole life saying how much I loved being alone; one of my favorite things was to say, because I didn't have to bring other people into my emotions into my heart. At the time I didn't have a word for it, but like I don't want to have to bring other people into that space of mine because then I have to consider them. Before I do things, and I have to give them the time and energy, the love and compassion, right? And so now I've been living that for four years and I don't even know how I could ever do anything else – that's probably one of my greatest joys.”   “Can we reimagine what community looks like and how we live in community, to expand out to other religious communities, lay, or whatever? … The Franciscan Federation is looking with our Emergent Group of what does intentional community look like now, and how that's a need, a want and a desire in, for sure our country; I wouldn't be surprised at other places too. And then how can, how do we live that, and what does that look like now?”    “There is so much beauty, especially to the people, incredible people (of Bolivia). Going back to suspending judgment. I'm thinking of the word detachment, a Franciscan value; I think we might use the word here of holding things lightly. For some reason, detachment seems like, I don't care, but holding things lightly says that there might be things that are valuable. Food safety's a great example. People would have things sitting out all day. So even at the convent, food would just sit out, we'd have it for lunch, it would sit out till dinner, and then we'd cook it, warm it back up and eat it, right? So holding things lightly is knowing that for my culture, having a rice and chicken dish sitting out all day would be very unhealthy. We would all get sick and be in big trouble with food poisoning at the hospital. This is the judgment I could have, but the holding it lightly is to say that these sisters are … eating the food this way all the time and they're not sick. So maybe I can hold that lightly, set aside the food safety value that I came to Bolivia with, and see what happens. And you might guess, I didn't get sick, not even once, not even after the armadillo! That speaks so highly to me; I had to question then why do I think that if food sits out all day, I'm gonna get sick, right? I realized that in our culture, even having a small chance of something happening means that we shouldn't do it.  In this case, food safety; so even if it was a 1% chance that that food sitting out all day might make us sick, then we probably would throw it away. So I probably won't anymore. Understanding that is a cultural value; who knew food safety was a cultural value? … The opportunity to understand that holding things lightly, detachment, might have been my greatest gift of going to Bolivia.”   “Two of the biggest gifts that I had while in Bolivia is to be able to practice the gift of presence and really concentrate wholly on relationships, without having outside things like getting things done, having deadlines or goals. I had time in a culture that was totally different to everything I understood, with the language that I couldn't always communicate in.  It's harder to try to layer in my values and preferences and those kinds of things if I can't articulate them. Although I would've liked to magically been able to articulate a lot more, I think it was a really good thing because it focused me in the presence and what that actually means. It's so foundational, the start of everything; even if you go to a job, having that presence is so important.”   “How do I continue to make that foundational? Now that I've come back to the United States, how do I start to integrate all these things and, having that foundation of presence, the foundation of relationships in everything I do, how do I make that dominant or predominant in my life now and not get busy with all those important things that I need to do. How do I do that?”   “Presence allows you to see who that person is. Yes. I'll go so far as to say, see who, what that tree. Yes. Like I could walk by a tree every day and never notice it. But I stop and look, and I can see what that tree is. I can think about all the different things that is going on with that tree, whether it's the leaves or the roots, or all these different things, and I can really start to understand that tree. So how does that then translate to being present to people, right? … Through their stories and their conversation you start to understand the depth of that individual and how they radiate out into the world; you can really start to see all these connections and the absolute beauty of this interconnectedness and inner touching or touching each other, and how all those things create, I'll say, God's kingdom….” For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: --Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA): https://www.fspa.org --Canonical and Apostolic years of the Novitiate; for information of how these years are elements of  the larger discernment process for religious life, see: https://www.fspa.org/content/join/become-a-sister/discerning-fspa-life -- Meg's reflections in Bolivia: https://www.fspa.org/sistermeg   --Franciscan Mission Service: https://franciscanmissionservice.org/

Join our Latin American Associate Leadership Team as they reflect together on the call to live as sisters and brothers across the Americas. Working as a team, they foster conditions for living in the spirit of Saint Francis, weaving unity in diversity—this is Good News!   For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/pcnNdwxhONU     From Arlen, Veronica and Camilo's interview: Arlen shares: “Our main function is always to be aware of the community, and of each associate that belongs to the community. In Nicaragua we are 2 groups: one is in Managua and another is in San Diego. Although there is a long distance between these two locations, we try to always be aware of the realities of each associate, their spiritual and material needs. … We contribute in creating spaces for communication and formation in the Franciscan charism and spirituality. I think that is the richness of our functions.”   Camilo states: “It is interesting to be part of this Team, knowing that, unlike Arlen and Vero, at this moment from Colombia I am the only one in the association relationship. It has been an opportunity to meet and learn about faith and culture in the three Americas: North America, Central America, and South America. That is beautiful. We have to think about the language, about the appropriate words according to each country, in order to meet and share.”   Veronica notes: “The Franciscan charism is expressed through people who serve in the Ecuadorian Amazon, in ecclesial parishes in different places, in ministries of the Word and the Eucharist, etc. And, day by day, I see that Franciscan spirituality also has an impact in our families, to which we all belong. In this way I have seen how the community continues to grow.”   Veronica: “A year ago, was when we officially started putting our ideas together -Arlen, Camilo, Verónica- to see how to serve the Spanish-speaking associates. A dynamic of deep reflection was generated among the 3 of us. … In addition to promoting Franciscan values ​​in Zoom teachings and circles, we put them into practice frequently. … We think about who will be in that meeting, when and what time suits better for them. And so, thinking of that specific group, we have connected. The value of Minority has been one of the bases that move our community meetings. Then we are always evaluating as a team: what is it that God did and what can we improve? We live an experience of community life where we get to know each other and discern the next call for service.”   Camilo: “I have learned to work more as a team by being part of this team. For example, something as simple as understanding that situations can arise when planning a meeting, when we can or cannot connect, and that we can overcome it together. We have learned that preparing for the unforeseen is wonderful. For example, if we cannot meet together, we can meet asynchronously through chat; it does not obstruct the work and we have achieved a very rich experience. In addition to the minority that Vero mentioned, I have learned in practice to live the simplicity that characterizes Franciscan spirituality and its great power, to think of simple exercises that can include many and foster beautiful and powerful reflections.”   Arlen: “Franciscanism is a way of life; when it takes root in your heart it is already very difficult to turn back or get out of the way because it is so valuable, it has so much wealth. I think that in the community we see each other as a family, I see another associate as a brother, as a sister, as a mother, as an uncle... because that trust is being formed, it is being strengthened day by day. I believe that when Franciscan values ​​strengthen the community, then the community expands as well. Saint Francis said, we try to lead by example, with what we do for others and the way in which we live. This calls other people who are around us, because we have this lifestyle and they are always curious, asking who the associates are and what do they do, what is the path to become an associate? I think that this is where the Franciscan values ​​lie.”   Camilo: “There are two things that resonate with me when considering our call: the first is in the short term and has to do with embodying or concretizing the Franciscan values ​​in our daily life. Always in our meetings … we ask ourselves and it always moves us: today concretely, how does conversion, minority, become a reality, how do poverty, contemplation and joy become a reality, where I am? I think this is a question that we must constantly ask ourselves. I believe that Franciscan spirituality challenges us to always ask ourselves that question as a community, too, and with all the people among whom we share.  The second call that I see also has to do with our being together; it is to continue connecting beyond the borders that our countries draw, the borders drawn by languages, and even our religions. It is incredible the diversity among us and the enormous efforts that the sisters and associates are making to connect, learning to use zoom and various other technological means, learning how to communicate when some speak Spanish and others speak English, experimenting with how to build that bridge¡ That has made us connect and share courageously.”   Veronica: “Our Franciscan community is no longer located just in Minnesota. Its GLOBAL character is a feature of its own. We are very different people, from different generations, who live in different contexts. But the interesting thing is that we respond to a powerful call: to live against the current of the societies we inhabit and bring hope there, where there is despair, we live in simplicity, dispossession, forgiveness, unity in the midst of those very strong voices that tell us to “consume more”, where there is war, division. I think that Franciscan Spirituality, as a lifestyle, becomes a reality with the simple examples that we learn from our brothers and sisters: we learn to live with detachment, with solidarity, in the midst of God's creation that calls us to be ONE.”   Camilo: “I believe that our world often lacks joy, the ability to smile day by day and … feel loved, recognizing ourselves loved in our day to day. I think that particularly from what I have experienced in this relationship and the relationships that have been woven, it has been that ability to smile, that ability to live with joy, but it also depends on feeling deeply loved and how beautiful that these experiences that we are weaving can be shared and communicated to other people, in other contexts, and that they can feel that goodness and that power of the good news of love, of the joy that Saint Francis has taught us and that is the love of that God who loves us so much and so much he wants the good for all. I believe that we are weaving paths for other people, beyond whether they want to be linked as associates or not, they can share it. That is the beauty, sharing this charism.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Franciscan Associates: There are many forms of Associates, Cojourners, Companions, Affiliates who are in intentional relationships with religious communities and congregations. The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN who sponsor this podcast, have Associate and Sister relationships that span the Americas, speaking English and Spanish. Here is a brief introduction: https://www.fslf.org/pages/franciscan-associates   Saint Francis hearing the call to rebuild the church: to read the story, see Legend of the Three Companions 5:13: The Legend of the Three Companions: FA:ED, vol. 2, p. 76 (franciscantradition.org)   Engaging Franciscan Spirituality, “Involucrándonos con la Sabiduría Franciscana”: a program for growth in Franciscan life. This program is in transition with staff transitions at the Franciscan Programs Ministry. It has equipped four cohorts of men and women to strengthen their spiritual journeys in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare.

Join Garry and JoAnn as they reflect together on what it is to choose the path of transformation and not of transaction in relationships, sharing a trajectory of growth in relation to God and others as they seek to bring peace to the planet and one another. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/FCHHS6ONP1s   From Garry and JoAnn's interview: Garry: “I come from a perspective at this junction in my life where I see everything as gift, that I didn't deserve, or wasn't entitled to, or there wasn't something I merited. It was purely gratuitous, God loving and manifesting God's self in creation. It seems to me that if we want to live in that image and likeness, we have to model that perspective as best we can in all our relationships. I certainly see that in our, my relationship to JoAnn, that who she is and the wonderful person that she is, has been gifted to my life to share and experience. There is a great sense of gratitude for that, but also a humility that, in the same way I didn't deserve to be born into this world; it was gratuitous. The same is true in relationship to another human being who, is on the same journey that I'm on. I have the opportunity to walk that journey in a spirit of love, that love constantly challenges us to let down our guard and open further and to love deeper and experience more completely all the gifts that God shares with us. It is incredibly humbling because it's the avenue by which as we move on our spiritual journey, we've been doing that together as a couple.”   JoAnn: “When we talk about choosing each other in marriage, it's true, I chose Garry, Garry chose me. But then in faith, we also believe that God chose us for each other. And when you have a gift mentality or modality, it's a different kind of way you receive. If you go and acquire something, that's different, but if you get something as a gift that has a receptivity to it that is completely different. It requires gratitude, openness and humility because the giver saw something in you that needed that gift. So I think that there's a whole receptivity in seeing another person in any relationship you have as being a gift to you in your life at that time, at that moment. And it makes a difference in how you interact. I think that idea of gift is a crucial kind of mindset.”   JoAnn: “Change is inevitable and some changes, I think, are the result of life circumstances. … There's a letting go and an embracing of what's next. And I really think that's part of the marriage journey and any long-term relationship. Letting go of what was and embracing what's next. Garry mentioned that continual conversion, which is rooted in an openness to be willing to let go of whatever barriers to spiritual growth you're harboring and allow God to do the work needed to change you. And that's part of that long-term marriage dance too. … We have a shared common trajectory in that we both want to grow deeper and deeper in relationship with God and with each other.”   Garry: “The idea of (being) naked before God, we're not as generous as naked beings in front of other human beings, cuz we don't wanna appear vulnerable or weak or flawed, so we guard ourselves. But in a marriage that's working, I think the other person serves as a mirror. There are parts that I need somebody who can mirror back to me that which I can't see, so that in seeing what I can't see, I might be able to grow through it, or love my way through it as I like to see it.”   JoAnn: “Transformation and relationship: You enter into the full unity, that's about relationship and God revealing God to us, and that means that it's transformational rather than transactional. … I think it's about revelation and relationship and not simply redemption. When I'm trying to tick off the boxes of doing all the right things to merit God's love, then I start watching other people and seeing if they're ticking off the right boxes too, and now I become judgmental. So it's better to be vulnerable and let God work whatever changes are necessary inside, being open to transformation and not worrying about if I exacted the right transactions this week.”   JoAnn: “Initially growing up, I thought that Francis was the easy Saint, because he's a nice guy who loves nature. Oh, that's great. I can follow that. But then I realized that Francis is pretty challenging because Francis … tries to love as God loves. That's a pretty challenging way to be—that's not the easy saint.”   Garry: “I do love that, but Francis didn't get it all right either; just like the rest of us don't get it all right. We try to find a model and a way of living our lives that will bring about the hope for fulfillment that we all desire. He helped open us to the idea of being willing to suffer on behalf of God, and especially suffer with those who are suffering in this world. We are called as Franciscans to reach out to those people as best we can to ease their suffering and to know that they don't walk in this world alone. Francis modeled that and was loved for that, and God worked through him because of that.”   Garry: “Then there's the huge challenge for all of us, whether it be you Sister Michelle or JoAnn or I, what is mine to do?  What is ours to do to help bring about God's desire for God's people?    And that would be his world as well, which he loves. There are so many beautiful things in creation; they were created out of that same love that created us out of love. So how do we encounter our world in a manner that we might be conduits for that transformation that JoAnn was talking about? And how do we heal this world, this time and space in God's wondrous creation? What is our role in bringing about both peace and restoration to our planet and that same peace and restoration to one another?”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Qualities, attitudes and actions important for marriage and relationships to work: Drawing from the interview, Garry and JoAnn name continual conversion, gratitude, receptivity, humility, love, openness, mutual encouragement, common trajectory of growth in relationship with God and with others, shared vulnerability, choose path of transformation and not transaction in relationship, forgiveness, make room for other to be who they are, life-long learning, common spiritual yearning, poverty, suffer with the suffering, bring peace to the planet and to one another/others.   Continual Conversion in Franciscan Spirituality: Consider this video by Darleen Pryds, Ph.D. of the Franciscan School of Theology (FST), entitled: “Emotional Range and On-Going Conversion: Franciscan Joy,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etRlkWhlhg – video #35 of the Franciscan Vision Series (see below for general link).   Conversion, another meditation: Grows out of self-knowledge; we tend to like dramatic conversions like the story of St. Paul. For Francis (and most people), conversions may have dramatic events, but it is more a process or journey. As one's outward life becomes humbler and simpler, one's inner life becomes richer.             -Peace and Good through the year with Francis of Assisi, Pat McCloskey, OFM, cf. p. 67.   Why Did God Become Human? by Dr. Daniel Horan, OFM, John Duns Scotus professor of spirituality at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago: this video (#23) is from the Franciscan Vision Series; here's a link to the playlist of many fine explorations of Franciscan Spirituality, including #23:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhm41W5jlZZQtwlhsoiM37SGFMN7Kh5QR   Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.”   Franciscan Poverty: See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book “Poverty and Joy”: d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents   Canticle of the Creatures, by Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-his-canticle ; the full text is at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/related-documents/franciscan-documents/the-canticle-of-brother-sun-1225/569-ca-ed-1-page-392

Join Brother Mark Schroeder as he is interviewed by guest host Darleen Pryds. Mark explores the priority of living in community, in peace and mutual understanding while being passionate for justice and nonviolence advocacy. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/9oKMNktEKJI   From Brother Mark's interview: “As a Franciscan, early on, I was active in nonviolent demonstrations, many times ending up in jail. That's beyond the way I was raised and the way I operated when I was a kid. But through that, I really realized the importance of standing up for what you believe, the importance of taking risks. I would've never dreamt of that. And my whole spiritual quest is always, I believe God invites everybody. God invited me into each of these situations so I could learn and grow and see how I handled each one, based on nonviolence.”   “The first time I was ever arrested was Lawrence Livermore lab, which is outside of Oakland, where the nuclear weapons and other weaponry are being developed. It was a Good Friday celebration up there, and that was the first time I ever risked arrest and ended up, ironically, … in the Japanese concentration camps in Livermore. They still exist, but they still had the buildings and that's where we were, a gigantic number of people. And so I've always been involved with nuclear weapons, the abolition of them. I still am.”   “One has to always be aware of oneself, what's going on. And with that, the only way I can teach about being a Christian is you have be active. Do actions that promote justice and peace and non-violence. When I'm outta whack, then it's not gonna work. So that's why I continue to do the best I can to stay focused.”   “I believe anybody that lives in the United States is an addict. It comes in different forms. But if you live in our consumer culture there's addictions, compulsions. So I do my best to stay on top of that. I'm in a 12-step group.”   “Fraternity is the most important thing we have. I wanted that always in religious life, … I've grown to realize that I live with people, I choose to live with people. I choose to interact with them daily. … It can be hard sometimes because of different personalities and I'm sure it's hard for some other friar to live with me, but in reality, it's just the joy. … With it [fraternity], I don't have really a care in the world. It's really a spiritual blessing for me to live in community.”   “Prayer together is important, but prayer has to be enlivening, not just rote and not just cuz we have to do it. Prayer is important together because it's a countercultural way of relating to each other. Communication is really important. ... Since I've been guardian, we've been meeting every Wednesday at four o'clock and a person can verbalize whatever they wanna say. They don't have to talk about feelings if they're not in the mood. I use mutual invitation and that's where one person starts and then that person picks the next person. … The guys tell me that it's really made us a community and continues to. So there's that kind of communication. Also, the friar lifestyle, having meals together is important. … I encourage every friar to have a spiritual director and or therapist if that's needed. And I always tell 'em price is no object, but to be in religious life, you can't be making decisions on your own. You have to really keep discerning God's will not your will.  And the fruit of that for me, is happier, healthier guys living together.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   “Jesuits in California”: https://www.jesuitswest.org/about-us/the-jesuits/   Discernment: There are many spiritual traditions of discernment; here is a video introduction to Ignatian (Jesuit) discernment: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/what-is-ignatian-spirituality/the-ignatian-way/what-is-discernment/ - here are some Franciscan discernment resources: https://osfphila.org/discernment-franciscan-style/   Franciscan Province of St Barbara: https://sbfranciscans.org/   Fraternity: a Franciscan perspective on fraternitas in a broader social context; also as related to Pope Francis' writing in Fratelli Tutti: https://sacredheartfla.org/2022/05/13/fraternitas-friar-reflections-the-fifth-week-of-easter/   Social Justice involvements: Franciscans for Justice: https://www.franciscansforjustice.org/ Nevada Desert Experience: http://nevadadesertexperience.org/ Example of Good Friday Protest at Lawrence Livermore Lab: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/04/25/18678001.php https://www.santabarbaramission.org/

Join educator and health care provider, Athena Godet-Calogeras, as she is interviewed by guest host Darleen Pryds. Athena is a master storyteller of her journey ranging from urban life in New York and Chicago to the enchanted mountains of Western New York state. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/5uj2EW1-3T0   From Athena's interview: “[With] a Franciscan scholar by the name of David Flood, … we began to hold weekly sessions on the Franciscan movement. He's an historian. … When I learned about what Francis and Clare, what they, and the other men and women at that time had to contend with and what they did to live a gospel life, it clicked with my own experience of what I was going through and what I was seeing on the streets of Uptown, which was a very poor, a diverse, ethnically diverse community where everybody could walk the streets, whether they were from halfway houses or in wheelchairs, whatever their color. And I just loved it. …. And I tell ya, it was in Chicago that I really became a Franciscan.”   “David would come in and perhaps we'd go through a discussion of the Testament. … He would talk about it from his scholarship, from an historical perspective, as well as his absolute passion for being a Franciscan. And we would have discussion and he would give us different things to read. And at one point during those sessions we said, where else can we read more of this kind, not the pious Saint Francis talking to the birds and that sort of thing. But this, this real man, these real men, Clare, these real women, where can we read more about it? And he said nowhere. That's when a small group of us started the Franciscan magazine in 1977 called Haversack.” “I recall walking one day down Uptown streets and all of a sudden having this wonderful feeling, this is exactly where I belong. This fits so well. It integrates everything. Every part of me. So, so that was, that was the start and it's, it's Franciscan ever since.”   “I am by nature an activist.  I think it's by nature. When I was in Chicago, I had a big poster of a mother duck with baby ducks on the wall and it said, ‘Do something, lead, follow, or get out of the way'. Activism is sort of natural for me.” (see visual at the end of these show notes)   “I married Jean-Francois and his scholarship continues to inform me … Clare, I've gotten to know more of Clare and the [early Franciscan] women. Where I live now, we don't have a specific Franciscan base. The two of us are Franciscans, and all of our close friends who are active with us in all of the endeavors … they know we're Franciscan and they're attuned to it. And several of us have also formed a faith sharing group called "the breaking of the bread". We're Franciscan without initials, but we are Franciscans.”   “I always speak of a Franciscan movement; I do not think that Francis or Clare acted alone. There was a movement, there were people and that is so very important. It's building up the relationships, … keeping the Franciscan history current.  I go back to the readings and, again I have Jean-Francois, and every time we have ‘the breaking of the bread', a meeting of our group, we have Franciscan texts; those people in the 13th century are dead, but they're still alive.  … I've had years and years of reading about Francis and Clare and the men and women in that early movement. That stays with me, and I can always go back to those.  I do go back to those pages, but as it is if people remember us, that means we're still alive. So they're still alive, and so am I.”   With Veggie Wheels “we go to the people, not only will we give them vegetables and fruit from local farmers, but we will be able to relate. We will meet, we will have that exchange. As we saw in Francis's Testament, where he discovered that the leper was really his brother, his sister. You bring people from different socioeconomic status and you become friends; we get them involved in helping others.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis: https://ssj-tosf.org/   Vatican Council II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg .To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More'), type ‘Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.   Jean-Francois Godet-Calogeras, Margaret Carney, David Flood: bios with the Franciscan Institute: https://www.franciscanpublications.com/pages/franciscan-institute-scholars-authors   Saints Francis and Clare: https://osfphila.org/about/francis-and-clare-of-assisi/ The Testament, by Saint Francis: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-testament/140-fa-ed-1-page-124   Saint Francis meets the leper: see https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-meets-the-leper . See also the earliest biography of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano (1C 17): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195     Haversack magazine issues: https://app.box.com/s/e0z1cpxq9br9n30ntucfcgn2zzpdipyz Scripture related to the choice of “haversack” as the title: --Luke 9:3 Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.” (cf. Mtt 10:10; Mk. 6:8; Lk 10:4) --Luke 22:36 “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag…”             Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/ Frontline Episode based on Being Mortal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQhI3Jb7vMg ----   Enchanted Mountains Village: The Village to Village Network: https://www.vtvnetwork.org/ . The idea is to create a community of people 55+ to allow people to age well and happily in their homes through exchange of services, mutual support, and cultural and fun events. The Enchanted Mountains Village was officially launched on October 17, 2021, and is established as a non-profit organization: https://www.enchantedmountainsvillage.org/   Veggie Wheels https://www.cattfoundation.org/news/article/current/2020/08/26/100140/veggie-wheels-continues-service-through-pandemic-challenges Video (on Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=661853231092130  

Join practitioner and scholar Jean-François Godet-Calogeras as he tells his story of growth and social engagement from village to village in Belgium and the United States, from happiness to greater happiness as he lives the passion and joy of Franciscan life.   For a video version of this episode, see: ­­­­­­­­­­­ https://youtu.be/KRc0LZh5Zws     From Jean-François's interview: “Reading the writings of Francis that is full of quotes from the gospel, I started reading the gospel as I had never read it before. And found out that the gospel happened and was written in a historical context, and the same thing with the writings of Francis, expressed within an historical context, a way of life. And it very quickly became a passion. I could not imagine my life outside of that.”   “I was looking for a passion, and the passion came with the writings of Francis that took me back and deeper into the gospel, the good news of Jesus. … At that point, I became very happy. Much happier than I had been before. I always loved the students, but I was dissatisfied by the institutional context.  And since then, and other experiences, I'm not a very institutional guy. I'm more of an artist or of the present. I'm an historian and I love history, but it's to help me understand and live the present. Not to be with all stones.”   “I'm not doing it on purpose, but I have been more than once labeled rebel. And it's just because I see things that for me make sense, but then I get in trouble. During that time, I discovered the writings of    Clare of Assisi. … Clare was not a nun in enclosure. Clare was a sister with the brothers. And it was basically the same way of life. The man on the road in movement, the women in a place that they called monastery. Culturally, it was just as the world was moving. Women were not normally traveling and mingling with people, but that doesn't mean that they were locked in, in prison. So, I realized that story of First and Second Order, like first and second class, doesn't really fit.”   “I realized again that the Third Order Regular, it was not a third class. And then it became very clear to me that there was one movement. One spiritual family with Francis and Clare, the brother and the sister at the root of that, inspired by the gospel of Jesus. And that movement developed in a very inclusive way to the beginning, but then of course with some complicities and good intention, it had to be organized. It had to be canonically organized.”   “It became clear that I had to leave [the Friars], and I did. … It felt horrible. It felt terrible. It felt that after 18 years or so I was losing my life. I wasn't me anymore. But I faced that. Friends were very, again, very supportive, very instrumental and some, Margaret Carney and others, when traveling to Europe would stop and visit me in my little house in the village, in Belgium. During the time that I was five years in my village, one friend told me that her mother had heard that I was not a Franciscan anymore. And she responded to her mother that no, he's not in the Order of Friars Minor anymore, but he is a Franciscan. That has been a moment of grace to me to realize that, yes, my Franciscan soul was not attached to any institution, and I was grateful for what I had received in the institution. And it's a lot that is part of myself, but I realized I am Franciscan, and I can explain what it means to me. It's a way of life and I will continue.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi:  https://osfphila.org/about/francis-and-clare-of-assisi/ The Wolf of Gubbio: read at Read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485.   The Little Flowers of Saint Francis: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2467-fa-ed-3-page-566   Desbonnets and Sabatier: The French Friar minor Théophile Desbonnets was the first one to publish the early Franciscan documents in one volume: Saint François d'Assise: Documents (Paris: Éditions franciscaines, 1968). Paul Sabatier is the father of the modern Franciscan studies. His masterpiece is his Vie de saint François d'Assise (Paris: Librairie Fischbacher, 1894).   A Short List of Publications by Jean-François: François d'Assise: Écrits, Collection “Sources chrétiennes” 285 (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1981) [Introduction, Latin text, French translation and notes]. Reprinted in 1997 and 2003. Claire d'Assise: Écrits, Collection “Sources chrétiennes” 325 (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1985) [Introduction, Critical edition of Latin text, French translation and notes]. Reprinted in 1997 and 2003. Clare of Assisi: A Woman's Life (Chicago: Haversack, 1991). “Evangelical Radicalism in the Writings of Francis and Clare,” in “Vita Evangelica.” Essays in Honor of Margaret Carney, OSF [Franciscan Studies 64 (2006)], 103-121. Écrits de François d'Assise, French translation with introduction and notes, in François d'Assise: Écrits, Vies et Témoignages (Paris: Éditions du Cerf – Éditions franciscaines, 2010). Clare's Blessing, in Studies in Early Franciscan Sources, Vol. 3 (St. Bonaventure: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2011), 135-147. The Autographs of Brother Francis of Assisi, in Studies in Early Franciscan Sources, Vol. 1 (St. Bonaventure: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2011), 51-99. The Salutations of Brother Francis of Assisi, in Studies in Early Franciscan Sources, Vol. 1 (St. Bonaventure: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2011), 301-327. Clare of Assisi, A Woman's Life: Symbols of the Feminine in Her Writings, New Updated Edition (Phoenix: Tau Publishing, 2013).   Reference to Gibecq cheese: From 1978 to 1980 Jean-François worked with Jean Frison, a farmer in Gibecq (Western Wallonia) who was starting Agrisain, a cooperative of farmers. https://www.lavenir.net/regions/wallonie-picarde/ath/2021/09/08/jean-frison-gibecq-fondateur-de-coprosain-est-decede-QET6ABL2BFBX3DKUQRIZMKUSE4/   The International Project on the new Rule for the Third Order Regular, approved in 1982; for more information see History of the TOR Rule: A Source Book (St. Bonaventure: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2008)   As a Franciscan Jean-François lived in many places! Among the places mentioned in this episode are Louvain and its university; the General Curia (headquarters) of the Order of Friars Minor in Rome; five months in solitude in Oostduinkerke; five years in a small village, Mont, near Namur, and currently in Allegany, NY https://www.allegany.org/   Resources: Haversack: A Franciscan review published from 1977 to 1999; available at: https://app.box.com/s/e0z1cpxq9br9n30ntucfcgn2zzpdipyz   Franciscan Institute: The Franciscan Institute on the campus of Saint Bonaventure University Veggie Wheels: https://www.cattfoundation.org/news/article/current/2020/08/26/100140/veggie-wheels-continues-service-through-pandemic-challenges

Join Franciscan Sister Carmen Barsody as she shares her learnings from life in a Nicaraguan barrio and in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. She invites us from fear into freedom to do what we feel called to do in the world, that all may have life and have it to the full. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/zCxCvtnPtUo    From Sister Carmen's interview: “When I moved to Nicaragua I came to work in an ecumenical setting, which was even more expansive and more exciting. It was our community's choice just to move into a Barrio and live amongst the people, with the people, and allow our life to evolve out of that. Rather than to move into a community with an idea of we were going to bring something to them.   And I was very enriched by living in Nicaragua and also even more enlightened. Learned a lot more because Nicaragua had had much more direct intervention by the United States and the Contra war had just finished. I was in a country that, at the time that we arrived, more than 50% of the people were under the age of 15, because so many had been killed in the war.  And so much of our work there was just bringing people together again as brothers and sisters.”   “We worked a lot with women who were struggling to find their own independence, their own freedom to not be enslaved by their domestic partners. We worked on many realms, but most of the day to day is very much like what I am here with Faithful Fools, much of the day gets directed by who might arrive at the door or what need arises and needs a response, as well as working with some more formal meetings and intentional conversations and classes and things like that.”   In San Francisco, California: “We wanted to create a kind of container, an invitation, for people to walk and work together. One of the first opening acts we call it, was our street retreats. We created a day long retreat, in which people come into the community not to volunteer, not to have a tour, but to come into the community of the Tenderloin with the spirit of a retreat, a day of reflection. The mantra that we often use is "what holds me separate, what keeps me separated, as I walk the streets, what connects me?” It's really a sense of bringing ourselves into relationship with a place, with people, that we are encouraged to stay away from, that we're encouraged to not come into the Tenderloin. It's that part of the city you're not supposed to come into. But I think also in founding the Fools that we call it a place of practice. People come from many walks of life, many faith commitments or social values that they're wanting to practice. So this really becomes a place to say, what does it look like in direct relationship with people, what does it look like to live it out.”   “One of the things that we know as human beings is some of what gets projected onto communities like the Tenderloin of substance abuse issues or violence or abandonment or whatever is not exclusive to communities like the Tenderloin. They are something that many, many people know. And I think for me, I'm actually, it's easier to work in a community where there's an honesty about that rather than in communities where it's hidden or there's a silence, or we don't talk about it.”   “Lewis Hyde in his book, “Trickster Makes This World”, speaks of how a fool or a trickster does not change in different environments. You know, like sometimes you go amongst the wealthier and all of a sudden you've got this kind of persona that is different than if I'm on the streets. And I think a strong interior sense of self brings forth a constancy, an integrity of being, that doesn't change or doesn't place greater value on one person than another. … To me, that's who (Saint) Francis was. Francis was a fool. Francis really, no matter whether he was speaking to the Bishop or speaking to the people on the streets or in the community or from house to house, was steady in his being and how he wanted to be, even in its imperfection.”   “It's a hard thing for some people when they come to Faithful Fools. I remember one person saying I paid a lot of money to have this title behind my name, because here I'm just Carmen and it's who I just wanna be is Carmen. And even if people come with their gifts or their talents or their skills, we are all just fools. And that takes a while for people to realize. I remember for myself just a visual I would do very consciously, and still do, is if I'm in conversation with somebody, I just do a self-check to see whether I really have myself at the same level. And if I realize I've got a little bit more air than I want to have, I image myself on one of these barber stools and just kinda turning myself down energetically till I feel like, okay, now I'm really here. Now I'm really with this person in the place that I wanna be.  And I feel like that's how Francis, where Francis was most comfortable.”   “Even if you feel fear, be fearless and feel free to do what you feel called to do in the world.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Faithful Fools Street Ministry: see: https://www.faithfulfools.org/our-history and https://www.faithfulfools.org/resources Street Retreats: https://www.faithfulfools.org/about-street-retreats   Books: St. Francis and the Foolishness of God by, Marie Dennis and Joseph Nangle Trickster Makes This World, by Lewis Hyde Foolish Wisdom: Stories, Activities, and Reflections, by Ken Feit, I.F. Joseph F. Martin (Editor): https://www.google.com/books/edition/Foolish_Wisdom/iqe3PQAACAAJ?hl=en     Francis of Assisi: “We must never desire to be above others, but, instead, we must be servants and subject to every human creature for God's sake.” (verse 47; see also: 1 Peter 2:13) https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/later-admonition-and-exhortation/63-fa-ed-1-page-48   Scripture reference: That all people may have life, and have it to the full (cf. John 10:10)    Sisters Carmen Barsody and Michelle L'Allier with Heidi Mesa, 1997 Sister Carmen and Kay Jorgensen, with local companions Carmen and Mercedes    

Join Jenny Atlee as she opens us to the world of accompaniment amid violence in Nicaragua, Honduras and beyond. Jenny's experiences and learnings invite us into the world of personal and collective trauma, followed by stories that highlight pathways to healing and peace, especially through equine therapy.     From Jenny's interview: “Trauma is exposure to overwhelming events when you cannot keep yourself safe. What your whole body is operating out of is an automatic nervous system response, which is to fight, to flee to collapse, to play dead. Those are survival responses in overwhelming situations; it can take many forms. It can be physical abuse, emotional abuse, an accident natural disaster; it can be witnessing trauma or abuse or violence. And so as individuals, we experience trauma.”   “Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, a Native American woman gave us the definition for historic trauma, which is the deliberate perpetration of violence and harm against a people, over time and across generations. An example of that would be the genocide that happened against indigenous people in this country or slavery in this country. These are historic traumas.”   “Then there's collective trauma where a group of people experience an overwhelming traumatic event. So Uvalde in Texas, Buffalo, New York, those communities are right now in the full blown collective trauma. That will be working itself out as we move forward. Then there's intergenerational trauma, which is how trauma can get past individual or collective or historic, and can get passed down through the generations. Thomas Hugo has been a great leader in this, has done a lot of work in Germany. Documenting how the Holocaust, that huge historic and collective trauma, is intergenerational and that it tends to get more complex and compounded as it moves to the generations, if it is not attended to and resolved.”   “The word trauma is so valuable because it shifts the key question of trauma from what's the matter with us and what's wrong with us, to what happened to us? And that's a pivotal shift when we're looking through a trauma lens. What happened to us? Why do we have nightmares? Why are we hypervigilant? Why do we have no energy? Why are we exhausted and burnt out and can't ever recover? What happened to us can sometimes help us find answers and not pathologize people who've been traumatized. A lot of this also has to do with systemic injustice and systemic violence that perpetrates collective and historic trauma.”   “I think they [horses] are a mystery, these huge, enormous animals. You know, 1500 pounds. When they choose to connect with you and come and place their enormous head right on your heart and tears come forward and memories come out that you didn't even know you had, there is mystery about that. How did they know to touch that? And we always say, it's so potent and efficient, their healing. They go right to what it is that most needs attention that often we're trying to protect or push aside or no, not now, or not that or tuck it behind us. We'll talk about this for that. And they just go right through and say, how about this one? How about we just talk about this one? And it remains a mystery how they do that. They are prey animals and human beings are predators. And as prey animals, they know things about how to be together and stay safe together that we can learn a lot about as human beings. … They need to stay safe in their social unit, with very sophisticated systems of communication and collaboration. … They can operate as they are meant to operate as a herd. We have so much to learn from them about a peaceful way of communicating and being with each other. We see that lion lamb unity when we partner with horses.”   “We don't know all of what the horses are doing. We know that they're grounding, that they're regulating heartbeat, regulating breath rate. Their large nervous systems are training, our nervous systems into a wave that is more regulated and more grounded and more healed so that we can remember what that feels like. In trauma we get stuck in our flight-fight and we forget what it feels like to feel: oh, there's peace here too. They take us back there so we can remember it and then we can access it again. Some of what trauma does is it takes that away. We don't even know how to get back to it and they give us that back in our bodies.”   “In terms of my essential nature, where I am is,really a contemplation intuition story. This is where I am, this is where I'm most at home. And yet my path and my work in the world has been one of action and analysis, where I needed to have facts and figures, and I needed to be able to document things in such a way that they would stand up under the utmost scrutiny. I talk about it as two wings of a bird; we need both wings to be strong in order to fly and to have that balance.  One is more my nature, and one I have to work to develop more than other; but I have really needed to rely on both. Both have their place in my growth and integration of experience and making meaning and articulating my experience so that it can transform and evolve. That's how I see it, as two wings of a bird and they partner together in a very strong way.”   “Seeing the world through a trauma informed lens can help us to start to tend to this trauma field that we're living in. No one is immune from it; it impacts everybody. And create safe spaces where we can recover a felt sense of peace and safety and power that we can trust and heal this culture. I think that Franciscan spirituality, indigenous spirituality, trauma informed lens, and all the teachers and mentors who are resourcing, provide some links for developing this work. And for me, ultimately the horses. This is what will help us heal our culture so that we have a chance of finding peace. Horses, for right now, are leading the way, and we'll continue to struggle to find the words to communicate their mystery.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Sanctuary Movement of the 1980's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_movement . This was an ecumenical movement inspired in part by Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad: https://www.nps.gov/articles/harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad.htm   Witness for Peace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witness_for_Peace .  Who were the Contra? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras   Judith Herman's book Trauma and Recovery: political violence impact on individual and collective trauma; see https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Recovery-Aftermath-Violence-Political/dp/0465061710/   Red Thread, Jenny's book on resilience and trauma, tells stories of the people she accompanied in the midst of political violence in Nicaragua: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Thread-Spiritual-Journal-Accompaniment/dp/0918346258   Honduran military coup, June 2009: https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Recovery-Aftermath-Violence-Political/dp/0465061710/ . Honduras Accompaniment Project: accompanies the nonviolent social movement in Honduras https://friendshipamericas.org/programs/honduras-accompaniment-project/   Historical Trauma, work by Dr Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart: https://blog.nativehope.org/understanding-historical-trauma-and-native-americans#:  Intergenerational Trauma, work by Thomas Hugo: https://www.amazon.com/Intergenerational-Trauma-Ghosts-Times-Past/dp/152386558X   Equine Therapy model of Arenas for Change (ARCH): https://arenasforchange.com/ - partnering with horses to help heal the violence in our culture so we can all have more peace. Another model of is called Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA); see https://www.eagala.org/index   Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: Read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485. A contemporary exploration of this story in light of care of creation: Befriending the Wolf: Blessing all God's Creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHbgnAdaVk  

Join MJ and Jerry as they share stories and learnings about teaching skills and tools to disarm heal our hearts, connect within and with others, and turn from violence to wellness and peacemaking.   From MJ and Jerry's interview: “My mom was an activist and took me to Dr. King's marches and movements. But my dad said, what do you two want? And I said, Dad, you know, we want peace. And he said, how are you going to make it happen? When he said that, I said, Dad, you're right. If we want peace, we have to teach peace.”   “One little boy said, MJ, you're not going to live very long. And I said, why? And he said, well, you don't like guns. And there's a lot of bad people out there. And right away, I thought, wow, this is the stirrings. We need to equip people with the tools, the instruments, so to speak. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. I asked myself this question okay, how am I going to teach peace? What's it going to be? And Jerry was such a supporter of let's go for it together. Let's be like Dr. King said, it takes more creativity to make peace than war.”   “We started peace camp… Kids are coming home with positive language. They're saying let's be a peacemaker, not a peace breaker; they're loving the peace train…there is no violence; it's run on love. Then we got into tools for peace and not weapons of war.”   “We would go and hang out and Jerry helped start a garden. They were having cookouts. We would just join. So it wasn't like we were bringing, but they also taught me. Some of the youth would say, MJ, if you take away our guns or our weapons you need to give us, replace them with something. And that really struck me. So, I have felt empowered that if we're gonna interrupt violence, we have to replace them with tools … tell them how to use it. Because of the fear, and especially now in this culture, when violence has been so on the uptick, we have pivoted to more focusing on social, emotional wellness. Because we know that the violence is coming out of lost connections and feeling that I don't count or I've lost my heart, my root, my centeredness.”   “We need to own that if we want peace, we have to work for it, give it space, give it a spotlight so that it will elevate the courage. At peace camp, the kids of all ages feel safety. They'll say, oh, I like it here. And I say why? And they say, because people are nice and you're like, well, shouldn't that be the way of the world? But that's not what we're all experiencing. So I don't like the phrase now anti-bullying or, you know, banners saying compassion, mindfulness, all those code words, because I feel like we have to really own that it takes focus and work.”   “The circle was healing because it's a listening time, trying to share not only our struggles, but our good times and also our dreams…. When Black Lives Matter broke out during the pandemic, I kept saying, if we keep shouting at each other and becoming more and more divided, when we come together how can we listen and share? So we started these circles and providing a safe place for people to become self-aware, but also aware of what another person is going through or what is causing them to think a certain way.”   “The littleness in Little Friends For Peace, is definitely that "littleness" of St. Francis. Your lifestyle and your vision, your approach to people, how it disarms violence in people's hearts and in fact their whole sense of walking lightly on the face of our Mother Earth…. It's our little way of trying to make a little difference in a big world, but it's the how to find joy in the little things and the smile and the kind word and the listening that will interrupt violence…. We are going to have to keep disarming our own heart and finding ways to build those connections.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Church of the Saviour, Washington DC: a network of independent, ecumenical Christian faith communities and ministries that have grown out of the original COS community which was founded in the 1940's. See https://inwardoutward.org/   Little Friends For Peace: their mission is to counter violence and contribute to a worldwide culture of peace by sharing skills to prevent, resolve, and transform conflict with individuals, families, teams, and communities. Information about their book and tool cards, about how to bring the Peace Camp to your church or school, about participating in a circle or training, or about their International Programs is on the website: http://www.lffp.org/ . See also Saint Francis International School: http://www.lffp.org/saint-francis-international-school-peace-camp.html   Peace House Community: founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondolet; this is where MJ and Jerry met some Franciscan Sisters: https://peacehousecommunity.org/   Pax Christi: a Catholic peace movement with 120 member organizations worldwide that promotes peace, respect of human rights, justice & reconciliation throughout the world. Grounded in the belief that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken, Pax Christi International addresses the root causes and destructive consequences of violent conflict and war. See: https://paxchristi.net/ The Quixote Center: a multi-issue social justice organization founded in 1976, and who work alongside partner organizations to bring about lasting systemic change in the Americas, stand in solidarity and friendship with those who seek to improve the lives of the very poor, and provide guidance, technical assistance, and funding to support their work and allow their movements and programs to mature and take hold… See: https://www.quixote.org/   Sadakos Cranes for Peace: https://www.birdsofpeace.org/sadako-and-1000-paper-cranes

Join Brent Anderson as he tells stories from his experiences in the Enchanted Mountains of the Alleghany River Valley, in rural Uganda, and in the challenges of health care in Sacramento. Brent opens up learnings gleaned from work with trauma, poverty, healing divisions, and equipping people with skills do dialogue across polarities, thus deepening relationships and strengthening communal resilience.   From Brent's interview: “As a chaplain…. I learned so much more about the movement of Spirit in and through the lives of my patients that were experiencing it in such a practical way. You know, from the powerful ways the Spirit moves in our vulnerability and our pain, and also what really is mattering to people; many graced moments of "the ordinary".  But I was also present to the utterly extraordinary. I got to hear over a hundred first-hand near-death experiences. As people would recount these vivid encounters when they reached kind of that brink of death and then have this experience of this luminous divine healing light, or encountering past family members. … The ministry was like an extreme sport. It was the extremes of trauma and the extremes of grace. Sometimes in the exact same encounter.”   “The area of town where our clinic and hospital are is an area where there's a lot of poverty where people have significant social challenges, higher rates of traumatic upbringings, and that also does include human trafficking. This clinic team, feeling the horror of the reality of human trafficking, wondered if they could do something more about it. And so fast forward … to just two years later, this team had successfully established the nation's very first medical home for human trafficking survivors; it's a key part now of a multi-agency process that wraps survivors with the kind of multiple layers of support. They found their passion in service and went on to literally write the book in trauma informed care for survivors of human trafficking. … Our physicians, our nurses, our medical assistants all coalesced around this ministry. And this medical home model for survivors of human trafficking is now being replicated nationwide.” “For me, the most important part of spiritual direction is Franciscan presence. It's so core to the work. The inner quiet and the prevalent attention creates spaciousness to welcome the soul of the other. I think of it as Franciscan hospitality, but at the level of soul. … I think that's the power of Franciscan presence in spiritual direction that helps people be open to the healing and the integrated work of the Spirit.”   “I think the Franciscan values of active peacemaking and tending in an integral ecology contains the wisdom that our world needs right now to bridge the divides that we have today. I'm stunned that all of our children go through an education system where they learn about science and history and math and a foreign language, but they never learn the language of the heart and how to deeply listen to the soul of another human being. And while trained chaplains and spiritual directors do this with Franciscan presence on a professional level, I think we'd live in such a more connected and loving place if even a critical mass of us had some training in how to hold this kind of space for each other.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: St. Bonaventure University: https://www.sbu.edu/ and Mount Irenaeus Franciscan Mountain Community: https://mountainonline.org/   Franciscan School of Theology (FST): https://www.fst.edu/ ; FST was previously in Berkeley, part of the Graduate Theological Union: https://www.gtu.edu/schools-and-centers#schools   Alleghany River and the Enchanted Mountains: https://enchantedmountains.com/page/about ;  for some comic relief in this substantial conversation, rope swing over a river: https://datagenetics.com/blog/september42014/index.html   Semester at Sea: https://www.semesteratsea.org/   Spiritual Exercises, Jesuit 30-day retreat: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/09/jesuit-101-the-spiritual-exercises-the-heart-of-the-jesuits/   Greccio, the story of the first live nativity, initiated by Saint Francis, in Greccio Italy, 1 Celano 30:84-87: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/695-fa-ed-1-page-254   “If you want peace, work for justice” – a quote by Pope Paul VI. An introductory article that links to the original text and further resources: https://www.catholicjournal.us/2011/08/04/if-you-want-peace-work-for-justice/   Millennium Villages: https://www.millenniumpromise.org/millenniumvillages    World Health Organization Global Fund: an article re: HIV and health systems https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2021-who-and-global-fund-sign-cooperation-agreement-to-scale-up-hiv-tb-and-malaria-interventions-and-strengthen-health-systems   Child mortality from easily preventable disease: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/children-reducing-mortality   History of Leprosy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_leprosy ; an exploration of Saint Francis' doing penance, showing mercy with lepers: https://friarmusings.com/2012/11/09/francis-of-assisi-a-period-of-crisis-embracing-the-leper/   Near-Death Experiences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience     CommonSpirit Health (formerly Dignity Health) Human Trafficking, trauma response, training resources:  https://commonspiritpophealth.org/programs-tools/violence-human-trafficking/   Wendy Barnes: https://www.dignityhealth.org/hello-humankindness/human-trafficking/survivor-led-and-survivor-informed and her book: “And Life Continues: Sex Trafficking and My Journey to Freedom”: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Continues-Trafficking-Journey-Freedom/dp/1502304171   Healing Divisions, founded by Brent Anderson: https://healingdivisions.org/ ; "Conflict to Connection: Science & Spirituality for Engaging Across Divides" Zoom retreat: https://healingdivisions.org/conflict-to-connection Healing Divisions Spiritual Direction Ministry:  https://healingdivisions.org/spiritual-direction ,   Spiritual Directors International: https://www.sdicompanions.org/ ; spiritual directors accompany individuals or groups in deepening their spiritual lives and their relationship with God. See interview with Teresa Blythe: https://youtu.be/b6l7UN9wxEg; for further exploration, listen to Sister Michelle at: https://40minutesoffaith.com/podcast/spiritualdirection

Join Brother Paolo Nicosia as he masterfully tells stories of healing and reconciliation woven together with offering practical principles and skills to strengthen our own abilities to be peacebuilders and reconcilers today.   From Brother Paolo's interview: A summary of Principles and Skills of Mediation and Peace Building: --A pluralistic vision of the community, seeking unity among diversity. --An inclusive and compassionate attitude, because the tendency often, especially nowadays is being exclusive, I'm part of this group against another group; either you are in or you're out. --A pacific and non-violent approach. … This is the way to transform conflicts.  --At the broader level, a commitment for social justice, being charitable to others, but also on a level that can be justice for all, not just for some that want a privileged life. --Also healing wounds and memories, because every time we have some misunderstanding or some real conflicts, there are wounds; the bad memories can be healed, talking, sharing and understanding each other, like in the restorative justice process, very famous in South Africa. --From a spiritual point of view, … God is God, we are not. This gives a sort of relaxation, like the way of saying in Italian that I try to translate, God exists, you are not God, so relax. --Finally, in the Atonement charism of reconciliation with God, other human beings and the self is expressed especially in two ways, two ministries. One is social and the other is ecumenical. So, ecumenically, through a dialogue seeking unity among diversity; the other, social ministry, especially for addictions.   “Being always oriented to problem solving, and if it is not possible to solve problems, accepting reality, like Francis with the Sultan. … Not to be fearful of leaving with extreme differences.  Again, Francis was doing this all the time with all kinds of different people, and we can do nowadays, basing our relationship on trust, healing the past, if the case happened that this trust was threatened or misunderstood in some ways. We use non-violent communication, listening a lot and talking in a very clear and understandable way to others. These are very simple, but very useful way of living the Franciscan spirituality in our daily lives.”   “This approach can be applied for every kind of conflict, either grassroots or international conflicts. The wisdom of Franciscan agents of reconciliation, it could be Christian, or it could be everybody, is that everybody can be one; in every life is a facilitator for the transformation and integration of inner and outer conflicts to reconcile with the self, the others and God. … If we follow Jesus Christ or a peace approach, first of all, be inclusive. … The vision of accomplishment of peace can be a source of hope, and a realization of this being meant to be one. That is a bit of our name: At-one-ment, but it's also the gospel of John.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, Assisi, Graymoor: https://www.atonementfriars.org/our-mission-history/  … We believe in…transforming conflict by being instruments of justice and peace, honoring and embracing the dignity of all people, living “minimum for self, maximum for God,” being stewards of God's Creation and, ministering to those in need of physical and spiritual healing. We partner with those who share our values. We exist as a Catholic religious community to invite the world to join us in the quest for healing and reconciliation. We do this by living, embracing and fostering the Franciscan spirit of At-One-Ment which includes: the unity of all; and the healing of the broken and those who have lost their way. We joy in God. Two of the friars' key ministries: St. Christopher's Inn: See https://www.atonementfriars.org/healing-ministries/#stchristophersinn and Ecumenical Ministries and Interfaith Dialogue: https://www.atonementfriars.org/ecumenical-interfaith-dialogue/   Stories Francis and the Sultan al-Kamil, 1219 Crusades:  A contemporary telling of the story: https://cac.org/francis-and-the-sultan-2019-10-10/ . An original source: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1  Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: A contemporary reflection on this story: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-the-taming-of-the-wolf . An original source: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1 What are ‘The Troubles', referenced in the Irish Cultural Center story? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles   What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Negotiation and Mediation? https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/alternative_dispute_resolution . See also the Harvard Negotiation Project: https://www.pon.harvard.edu/about/our-mission/   Tools/Resources in English by Brother Paolo: Faith-based Peacebuilding: Insights from the Three Main Monotheisms – you can download it here: https://www.athensjournals.gr/social/2017-4-1-1-Nicosia.pdf and Ecumenical Tools for Christian Based Reconciliation – if you would like a copy of this article, please email your request to fslfpodcast@fslf.org including the episode number and the name of this article.    Artisans of Peace, Pope Francis: see https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/pope-become-artisans-peace-your-daily-lives  

Join Stephanie Luna as she generously shares her journey of transformation through generational trauma to freedom, joy and a life of service.   From Luna's interview: “I am third generation Mexican American. My grandparents are the ones who immigrated to the United States. My parents assimilated to the American culture really fast. They were born and raised in Los Angeles where I also was born and raised. So there was a lot of having to learn the American culture, don't talk Spanish because we would get, or they would get made fun of.”   “My only coping that I felt was necessary was to just get up and leave. So I had the opportunity to go to college—I'm the first one in my family to go to college, which is a huge deal in my family. It's big. It was a lot of... a lot of pressure to myself, but I wasn't really understanding where the pressure was coming from. And I just felt like I had to get away. … I only knew Southern California and I said, I want to go away, but not too far. So that's when I ended up in the Bay Area.”   “There are moments where I sit back and I just think, wow, I did that not only for me, but I did that for my family. There was an ethnic studies class that I took while in college; we talked about generational wealth and generational trauma. And just how in this generational trauma, we're constantly passing on that trauma from person to person, generation to generation. And the same can be said for wealth.”   “We were at our campus ministry center and [the campus minister] noticed that I was trying to pull away. She was asking me what was going on, what was causing me so much turmoil. And so I shared with her …. And her response was you need to tell that to the community. I did not understand that. I was like, what are you talking about? You're crazy. I don't need to share this sadness with anyone. And so she shared with me that if I were to tell the community, it would give them the opportunity to accompany me in my sadness. Now I am a 19-year-old college student, not understanding any of the words that she's saying, but I heard in that moment that I need to share.”   “So I share with them and they welcome me back to the community. Talk about the prodigal son story. I left the community, and I came back and I felt a belonging. I felt wanted, needed. And in that sharing, I didn't know it until years later, but other people started sharing their traumas and their losses. From my vulnerability, I was able to help others see their vulnerability. So there was this mutual sharing of that.”   “I watched the movie Brother Son, Sister Moon about St. Francis of Assisi, in the scene where St. Francis takes his clothes off and he's in the middle of the Piazza. He's telling his father, these are not mine, these are just earthly possessions. It was the moment where he gave up his name. He gave up his father's name and he said, this is not my name. This is not who I am. I am going to go live a life to go in search of who I am. And I just remember sitting back and I'm like crying my eyes out. And I'm just like, okay, God, I hear you. That's when I ended up choosing the Franciscan Community Volunteers, because of that moment of giving yourself, giving of yourself, so that you can reconnect with yourself, with your source, that I felt drawn to. ... Just the irony of giving yourself away to reconnect with yourself, your true self. …. So, I'm trying my best to live my life, to reflect that love that God has for me and for others.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Catholic Club - CSU East Bay Catholic Club: https://allsaintshayward.org/csu-east-bay-catholic-club-campus-ministry is a collaboration of Cal State East Bay with All Saints Catholic Church Campus Ministry in Hayward, CA.   Eunice Park, Campus Minister: see Episode 16 interview entitled “Gratuitous Love: transforming anxiety to freedom”: https://engagingfranciscanwisdom.org/gratuitous-love-transforming-anxiety-to-freedom-episode-16   Prodigal Son story, Luke 15:11-32: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15 is also known as the Parable of the Lost Son.   Catholic Volunteer Network: a resource for finding short and long-term volunteer opportunities, see https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/ . Franciscan Community Volunteers, sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN, closed during Covid. Here is a reference: https://www.fslf.org/pages/franciscan-community-volunteers   “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”: 1972 movie directed by Rafael Zeffirelli; for further information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Sun,_Sister_Moon . This movie touches the heart of Francis' journey of conversion, turning to God and to neighbor, over the course of his life, albeit in a somewhat romanticized, not entirely historically accurate way.   Saint Francis renounces his earthly father, name and possessions: see St Bonaventure's Major Legend 2:4 - https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-founder/the-legends-and-sermons-about-saint-francis-by-bonaventure-of-bagnoregio/the-major-legend-of-saint-francis/the-life-of-blessed-francis/1627-fa-ed-2-page-538   Maryknoll, a mission movement: https://www.maryknoll.org/ . Luna is part of the Young Adult Empowerment team https://www.maryknoll.us/home/young-adult-empowerment-community/yae-team-biographies   Saint Francis meets the leper: see https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-meets-the-leper . See also the earliest biography of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano (1C 17) https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195   Haecceitas: a Franciscan term coined by John Duns Scotus re: the unique value, dignity, ‘thisness', of every person and everything; two references: https://cac.org/irreplaceable-thisness-2018-03-18/ , and https://www.ssfamericas.org/post/a-hagiography-of-blessed-john-duns-scotus     Richard Rohr, true and false self: two of many references to this key spiritual concept: https://cac.org/letting-go-of-the-false-self-2022-03-02/ and https://cac.org/trusting-our-essential-self-2022-02-27/

Join Father Kevin Queally as he explores the world through stories and reflections on living open to change, choosing to grow in being people of mercy, peace, and right relationships.   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular, Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: https://franciscanstor.org/ , the community to which Father Kevin belongs.   Vatican II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More'), type ‘Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.   Third Order Secular Franciscans: you can listen to our guest host, Carolyn Townes, reflections on being a Secular Franciscan, including links to further information at https://engagingfranciscanwisdom.org/walking-the-path-of-grief-and-loss-to-joy-as-a-lay-franciscan-episode-27.   Father Raniero Cantella Mesa: see http://www.cantalamessa.org/?lang=en . He is a Capuchin Franciscan priest and papal homilist addresses doing penance as being converted, practicing metanoia (Greek) and penitencia (Latin)   What is a Spiritual Assistant for Secular Franciscan Fraternities: see https://queenofpeaceregion.org/spiritual-assistance-1  and https://www.sfo.franciscans.org.au/sfo27/2spasst.htm   Franciscans International: see https://franciscansinternational.org/home/ NGO (non-governmental organizations): at the United Nations, see https://www.un.org/press/en/non-governmental-organizations   Amnesty International: work with human rights around the world; see https://www.amnesty.org/en/   Catholic Relief Services: putting faith into action to help those who are most poor to create lasting change; see https://www.crs.org/   Saint Francis met with Sultan al-Kamik: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano. FA:ED, vol. 1, p. 231. at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1. See also Episode 9 show notes.   Matthew 25:31-46: see https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25

Join Sister Janice Wiechman as she shares wisdom learned from her life of prayer, relationships and service across cultures and generations.   From Sister Janice's interview: “Conversion is one of those pillar values of our Third Order that has touched me a lot. It means to me to be always open to see things differently, to see things through God's eyes maybe, through scripture. Or see things through another person's eyes, one of my brothers or sisters or neighbors, and to be open to that and to be willing to make a change in my life if that's what's called for. And it means to me to be regularly reflecting on my life to see where I'm going, to stop and say, well, what has changed? What's happening here? And it has meant to me to share that when I can with someone else, with a spiritual director who can challenge me or invite me to go further. It's been a continual part of my journey that has been very, very important.”   “What sustains me? I would name two things. One is prayer, that daily coming into a relationship with God. Paul in Acts of the Apostles says it is in God that we live, move and have our being. That speaks to me; to be able to connect to that each day is part of what sustains me on the journey. And I would say the other part is community. It's that relationship we have as sisters with each other and supporting one another and being friend to one another, and also challenging one another and walking together. I have gone places that I never would have dreamed that I would go because we did it, being in mission, together.”   “Mission, I think it's something that everyone is called to share our talents and our gifts with others in some way to serve others, serve our brothers and sisters in the world, that together we can make life better for each other, that we can build the kingdom of God. Make somehow that God's presence is more keenly felt by others, and by ourselves in the process.”   “Conversion happens on the journey. We rub elbows with each other and we're open to learning and sometimes we're not so open to learning, but when you rub elbows things happen. Who is my neighbor? Everyone. And beyond everyone, the creatures and the earth and the trees. And I think there are a lot of things that help us.... Francis just talked about everything being brother and sister; but sometimes we look at someone and they're so different. They believe something different. Their color of skin is different or they come from a different country. They're on the other side of that border. And somehow we forget that we're all brothers and sisters, that we're on this journey together….”   “But it's beyond that. And now with climate change, we're seeing how much we're on this journey with the earth, too. And the animals and the plants and the bugs and everybody else! That we're all neighbor, we're all brother and sister and we can help each other, sometimes we hurt each other, but that's part of the journey. And conversion is recognizing that. And how can we live in a way that we make God more present, God's love and compassion more present, to others and to ourselves?”   “The value of being brother and sister at this time in our history is very important. There is a lot of division and a lot of hurt and anger, and not recognizing that we are all together really. And so I think that value is, is very key. Another value that I think is very important is that all is gift.  What we receive, none of us, none of us earned it. Yes, we worked and yet that we were able to work, that I have the gift of sight, that I have the possibility to think and to work and to study, and it's all gift. It is all gift from a good and loving God. And that that gift is really for sharing. These two, conversion and contemplation…bring us together to know that we can't go it alone, that we need each other.”     For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: What is catechesis? See https://pvm.archchicago.org/lifelong-formation/what-is-lifelong-formation and https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55436/what-is-catechesis .   Spiritual Direction: Spiritual directors accompany individuals or groups in deepening their spiritual lives and their relationship with God. See interview with Teresa Blythe: https://youtu.be/b6l7UN9wxEg; for further exploration, listen to Sister Michelle at: https://40minutesoffaith.com/podcast/spiritualdirection..   Quotes: “The un-reflected life is not worth living,” Socrates. “In him we live and move and have our being,” Saint Paul, Acts of the Apostles 17:28.   Maryknoll magazine: downloadable at https://www.maryknollmagazine.org/ .   Homeless Helping Homeless (HHH), with Mary and Harry Fleegel: see article Sr Janice referred to: https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/inspired-by-franciscan-way-of-life-retired-st-cloud-couple-embraces-renewed-call-to-help-poor/ . The website for HHH is:  https://homelesshelpinghomeless.org/ .

Join Sister Elise Saggau as she explores Franciscan life, like the gospel from which it takes its inspiration, as offering us a meaningful way of viewing life, which in turn translates into practical daily choices.   From Sister Elise's interview: “Conversion means a lifelong process by which each of us grows and matures into as full a human being as we can possibly be; this process involves stages or passages. … And these passages are essentially transformative in our life. When we undergo a conversion or when we undergo a new stage of personal growth, we have to leave behind what's familiar, what's comfortable, and we have to move into the unknown. I think that is often scary for people; it has been scary for me at different times of my life. ... It's only by moving into it that you find out that you not only have room for it, but it expands you and it gives you more room, more space to move about, more space to grow. And each of these stages brings you into a new stage of this greater expanded way of living.”   “All human beings go through this. And we who are in a religious way of living and reflecting on our life in a religious way, we believe these transformative moments lead us into becoming the very person that God intended from the moment of our creation. God didn't make us complete at the beginning. God created us, but God created us as possibility, and those possibilities have to keep getting fulfilled. Otherwise, if we don't die physically, we die internally.”   “St. Francis really understood conversion. And he understood it as an ever greater turning towards Christ and towards the gospel. He saw in the gospel...a universal formula for human growth and for the kind of growth that God intends for us. And he saw in Christ an absolute model of what human life can be. [Francis] wanted to follow Christ through the stages of life, to a greater life. He underwent this process in such a way that he was able then to provide a model for other people. They were drawn to his spirit and to his way of understanding…. They began to learn from Francis and follow him. It's very natural because it's part of our nature to be this way, to be growing people. To be growing beyond where we are into a larger and more complete form of ourselves.”   “Being a Franciscan is not primarily a matter of how one serves or what ministry. To me, it's a matter of how one lives. I believe that essential to our Franciscan Third Order Regular way of life is a community life centered on the other. …. I believe that the Franciscan view is that the other, no matter who he or she is, is a brother or a sister. That is fundamental to our Franciscan understanding.… this view of being sister or brother, recognizing the other as sister or brother, extends even to the more extensive creation. This is very Franciscan too -- the earth and all that it supports, the sun, the moon, the stars, the universe is part of a vast relationship, and all are worthy of attention and respect, and all speak to us of God, the source of all good.”   “This Franciscan way of life is like the gospel itself, from which it takes its inspiration. … It offers human beings a meaningful way of viewing life that translates into practical daily consequences. That's what a spirituality is; it takes a great spiritual concept and translates it into a way that we can live. And Francis and his way have been perennially, for 800 years attractive to human beings. Now I keep asking myself, how is this possible that this little guy over 800 years ago started something with so much power, it just spread around the world and it's still going. ... It gives color, it gives texture to our life in ways that are unique to the particular tradition. And we understand through our Franciscan way, our gospel way, that life is a pure gift, that every day is to be cherished and received with gratitude.”   “Just like Franciscanism has endured for 800 years, Gospel values have endured for over 2000 years, and millions of human beings have found meaning for their lives in the Christian way. 800 years ago, Francis and his followers chose to live the gospel in a way that was accessible to anyone, anywhere. It crossed all social and cultural lines and it continues to do so, even up to the present moment…. What is there about it that is so appealing?”   “We call our way of life Franciscan, but that's because we have received a certain historical spiritual tradition shaped and modeled by Francis of Assisi. He was a paradigmatic figure who lived in Italy in the 13th century and shared a spirit with a large community of people. An international community. We can shift away from that idea of an identifiable religious spirituality, because I think a life lived in gratitude and generosity, a life open to the wonder of the world around us and a life oriented to the welfare of others, a humble attitude that does not take any of life's opportunities or gifts for granted can be lived by anyone, anywhere. Models of such a life are abundant and are all around us. And each of our lives matters a great deal in the circles in which we live. And each one of us -- it doesn't matter what our religious background is -- every single day, each one of us decides what kind of a life we will live today and what we decide matters. It makes a difference. That decision has to be made every single day of our life. It's not something we decide once and then that's it. There's a universalism about this and you can go anywhere in the world and you can find these values. When we systematize them and classify them under a religious category or a spiritual category, that's all very good and helpful. But it's not exclusive. This is … a call to human beings. I think that somehow in the core of the Christian way of life and the core of Franciscan way of life, there is this call and message to anyone anywhere.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Haecceitas, term coined by Franciscan friar John Duns Scotus refers the uniqueness and dignity of all that exists; here are two references: https://cac.org/irreplaceable-thisness-2018-03-18/ , and https://www.ssfamericas.org/post/a-hagiography-of-blessed-john-duns-scotus     Pope John XXIII convened the Vatican II; Council: here is a link to his opening prayer for the Council: https://www.papalartifacts.com/september-23-1959-pope-st-john-xxiiis-prayer-for-vatican-ii/ . To hear other podcast guests references to Vatican II, as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More'), type ‘Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.   Discernment: There are many spiritual traditions of discernment; here are some Franciscan discernment resources: https://osfphila.org/discernment-franciscan-style/ , together with a practical example from the Franciscan Mission Service: https://franciscanmissionservice.org/programs/apply/discernment/ .   Metanoia: Greek word with a rich range of translations ranging from biblical penance, to change of mind, to spiritual conversion. In our Third Order Regular Rule and Life commentary on article 2, three elements of metanoia are highlighted: to acknowledge God in creation, Scripture and in Jesus Christ; to adore God with one's whole life; and to serve God in one's neighbor. (1982, p. 37)   Saint Francis meeting with Leper: one contemporary reflection on this experience of Francis is: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-meets-the-leper . For links to original texts and other resources, type ‘leper' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore by listening to the cited podcasts, and/or by going to the show note links (click on ‘Read More') for each indicated episode.

Join Sara Marks, passionate and inspiring Franciscan, as she shares her wisdom and skill in navigating life's possibilities and paradoxes.    From Sara's interview: “I would say it is simply all about relationship and I know we say that a lot and it can seem a bit reductionist, but it's what Francis and Clare and the late penitents modeled for us. It is about relationship and everything that I do, I try to go back to, am I in right relationship with this person that I'm working with? Am I in right relationship with the person I'm living with? Am I in right relationship with the environment and the world around me?”   “So often we see energy and passion, and we want to squelch it. We want to like put the water on it, turn off the fire. And that's not what we're called to. We're called to live passionate, like, open crazy lives.  And so that's how I try to embrace. I try to fully embrace Franciscan values in terms of living my fullest best life. Being authentic and building relationships in every corner and aspect of my life.”   “Isn't all of life a paradox? Why do people not see that it's all a paradox and that we're constantly in flux and changing?  As I think of this question, Monet had a series of paintings of London in the fog…it was this concept that there is a beauty in the fog because it sort of softens the details for us. That's an image for me in terms of living with paradox and change and outside of boundaries.  Sometimes you can see the skyline really clearly and it makes sense to you and you feel like you understand the world. But then the fog rolls in and, and you know what it looks like because you have experience of looking at it before. But you can't see it now and you kind of trust that it's there, but you don't know, maybe some catastrophic thing happened and the skyline is gone. We do have this trust in situations like that, and I think I can transfer that trust very easily to the faith side of my life and choose how I make decisions.”   “If there was any kind of sage advice I could give people about living with ambiguity and all of that, it's that I really don't believe there are any boundaries. We need to stop thinking in terms of boundaries, because boundaries limit us. We have to think more in terms of that fog. There is a certain boundary in what you can see and know, but that doesn't mean you're confined to that space. It means you start walking toward the unknown, and more will appear….put one foot in front of the other and go!”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Fina Catalysts: Sara's consultant and project management business, working with Catholic non-profits: https://finacatalysts.wordpress.com/   Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia, located in Aston, PA: https://osfphila.org/.   San Damiano Cross – https://franciscanmissionservice.org/2012/10/san-damiano-cross-telling-the-history-of-christs-passion/   Saint Anthony of Padua: http://www.walkinghumblywithgod.com/blog/2022/1/30/st-anthony-of-padua-greater-than-for-finding-lost-objects   Novenas: an ancient devotional practice. For a broad look at ecumenical and global prayer practices, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novena   Saints Francis and Clare with companions, rapt in the flames of shared contemplation: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2491-fa-ed-3-page-590    Carrie Newcomer's song Holy as the Day is Spent: It begins with “Holy is the dish and drain…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxzO8DyY9e8&t=13s   French impressionist Claude Monet and London fog: Monet said “Without fog London would not be beautiful”; see: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/feb/19/monets-obsession-with-london-fog-weatherwatch   The exquisite edge of courage: Michelle referenced a quote from When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions, Sue Monk Kidd, p. 110. “To be fully human, fully myself, to accept all that I am, all that you envision, This is my prayer. Walk with me out to the rim of life, beyond security. Take me to the exquisite edge of courage and release me to become.”   Franciscan Federation: www.franfed.org.   Catholic Cares Coalition: https://catholiccares.org/   Francis asking Clare and Sylvester to discern with him: The response, one of choosing the both/and of prayer and of being in the world. See Little Flowers 16: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2492-fa-ed-3-page-591 - see pp. 591 and 592.

Join Brother Jeff Brown, Lutheran Franciscan friar and pastor, as he shares his story, explores the universality of Saint Francis, and highlights the presence of ecumenical communities in the United States.    From Brother Jeff's interview: “I discerned and came to realize that God was still at work somehow, some way in my life, despite facing some intense difficulty and sadness, that the invitation God had for me now was that my life would look cross shaped. … The invitation to a cross shaped life sounds very Franciscan to me, it has helped me continue to put one foot in front of the other and to lay down the rest of my life. That's the way I think of, of life profession to use our term. I'm professing my life away. August 1st, 2018, the day before the Franciscan family celebrates the Feast of the Portiuncula, the little portion, I said to God in this community, I'm going to lay down my little portion, my little life in service to God and neighbor.”   “What I've seen is that people generally and genuinely are searching. They're searching for something. There's been some discussion and cultural conversations about the rise of the Nones, N O N E S, maybe described as spiritual, but not religious. But I wonder as walking with people searching and I've been through my own searching, if there's sometimes a temptation to divorce spirituality and religion as if they're, as the opposites, or as if the world isn't spiritual. I think it's more spiritual than it's ever been. It may not be as religious, but there is an inner search going on in the world, and this rise of articulating some sense of spiritual, but not religious, to me it's not discouraging at all, even though I can see spirituality and religion as two sides of the same coin.”   “I think we are ripe for a spiritual renewal on a cultural and global scale. I find that really exciting how God works through God's children in whatever circumstance. I would say that's true of the blue collar auto mechanics my dad worked with in Montana, to professors I've been taught and had conversations with, to people at the eye doctor office, to people in the pews, to people in homeless shelters, to those in long-term care facilities.”   “As I've read Francis and gone deeper in my own spiritual journey, I've seen this gospel centeredness, Francis, discovering the heart of the gospel. Later Franciscans would call this the heart of it. That is the incarnation, God becoming one of us, Christmas that wasn't brought on as a response to sin, but it was always God's plan a God wanting to be with us. The artist wanting to become the art, the musician wanting to be the music. I also wonder if it gets even better than that, that if this is true, if God is here with us, it's not just a one-time thing. It's all-encompassing all the time. God is still incarnating with us.”   “We have within the same community women and men lay and ordained, both those with families and those who are single. Everyone's welcome, and we're dispersed, we're not living in one location in a monastery or a convent.  Hopefully in the spirit of Francis being sent out a two by two and little communities or priorities here and there. So not strictly a one way, but hopefully a new way of being community.  … We may not be united institutionally, but we can claim some level of catholicity, universal common witness and common life found in Jesus Christ in the, in the way of St. Francis and St. Clare, and the others who've gone before us.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: The ecumenical lay Franciscan family has diverse expressions, referenced in the Franciscan Action website (https://www.franciscanaction.org): -Order of Lutheran Franciscans (OLF): https://www.lutheranfranciscans.org/ - more on their four Franciscan values: https://www.lutheranfranciscans.org/mission -Catholic – Secular Franciscan Order, USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/   -Episcopal – Third Order Society of St. Francis: http://tssf.org    -Order of Ecumenical Franciscans: https://oeffranciscans.org   Eager to Love, by Richard Rohr: to learn more, see https://store.cac.org/products/eager-to-love-the-alternative-way-of-francis-of-assisi-1   “This is what I want. This is what I seek. This is what I long to do”: This was St. Francis' response to hearing the Gospel. Read the account in the earliest biography of St. Francis; see: 1 Celano 22; https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/642-fa-ed-1-page-201 - the text is on pp. 201-202   Story of St. Francis and the leper: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blo g/st-francis-meets-the-leper . See also the earliest biography of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano (1 C17)  https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195   Feast of the Portiuncula, the Little Portion, on August 2nd: https://www.alleganyfranciscans.org/post/feast-of-our-lady-of-the-angels-the-portiuncula   Nones, the spiritual but not religious: a scan of the complexity of what Nones mean https://crcc.usc.edu/whats-in-a-name-religious-nones-and-the-american-religious-landscape/ - an exploration of intergenerational bridging is between Nuns and Nones: https://www.nunsandnones.org/   Made for such a time as this: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14   Canticle of the Creatures, by Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-his-canticle ; the full text is at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/related-documents/franciscan-documents/the-canticle-of-brother-sun-1225/569-ca-ed-1-page-392   Liturgy of the Hours: To learn about this is, see https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours

Join Franciscan Associate Alison Swoboda as she shares her journey of discovery into freedom and right placement in her life of service as a woman of faith and a medical provider.   From Alison's interview: “I was with a musician friend of mine… we were at a jazz club and I heard mistakes. I couldn't believe that I heard professional musicians. You don't make mistakes. I thought like, no, no, no, no—once you're a pro you never make mistakes anymore. Or like, when I was little once, once I'm an adult, I'll never make mistakes again. And then I realized, no, that's not what it's about. We can inspire one another, even without being perfect and with music too we all have some beauty to add. Beauty doesn't have to mean perfect.”   “[Serving in Central Mexico as a volunteer] was a great time of learning who I am when I don't have to be anybody, or I'm not expected to be anybody or nobody knows my family or my background, or have these expectations of how I'm supposed to act. There was kind of freedom in that, and in learning myself and what I do value for myself and how I see myself as well…This is who I am, who I'm designed to be—this is how I was made.”   “I still question all the time. I feel like I'm in continual discernment of wait, is this where I should be now? Or, it time to do something else? It's that continual curiosity about what's just around the corner.”   “See the blessings, the contentment and the hope that comes when we're not living in conflict, but living in congruence.”   “I feel so blessed by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. It's really my spiritual home. … I resonate the most and feel so inspired by the Franciscan Sisters. Their way of being makes so much sense to me, really being in discernment, the continual conversion, the missionary spirit, really living in right relation, and helping wherever you can for as long as you can. Also, that every person is valuable and cherished and important. …I aspire to live with the same values …the Associate relationship formalizes what already is.”   “[As a Franciscan Community Volunteer] I can reflect back on this intentional living together and having intentional conversations about how we see the world and how our experiences of the many worlds of St. Cloud as well, since we were all in these different locations. And how expansive even central Minnesota is. It was quite a change when I graduated undergrad, I said, I am afraid that I'm going to stay in central Minnesota for my whole life and not know the world. And so to then come back and move back to central Minnesota in some ways just felt like I was walking the same road twice, but I learned that was not the case, and it totally broke open that assumption or that fear, and showed me that it doesn't matter where you are, there can be depth and wisdom and encounter. Anywhere.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org   References: Franciscan Community Volunteers (FCV): While this ministry has closed, a new intentional intergenerational community has evolved in its place; more on that later. Here's a bit on FCV: https://www.fslf.org/pages/franciscan-community-volunteers   Pro-Life and value of all life: https://breakinginthehabit.org/2019/02/11/why-are-catholics-so-pro-life/. See also Catholic Social Teachings: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching   Haecceitas: a Franciscan term coined by John Duns Scotus re: the unique value, dignity, ‘thisness', of every person and everything; two references: https://cac.org/irreplaceable-thisness-2018-03-18/ , and https://www.ssfamericas.org/post/a-hagiography-of-blessed-john-duns-scotus     Ronald Rolheiser, “God with skin on”: https://ronrolheiser.com/; you may also want to look up his classic book “The Holy Longing” for a great exploration of what Christian life and spirituality are about. Here is a blog post exploring “a God with skin”: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/a-god-with-skin/

Join Franciscan Sister Maria Brizuela as she tells of her journey to religious life, celebrates God-with-us in every place and event, and honors the goodness of all of life.   From Sister Maria's interview: “When I was young, I used to wonder, when I would see the friars in the parish, why they're always joyful. They weren't just happy, they were joy filled. And again, I told myself, I want some of that. I want to know where that's coming from. I want to experience it. And it became a quest to know more about why, what makes them joy-filled?”   “I also experienced that with retired friars. … And to me, there was something with those Franciscans; it was like, there's a pattern here. I feel the same sense of joyfulness in the wisdom figures in my community.  I've seen them.  I know and I understand it's never easy to lose your independence and rely on someone else to take care of your needs. But we have great sisters who witness joyfully and gracefully to this hard transition.”   “To be joyful and joy filled, for me, is a life's journey. It's a choice that I'm invited to make every single day. I know I'm a work in progress, but that shouldn't be an excuse for me to be complacent. I know I have to continually try to nurture this particular piece of who I am as a Franciscan. And it's hard to build this type of disposition if I'm not rooted in God's love for me.”   “What I find constantly challenges me is the value of conversion. When I think of conversion, what comes to mind is Francis's encounter with a leper. … This is where the story becomes significant in my life today, I realized the leper that God is inviting me to embrace is myself. My false humility and not recognizing the God-given goodness and beauty that I possess prevents me from embracing the leper. It deters me from fully realizing my potential for goodness and for fully becoming who and what God wants me to do. ... I realized until I come to the full and conscious awareness of my own sense of goodness and beauty, I will never be able to enter into a lifegiving relationship with others, celebrating my own sense of God, given goodness and beauty leads also to celebrating the goodness and beauty of other created beings.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Saint Pedro Bautista, founder of San Francisco del Monte (Mount St. Francis) in the Philippines:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_del_Monte and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Minore_de_Santuario_de_San_Pedro_Bautista  San Pedro in the Philippines, and later martyred in Japan in 1597: See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMK11e-9PaI    Saint Francis stories and references: --Earlier Exhortation 10: “We are mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through a divine love and a pure and sincere conscience and give birth to Him through a holy activity which must shine as an example before others.” See: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/earlier-exhortation/54-fa-ed-1-page-42    --True and Perfect Joy: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-undated-writings/true-and-perfect-joy/182-fa-ed-1-page-166    --Francis' Encounter with a Leper: (1 Celano 17): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195    --The fire of shared contemplation, rapt into God, “How Saint Clare ate with Saint Francis and his Brother Companions in Saint Mary of the Angels”: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2491-fa-ed-3-page-590    Third Order Regular: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/franciscans-third-order-regular. Read this general introduction to what is now known as the Third Order Regular (focus of this podcast episode) and the Secular Franciscan Order (see podcast episode 27); these are two branches of the Third Order in the Franciscan family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Order_of_Saint_Francis.   Fraternitas, brotherhood and sisterhood in relationship: Learn about the universality of this kinship in “Christ, Word of God and Exemplar of Humanity by Zachary Hayes, OFM, found on this resource page: https://www.franciscantradition.org/resources/custodians-of-the-tradition. For more depth, see also “St. Francis and the Song of Brotherhood and Sisterhood” by Eric Doyle, OFM: https://www.amazon.com/St-Francis-Song-Brotherhood-Sisterhood/dp/1576590038. Pope Francis speaks to this value in two of his encyclicals; texts and a study guide for Fratelli Tutti is available here: https://www.franciscantradition.org/resources/pope-francis-and-francis-of-assisi.

Join Franciscan Associate Geri Dietz as she explores the Good News of the Gospel, including God's goodness revealed to us in the vulnerability and humility of Jesus coming as a child.   From Geri's interview: “What I loved when I was learning about the Associates, is that the charism that the Third Order has received, the grace that the Third Order has received, is continual conversion. And for me, when I heard that, that that was the deal maker for me. And then it was modeled by the Sisters and other Associates that we met.  We couldn't help but want to become Associates and be with these people who live the good news of Jesus.”   “The original nativity was inspired by his [Saint Francis'] trip in 1221 to the Holy Land, which included Jesus's traditional birthplace. So that influenced him being there, as well as the Scriptures which would be both in Matthew and Luke. Francis was deeply moved visiting the site where God became fully human. Hoping that others could enjoy that same profound, inspiration and experience, he encouraged believers to make pilgrimages to Bethlehem. ... Francis decided to do the next best thing because not a lot could go to Bethlehem. He thought I'm going to bring Bethlehem to the pilgrims. So on Christmas Eve in 1223, just a few years before he died, Francis created the first Nativity in the Italian city of what's called Greccio. And with the help of a local nobleman named John, Francis celebrated the birth of Jesus in a cave outside the town.”   “We can see how God has bent over the world and comes to us as a small, seemingly insignificant, vulnerable baby. We can be grateful that the Lord came to us in the form of a child instead of the form of a committee, a jury, a dictator, a king with royal pronouncements before him. ... Jesus, this baby, doesn't communicate a series of ideas or scientific principles or algorithms. The baby's not even speaking. The child is there for us to see the love of God in the flesh. And God comes to us in a very humble form, in a form that is poor. And for Francis, the incarnation reveals the presence of God in the world, in the littleness of our lives. In the littleness of a child, born in a place where animals eat and live. The littleness of those who you and I, and everyone listening, who know people who are homeless and vulnerable in those who suffer from disease and mental illness and those who are aged and lonely. Jesus is in those who have no room in anyone else's inn.”   “What [do] people think about God and where do we stand? Is the gospel something that is restrictive, legalistic, who turns its followers into joyless men and women who quote, who don't do anything? Is it possible to live a life joyful while following the gospel? Is the gospel good news for us? We really can't understand the material world, the world of creation unless we see, unless we come to see it, in Christ, as good. That it's a good world and the gospels are called the good news. Everything that God has created is very good. We read it in the book of Wisdom. We hear it from Paul … It has a significant meaning, this good news, for Franciscans. Just reading through Francis's writings, we come across the word good so frequently that it's kind of Franciscan motto is to see the world is good. And I've noticed in the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers who I've met, and Associates, they see the good in others.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR; co-founder of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: https://fatherbenedict.com/fr-benedict-groeschel/   Father Richard Rohr, OFM; founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation: https://cac.org/about/richard-rohr/   Spiritual Direction School in Tucson, AZ: Hesychia: http://desertrenewal.org/hesychia-sd-school/   Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota: www.fslf.org. Franciscan Associate relationship: https://www.fslf.org/AssociateRelationship   Early Franciscan Sources: Story of the first live Nativity in Greccio, Italy, 1 Celano 30:84-87: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/695-fa-ed-1-page-254 Francis of Assisi, Earlier Rule 23:9-10: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-earlier-rule/100-fa-ed-1-page-85 Francis of Assisi, Earlier Rule 27:17-18: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-earlier-rule/91-fa-ed-1-page-76   Jesuit (Ignatian) Spirituality: https://www.jesuits.org/spirituality/   Jay Leno, Jaywalking “Bill of Rights” (Civics Test video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpqmQJXdqrM

Join Franciscan Associate Applicant Elise Carey as she breaks open the gift of Jesus coming to live among us, and the bigness of God who is known in relationships with others and with creation. From Elise's interview: “I came (to Russia) with my worldview from growing up in the States. That impacted what I understood and even how I related to God. Different countries, different cultures, their worldviews are a bit different. When I worked with, lived in community with, prayed with, cooked meals with, lived life with people from other countries and cultures, it began to change my understanding of God and my faith dramatically. I began to see that my way of thinking was not the only way of thinking or understanding faith or God.” “Jesus is the Word. The Word was with God, the Word was God. And so it's really God in the flesh. In carne, flesh. Coming and living among us, taking on the form of a baby, as we celebrate this time of Christmas, this time of Advent. … Jesus came and pitched his tent among us. He tabernacles among us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He participated in the day-to-day of life. Just like we did, just like we do. He went to weddings. He mourned the loss of friends. He ate with people. He spent time with his mates. He told stories. He prayed with people. He grieved with people. He talked with people in the most unassuming places. … He lived life and so in his coming, through the incarnation, Jesus, he's translating who God is to us.” “He takes the commandments and the laws from the Old Testament and he condenses them into basically two themes, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He lived this and he exemplified it. He entered people's lives and he let others into his life. Through the incarnation, we have a model. Not do's and don'ts, but a model. An example of what the economy of the kingdom is or the ways of the kingdom works. This is good news; we have an example.” “We see in Francis of Assisi, a life living the example of the economy of the kingdom, the ways of the kingdom. And out of that, some of the Franciscan values are formed. Care for the poor and the marginalized. We see that Jesus said, love your neighbor. We see loving God and loving neighbor in the life of Francis.” “Incarnational living is connecting with people. It's about relationship. To me, that's the bottom line, relationship. But it's relationship with people, with the other. So it's nice to talk about relationships with people that we like to like, but that challenge of the other. For St. Francis, the other was the leper. But in that embrace, in that kiss, that leper became a man, became equal. And so it's embracing the other, so to speak. … When I care for (ducks and chickens), this is the economy of the kindom. Yes, the kindom. It is incarnational living. It's living in relationship with people, with creation.” For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: John 1:1-4, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV) Jon Bonk: We must begin to see the incarnation, not merely as theologically descriptive, but strategically prescriptive. Saint Francis of Assisi references: Francis and the Leper (1 Celano 17): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195. Francis and the Wolf (Little Flowers 21): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2502-fa-ed-3-page-601. Canticle of the Creatures: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-canticle-of-the-creatures/129-fa-ed-1-page-113. Jorspeis, Latvian Christian band, sample music: https://jorspeis.bandcamp.com/track/uzticams. What is a seed library and how does it work? Creating Seed Libraries - How Does A Seed Library Work (gardeningknowhow.com) What is an heirloom seed / plant? Heirloom Vegetables - Tips For Growing Heirloom Plants (gardeningknowhow.com) Matthew 6: 9 – 10:  Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Saint Teresa of Avila: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” Elise's formula for life: Implication + Application = Transformation Icons, Eastern Orthodox Church: http://ww1.antiochian.org/icons-eastern-orthodoxy

Join Secular Franciscan Carolyn Townes as she tells her surprising story of the Spirit of God leading her to Franciscan life born out of loss, lived in community, and dedicated to bringing Gospel values into the world.   From Carolyn's interview, referring to experience after death of a loved one, and 9-11 in New York City: “I like to exude laughter and happiness and joy, and to be working in the realm of grief and loss was just very antithesis to me and I couldn't, I couldn't even fathom it. But I realized that once you walk the path of grief and loss, that joy does come. And joy is that deep abiding feeling that's within you. That it's not the same as happiness. So you can experience grief and joy at the same time.”   “I even went to grief counseling and they kept saying to me, it will get softer. It won't get easier, but it'll get softer. And I remember thinking, how can it? It's just so heavy. It's so hard. But walking through it, I can see that. I wanted to help others to know that as well, that it does soften. You grieve to the extent that you loved; it's just a different expression of love. But to know that that loved one will never be on the same plane again, that you'll never see them, that I think is the heaviness.   “You don't realize how many people are grieving who are just walking down the street. And you don't know what's heavy on their hearts until you have a conversation with them and realize that they're going through something. So I always live with the idea of, just be gentle with people because you don't know the journey they're walking through.”   “The work of women in transition was to talk through. I love when women come together, they can share their stories. First they know: I'm not alone. There's somebody else out there with a similar story. And there's someone else out there who has been experiencing something like what I've experienced. And so to get that collective voice in the room, we can all then move from those pain points to that sense of joy and laughter….”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Secular Franciscan Order – USA:  https://secularfranciscansusa.org/. International Secular Franciscan Order: https://ciofs.info/. Another interesting resource: http://franciscanseculars.com/.   The Rule of Life of the Secular Franciscan Order: http://franciscanseculars.com/secular-franciscan-rule/.   What is the Mass? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/mass.php.   What are the Sacraments? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php.   What is Eucharist and Real Presence? https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-real-presence-faqs. What is a ciborium? https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03767a.htm.   What is RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/christian-initiation-of-adults.   Order of Friars Minor, First Order of Franciscans: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/franciscans-first-order. Three main branches of this part of the Franciscan family include Observant, Conventual and Capuchin friars.   What is a Secular Franciscan fraternity? https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/08/09/fraternity-life-fraternity-and-its-beginning/.   Saint John the Baptist church, ministered to by the Capuchin Franciscans: https://www.padrepio.us/sjbnyc.html.    Father Mychal Judge: https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/911-20-years-later-remembering-father-mychal-judge-new-york-city/71-9f17ec07-6a69-4cbe-bc2e-28a6068b7c38.   Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, 31st St, New York City is an amazing center of service and faith: https://stfrancisnyc.org/.   Grief: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grief. There are many forms of grief, and many ways of grieving. Seeking out support in friends, spiritual companions/directors, counselors, support groups can help us process and work through loss and find ways forward in our lives.   Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) for Secular Franciscans in the USA:  https://secularfranciscansusa.org/jpic/. Here is an example of a blog post by Carolyn: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/09/07/becoming-prayer-for-peace-and-social-justice-pt-1/.     What are Catholic Social Teachings (CST)? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching. A short video summary of CST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyLdMlFdzA&t=143s.    Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet: “(…) have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

Join Poor Clare Sister Beth Lynn as she explores God's work in her life and in the world. A gifted weaver of stories old and new, Sister Beth celebrates the uniqueness of each person and the wonder of being a contemplative in communion with the whole Franciscan family.   From Sister Beth's interview: “Each Franciscan is each Franciscan. No two alike. And each one has a wonderful story. I'm thrilled to be able to share mine because I believe it's an inclusive story of God's love for all God's people.”   “Each [Poor Clare] monastery, because each person is so unique, each monastery is unique…The tradition is every monastery is very unique because each person is unique, you know. And it's so Franciscan.”   “Clare was somebody that ran away. She was a radical member of our great Order over the centuries. I mean, she just said phooey on this style of marriage and took off. She wasn't going to be Benedictine. She was going to follow Francis. You know, we take it kind of as a folk story, but it's really a story of changing culture and changing people's views of women and what they're about and what they can do on their own.”   “This [the Poor Clares] simplicity of life. They were living it to the full, they were faithful to the Franciscan Friars and the friars to them. So you can see how important the Franciscan Friars and Seculars are to the Clares. It's one family.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Mission Santa Cruz (Holy Cross): https://holycrosssantacruz.com/mission-santa-cruz/ .   Saint Elizabeth's in Oakland, CA: the High School of Beth's time is recognized here: https://cristoreydelasalle.org/st-elizabeth-legacy/.   Secular Franciscan Order, USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/ .   Poor Clare Sisters: International site: http://poorclare.org/. Sister Beth previously belonged to: Poor Clares of Santa Barbara: https://poorclaressantabarbara.org/poor-clares-of-santa-barbara/ and Zambia Poor Clares: Videos of Sisters singing Alleluia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmNZpUYWUA and the Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D40eFVXpEDk . Beth is currently a member of the: Rochester (formerly Minneapolis) Poor Clares: https://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/64-years-poor-clares-leave-monastery-legacy-prayer-friendship/. Overview of Poor Clares: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Clares. What is an Abbess? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbess.   Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose: https://www.msjdominicans.org/ .   Vatican II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More'), type ‘Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.   Saint Bonaventure University: sponsored by the Franciscan friars of the Holy Name Province: https://www.sbu.edu/; Franciscan Institute: https://www.sbu.edu/academics/academic-resources/franciscan-institute .   Brother Ed Coughlin, of happy memory: https://www.sbu.edu/news/news-items/2019/07/30/University-friar-communities-mourn-death-of-Siena-President-Br-Ed-Coughlin.   Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA: https://missionsanjose.org/.   Rule of Saint Clare: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-form-of-life-of-saint-clare/282-ca-ed-1-page-106. Within the Form of Life of Saint Clare, Beth quoted Chapter 6:1-4: “After the Most High Heavenly Father saw fit by His grace to enlighten my heart to do penance according to the example and teaching of our most blessed father Saint Francis, shortly after his own conversion, I, together with my sisters, willingly promised him obedience. When the Blessed Father saw we had no fear of poverty, hard work, trial, shame, or contempt of the world, but, instead, we held them as great delights, moved by piety he wrote a form of life for us. Because by divine inspiration you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most High, most Exalted King, the heavenly Father, and have taken the Holy Spirit as your spouse, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I resolve and promise for myself and for my brothers always to have the same loving care and special solicitude for you as for them.” [as well as cf. 6:10-14] “As I together with my sisters have ever been solicitous to save God the holy poverty, which we have promised the Lord God, and blessed Francis, so too all the abbesses who succeed me in office, they will themselves, all of that. No ownership or intermediary that holds things for them to live only for this much land as necessity requires.” See also the Testament of Saint Clare 24-29, 33: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-testament-clare-of-assisi/237-ca-ed-1-page-61.

Join Franciscan Brother Adolfo Mercado as he tells of his journey from being raised as a cradle Catholic in a Mexican American family to his discerning life as a Franciscan friar, together with the evolving story of First Order Observant Friars in the US today.   From Brother Adolfo's interview: “One of the beauties of our Franciscan family is the diversity that we bring and just in the nomenclature of the communities and in the habits that we wear.   As a First Order OFM [Order of Friars Minor] or Observant, we consider ourselves to be the group that's directly connected to the St. Francis. We still follow the rule that Pope Honorious the Third approved for St. Francis. …   What I wasn't able to articulate when I was discerning, that now I can say comfortably, is the incarnational theology that the Franciscans bring to the church and that we bring to the world. The facility that we have in seeing Christ in the other is what I find really exciting. … What really resonates with me to my core as a friar is when I meet another human, I lead with love. And I start by honoring and appreciating the dignity in the other person. And I think that's what other people respond to. …   I remember a classmate of mine in the Novitiate who was really charitable and really soft, even though he was almost 20 years younger than me and reminding me to get to a language that was really people-centered. So not saying the homeless man, but the man experiencing homelessness. That real focus on the dignity of the human and starting with that. And when that's the foundation, when that's the platform that we begin our dialogue, our relationship, our interaction with another person, I think the world needs more of that now.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Sacramento, CA: https://www.stfrancisparish.com/   Vision Vocation Network: an online reference for those discerning a religious vocation, see: https://vocationnetwork.org/en/   Saint Barbara Province of Franciscan friars: sbfranciscans.org . Stages of Formation: https://sbfranciscans.org/be-a-friar/formation/stages-of-formation/ .   Franciscan School of Theology: FST.edu. FST is affiliated with the University of San Diego and association with the San Diego Diocese: Sandiego.edu   Cristero War: a video in time period English language: https://youtu.be/VGBGFS2rZdo; another perspective in 12-minute contemporary research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsqbcHNHoj4 .   Saint Toribio Romo: Adolfo writes: “My dad's family is from Jalostotitlán, Jalisco. Santo Toribio Romo, a priest who was martyred during the Cristero War, is also from Jalostotitlán. Family lore is we are distant relatives.” For an introduction to this saint, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_Romo_Gonz%C3%A1lez .   Order of Friars Minor: The First Order OFM or Observant Friars international site: https://ofm.org/. While Adolfo is rooted in the Saint Barbara Province, the newly forming US Province is: https://usfranciscans.org/.   OFM Rule, now 800 years old: https://ofm.org/about/rule/. It begins: “The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity.”   Franciscan Poverty: sine proprio. See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book “Poverty and Joy”: d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents.   Casa Franciscana, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico: https://casafranciscanaoutreach.org/.   Adolfo's links to initiatives he has been connected to and recommends looking into: -Breakthrough Sacramento, working towards educational equity; see: breakthroughsac.org. -The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, promotes grass-roots international exchange; see: jetprogramme.org -Gente Unida, a human rights border coalition; see: genteunidasd.net

Join Franciscan Sister Patricia Forster as she reflects on her response to God's calling to open doors between cultures and generations, to live a value-based life in simplicity, humility, and service.   From Pat's interview, reflecting on four basic values of the Third Order Regular in the Franciscan family: Contemplation and Prayer: “I like to talk about the difference between, and also the need for, both/and. I think there is a way of praying that would be called devotional, such as the rosary, or meditation, which be focusing on Scripture. And then another way of praying, which is called a contemplative quietness, and that's going into a deeper consciousness. The latter is something that seems more focused on wisdom and listening to God and waiting and waiting. And the previous one is much more focused on, I need salvation, God, you are my Savior, my Redeemer. But they're all prayer, and very important prayer. The Eucharist is prayer also, and we put the Eucharist at the center of our lives. … If there's anything that I would wish for, it would be that every person would take at least 10 minutes a day to be totally quiet and pray. That means listen to God from the inside. …   Conversion and that conversion is to God and to neighbor. Or it is also a way in the olden language of community life of saying, Looking for God's will. … We're made in the image and likeness of God, and so we are going to come into contact with another person, many persons every day, all the time, and they're going to be different than us. That means that we are open to change. And we might be in a particular job that tomorrow we're told you, you no longer have a job here. … So we're asked to make changes over time”   Poverty: “In exchange for their service, they may accept anything necessary for their temporal needs. So much of what we need is for our ministry. It's not for ourselves.  Granted, we all have to live and eat, but we do, we give beyond, we give what we have extra to the poor in many, many different ways. We have a simple home. …  We accept up to 17 girls in our Casa Franciscana, and when I watched those gals, you know, they have maybe one dress, a couple outfits. They plain and simply don't have money to have a lot. And their environment is so poor that to catch up with other students takes time. … It's pretty exciting where poverty can move to a stableness and a human development that knows God and gives thanks to God.”   Minority: “To believe that everything that we do is only important because the Lord wants it done. Because we are serving the Lord, that's minority to be serving the other. To be humble, to be accepting, perhaps to even reject commercialism and stay with simplicity. … to be humble, to be one with those who are on the street, to be one with. Francis has had many stories in which he was one with. He had come, you know, from the merchant class, he came from a middle-class. He really did not come from the poverty people, but he could see what the world was like and how the poor were not getting what they needed. So, he gave himself to that.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Values of the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers of the Third Order Regular: for a brief summary of the four core values: Conversion, Contemplation, Poverty, Minority, see: https://franciscanfriarsloretto.org/about/tor-franciscan-values/.   Eucharist: For an exploration of the mystery of the Eucharist, see: https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/the-sacraments/eucharist. And a reflection on its relationship to our response to God's call:  https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/transformed-in-the-eucharist.   Breviary: Sister Pat notes that it is “a public prayer service” with psalms, antiphons, readings. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breviary. The Third Order Regular of the US have a Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise book that we pray with daily.    Opening Doors to Lay Ministry: Pat published this book about culture and ministry, exploring the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN Mexico Mission from 2002-2017:  https://taupublishing.com/book-store/ols/products/opening-doors-to-lay-ministry.    DACA Definition: https://www.usimmigration.org/glossary/daca.  

Join Franciscan Associate Doug Beumer who courageously explores the kaleidoscope of his life experience and work, a mirror for what he sees in society today.   From Doug's interview: “We know with trauma, people get stuck. When our amygdala is tired, it's like the panic button. Our other thinking shuts down. For those of privilege, and by privilege, I mean, isolated or insulated from the trauma and hurt of others, we may not recognize that or choose to look away; it's a concerning time for our country. … There's a poster I saw at the group home I worked in for those that are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness, that a hundred million people in our own country aren't getting the services and support they need. It's the reality. …   Self-care, I think in a certain way is an act of resistance in a world that's full of chaos and trauma and confusion. … Having context for what I do is really helpful for me in terms of keeping things in balance and finding a middle pathway, if you will, forward. …   Being present to the present as adults, we can make the decision to engage at many different levels with all the different issues that you see in our society. And I think when we are aligned with others and in relationship with others that are experiencing suffering that makes a huge difference. For some, it's an inconvenience, for others it's really devastating what's going on. And, we're all learning and growing in our awareness and response to all the challenges going on these days   Have the courage to reach out if you're suffering or in pain or needing support. Be gentle with yourself because that is a pathway forward that has benefit in the end. It's not easy work to look at ourselves and to nurture ourselves, but as adults, I think that is our task. When we do, we model that for our loved ones and allow them to be themselves and grow and learn. It's kind of a self-sustaining kind of dynamic when we have relationships like that, where we love others and others love us and we could share that. And so it's an expanding intimacy that can be very life-giving.   When we recognize that the only person we can change is ourselves, that puts us in a different stance or position with the world. Acknowledging there is a higher power and again, being gentle with myself and finding balance, finding health and recognizing all the gifts, I think, is a powerful relationship with God or higher power or the presence in our life that is present, that we don't always understand or appreciate.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   Trauma: What is trauma? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/trauma.   Recovery Community: This is a general term re: networks to support recovery from substance abuse. Among many sources, here is a resource in Minnesota: https://minnesotarecovery.org/.   Clare's Well:  Here is an article about the 25th Anniversary of Clare's Well: https://www.annandaleadvocate.com/news/14262/wellness-at-25-clares-well-celebrates-anniversary. After a fruitful 27 years, this ministry ended in 2015; the farm was sold and re-opened as Wellsprings Farm; in 2021, the farm became Rootsprings Coop.   Neuroplasticity: What is brain plasticity? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886. See also: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity.   Dysregulation:  What is it? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-dysregulation-5073868.   Amygdala: What does it do? https://www.simplypsychology.org/amygdala.html.   Father John Kaiser: Learn about Fr. Kaiser, and a microloan fund that has been set up in honor of his work with people on the margins, which cost him his life in Kenya:  https://www.catholicfoundation.info/copy-of-mother-mary-s-fund-for-life. For more detail about his life work for justice and his death, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Anthony_Kaiser.   BIPOC: What does it mean? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-bipoc-5025158.   Columbia Protocol: Learn more about the Columbia Suicide Scale https://cssrs.columbia.edu/the-columbia-scale-c-ssrs/about-the-scale/.   Camino de Santiago: History of the Camino: https://www.caminoadventures.com/blog/history-of-the-camino/. Twin Cities chapter of American Pilgrims: https://americanpilgrims.org/iwpmap_directory/minneapolis/. As I mentioned in the podcast, Bottes et Velo (Boots and Cycling) is a resource available in English and in French: http://bottesetvelo.com/; Brigitte and Eric are friends who do accompaniment and support of pilgrims based out of French Canada.   Johari window: This practical tool can be applied in relationships and in professional settings. Here's an informative article: https://www.communicationtheory.org/the-johari-window-model/, and a video reflection process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsXicQ4019E&t=3s.     Journey of the Universe, Brian Swimme: an introductory video to the 2011 documentary: https://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi3647970585. You can also search online for a number of videos of Brian Swimme's work honoring the beauty and complexity of the universe.   Dissociate: What is dissociation? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-dissociation-22201.   North Minneapolis Resources: Visitation Sisters: Read about these Sisters, their ministries and collaborators: https://www.visitationmonasteryminneapolis.org/. Sojourner Truth Academy: https://sojournertruthacademy.org/.

Join Franciscan Cojourner Cathy Nelson as she breaks open the beauty of belonging, the music and mystery of the God's love poured out in Jesus, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the invitation for us to respond in love.   From Cathy's interview: “It became clear that we were not going to be having another baby, but that I was going to be birthing music. And there you go. So now I have had a lot more children. And just like a child, they're born, you shape them, you form them and then you have to let them go. One of the hardest parts about being a composer is when somebody else plays my song and I don't like the tempo or the style, or it's like, no, no, no, that's not how it goes. I remember that saying about giving children wings. You can no longer control anything. And so I can't control my little baby songs or my, let's say my adult songs. They need to move on and, in a sense, have a life of their own. … My journey is one of an ever broadening and deepening understanding of this mystery that we call God…. In terms of contemporary reality, with all the divisiveness I think Franciscan spirituality does call us to an ever-expanding inclusiveness, to understand that no matter where you have come from, no matter what part of society you are in, no matter what part of creation you are in, that you belong. I really think that is one of the core values, Franciscan values, that incorporates care for the poor, care for the earth, speaking out for the powerless.  Action based on contemplation because in the contemplation we think about what we're going to do in the context of the whole. I really think an expanding sense of inclusiveness and it's what we need right now in our country, in our world. … God's intent is love, not condemnation. How do I share that love? So the wisdom is reflecting on, how am I being called to share the love of Christ with others? And Francis said, Christ has shown me what is mine to do, now...  I'm paraphrasing... It's up to you to know what is yours to do. I think the wisdom is understanding that since we all function within a web of relationships, we each have an individual charism or giftedness that is to be shared. But with the understanding that all that I have is from God, which is the basis, I think, of Franciscan poverty, humility, that the wisdom in the concept of poverty is not that I have to be wanting for food, but it's that I know that everything I have is a gift and that God has a special way to use my particular charisms.” For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Newman Centers: What is a Newman Center? https://www.sacramentonewman.org/what-is-a-newman-center.html. For further information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newman_Center. Secular Franciscan Order: USA site: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/. A general history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Franciscan_Order.   Rochester Franciscan Sisters: located in Rochester, Minnesota: https://rochesterfranciscan.org/. Francis and Clare sources: for a searchable database of early documents and further resources see the Franciscan Intellectual-Spiritual Tradition (CFIT) website: https://www.franciscantradition.org/.  Hardcopy sources are available at: https://www.newcitypress.com/academic/francis-clare-of-assisi/francis-of-assisi-early-documents.html. Regis Armstrong on Saint Clare: in addition to the above CFIT source, early Clare of Assisi documents are available in hard copy: https://www.newcitypress.com/clare-of-assisi-early-documents-the-lady.html. For more about Franciscan Friar Regis Armstrong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regis_J._Armstrong. Ilia Delio wrote ‘Simply Bonaventure: An Introduction to His Life, Thought , and Writings': Cathy noted in her interview that this book “has a lot in it about the Trinity. And that just blew my mind, talking about God as the fountain fullness. This idea of love flowing out into the form of Jesus. And then the love between them flowing out as the Holy Spirit, and that they're a community of love.” See: https://www.abebooks.com/9781565484849/Simply-Bonaventure-Introduction-Life-Thought-1565484843/plp. Richard Rohr: a Franciscan friar, prolific author and presenter; here is his bio: https://cac.org/about/richard-rohr/. Cathy Tisel Nelson: Cathy's website (http://www.cathynelsonmusic.com/) includes her Franciscan songs: http://www.cathynelsonmusic.com/franciscan-music-and-songs.   Engaging Franciscan Spirituality (EFS): an educational and formational program sponsored by the Franciscan Life Center; currently on a year of sabbatical. Some information is here: https://www.fslf.org/FranciscanSpiritualityProgram. Incarnational Christology of Franciscan theology: Some short informational articles, including Custodian articles #1 and #12, are good beginning reading; see: https://www.franciscantradition.org/resources/custodians-of-the-tradition.  Spiritual Directors and Spiritual Direction: Spiritual directors accompany individuals or groups in deepening their spiritual lives and their relationship with God. See interview with Teresa Blythe: https://youtu.be/b6l7UN9wxEg; for further exploration, listen to Sister Michelle at: https://40minutesoffaith.com/podcast/spiritualdirection.

Join Franciscan Sister Nancy deMattos, a woman of great faith, as she tells her story and reflects on her experience of listening and responding to the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. Prepare to be surprised and inspired!   From Sister Nancy's interview: “Franciscan values have always laid quietly in my inner self, but they've been brought forward by living community for these 37 years.   And living with the elderly has taught me the wisdom of listening. The joys expressed in even the smallest gifts, mostly of my time and theirs. Their humility and accepting what is, even when it may not be what they prefer. In these days of chaos, I have learned that a prayer will settle my thoughts faster than conversation. So I do a lot of that also. ….   Secular Franciscans are a part of the Franciscan family, which are the laity. … They have a formation program of about two years and then they make their profession and they do the Lectio Divina and they also study the scriptures and the Franciscan way of life. They're very much an active part of the Franciscan family. …   First of all, creation spirituality has always been an inspiration for me …. I got to visit the Teton range in Wyoming and the purple mountains majesty? I saw it. I felt it. Amber waves of grain, fields of grain waving at the base of the, going to the sun highway. And the, the waves of the, I have swum in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. And I have seen the giant sequoias and I have seen the cacti in Arizona and New Mexico. I've been extremely blessed, but I have seen God's creation upfront and personal, and that is a great part of my creation spirituality.   My woundedness is with the woundedness of Mother Earth, to see so much of it destroyed. And my prayer is that somehow we can regain and replace those things that have been destroyed and are missing for our children and our grandchildren, and my great-grandchild.   So that's my wisdom. The wonders of God's making the earth and repentance for us wounding it, with devotion to do what I can. Observations with joy of sighting a Monarch butterfly on Sunday, just sitting quietly at the entrance of the convent. Knowledge with love, reading, and reflections of the divinely inspired wisdom.   And I have been so blessed to have some divine inspirations from the Holy Spirit. Rainbows, when all seemed dark. Open doors when the way seemed blocked for me and people who have lent a hand, when seemingly there was no way to go forward. Those are the things that I considered wisdom of the Holy Spirit and my life. …   To others who are searching, I would say, find a comfortable place where you can state your needs to God as you would to your closest friend. And then sit in silence. When the time is right, you will hear God's will for you. Sometimes it's no. Sometimes it's yes. And sometimes it's wait, the time is not right for now. But God is always present. God will never leave you.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Sisters and Nuns seem to be used interchangeably….is there a difference between being a Sister or a Nun? https://anunslife.org/how-to-become-a-nun/sister-or-nun .   Process of becoming a religious sister or nun:  https://anunslife.org/how-to-become-a-nun .   Secular Franciscans: For further information, please see https://secularfranciscansusa.org/.   Lectio Divina literally means “divine reading” and is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. See https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/lectio-divina-contemplation/ for further information.   Daily Scriptures and Meditations: For Catholics there are Scriptures for each day. There are also sources for meditation. Sister Nancy referred to The Word Among Us: https://wau.org/subscribe/. Another daily devotional is Give us this Day: https://giveusthisday.org/. The daily Scripture readings are available in English and Spanish at: https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading.

Join Franciscan Associate Michele Rosha as she radiates the joy of God's presence through her storytelling, her generosity of spirit and her accompaniment of others in life's transitions. From Michele's interview: “My grandmother on my mother's side was sickly. She had something with her heart really early on. What I remember most about her is that her bed was in the dining room. It was a hospital bed, and there was a big radio there and she and I would pray the rosary together when we'd come to visit. And so I think of her as my first spiritual director; I just remember that time as being really very special. …. I don't like conflict, but I have learned that through the challenges we have, we really do learn life's lessons. I've taken a softer view of that. It's like, okay God, this is something that's going to happen in my life, whether I like it or not, so teach me the lesson well. And I believe that God has answered that prayer for me because, we don't want a lesson a second and a third and a fourth time; sometimes that's what's happened. If we don't learn the lesson, we get it over and over again. So I try to learn it when it comes to me the first time…. there are going to be conflicts in life, but that is what makes life beautiful. …. If you feel like there's something missing in your life, connect with the Franciscan community…. if you feel like there's a hunger there, it can be fed with a Franciscan spirituality, and with getting involved with the Franciscan community because it's certainly has done that for me.” For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org. References: Liturgy of the Hours: To learn about this is, see https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours. Novena: To learn more about Novenas, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novena. Consecration to St. Joseph: For further information, please see https://www.consecrationtostjoseph.org/. Rosary: For more about the Rosary, see https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-rosary-and-how-did-it-originate/. Divine Mercy chaplet: see https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplet. Religious Communities: For a simple summary of religious communities development in a Roman Catholic context see: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism/Religious-communities. My own community, the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, is an example of a religious community today. Holy Spirit: Christians believe in a Triune God, a mystery of three persons in one God. For a broad exploration of the Holy Spirit in Christianity, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christianity. Note this excerpt from Saint Francis of Assisi's  Later Rule X:8 “Let them pay attention to what they must desire above all else: to have the Spirit of the Lord and Its holy activity.” “Listening Ministry” by Susan K. Hedahl: Michele quoted an excerpt by Steven Veer: “To listen a person into discovery and disclosure may be the most important thing you can do for a soul.” This book was published by Fortress Press in 2001, see https://www.amazon.com/Listening-Ministry-Rethinking-Pastoral-Leadership/dp/0800631749. Hospice:  To learn what Hospice is, see https://hospicefoundation.org/Hospice-Care/Hospice-Services. Also, see “Midwife for the Souls: Spiritual Care for the Dying” by Kathy Kalina, published by Pauline Books and Media in 2007: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/432444.Midwife_For_Souls. Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Referred to in different ways at different times in the Scriptures, see https://www.christianity.com/god/holy-spirit/what-are-the-seven-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit-scripture-meaning.html. Francis and the pigs story, recorded by Roger of Wendover, between 1225; see verse 6 https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/related-documents/other-chronicles-and-references/1044-fa-ed-1-page-597.

Join young adult Sister Eilis McCulloh as she explores the influence of Franciscan values and life experiences in her journey to a life-long commitment of service in religious life. Eilis notes the impact, for example, of reverence for creation, simplicity, encounter, and hospitality. From Sister Eilis: “There was something about the Humility of Mary (HM) Community that was calling me to return. That was the place where my heart was, where I felt most at home and most authentically myself. And if I was going to explore religious life, that that was the community that I needed to really do that exploration with. It was the learnings and the experiences of being a Franciscan Community Volunteer that really opened me up to be able to live into the call of religious life and to take the parts of my time in St. Cloud that I loved and were foundational to me. And then to return home to where I knew that I was being called to live and to recognize that that it was back in Villa Maria, Pennsylvania in Northeast, Ohio. … Key values to explain Franciscans: The first is honor or reverence for all of creation. … Our HM community is on 740 acres of farmland. And so learning how to honor creation, how to honor the land and to walk gently on it from the Franciscans really was just a natural shift into the HM charism, into the HM community of reverencing the land and taking care of it and making sure that it's around for generations after me to continue and to learn more about it and to be active in protecting the land… And then, hand in hand with that is the idea of simplicity. Asking continually, what are my needs versus my wants? And how do you balance that as someone who's taking a vow of poverty and what does that mean?  How do I live that out? And really, I think returning to the idea of simplicity that we learned is as Volunteers, what can we live without and what are we abundantly blessed with that we share with others? And then how do we live that out as religious or as people, in general.  This came to me now, the real profound idea of encounter and meeting one another where each person is, and being able to use that in an encounter. Be able to reach across divides and to talk to one another and to honor the dignity of each person and the story of each person and religious traditions with each person that I meet, I think is a value that I learned in Minnesota and is a strong value of my community as well. The final thing for me is the idea of hospitality and of being able to welcome another person into your home and to really break bread together and share a meal with one another and get to know each other on a different level than one would, if you don't take the time to share each's stories and to become friends with them.”   References: Sisters of the Humility of Mary, the community to which Sister Eilis belongs: https://www.humilityofmary.org/.   Parker Palmer quote that Eilis referenced: “Vocation at its deepest level is, ‘This is something I can't not do, for reasons I'm unable to explain to anyone else and don't fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.'” ― Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation,      San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000, page 25.   What is fracking? For general information: https://www.britannica.com/technology/fracking. There is information online from pro-industry and environmental perspectives as well.   From HM foundress Mother Madelaine Potier: “I have always said that I would appreciate the goodness of everyone who will come to our house to help me to do something for the Glory of God.”*      *Inside back cover:   Quotation on front cover is from page 39 of Recollections: a fragment, by the Rev. J. J. Begel, New Bedford, 1879. Originally translated by Sr. Mary Therese Berry, HM. October 13, 1979; Revised translation 2007. The recently revised wording is a more accurate translation of the peasant type expression in the original French. Fr. Begel is quoting Mother Madelaine when in September 1854 Julie Claudel had come to Dommartin as the teacher in the new schoolroom.

Join our guest, Franciscan Sister Ange Mayers, as she shares the richness of her living and working across cultures, her love of Eucharist, her baking and sharing the bread of love as she breaks open her life in service. Sister Ange notes that “While doing cross-cultural ministry among the native people of Arizona, I learned that no culture is better than another culture. Each culture is blessed with gifts to share with other cultures. These gifts are expressed in food, language and customs. It is our responsibility and privilege to learn what they are.” “One Holy Thursday, I was overwhelmed by the needs of neighbors.  I didn't want ANOTHER person coming to the door asking for help.  BUT, I did say “YES”!  After taking them to get a can of propane gas, I had a change of heart. I BAKED BREAD and got renewed and NOURISHED.  The kneading of the dough, released frustration with each punch; the rising of the bread birthed new life; the aroma of baked bread fed my being.” “The meaning of receiving communion: Just as the food we eat determines the state of our physical being, when we receive the body of Christ, Christ becomes a part of our spiritual being. We become united, one body, and as we drink wine together, we become spiritually united. At the last supper, Jesus said, do this in memory of me. We do the same receiving his body and blood to be strengthened, to feed those who are hungry and thirsty spiritually. By receiving communion, we are nourished as a community to do as Jesus did.”   “God loves me all the time, not only when I am good. Making mistakes is a part of life; God did not make us perfect. And God walks with us through our mistakes throughout our whole life. This we Franciscans call continual conversion.”     References:   The Feeding of the Five Thousand, Mark 6:34-44: a story of the multiplication of loaves of bread. See: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6.     Comunidades de Base: Base Christian communities: See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_ecclesial_community  and https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/christian-base-communities.   Poem by Charlotte Madigan, CSJ: Kneading, needing bread We bravely work and hope. We hunger till we eat the bread of love, of life and drink the cup of warmth and tender wine.         Ah mystery! enhancing the taste of the bread and of each other. water into wine again.          Warning: To eat and drink pre-occupied is foolish waste and loss.    Cross cultural ministry in Arizona: --Tohono O'odham nation: http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/ --Pascua Yaqui tribe: https://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/ - “Culture is an important element with all Yaqui communities and bonds both Christianity and Yaqui spirituality in the hope for a better view of the world and morality.” --Communities are Prevention:  Addiction Prevention Program: CAP draws from the work of Don Coyhis and Wellbriety. Listen to and read about Don: https://encore.org/purpose-prize/don-coyhis/; here is the White Bison website: :  http://www.opensource-projects.com/Default.aspx   Break this Bread, by Lourdes Music Group:           Please break this bread, Lord; please break this bread.  Bread of your body, risen in us.             Pour out your wine, Lord. Pour out your wine.             Let it flow though us to a thirsty world. We come to eat your bread, make us one. We come to drink your wine, make us one. We come in memory of your death to give you thanks. We come to celebrate your life and give you praise. Let us be broken, O Lord, to feed your sheep. Let us be poured out, O Lord, that all may see. That you are Spirit and Life that satisfies. That you are risen in us to set us all free.      Pope Francis in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, 237, 284: “Forgiveness and reconciliation are central themes in Christianity, and in various ways in other religions…Each one of us is called to be an artisan of peace. By uniting and not dividing, by extinguishing hatred and not holding onto it, by opening paths of dialogue and not by constructing new walls.”   Sister Marilyn Lacey, RSM, of Mercy Beyond Borders: “This then may be the world's only hope for peace, that all of us, friends and enemies, allies and foes, brothers and sisters and strangers alike, we understand that we meet as guests together in God's own tent.”

Join our guest, Franciscan Associate Deb Galvez, for this interview. As a chaplain, she accompanies those in need of care, finding that mutual encounter reveals the blessing of being loved by God. Deb explores the mystery of divisions being transformed to loving one another and honoring the goodness of each person.   Deb observes “Meeting people in the hospital when they're in a hospital bed levels the playing field. There is no rich, no poor, there is no division. Everybody is there for health issues and I walk in as a sister of them; I don't feel higher or lower, I don't feel richer or poorer. It is like we're both here on this journey, walking on the road to Emmaus, and there are no barriers. There's nothing to get in the way.”   “I've seen so many people who have been hurt because they're the ‘Other'. Whether it's ageism, sexism, a different color, a different religion, a different viewpoint. I would just love to see us sit down and really listen to the Other, and know that God loves us for who we are and that we are good. … I've talked to so many people who do not feel that they are good.  … I hope and pray that is one thing that I can bring to the world in the greater Franciscan vision, that people are good, they are loved, and they are worthy.”   “Wouldn't the world be different if we could live in love of neighbor, as Jesus taught in the Good Samaritan, wherever and whomever that neighbor, here, near, or far might be, if we would know and live out of that knowing, being known that God loves us and we're good? And that we could pray, whether with or without words; it would transform some interactions, and perhaps our inner hearts, to be more available to what's needing work and healing, and what is still needing attention.”   References:   What is a Newman Center? http://newmanconnection.com/locations. More about Saint John Henry Newman, in whose honor the Newman Centers are named: http://newmanconnection.com/about/blessed.    Franciscan Associates: Deb is referring to the Associate relationships with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls: https://www.fslf.org/BecominganAssociate/. Other religious communities may have lay associates, affiliates, companions or cojourners as well.   The Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-35; see: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24.   Francis meets the leper: see https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-meets-the-leper. See also the earliest biography of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano (1C 17) https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195.   The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37; see: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10.   Deb recommends: This book: Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, by Richard Rohr: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Love-Alternative-Francis-Assisi/dp/1632531402. And these free e-mail subscriptions for spiritual nourishment: +Daily Scripture Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading#subscribe +Daily Minute Meditations: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/minute-meditations +Richard Rohr Daily Meditations: https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/ +Henri Nouwen Society Daily E-meditations: https://henrinouwen.org/read-nouwen/free-daily-meditation/

Join our guest, Eunice Park, as she reflects on the blessings and challenges of her heritage as a Korean American, as well as her accompaniment of immigrant young adults. This episode is filled with wisdom born of experience as Eunice creates safe space for people to do their inner work and find freedom.   Eunice notes “Rather than having to prove our value and prove our worth through materialism or through money or finances, our inherent value is in our created-ness. We are born with dignity and the basis of our creation, this Imago Dei, this gratuitous love of God. We cannot earn that love and we cannot have that love destroyed. God wouldn't love us any less or any more by anything that we do.”   “The job of the minister becomes accompanying and journeying with that person, helping guide them, being there for support and being their safe space so that they can let that inner identity manifest fully on the outside, rather than trying to figure out who they are on the outside in, and feeling insecure about it....So that they can understand that who they are is because of whose they are. Who they are is because of God, who God is.”   “Understanding poverty as something much more than giving up money or a salary: it's a way of release, a way of freedom. I think the pandemic invites us to a sense of poverty of control...we think we're in control, but are we really?  I haven't left my house at all for a year; understanding that this is how our lives are and leaning into this understanding of poverty is a freedom, rather than a lack of control. By letting go, we open ourselves up to receiving more.”   References:     Confucianism - The Analects are the most famous resource of Confucius' teachings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects   Franciscan Spirituality: Franciscan Spirituality | Franciscan Friars   Immigrant trauma: https://www.ilctr.org/understanding-immigrant-trauma/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1a6EBhC0ARIsAOiTkrGjlPZyS1M7vEAkQh1hrwY2iAbh52q3YnXYXrD5c9iggtWg9JQSEdYaAiGpEALw_wcB   Honor and Shame in Asian cultures: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minority-report/201406/asian-shame-and-honor   Imago Dei Catholic Teaching: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20040723_communion-stewardship_en.html   Asian Pacific Islanders - Some API resources: https://www.ncapaonline.org/, https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/   and    https://18millionrising.org/   St Joseph Worker Program in Orange: http://csjorange.org/ministries/st-joseph-worker-program/; the SJWP Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stjosephworkerprogramorange/     Sexual violence in US statistics: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence   Spiritual accompaniment: https://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/art-of-accompaniment.html   Helicopter Parenting: When too much help is no help: https://www.health.harvard.edu/parenting-issues/helicopter-parenting-when-too-much-help-is-no-help   Charism: a gift, talent or skill given for the building up of the community and from which we find energy: https://siena.org/charisms-faq

Join Franciscan Sister Gloria Haider as she reflects on her journey from ‘human doing' to more fully living as a ‘human being' during the pandemic. She sees beauty, is inspired by diverse prayer practices, and accompanies those who are in need as she listens for the Spirit's guidance. Come and see with her eyes, encountering Beauty wherever she finds beauty, seeing the Divine Artist wherever she finds art.   Sr. Gloria notes that “Looking at beauty, seeing God as a divine artist, helps me to live each day in gratefulness and abundance and happiness. My time in community has helped me look at different areas of justice and peace, ...at the value and dignity of everything around me and within me; they have a positive, optimistic vision of a human person.  Living in community is not always easy as we all know; it is a wonderful time to look at our own selves and those that we are living with, and try  to be people who are willing to listen and to change. How blessed I am, to be living at this time in community, able to share my joys and my sorrows with other people, it's a great blessing.”   “During Covid...I was discerning and thought maybe I should go back to Minnesota, but the Spirit kept saying, ‘Oh no, stay, stay where you're at. You need to wait. You need to learn how to just be and wait.' This was very important for me during this time. It helped me to remember that I'm not just a doer, but I'm a human being. That I need to at times just wait and see what the next step is. I'm grateful that I followed the Holy Spirit's guidance.”   References:   Stations of the Cross: https://www.fslf.org/blog/2017/03/31/stations-of-the-cross-facebook-series?fbclid=IwAR2GDqy5Jm7Jc67DBTdHIAK9hMYmHA0RCvJdUOhUM3_OrEP57f7w9MAdCKM and https://www.franciscantradition.org/blog/31-the-way-of-the-cross-part-of-everyday-life-in-jerusalem.   Thomas Merton: For a look at the influence of Saint Francis in Merton's life, see: https://www.amazon.com/Franciscan-Heart-Thomas-Merton-Inspiration/dp/1594714223.   Franciscan Communities Sr. Gloria referred to: Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls (www.fslf.org) and Sisters of St. Francis, located in Rochester (https://rochesterfranciscan.org/).   The mystic poetry of St. Francis of Assisi: Gloria notes the Canticle of Brother Sun as an example; here is an introductory blog with the text: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-his-canticle.     Sr. Gloria's favorite quote from our Rule of Life: “Let the sisters and brothers always be mindful that they should desire one thing alone, namely, the Spirit of God at work within them.”           -TOR Rule 32; see also Saint Francis' Later Rule 10:8 and Saint Clare's Rule 10:7   John Duns Scotus and the unique ‘thisness' of every person and everything; he coined the Latin term: haecceitas. Here are a two sample links: https://cac.org/irreplaceable-thisness-2018-03-18/, and https://www.ssfamericas.org/post/a-hagiography-of-blessed-john-duns-scotus.   Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition: In the Introduction to her book, Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition, Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ says that a central Franciscan insight is "that all life can be best understood according to a via pulchritudinis, a journey or way of beauty. Franciscans see all of life: creation, the human person, human action, divine life and love through the prisms of harmony and beauty." (p. 3)  Reference to the book: https://www.franciscanpublications.com/products/rejoicing-in-the-works-of-the-lord-beauty-in-the-franciscan-traditioin?variant=7282429061.   Quote from *The Franciscan Moral Vision: Responding to God's Love, ed. by Thomas A. Nairn, OFM. Franciscan Institute Publications, 2013.  See Chapter 3 "Moral Goodness and Beauty," by Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ:   "Proper proportion is another aspect of beauty: here everything fits in its place, there is not too much of one thing.  The relationship of balance is pleasing to the eye and ear.  Harmonic chords and tonal passages also express this idea of proportion. Because of the important role of desire in the spiritual journey, Bonaventure notes, contemplation (the activity of the highest form of wisdom) has both cognitive and affective dimensions. We are to be those 'lovers of divine wisdom and inflamed with a desire for it' wishing to give ourselves 'to glorifying, admiring, and even savoring God.' The saint adds the aspect of luminosity as central to our experience of beauty.  Luminosity suggests that beauty can enter our lives as a type of theophony: a divine revelation." (p. 95-96) *This text will be re-published; a current link: https://www.amazon.com/Franciscan-Moral-Vision-Response-Gods/dp/1576592081/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=.     Favorite Prayer forms: Taizé Prayer: Sr. Gloria's favorite Taizé song “In the Lord I will be ever thankful”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yzr60p57h8;join in a Taizé Prayer Service. Visio Divina: https://www.prayerandpossibilities.com/pray-with-eyes-of-the-heart-visio-divina/.  Centering Prayer via Zoom during the pandemic: https://www.saintolaf.org/centeringprayer.   Earth Literacy: Franciscan Earth Literacy Center in Tiffin, OH: https://felctiffin.org/ Thomas Berry – https://thomasberry.org/life-and-thought/about-thomas-berry/introduction/ Berry named Three Principles of the Universe – three primordial patterns of differentiation/diversity; subjectivity/interiority; communion/community/interconnectedness (http://www.sistersofthegoodshepherdcontemplatives.com/sites/default/files/MTM%20-%203%20Principles%20of%20the%20Universe.pdf).   Seeing God as Divine Artist, in Beauty: In art he [Francis] praises the Artist; whatever he discovers in creatures he guides to the Creator. He rejoices in all the works of the Lord's hands, and through their delightful display he gazes on their life-giving reason and cause. In beautiful things he discerns Beauty Itself.    -2 Celano 165 (See: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-founder/the-remembrance-of-the-desire-of-a-soul/1442-fa-ed-2-page-353#ges:searchword%3Dhe%2Bpraises%2Bthe%2BArtist%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1).   Rio Grande Valley Connections: All Faiths United: interfaith group in the Rio Grande Valley. See https://allfaithsunited.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/FaithsUnited. ARISE Border Witness Program: https://www.arisesotex.org/border-witness-program-1. Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas: https://catholiccharitiesrgv.org/HumanitarianRespiteCenter.shtml. 

Join Franciscan Associate Rick Dietz as he traces his spiritual journey of cobbling together his own path with God until his discovery of Franciscan Spirituality. This encounter brought him into a community of brothers and sisters, a deepened relationship with God who is good and loving, and a greater freedom to serve those in need.   Currently Director of the Franciscan Life Center which is based out of Little Falls, Minnesota, Rick notes “that at the core of the Trinity is a good and loving relationship between the Trinity which over spills into all of creation....We are really brothers and sisters to all that is in creation, and should be respectful of and defenders of all that is in creation.”   “I started looking into Franciscan spirituality and the understanding of the Trinity and how this divine relationship spills over into creation. ...Franciscans have this understanding that relationships are not just prized, but are somehow reflective of the divine. There's a primacy to relationship more so than of knowledge. Relationship and spirituality go together much more than knowledge and spirituality.”   References:   Masculine Spirituality: Rick recommends this classic: Wildmen, Warriors, and Kings: Masculine Spirituality and the Bible by Patrick Arnold (https://www.amazon.com/Wildmen-Warriors-Kings-Masculine-Spirituality/dp/0824512529).   Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction: http://desertrenewal.org/hesychia-sd-school/.   Saint Francis of Assisi's Praises to be said at all Hours, verse 11 “All powerful, most holy, most high, supreme God: all good, supreme good, totally good, You Who alone are good, may we give you all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honor, all blessing, and all good.  So be it!  So be it!  Amen.” See: https://franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of- francis/the-undated-writings/the-praises-to-be-said-at-all-the-hours/178-fa-ed-1-page-162.   God as Good and Loving: Rick submitted this passage for your reflection: Saint “Bonaventure was apparently impressed by the notion of ultimate divine goodness.  In the New Testament, he writes, God reveals his name as Good (Lk 18:19 ‘No one is good but God alone'); whereas in the Old Testament, God revealed his name as Being (Exod 3:14 ‘I am who Am').  Since God reveals Godself as Good in the New Testament, the Trinity must be essentially grounded in the good…Charity (love) is the supreme content of the good, the highest form of the good.  Thus, if God is good then God is also charity or love.  Where there is fullness of divinity there is fullness of goodness, and where there is fullness of goodness there is fullness of charity (love).” -Ilia Delio OSF, Simply Bonaventure, pp. 41-42, Hyde Park NY, New City Press, 2001. (https://www.newcitypress.com/simply-bonaventure-2nd-edition.html)   All of creation are sisters and brothers, sharing the same source: “From a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of "brother" or "sister," because he knew they shared with him the same beginning.” -St. Bonaventure, Major Legend 8:5; see: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-founder/the-legends-and-sermons-about-saint-francis-by-bonaventure-of-bagnoregio/the-major-legend-of-saint-francis/the-life-of-blessed-francis/1679-fa-ed-2-page-590.   God as Triune Communion; call to deep relationships of love: “For Franciscans, the moral order transcends the individual self and points toward communion and relationship with others, but ultimately with God. Understanding God as Triune Communion, participation in divine life is the true human goal. This goal is ultimately a deep relationship of love based upon the nature of God as source of reality. Relationship is the moral goal because the divine is essentially relational, because we are created in the image of God, and because we are invited to enter freely into that relationship.”      -Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ, “Moral Goodness and Beauty,” in The Franciscan Moral Vision:         Responding to Gods Love, ed. Thomas A. Nairn. (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2013), p. 118.   Styles of Leadership transformed; Pat Smith reflects: “Franciscans lead from a position of littleness. The Incarnation was central to Francis' theology; it formed and shaped his leadership style. He led from the stance of humility, like the Word of God who bent low to assume our humanity. Franciscan leadership is not something to be sought but rather is to be humbly lived wherever we happen to find ourselves. Francis found God and led others to God in the context of simply being a little human creature.” -Pat Smith OSF, “Franciscan Leadership: Mutual Love Generating a Future,” Keynote    Presentation of the Franciscan Federation Annual Conference, July 10-13, 2009.   Being examples and mirrors in community: “For the Lord himself has placed us as a model, as an example and mirror not only for others, but also for our sisters which the Lord has called to our way of life as well, that they in turn might be a mirror and example to those living in the world. Since the Lord has called us to such great things that those who are a mirror and example to others may be reflected in us, we are greatly bound to bless and praise God and to be strengthened more and more to do good in the Lord.”             -Saint Clare of Assisi, Testament 19-22 See: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-testament-clare-of-assisi/237-ca-ed-1-page-61.   Saint Clare's method of contemplative prayer and how bring it into the world: In her Second Letter to Agnes of Prague, Clare includes four steps, inviting us to embrace the poor Christ, following him as we Gaze, Consider, Contemplate, and Imitate. -2LAg 18-20; see the fuller text: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-second-letter-to-agnes-of-prague/225-ca-ed-1-page-49.   Saint Francis saw all as gift, Rick calls him a “re-gifter;” he often gave away cloaks or tunics that had been given to him. -See: Saint Bonaventure, Major Legend 8:5: See text: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-founder/the-legends-and-sermons-about-saint-francis-by-bonaventure-of-bagnoregio/the-major-legend-of-saint-francis/the-life-of-blessed-francis/1679-fa-ed-2-page-590.   Pope Francis, encyclicals and documents draw from Saint Francis' experience of others and all of creation being our brothers and sisters. --Laudato Si: you can purchase a print copy, or here is an electronic version: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html. --The Franciscan Character of ‘Laudato Si', by Dan Horan: https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/franciscan-character-laudato-si. --Fratelli Tutti: you can purchase a print copy, or here is an electronic version: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html. --Franciscan Study Guide for Fratelli Tutti: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/fratelli-tutti-study-guide. --Document on Human Fraternity for world peace and living together is a brief consideration of some of these values; signed 2-4-19 by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Yayeb: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html.

Join Shawn Colberg of St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary, who is hopeful for the future as he notes that the overarching goal of theological study is growth in love for God and others. Listen as he considers study in relation to spirituality and contemplation in relation to action, reflecting as well on intersections between Franciscan, Benedictine, and Dominican traditions.   Shawn describes his surprise that “the Christian life is one of greater tension and newness then I probably want it to be....I now realize that things are ever ancient, ever new, and there's always a newness that's gonna require some death to other things, some dying away from the way I assume things had to be or should be.”   “They call him [Bonaventure] the Seraphic doctor. I love thinking about him as someone who is all about building up desire and love for God and for others. Theology should be an exercise which inflames in us a love for God and for others.”   “One of the great values I draw from folks like Francis and Clare and Bonaventure is that mendicancy ought not to be a burden, but an opportunity...or a pathway into a fuller realization of who we are as children of God  So often what keeps us from communion with God and others, is our self-interest, our distraction with stuff, our worry about honor or affirmation. The beauty of the mendicant way, the beauty of the Franciscan Wisdom is that it tells us...if you're willing to let go of these things, you create new space in yourself and in the world for deeper communion with God, for deeper communion with sisters and brothers. I do think that it's the heart of the gospel of Jesus' own self-revelation. But then it's one of the most enduring gifts of Franciscanism. Poverty isn't merely about not having stuff. It's about how do I create a space in myself through self-emptying that can be filled with a love and a desire and a joy and a peacefulness that I wouldn't otherwise have space for.”   “The beauty of the Franciscan and the Dominican [mendicants], is that they're committed to both [action and contemplation]. It's always a both/and.” Bonaventure gives admonitions in the Prologues to his writings where he gives guidance, such as “prefer Wisdom to knowledge, simplicity to curiosity, devotion to investigation.”   References: Darwin twine ball—learn more: https://www.darwintwineball.com/twineball.html   Mendicancy: “for Franciscan women and men, mendicancy, which is in some ways, very different from [Benedictine] stability, creates the condition for daily conversion and growth into something new.” A readable essay: https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/march-april-2017/'begging-without-shame'-medieval-mendicant-orders-relied-on-contributions.   Shawn Colberg’s book about Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure:  https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-wayfarers-end-colberg/.   Studium generales founded by Thomas Aquinas who wandered around setting up little schools for beginning Dominicans.   Saint Bonaventure: an introduction: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-bonaventure-a-franciscan-heart; a more detailed exploration:  https://www.franciscan-archive.org/bonaventura/   Libers: Shawn states that Bonaventure writes “these spiritual works, helping his fellow Franciscans try to rediscover the charism of Francis. And to do that, he draws upon all these different books. He sometimes calls them libers: the book of nature, the book of scripture, the book of Jesus and the book of Francis, to name just a few.” They include writings such as the Legenda Maior (Major Legend biography of Saint Francis; the Itinerarium mentis in Deum (Journey of the Soul into God); the Lignum Vitae (the Tree of Life, a journey through the Scriptural story of Jesus). Shawn goes on to say that these “journeys that he puts us on are meant to be journeys that build that flame or that desire inside us. I really love that about, him and about the mendicant life.”   Conversatio morum (“daily conversion of death to some things and birth to new things”) and stability (“the condition of the possibility for the tension and transformation”) in the Benedictine tradition; see: https://abbeyvocations.org/monastic-glossary and for more on Conversatio morum, see: http://idahomonks.org/manual_sections/sect805.html.   “Vestigia” or footprint: listen for the story (found at 27:56) regarding nothing going to waste, and what was found among the used file folders at the Monastery!   How study translates to everyday spiritual life: “That's really what theology is about is engaging modern women and men's questions about themselves and about God's presence in the world.... the work of study is the work of building up the intellect, of building up the mind. Not so much with facts and figures or content, but with Wisdom. It's to help the mind grow wise by studying the scriptures, by engaging the tradition, by listening to the stories of women and men, particularly women and men at the margins of our world and letting us become wise....growth in Wisdom allows us to use our love to will things and desire things in the right direction....The goal of contemplative theology is to give us a space in which to take those questions and form them. In other words, shape them into a direction that builds up the kingdom of God.”

Join Sister Ruth Lentner who sees the Franciscan way as a joyful and hope-filled path into God. Together we explore the soul’s journey with persons, creation, contemplative prayer, and poetry as companions on the way.   Ruth highlights that “Nature is a place that calls me into God in very deep and profound ways. And from my earliest days on retreat, I needed some way to express myself. Because it's like this bundle, burst of energy is inside of me that wants to say something. Wants to write something down. And so I started trying poetry to see if that would be a way that I could express that inner relationship happening with God through the creative world.”   “What I found from writing is that poetry is a really healthy way of interacting with yourself and the earth. It helps you understand some days when things are difficult, you put it down in a poem. Boy, it sure feels better. You got it out. Or you just need to express what you're seeing, where in your soul is being moved and touched by this beautiful creation.”     References: Rosary: https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-rosary or https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary.   Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN: A monastic community of women who seek God in their daily lives according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. See: https://sbm.osb.org/.   Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN:  Catholic women religious who follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ and walk in the footsteps of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. We live a poor, simple and prayerful community life, a ministry of presence and witness. See: www.fslf.org.   The Soul’s Journey into God, by St. Bonaventure: a beautiful descriptive article about this writing: http://franciscanseculars.com/the-souls-journey-into-god/. A readable translation of this work: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Into-God-St-Bonaventure/dp/1619560119.   Amish: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amish   Little Falls Garden to School Initiative: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ship/reports/docs/districtsheets/nine.pdf.     Contemplative Prayer: see: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2709-2719: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm. Also the Show Notes from Episodes 3 and 8.   Hoarfrost: this video describes various types of frost, including hoarfrost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q9GhTDDRjk.   Julian of Norwich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich.   Care of the Earth: a good reference to this is Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home. This text is animated by Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun; see: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/saint-francis-and-his-canticle.

Join our guest, Franciscan Associate Brianda Cediel, as she tells the inspiring story of what she has learned, and in turn teaches, from her childhood in Colombia to co-founding Hands Across the World in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.   Brianda notes that “we are all unique. We are beautiful pieces of art from God. Everyone. ...This is the beauty of our Franciscan values. ...We are open to everyone. We fit, we all fit, under our Franciscan values.”   “We all can practice our faith, but we all have one God in common. This is the commonality that we have, we have only one God. This is the beauty that I see working with all of them. I'm open always to all people.”   “I love when we sit down around the table, people of different faiths, just praying together, learning from each other. We believe there is only one God. And our prayers from the different faiths, we all have so many things in common. I see we are all the same.”   “As Franciscans we like to put our words in action with justice. We are always looking for the needs of the people and make sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, and there is justice. ...We are always looking and identifying for new leaders. We need to be servant to the others so the others can learn about serving. They learn that the power is not only on one person. It's about the people. It's about everyone.”     References: ESOL, English as a Second Language: for a description of ESOL: https://www.wallstreetenglish.com/blog/what-is-esol/.   Peace Prayer, attributed to Saint Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/a-closer-look-at-the-peace-prayer-of-st-francis.   Hands Across the World: Co-founded by Franciscans Associate Brianda Cediel and Sister Tonie Rausch in 2003; S. Tonie died in June 2017. Staff and volunteers continue growing this amazing non-profit: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/.   Engaging Franc Spirituality program: sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls https://fslf.org/FranciscanSpiritualityProgram.   Saint Francis as Alter Christus: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/04/st--francis-of-assisi--founder-of-the-franciscan--order--patron-.html;.   Interfaith Prayer for Peace: see https://catholicoutlook.org/pope-participates-in-moment-of-prayer-for-peace/ and  https://ofm.org/blog/pope-francis-in-assisi-for-world-day-of-prayer-for-peace/.   Greater MN Workers Center: a non-profit whose mission it is to organize, advocate and empower low wage workers in greater Minnesota; see: https://www.mygmwc.org/?page_id=5.   Christian Muslim Dialogue: see https://csbsju.edu/news/jay-phillips-march-28-2019; and https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-minnesota-christian-muslim-dialogue-turns-strangers-into-neighbors-45635; and  https://apnews.com/article/f6621f7f15d048098c3779bcad75c947.   Saint Cloud Community Policing Agreement with communities of color: https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/14904/St-Cloud-Community-Policing-Agreement?bidId=.   Catholic Social Teachings: https://www.usccb.org/offices/justice-peace-human-development/catholic-social-teaching; see also Show Notes of Episodes 5 and 6.

Join our guest, Father Joe Herzing, as he ponders the gift and call for us to be sisters and brothers, the invitation to simple living, and the beauty of Saints Francis and Clare living the Gospel and mirroring to us Jesus’ message of freedom and wholeness of life.   Father Joe says: “To simply live with people in some joy, in some real sharing of brotherhood and sisterhood is a beautiful blessing. In that, I try to not have too much stuff, to live a life where there is greater freedom for prayer, greater freedom for love, greater freedom to serve.”   “(Saint) Francis, a person of means, decided not to be a person of means in order to share the life of others. Who do we want to have as part of our life in our brother, sister relationships?... I think Francis definitely shapes a way of looking for the dispossessed in the world. I try to make that a mark of my preaching and of my way of life. I feel that whomever we're trying to relate with, that we have the hope of a true brother and sister relationship with them, even with people outside the Christian community.”   “I am struck by the beauty of the words of Pope Francis' Fratelli Tutti and the brotherhood and sisterhood of all humankind....Saint Francis and Pope Francis continue to give me hope and enliven me in ministry, even in a world where seemingly you have to be strong and almost angry in order to make your mark. Francis gives us this great opposite of that, counter to the dominant culture, mirroring Jesus' message to us for freedom and for wholeness of life. It truly is the Gospel. It points out a part of the Gospel that we seem to be losing.”   References: Saint Dominic:  Get to know Dominic, a contemporary of St. Francis, https://www.dominicancenter.org/feast-of-saint-dominic-2/. Dominicans: The Dominican Order has four branches, https://domlife.org/BeingDominican/WhoWeAre/BeingDominicanIndex.htm.   NET / National Evangelization Team: for further information, see https://netusa.org/.   Story of Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: Read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485. A contemporary exploration of this story in light of care of creation: Befriending the Wolf: Blessing all God’s Creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHbgnAdaVk.   Assisi, Italy: Saints Francis and Clare’s home town https://sacredsites.com/europe/italy/assisi.html.   Franciscan University of Steubenville, formerly the College of Steubenville https://franciscan.edu/about/.   Saint Clare: a short biography about Saint Clare https://stclare.ca/patron-saints/st-clare/.   George Floyd: The May 25, 2020 death at the hands of police of this African American man prompted protests in Minneapolis and beyond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd.   Saint Francis’ visit to the Sultan: a 2016 film based on the true story of Saint Francis and Sultan al Kamil’s encounter during the 5th Crusade https://www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com/about-the-film/ (available on Amazon Prime). See also Show Notes from Episodes 6 and 9.   Francesco: Hermano del Universo / Francis: Brother of the Universe: read about this Marvel Comic book superhero initiative that has reached over 15 million readers in eight languages:  https://hnp.org/last-marvel-st-francis-comic-books-available/. No longer in print, although used copies may be available.   Fratelli Tutti, by Pope Francis, 1-2: Fr Joe quoted from this document: “Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate, and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives....this saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy,...fraternity and social friendship.” See:  http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html.     Pope Francis’ New Year’s Eve text: see article with excerpts at: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/12/pope-indirectly-sends-new-years-message-of-hope-amid-crisis/.

Join our guest, Sister Clara Stang, as she tells of her roots on the family farm flowering into wings of experiences ranging from rural communities in Tennessee to dialogue across religious traditions.   Sister Clara notes: “I want to celebrate the goodness that God has given us and to invite more people to see that beauty and to become part of it.... Look for the good, look for the beauty. Sometimes I think those things that divide get too much attention and they kind of eat up who we are eventually or take first place. And that's not the way God would like it to be. God created the world as good, created all people as good. We need to ask God to help us to see and to be grateful for that.”   References:   What was Vatican II? See five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. Sixteen documents were promulgated: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/16-documents-of-the-second-vatican-council-1509. See also Episode 6.   Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi: Co-founders of the Franciscan family: https://www.fslf.org/OurHistory/#FrancisofAssisiandtheFranciscanFirstOrder.   English as a second language and more: Hands Across the World: Sister Tonie Rausch and Brianda Cediel co-founded this initiative where Sister Clara volunteered: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/copy-of-contact-1. Brianda will be our guest in Episode 11.   My Neighbor is Muslim: This program has been used in various communities in Minnesota and has served to build bridges of understanding among Christian and Muslim neighbors: https://www.lssmn.org/get-involved/church-partnerships/resources/studies/my-neighbor-is-muslim.   Saint Francis and the Sultan: For informative articles in honor of the 800th Anniversary of this visit, see: https://ofm.org/blog/st-francis-and-the-sultan-1219-2019-a-commemorative-booklet/. See also Episode 6.   Nostra Aetate, Inter-faith relations document from Vatican II. The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html.   Romans 12:2 Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect

Join Katherine Giorgio in this interview as she takes us to the roots of her faith in the hub of family life, and into her exploration as a young adult, discovering a surprising path to freedom.   In Katherine’s own words: “I find a lot of freedom in the Franciscan way of seeing the world and understanding God, it's something that I had known or thought on my own and then to have it named and to have it  something that a lot of people have spent their life diving deeper into, was really great.”   “There's something about being a young adult that inherently requires change and growth and experimenting... failing, all of those things, you can't really be a young adult without diving into that. And I think that's also a very Franciscan approach. ... With continual conversion, that's all about moving forward, trying new things and learning from that, and being willing to put in the hard work. I see a lot of young adults embodying those Franciscan values, whether or not that's what they call it. ... I feel like it's a very appropriate response to our current world.”   References:   Franciscan Community Volunteers: https://fslf.org/franciscan-community-volunteers. Rooted in meaningful service, intentional community and Franciscan spirituality, FCV was a blessing to the young adult volunteers, to the Franciscan community, and to those who were served. FCV was closed in 2020 due to declining interest in long-term volunteer programs. For information about current short and long-term programs, see: https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/.   Saint Francis, in listening to the Gospel, responded: "This is what I want," he said, "this is what I seek, this is what I desire with all my heart." For the full story, see 1 Celano IX:22 on pages 201 and 202: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/642-fa-ed-1-page-201.   Engaging Franciscan Spirituality is a two-year program of exploration into the Franciscan tradition. For further information: https://www.fslf.org/FranciscanSpiritualityProgram.   Yoga: To support integration of body, mind and emotions, Katherine draws from the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SarahBethShow.   Franciscan Associates of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls: if interested in further information about this relationship, please contact the Minister of Associates, Geri Dietz, at 320-232-0698.   Tau Cross: The Tau, found in both the Hebrew and Greek alphabets and referred to in Ezekiel 9:4, is a well-loved symbol in the Franciscan family. To learn more: https://www.fspa.org/content/s/the-tau-cross-a-revolutionary-response-to-goodness.       Centering Prayer is a contemporary form of contemplative prayer; see: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/. Consider also a smart phone app called “Centering Prayer,” offered by Contemplative Outreach. You will find many regional websites online listing area centering prayer groups. For those who live in Minnesota, see: https://www.minnesotacontemplativeoutreach.org/groups.html.   What does Struggle Bus mean? https://www.slanglang.net/struggle-bus/.   What is Spiritual Direction? Spiritual directors accompany individuals or groups in deepening their spiritual lives and their relationship with God. See interview with Teresa Blythe: https://youtu.be/b6l7UN9wxEg; for further exploration, listen to Sister Michelle at: https://40minutesoffaith.com/podcast/spiritual-direction-with-michelle-l.

Join Darleen Pryds in this interview as she takes us on her faith journey from being a small child who knew God’s presence to becoming agnostic, from living through tension into discovery of the interconnection of her personal faith, her academic work and her life experiences. Walk with her as she brings contemplation into life and explores the gift of authenticity. In Darleen’s own words, “Deeply embedded in the Franciscan tradition and in what I cultivate as a lay Franciscan, is how are we deeply present with one another in all of creation. That presence, the authenticity of presence ... that's what it means to be Franciscan: to be deeply present.”     References: The Little Flowers of Saint Francis: this text dates to more than 100 years after Francis died, this text contains poetic stories and popular legends about him:    https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2467-fa-ed-3-page-566.   Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration chapel: https://www.fspa.org/content/chapel.   The Trouble with Angels movie; learn more about it at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Angels_(film)   JD Salinger's Franny and Zooey is available online or as a book. Learn about the contemplative prayer, including the Jesus Prayer.   For more information on Lady Jacopa, see: Audio recordings from Learn25 https://www.learn25.com/product-category/professors/prof-darleen-pryds-ph-d/. See A Catholic’s Guide to the Spirituality of Dying and Death for a retelling of the story of Lady Jacopa and Francis. See also “The Spirituality of Presence: The Story of Lady Jacopa and Francis” https://www.academia.edu/17131249/The_Spirituality_of_Presence_The_Story_of_Lady_Jacopa_and_Francis.   Additional articles by Darleen can be found on her page on Academia.edu https://fst-us.academia.edu/DarleenPryds.   Darleen’s bio page at FST: https://www.fst.edu/faculty-staff/darleen-pryds-phd/.   Darleen’s Books: The King Embodies the Word: Robert d’Anjou and the Politics of Preaching (2000) https://brill.com/view/title/6701. Franciscan Institute Publications: https://www.franciscanpublications.com/search?q=Pryds (See for Women of the Streets: Early Franciscan Women and their Mendicant Vocation (2010); Enduring Presence: Diversity and Authenticity among the First Generations of Lay Franciscans (2018)).   For an exploration of contemplation in ordinary life, see “Finding Deep Gratitude in Ordinary Time,” https://www.academia.edu/35212819/Finding_Deep_Gratitude_in_Ordinary_Time.

Our guest today is Franciscan Associate Rosanne Fischer. Here are two excerpts from her reflections:    “As I've come to read more and pray more with Francis and Clare...Franciscan values are simply gospel values.”   “There's so much that brings us together as a family of faith around our globe and there's so much we have to learn from each other. It's a deepening of our own faith when we step out of our comfort zone into the traditions and the song and the dance and the beauty and the thought of other cultures participation in our faith. Not even just among Catholics. Among all religions there so much to learn and grow from, and I feel that Francis and Clare grasped that as well.”   References: Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: The power of non-violent love; see The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485.   Saint Francis met with Sultan al-Kamik: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano. FA:ED, vol. 1, p. 231. at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1.    Saint Cloud Mission Office: Bridge-building between the local diocesan church and communities of faith throughout the world. http://mission.stcdio.org/mission-office-homepage/who-we-are/.    Clare’s Well is now Wellsprings Farm: the website is: www.wellspringsfarm.org.    Saint Clare of Assisi: “Transform your entire being into the image of God through contemplation.” See quote in original context in Clare’s Third Letter to Agnes of Prague 12-16: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-third-letter-to-agnes-of-prague/227-ca-ed-1-page-51#ges:searchword%3Dtransform%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1.    Catholic Social Teachings (CST): often referred to as a hidden treasure of the Catholic Church; I agree. I remained Catholic as a young adult because I learned the CST! A site with videos and resources: https://www.crs.org/resource-center/CST-101.    What was Vatican II? See five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. Sixteen documents were promulgated: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/16-documents-of-the-second-vatican-council-1509.    Caribbean and North American Council for Mission (CANACOM): “Mission takes place where people interact with people, seeking to overcome all that separates people from one another and from God.”    Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sermon - Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution: “Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet…we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers [and sisters]. Or we will perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  And whatever effects one directly affects all indirectly…. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured.” -Full text of 3-31-68 sermon at: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/remaining-awake-through-great-revolution.    Chief Seattle – words attributed to him: “We humans have not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

Selected Excerpts: “The common good is what affects every level of our population. What affects the poor; it's housing, food, jobs and wages, the neighborhoods....Just that word, common. God made all of us. We are brothers and sisters. God did not separate us. We are one in Jesus, his son, and we separate ourselves when we don't care for the poor. We live in a common home, just as a family does, which are brothers and sisters. Some who are poor and disabled these days are readily sacrificed because they're a burden and Pope Francis and Jesus didn't see anybody that way.”   “We are to create a community of belonging and a community of solidarity, really of our time and our energy and our resources.”   “We are truly brothers and sisters to each other. I like this image of a melody from Saint Irenaeus. Francis quotes that the notes and the melody are not created separately and apart from each other. But they're composed by the same person in one melody. And it's not the same melody if we leave some notes out, it has to contain every note.”   “True love of neighbor comes from the realization that God sent his son, Jesus, to unite us with himself and with each other. If we are Christian, we believe that we are one in Jesus. And with Jesus, one in the Father, loved by God's Holy Spirit of love. If we believe that, our hearts must identify with others, without worrying about where they were born or where they come from. Sharing what we have, not worrying about what they're going to take away from us. What can we give them? ...they're amazing gifts to us.  They bring us news of other cultures, expand our own worlds, show us places where we're not able to go.”   References:   --What is an encyclical? It is a circular letter from the Pope; addressed to Catholic clergy and laity, it contains the Pope’s views on church teachings and doctrine in a particular area.   --Rerum Novarum: On the Condition of Labor (On the Rights of Workers) is an encyclical written by Pope Pious XIII in 1891. See: http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html.   --Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship: A short summary, including a link to the entire document: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-10/fratelli-tutti-pope-fraternity-social-friendship-short-summary.html.   --Encyclicals are part of the Catholic Social Teachings (CST): Here are the key principles of CST: https://www.cctwincities.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Key-10-Principles-of-CST_1-pager.pdf. These short videos bring the CST principles/themes “to life and inspire us to put our faith into action”: https://www.crs.org/resource-center/CST-101.   --What is the common good? A short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6oSJg6wuBg. “Every person should have sufficient access to the goods and resources of society so that they can completely and easily live fulfilling lives. The rights of the individual to personal possessions and community resources must be balanced with the needs of the disadvantaged and dispossessed.” Cited from: https://www.caritas.org.au/about/catholic-social-teaching-values#:~:text=The%20common%20good,of%20the%20disadvantaged%20and%20dispossessed.   --Story of the Good Samaritan: This story is found in the New Testament of the Bible; see Luke 10:25-37. In the encyclical, Pope Francis breaks open this parable in its implications for us today.                                                                                                                                                             --Hands Across the World: Franciscan Associate Brianda Cediel is co-founder of this non-profit, a first learning experience of language and living skills for newly arrived immigrants and refugees in the St. Cloud area of Central Minnesota: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/. Co-founder Franciscan Sister Tonie Rausch died in 2016.   --Saint Gregory the Great: “When we provide the needy with their basic needs, we are giving them what belongs to them, not to us”.       -As quoted in Fratelli Tuttis; from Regula Pastoralis, III, 21: PL 77, 87.   --Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise: This beautiful prayer book is filled with Scripture, Franciscan readings, songs, and a full liturgical year of morning and evening prayer. Many Third Order Regular congregations in the United States, including our own, pray with this book twice daily. Unfortunately, it is mostly out of stock. If you are interested, there are some copies of the two-volume edition available: https://www.leafletonline.com/franciscan-morning-and-evening-praise.

From the margins as a misguided youth to serving faith communities as a pastoral leader, our guest Steve Peterson shares his story of amazing grace. His journey of conversion brought him to freedom in Christ, to humble loving which overcomes fear with love, and to celebrate the joy of being human.   Selected excerpts from the interview: “I looked for allies or exemplars in the faith. That's  where I discovered a little more deeply and got inspiration and encouragement from this mentor, Saint Francis, from 800 years ago....Everybody loves St. Francis and, and he is definitely a part of the church; he's even called a Saint. So, if a lot of what I'm feeling and experiencing is in line with who Saint Francis was, why that's somewhere I can take comfort and be encouraged and guided from.”   “All of life is sacramental. As a pastor, I not only see the people in the church that I serve and the administrating of the sacraments with a big S...but also that God is present and speaking to us, conveying God's presence through all kinds of means and in all kinds of places in our, in our daily life and as we look at the world around us. I think that's a very Franciscan way of looking at the world.”                                             “Whenever I've been in a position of leadership,...one of my very top priorities has been to do whatever I can to foster a sense of community and to be a part of a community that is engaged in this ministry, on this following Jesus together. Discerning God's Spirit of where we are being called together, when the Spirit is really not blocked so much and is given free rein, also where the sense of joy that I think is intrinsic to being human.”   “When we're connected to God and connected to each other and connected to a purpose that God gives us together, that is really life-giving, that's where the real joy is. Even if it involves hard things, there's a joy there....Something wonderful is happening that is much larger than the sum of what each of us brought to it, that the Spirit somehow is birthing something that's new and greater than the sum of our parts. And that is just a joy to be a part of that.”   “When there's an openness to God's Spirit and some humility, that we can discover what our voice is, what our instrument is for being vehicles of God's presence in the world. You know, Francis' saying ... at the end of his life, “I've done what it's been mine to do, may God give you the guidance to do what is yours to do.” Hopefully even this COVID time can deepen our sense of, just openness and being empty enough to being guided by God's Spirit in terms of what is ours to do in this time and in this place that we find ourselves.”   “Francis, I see as, as not only being humble and giving of himself and living simply and sacrificing for others, but I see him also as extremely confident in his stance as God's beloved child, who's called to do what he does. And so there's a real strength there.... I see humility as both of those things: having strength in the gifts that God has given you, and also, being humble enough to understand your vulnerability and that you are just one of God's creatures among that, and not over and above.”   “Less is more. Space in life is good. We don't have to fill every hour of every day with all kinds of action and striving. When we stop and look and listen and create some space and are open to God's Spirit, God will indeed move in our lives and open our ears and eyes and hearts to new possibilities.”   References: --2 Corinthians 12:10: I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.   --Peace Prayer: attributed to Saint Francis, this familiar text is on our Franciscan Sisters website in Spanish and English https://www.fslf.org/CommonFranciscanPrayers/#PeacePrayer.    --Saint Bonaventure’s Major Legend of St Francis 14:3...“I have done what is mine; may Christ teach you yours.” (These are words of Saint Francis to his brothers on his deathbed).

Join Sister Joan Tuberty as she takes us on a journey through her life, exploring the power of images, prayer, and the attraction to Saints Francis and Clare who give us vivid examples of following in the footprints of Jesus. Let us listen and learn together: “I have always experienced Francis and Clare as people of their day, of their time. [It] was attractive to me that it's such a living tradition, that those of us living today should be faithfully engaged in the time in which we're living...All of our life experiences prepare us to be living right now. And to give ourselves to it, bring all that we are into the living present, and be people of prayer who are engaged in the present world situation.”   References: --Tilden Edwards: Founder of Shalem Institute, author; see https://shalem.org/author/tilden-edwards/.  --What is an icon? To learn more: https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/family/catholic-teens/religious-art/icons-as-religious-art/; for more detailed history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icon. --Rublev’s Trinity icon: an invitation to prayer: https://cac.org/take-place-table-2016-09-13/; a historical narrative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_(Andrei_Rublev). --Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying With Icons, Ave Maria Press, 1987 is a book Sister Joan recommends. In it he presents four icons, including Rublev’s Trinity. --San Damiano Crucifix: a description from San Damiano Retreat: https://sandamiano.org/our-franciscan-identity/san-damiano-crucifix/. “The Franciscan Vision and the Gospel of John” by Michael D. Guinan, O.F.M. studies the San Damiano Cross: https://www.amazon.com/Franciscan-Heritage-Damiano-Crucifix-Creation/dp/1576592030. --“Icons: Gifts of Prayer – Soul Images Made Visible” booklet: referred to by Sister Joan; these booklets including art and reflections on five of her icons, will be available until supplies run out. Please submit a request, including your name and address by clicking on the email icon above, or by emailing fslfpodcast@fslf.org. --Visitation of Mary: In Christianity, the Visitation is the visit of Blessed Virgin Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to St. Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 1:39–56. --Story of Saint Francis hearing the call to rebuild the church: to read the story, see Legend of the Three Companions 5:13: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-founder/the-legend-of-the-three-companions/1167-fa-ed-2-page-76. --Story of Saint Francis seeking Saint Clare’s council whether to pray or to preach (action); to see the whole story, see The Deeds of Blessed Father Francis and His Companions XVI:1-13: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2369-fa-ed-3-page-468. --Clarissa Pinkola Estés: quote “We were made for these times” – see: https://www.grahameb.com/pinkola_estes.htm. --Centering Prayer is a contemporary form of contemplative prayer; see: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/. Consider also a smart phone app called “Centering Prayer,” offered by Contemplative Outreach. You will find many regional websites online listing area centering prayer groups. For those who live in Minnesota, see: https://www.minnesotacontemplativeoutreach.org/groups.html.