Image from: http://www.cmq.org.uk/CMQ/2020/May | St. Francis' first act of penance was to unite himself to the lepers, the most vulnerable in 13th century Italy. After his radical conversion, St Francis preached the message of penance to all who would listen. Today, 800 years later, some of us equate St. Francis with poverty, humility, gentleness and/or joy. I can see all these attributes in St. Francis but I believe that each of us is attracted to a particular aspect of his personality according to our uniqueness and our call to action in life. The question is: “How does St. Francis inspire you to take action?” |
I asked my adult son what he found most inspiring about St. Francis of Assisi. His text reply came back, “I really like his attunement to nature!” This is rather a profound statement. Attunement is the reactiveness we have to the other. Neural scientists in the 21st century will tell us, this attunement or reactiveness to the other is what enables us to form relationships. Dr. Dan Siegel says, "When we attune with others we allow our own internal state to shift, to come to resonate with the inner world of another.” (Mindsight (2009) |
If St. Francis is an exemplar of ‘the Way’ that Jesus teaches, then shouldn’t we as Secular Franciscans be walking that way? Shouldn’t we be moving with utmost love and respect for the other whether human or non-human? Shouldn’t we be responding to the cries of the earth and the cries of the poor which are so integrally connected?
In my zeal to learn more, I have been watching a number of documentaries. One being Drowning in Plastic, |
In my excitement, I told my son about these documentaries and suggested he might want to watch them. Initially, I was surprised by his response. I thought he might be interested to know the truth but in hindsight, I believe he already did. Son: “Not sure if I’d want to watch that Drowning in Plastic film.” Me: “Oh….because it would be too upsetting?” Son: “Yeah” Me: “OK. I understand. I shed a few tears.” |
During Laudato Si Week (May 16-24, 2020), consider how your lifestyle has prevented the world and those suffering in the world access to healing.
Start Living the Change!