Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mary Ann Spanjers shares another video in her series on Franciscan Spirituality. She addresses the topic of Franciscan Discernment “A Franciscan Response to War”.
A Franciscan Response to War
The reality that our United States country began another war, this time in Iran, is so very disturbing. I looked at some Franciscan resources to help me sort out how to respond. I found some direction in the book by Hilarion Kistner, OFM, The Gospels According to St Francis
Francis saw Jesus beaten, hanging on the cross, and felt that in his own life; He formed his life by looking at Jesus, growing in love with him, making him his spouse, his brother. Through Jesus, he reached out to the world and made the world one with himself, referring to the prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John—“Holy Father, in your name keep those you have given me…so that they may be sanctified in unity, just as we are” (17:11)—praying that they may be one as Jesus made himself one with the world.
Francis made himself one with Jesus and also made himself one with his world. Francis was totally involved with God. Through Christ crucified he embraced the world at large even as Jesus did.
This is to be our response to the violence and war occurring today; as Franciscan followers of Jesus we need to unite ourselves to the suffering in the world, not to the powerful, the need for oil, the desire to control, but to the people in our world. I can never succumb to viewing another person as someone less than myself.
I echo Pope Leo XIV’s statement, “Stability and peace is not built with reciprocal threats nor with weapons that sow destruction, pain and death, but only through a reasonable authentic responsible dialogue”
May each of us, embrace the people of the world with Jesus who stretched out his arms to all of us.
St Francis, pray for us to become people of peace and dialogue and respect for every human being.
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