October 4, 2009

by Sister Arlene Woelfel

A blessed and happy feast-day to you – How good it is to come together to celebrate the life, vision, and mission of our father and  brother, St. Francis! 

This afternoon, let us reflect for a few minutes on the call to us as Franciscans in this globalized world.  There is a growing sense of interconnectedness and mutual interdependence across the world.  The current financial crisis has helped us see how all of us across the world  are tied  together into invisible and extremely dense webs of interdependence.  But the advances in technology have influenced many people to think that they are like Gods with power and control over nature.  Attitudes of domination and control  have produced a climate of violence that is  causing havoc with all of creation.  Over 80% of the peoples of the world are being marginalized and excluded. And visionary leaders are telling us that the way we consciously manage our cultural life in these next 20 years or so will be decisive for the future of  human race and the life of this planet.

Today we are the Francis and Clares for our world. How do we as Franciscans relate to this  challenge of interdependence in the diverse multicultural world of today? With whom  do we  stand and walk in this globalized world?

Part of the answer is contained in the  opening prelude that began our celebration today -    The Canticle of the Creatures. In that prayer, Francis named an essential element of our Franciscan way of life. Franciscan spirituality rejoices in the rich diversity of creation.

Diversity is the important word for us here. We live in a world characterized by Diversity. There are different ways of being in the world, to envision the future, to relate to our past, and to live in the present. The interests that move us to action are very different.  We have different ways of communicating with the Divine Mystery, with each other and with nature.   With crop and seed diversity, communities can survive droughts. With diverse mutuations, plant and animal species can survive environmental changes.  All of this diversity comes from God.  In a way we could say that Diversity is the language of God.

The challenge to us is to cultivate a spirituality that embraces all  the  rich diversity of creation.  Flowing out of this reverence for all of creation springs the Franciscan attitude of creating space in our hearts for others  to be.  An open, loving heart   has space for others whereas a heart that is afraid, that is full of self-defense, feels threatened by the difference.  As Franciscans, we embrace the other person as a mystery. We do not spend much time trying to understand the other person because it is impossible for our limited minds to fully comprehend the other, who is mystery. We simply embrace the other person, the other culture, and all creation as mystery, as God’s living presence.  

Our second challenge is to learn new ways of communicating across our diversities.  It is easy to say that we embrace each other as brother and sister. But we all know that  to accept and love those who are different from us is a challenge that we face during our entire life. Actually to embrace diversity is the primary challenge facing all of humanity today.  Fear of difference is at the heart of much of the rejection, exclusion, and violence in our world today.  To embrace diversity is a basic prerequisite for our continued growth as a human species.

Once again, Francis showed us the way to relate to those who are different from us.  His idea of the way to communicate across our diversities is centered in the attitude of  humility and the practice of poverty. Now what do humility and poverty have to do with communication?

We know that the ideal of Franciscan poverty is to live without possessing.  When we free ourselves of the obsessive need to protect ourselves or our possessions,  we let go of the reigns of control. We learn that we must depend upon one another.  In humility we discover the courage to leave our comfort zones and reach out to others.  In a way we empty ourselves. We give up our preconceived ideas, privileges and hidden agendas. In poverty and simplicity we create  a space within ourselves to welcome the other, to receive from the other,  to dialog. 

In this way we enter new contact zones, or borderlands, where we strive to create a spaces of mutuality, respectful encounter, and collaborative problem-solving.  Differences are not treated as deficits.  Rather our differences become resources to build upon together, or as contradictions to be negotiated.  In a culture of pluralism, it is this kind of border-crossing, in humility and love, to reach out to others, that convinces and coverts people. In the global world of today such dialogue and cross-cultural understanding are essential elements to the building of peace.

And for some of us, our mission in the face of globalization must move beyond simple immersion in the cultures within which we live and work.  We must be willing to cross borders of all kinds, in respect and appreciation of the other, embracing differences, especially in cultures and religions, with a willingness to live in harmony with diversity.

Our third challenge in this global society is to create communities of solidarity.  Francis referred to everyone as brother and sister. Communities of hospitality and service were formed.  Francis also so identified with  Christ that he was marked with the wounds of Christ.  As Franciscans we must find ways to  make space at the center of our lives for the cause of the crucified peoples  in today’s world, namely… the marginalized and the excluded. We do this through our presence and involvement in communities of solidarity. 

Across the world, there are many different forms of communities in solidarity. Some are action groups focused on human rights issues or eco-justice. Others are communities of resistance. More contemplative groups may call themselves wisdom circles or prayer groups. And there are the traditional religious groups dedicated to prayer and contemplation.  Most important of all, all ages are needed. 

In these communities of solidarity we strive to build and preserve right relationships at all levels. We consciously help create a new model of cooperation, horizontal power, interdependence, unity and diversity. We grow in our ability to freely choose to create global  non-violent communities that celebrate and embrace the diversity and uniqueness of each member of the community. Surely this was the dream of St. Francis.

In conclusion, our Franciscan spirituality is a spirituality of relationship that helps us to know how to respond to the crisis we face in our global society today.  We come understand that diversity provides us with keys to solving futures crises.  We experience a call to do 3 things. 

We must:

  • Cultivate a spirituality that  embraces all  the  rich diversity of creation
  • Learn new ways of communicating across our diversities, and
  • Be involved in communities of solidarity.

In each of these ways we  remove our hearts of stone (as represented by  self interest and the religion of the market) and put on hearts of flesh by working toward the global common good.  We carry out our central mission as Franciscans  in  this great web of life:  to give, heal, and defend life. We become the Franciscan Face of the Gospel in a Multicultural World.