Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Embrace Your Inner Franciscan! post from the our Executive Director, Susie Tierney
From September 1st – October 4th many Christians around the world participate in the “Season of Creation.” In many Christian churches, the Season of Creation is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate all of God’s creation or, in the words of Ronald Sider, this “gorgeous token of affection God has given us.”It’s no accident the Season of Creation ends on October 4th, as this is the day many Christians celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Saint best known and loved for his intimate relationship to “Mother Earth.” As a lay Associate of the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Iowa, I’m pretty partial to St. Francis and even more partial to this beautiful planet.
As I think about this Season of Creation, I’m reminded of a couple of principles that guide a Franciscan view of creation.
The first is this: the image of God exists in all things. Our planet would look and feel vastly different today, if we Christians embraced this one simple principle. If all Christians believed the image of God or “Imago Dei” existed in all living things, our natural default would be to do everything in our power to care for everyone and everything, all the time.
A second principle of a Franciscan view of creation is this: we have a special place in creation, but not a central place. Said more plainly, while we human beings are special because we’ve been created in the image and likeness of God, we’re not the center of the universe. Embracing this concept requires the ability to be humble; to know our place. I’m convinced that much of today’s environmental degradation is a direct result of “center of the universe” thinking. Whether consciously or unconsciously, if we believe the universe revolves around us, it makes it much easier to pillage and plunder everything we can see and touch.
A third principle of a Franciscan view of creation is this: we have boundaries and limits that have been set for us. While God created this wonderful planet in such a way that it should be able to regenerate itself, the earth’s ability to do so is being hindered or completely obstructed by us humans. There are a finite number of natural resources. There are a finite number of times toxic chemicals can be put into our ground, air and water before they begin to do serious damage to the earth and to us. And, there are a finite number of times we can do things that prohibit the natural world from replenishing itself, so it is better able to protect us. The magnitude of damage caused by hurricanes in the past 10-20 years – most recently Hurricane Florence – is just one of the many examples of how our actions may well be leading us into a time when the earth can no longer protect us from ourselves.
That said, there are more environmental stewardship organizations today than I have ever seen in my lifetime. The world community is actively seeking out ways to protect Mother Earth, so she can continue to replenish herself, and nourish and protect us. And, the next generation is learning about and involving themselves in efforts to care for our planet in unprecedented ways, even from very young ages. My hope is not only that these trends will continue, but that all of us will embrace our inner Franciscan and dote over this “gorgeous token of affection” God has given us.
Read the rest of the blog post here.
Did you know that you can now sign up for the JustFaith program in three phases? For the first time, we are offering all three parts of JustFaith as stand alone phases. They are designed to be taken in any order, and are presented in a convenient 8 week time frame. Take one, two, or all three! We also still have the original 24-week program available as well. Visit our program page to learn more about all our programs.
Program Highlight:
JustFaith Phase 3: Living Simply - Caring for the Earth
Living Simply is the phase of JustFaith fully dedicated to environmental justice and creation care. In this phase, participants examine the ecological impact of our lifestyle and how to share the planet’s resources, discuss the concept of stewardship and what it implies for various Christian denominations, discover the contemporary faith-based environmental movement and how they can be part of it.
(offered at the end of Laudato Si):
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
We could introduce it with something like:
At the end of his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis offered the following prayer for the Earth, inviting each of us to care for God's Creation.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Here at JustFaith we celebrate and give thanks for our donors who are the gardeners of compassionate and justice. With the rising and setting of the sun, it is the commitment of all of our donors that help change our world. Would you consider becoming a monthly donor to help us to keep planting the seeds of compassion?To make a gift, please visit our donation page or contact Melissa Brown, Development Associate at melissa@justfaith.org or (502) 429-0865.
Love Is Always With Usshared by our partners at Maryknoll
Dr. Susan Nagele had never seen a case of measles during her entire medical training. That changed when she became a Maryknoll Lay Missioner and moved to a village in Tanzania. Shortly after Susan arrived, an outbreak of measles struck the area. Two to three children died every day, literally suffocating to death. Susan and the local medical team she worked with responded by initiating community outreach clinics to provide immunizations throughout the area. Within three years, no children were dying. Within six years, there were no more children sick with measles.
This experience was by no means the end of Susan's mission journey. In fact, she ended up staying in East Africa for more than thirty years. There she participated in a variety of projects with the goal of providing high quality healthcare to all, with special attention to those who are stigmatized or marginalized. She especially focused on training local health care workers, enhancing their capacity to provide quality services. In recognition of her achievements, the American Medical Association eventually awarded her the Medal of Valor.
Reflecting back on her experiences, Susan remarks that as much as she gave to others, she could never have imagined how much she would gain in return. As she put it, “I have been so blessed by the people I have worked with. . . . The faith of these people in a loving God who is with us always, has truly made me know that we are never alone. Love is always with us.”
For more information about becoming a Maryknoll Lay Missioner or supporting the organization’s work, please visit www.mklm.org.
shared by our partners at Bread for the World
In Such a Time as This...We Need Your Letters!
It’s not too late to hold an Offering of Letters.
In an Offering of Letters (also part of the JustFaith curriculum), people write letters as a group on specific legislation, then present them as an offering to God before mailing them to Congress. This year, people have written hundreds of thousands of letters supporting funding for critical federal, anti-hunger programs. Still, Congress is considering deep cuts in the 2019 federal budget.
Keep up the pressure; they need to hear from you and your congregation. Find out more and download the step-by-step kit here.
Already held an OL earlier this year? Consider holding another one. And, make sure you reported your congregation’s letters so we can follow up with your member of Congress, here.
Click here to see the current JustFaith Ministries Immersion Trips
JustFaith Ministries is a nonprofit organization that forms, informs, and transforms people of faith by offering programs and resources that sustain them in their compassionate commitment to build a more just and peaceful world.
***
This experience was by no means the end of Susan's mission journey. In fact, she ended up staying in East Africa for more than thirty years. There she participated in a variety of projects with the goal of providing high quality healthcare to all, with special attention to those who are stigmatized or marginalized. She especially focused on training local health care workers, enhancing their capacity to provide quality services. In recognition of her achievements, the American Medical Association eventually awarded her the Medal of Valor.
Reflecting back on her experiences, Susan remarks that as much as she gave to others, she could never have imagined how much she would gain in return. As she put it, “I have been so blessed by the people I have worked with. . . . The faith of these people in a loving God who is with us always, has truly made me know that we are never alone. Love is always with us.”
For more information about becoming a Maryknoll Lay Missioner or supporting the organization’s work, please visit www.mklm.org.
shared by our partners at Bread for the WorldIn Such a Time as This...We Need Your Letters!
It’s not too late to hold an Offering of Letters.
In an Offering of Letters (also part of the JustFaith curriculum), people write letters as a group on specific legislation, then present them as an offering to God before mailing them to Congress. This year, people have written hundreds of thousands of letters supporting funding for critical federal, anti-hunger programs. Still, Congress is considering deep cuts in the 2019 federal budget.
Keep up the pressure; they need to hear from you and your congregation. Find out more and download the step-by-step kit here.
Already held an OL earlier this year? Consider holding another one. And, make sure you reported your congregation’s letters so we can follow up with your member of Congress, here.
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