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Lanny Hui, ofs, OLOTA and member of the National Formation Team, has shared this video (53 min) with us. It is a talk by Sr. John Mary Sullivan, FSE, held on Dec. 5. The retreat was organized by St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity, Red Deer, AB and was attended by about 60 people on ZOOM. This could be a on-going formation subject at a time when meetings are not possible. The retreat was called, "Love Incarnate - Hope for All". How can we deepen our knowledge of God? What are ways in which we can make space for God? As a people of Hope, how can we witness "Jesus Christ as the Hope of All Nations" to others?
Reflection Questions: (found at the end of the video)
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Francis' twin ideas of fraternity and social friendship underscore the urgency of Ubuntu in our present-day context, where the fabric of humanity is riven by atavistic conflicts, ideological division, isolationist paranoia and political polarization that take a catastrophic toll on the weak and vulnerable (18-19).
Devoid of a common uniting horizon, our ancestral fear of others drives us to build walls (26-27, 37, 41), thereby weakening our belonging to a common family and eviscerating our dream of a common purpose (30). Yet we are in this together (35); hence the imperative of building a community of solidarity and belonging. "Mountains don't meet, but people do," says a Swahili proverb. A foundational premise of Ubuntu recognizes the centrality of encounter with the other. For Francis, fraternity rests on a culture of authentic encounters whose precondition is creative openness to the other (50). Mutual openness, sadly, is assailed by a toxic digital communication saturated in social aggression, verbal violence and ideological myopia. The result is a virtual closed circuit connected by shared fear and hatred for the other (42-46). Read more...
This (6:55 min) video with Franciscan Casey Cole, ofm who has his own Youtube channel, "Breaking in the Habit".
His message is just as applicable for Secular Franciscans.  Prepared for the Columban Mission Centre, Australia by Fr. Charles Rue SSC. The Missionary Society of Columban is a missionary society of St Columban created in 1918 and was approved by the Vatican.
The following is an adaptation of a mediation composed by Brother Niklaus Kuster, a German Capuchin. As we celebrate the feast date of the Patroness of the Secular Franciscan Order. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, we renew our own commitment to justice and compassion.
Elizabeth of Hungary: Social Justice, Compassion, and the Franciscan Calling Introduction When she was three years old Elizabeth’s father, King Andreas II, handed her over to the Count of Thuringia as a political gesture. A child in a strange land! Throughout the rest of her life, she pushed boundaries and challenged the status quo that built walls between people rather than bridges. After her marriage at age 14, the young princess followed the longing of her heart rather than the norms of the ruling class—offending many among the aristocrats. As Countess she often left the castle to seek out the poorest and most marginalized of her subjects. As a young widow she made herself the barefooted sister of the poorest. Most of us are not affluent; we don’t belong to a privileged class. What can we learn from our patroness that can help us understand our Franciscan vocation in today’s society? A child abandoned in a foreign country: migrants So many people today must leave the culture that nurtured them to find safety, work, or dignified living conditions in Canada. As a new-comer, Elizabeth was open to adapting to her new environment, even though many of the ruling family resented this “foreigner.” In adversity, after her husband’s death, she was so deeply connected with the German people, that she was seen as a mother, a sister, and a friend to many. Download the full reflection  The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. The 5:52 min video is a great introduction. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals make for an excellent program to use in fraternity or individually. It is full of important material and information that we should all be aware of and take action where we can. Consider studying one goal per month. Follow the link above.
You may know the Franciscans as great preachers and humble servers, but do you know that we have our own intellectual tradition? For years we have made distinct contributions to Catholic theology. (9:00 min) This is an excellent video for use in fraternity for on-going formation - Sherrill SOCIAL MEDIA: Blog: https://goo.gl/QuB4ra Facebook: https://goo.gl/UoeKWy Twitter: https://goo.gl/oQs6ck Instagram: https://goo.gl/ShMbhH Podcast ... www.youtube.com |
AuthorAs your Regional Formation Director, I hope to provide fraternities with formation ideas and material that will be useful in your local formation programs. My hope is that you will share your ideas as well so we can all benefit. Just click on the Comments Button. Archives
December 2020
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