Elizabeth of Hungary: Social Justice, Compassion, and the Franciscan Calling

I have just received this article from Richard Shields offering it to the Secular Franciscans. Richard Shields has his Masters in Franciscan Spirituality from St. Bonaventure in New York and his Doctorate in Religious Studies from McMaster in Ontario. If you recall, Richard was our Regional Spiritual Conference leader in 2018. Richard wrote:

"...I am in contact with the Franciscans in Germany and appreciate the spiritual insights they share. One of the brothers recently offered a reflection on the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. I was originally going to translate it and share it with the secular Franciscans here in Canada, but then I realized that it would be better to use it as a jumping-off point and to rework it through a Canadian lens. That is what I am sending you. I hope that it can be shared."  ​The following is his reflection.
                                                                                                                                         - Sherrill Guimond, ofs

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