Few saints—outside of possibly jolly old St. Nicholas—hold such a central place in the popular imagination of the church as does St. Francis. Countless churches and schools have been named after him, Franciscans continue to serve the poor and vulnerable the world over, and his message of peace and love for God’s created world—in particular the animals who we bless on St. Francis Day—resonates in a world that can feel violent and unloving.
Yet Francis is far more than a feel-good saint. His vision of God’s love for the world and the dignity of every person is as radical today as it was when he lived in the 12th century.
This Sunday, on St. Francis Sunday, I’ll offer a class on Francis and the Spirituality of Peacemaking, where we’ll learn about the spiritual foundations of Francis’ vision, and consider how we can embrace a bold spirituality of peacemaking in today’s world.
We’ll consider what it means to commit to nonviolence in a world that uses power for coercion and leverage rather than to build up the common good. We’ll explore the value of simplicity, and the dangers that our world faces when we instead pursue reckless consumption. We’ll learn about Francis’ surprisingly nondualist vision, which in our day can cultivate not only peace, but a healing of the bitter divides that we live with every day.
We often sing the prayer attributed to St. Francis: Lord, make me a channel of your peace. This Sunday we’ll explore how we can open our hearts to the transformational work of peacemaking.
Faithfully,
