We hear it all the time, “You can’t tell me what to do.” Once upon a time we heard that cliché mostly from the mouths of teenagers who had just discovered a newfound independence. Nowadays we seem to hear it from all quarters. It’s nice to think we can do whatever we want. Perhaps it would be great if we […]
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Saint Francis of Assisi’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful. You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High. You are Almighty. You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good. You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true. You are love. You […]
Why Saint Francis Renounced His Father, and Why We Care
Even saints sin. Like most of us, they often sin with the best of intentions. Saint Francis of Assisi was no exception. There’s one notable example from his early life. One day Francis, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, was praying in a little church on the outskirts of town when he heard God telling him to rebuild His […]
A Franciscan Peacemaker’s Guide to Power and Possessions
In our last post we talked about how conflicts over possessions are deceptively simple. However important material goods may seem, they’re rarely at the heart of the matter. Rather, possessions involve issues of power, prestige, respect, love, pride, and any number of emotional triggers. In this video, Greg takes up the subject again and guides Franciscan peacemakers through the […]
A Franciscan Despises Possessions, but Withholds Judgment
Saint Francis didn’t much like possessions. In fact, he disliked them so much he gave up all of his. Threw them all away so he could follow Christ without hindrance. In this he was only following the advice of Jesus to the young man—If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and […]
Seeing the Divine in the Other: Saint Francis and the Leper
Saint Francis was terrified of lepers. Or at least he was before he became the saint we know so well. As a young man he used to run away from them at the mere tinkling of the bell they were forced to ring as they walked down the street. Francis wasn’t alone. Everybody was frightened of lepers. And who can […]
The Anatomy of a Conflict: Three Reasons People Fight with Each Other
Conflict is inevitable. We can try to avoid it, but we can never eliminate it. Fortunately there is a way to manage conflicts and mitigate the damage. With just a little training, the average person can go a long way toward resolving his or her own conflict. All it takes is a little know-how. Naming the Problem: The First Step […]
5 Reasons People Fail to Resolve Conflicts
People ignore conflict for many reasons. In fact, there might be as many reasons as there are people. That being said, we’ve run into many of the same ones over and over again in the mediation business. Here they are: the top five reasons people give for not resolving conflict, and the reasons those reasons don’t cut it. 1. They […]
The Conflict Narrative: How to Tell Your Side of the Story
It’s happened to many of us: We have a conflict; we’ve tried to resolve it; we’ve confronted the other party; we’ve talked to friends; we’ve pleaded our case before a judge or jury, but no one listens to our side of the story. No one sees things the way we do. Perhaps the whole world is insensitive. Perhaps no one […]
What the World Needs
The Crusades were raging. Christians were fighting their way to the Holy Land. Saint Francis of Assisi was also making his way across the ocean. He was on a ship bound for Egypt. He traveled not with sword in hand, but with a blessing on his lips. He sought peace. In our day and age we know what that means: […]