The only language appropriate to address God is silence.… Only in silence can we enter into the great mystery we call “God…” If you want to talk to God, Pseudo-Dionysius said, don’t say anything at all.* Sometimes we forget silence. We’re too busy asking, begging, demanding, fighting. Too busy to seek God in the stillness […]
The Evil Before Christmas: A Franciscan Reflection on Advent
Guest post by Lindsay Stone Did you hear about the Christian children who were beheaded in Iraq? Four of them accepted martyrdom rather than renounce Jesus. The Vicar of Baghdad, Canon Andrew White, tells the story this way: “Islamic State turned up and said to the children, you say the words that you will […]
Franciscan Spirituality and the Lonely Planet of Misdeeds
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 […]
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 […]
I Did Not Come to Bring Peace
Are we to become peacemakers, or not? The reading for Mass today casts doubt on our project. Matthew 10:34 presents deeply disturbing words spoken by Jesus: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” At first glance this appears to signal […]
Wisdom and Crafty Souls
… It is the worst Of errors to try to teach a crude ignorance; wisdom will never make It’s way into a crafty soul. Evil power overtops its own bounds: It doesn’t want what is right, but forces the one who does to be the same As itself. But in this it sows seed […]
Divine Collaboration
Mediators encourage parties to detach from emotional anchors that keep them tethered to past narratives. We assist the parties as they craft revised narratives that align their interests, intentions, desires, and needs, allowing them to move forward into the future without harming one another. In collaborative problem solving we seek to bring about consensus regarding […]