We are called to be a people of relentless and passionate prayer, each of us, all of us. Not one of us is released from duty for caring for those inside and outside our community. That is what Christian community is about, following the example of Christ and the instructions of the apostles in taking the Gospel out into the world to heal it.

Saint Francis is one of the most "popular" of all the saints. He can be seen in gardens around the world. He is enshrined on bird baths and bird feeders. The prayer that we associate with him, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace," is one of the most popular prayers circulated. He is the patron saint of animal lovers, peace-makers, and ecologists. He is associated with important works of mercy to the poor and marginalized. Yet, one of the more interesting elements of the story of St. Francis, is the rejection of the system of anxiety he made when he accepted the invitation of Christ.

Creating the Other

Who do you say that I am?

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Jesus' attitude to the law of Israel is not always easy to sort out. Certainly he was not as bent on denying the usefulness or validity of the laws as some have suggested.

There's a line in a song by the Indigo Girls that I love for everything it says about my heritage:

Trouble came around here

Here in the South we fix something to eat

When we come to the table, we receive God's blessings. We are imperfect people, receiving God's perfect love, through the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity, at that moment in time to walk humbly before the Lord and seek wisdom at the feast.

The Stuff of Life

In calling us to speak the truth in love the Greek text uses that powerful word agape. That is the love marked by the giving of oneself with no expectation of return. It is finding a way and a time to enter the conversation, to explore the complicities of the participants, of allowing the truth to emerge and respect to come present. It is not about winning, triumph or ‘being right.�" It is about change. It is about growth.