Engaging Franciscan Wisdom

Join Shawn Colberg of St. John's School of Theology and Seminary, who is hopeful for the future as he notes that the overarching goal of theological study is growth in love for God and others. Listen as he considers study in relation to spirituality and contemplation in relation to action, reflecting as well on intersections between Franciscan, Benedictine, and Dominican traditions.

Shawn describes his surprise that "the Christian life is one of greater tension and newness then I probably want it to be....I now realize that things are ever ancient, ever new, and there's always a newness that's gonna require some death to other things, some dying away from the way I assume things had to be or should be."

"They call him [Bonaventure] the Seraphic doctor. I love thinking about him as someone who is all about building up desire and love for God and for others. Theology should be an exercise which inflames in us a love for God and for others."

"One of the great values I draw from folks like Francis and Clare and Bonaventure is that mendicancy ought not to be a burden, but an opportunity...or a pathway into a fuller realization of who we are as children of God So often what keeps us from communion with God and others, is our self-interest, our distraction with stuff, our worry about honor or affirmation. The beauty of the mendicant way, the beauty of the Franciscan Wisdom is that it tells us...if you're willing to let go of these things, you create new space in yourself and in the world for deeper communion with God, for deeper communion with sisters and brothers. I do think that it's the heart of the gospel of Jesus' own self-revelation. But then it's one of the most enduring gifts of Franciscanism. Poverty isn't merely about not having stuff. It's about how do I create a space in myself through self-emptying that can be filled with a love and a desire and a joy and a peacefulness that I wouldn't otherwise have space for."

"The beauty of the Franciscan and the Dominican [mendicants], is that they're committed to both [action and contemplation]. It's always a both/and." Bonaventure gives admonitions in the Prologues to his writings where he gives guidance, such as "prefer Wisdom to knowledge, simplicity to curiosity, devotion to investigation."

References:

Darwin twine ball—learn more: https://www.darwintwineball.com/twineball.html

Mendicancy: "for Franciscan women and men, mendicancy, which is in some ways, very different from [Benedictine] stability, creates the condition for daily conversion and growth into something new." A readable essay: https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/march-april-2017/'begging-without-shame'-medieval-mendicant-orders-relied-on-contributions.

Shawn Colberg's book about Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-wayfarers-end-colberg/.

Studium generales founded by Thomas Aquinas who wandered around setting up little schools for beginning Dominicans.

Saint Bonaventure: an introduction: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-bonaventure-a-franciscan-heart; a more detailed exploration: https://www.franciscan-archive.org/bonaventura/

Libers: Shawn states that Bonaventure writes "these spiritual works, helping his fellow Franciscans try to rediscover the charism of Francis. And to do that, he draws upon all these different books. He sometimes calls them libers: the book of nature, the book of scripture, the book of Jesus and the book of Francis, to name just a few." They include writings such as the Legenda Maior (Major Legend biography of Saint Francis; the Itinerarium mentis in Deum (Journey of the Soul into God); the Lignum Vitae (the Tree of Life, a journey through the Scriptural story of Jesus). Shawn goes on to say that these "journeys that he puts us on are meant to be journeys that build that flame or that desire inside us. I really love that about, him and about the mendicant life."

Conversatio morum ("daily conversion of death to some things and birth to new things") and stability ("the condition of the possibility for the tension and transformation") in the Benedictine tradition; see: https://abbeyvocations.org/monastic-glossary and for more on Conversatio morum, see: http://idahomonks.org/manual_sections/sect805.html.

"Vestigia" or footprint: listen for the story (found at 27:56) regarding nothing going to waste, and what was found among the used file folders at the Monastery!

How study translates to everyday spiritual life: "That's really what theology is about is engaging modern women and men's questions about themselves and about God's presence in the world.... the work of study is the work of building up the intellect, of building up the mind. Not so much with facts and figures or content, but with Wisdom. It's to help the mind grow wise by studying the scriptures, by engaging the tradition, by listening to the stories of women and men, particularly women and men at the margins of our world and letting us become wise....growth in Wisdom allows us to use our love to will things and desire things in the right direction....The goal of contemplative theology is to give us a space in which to take those questions and form them. In other words, shape them into a direction that builds up the kingdom of God."

Join Shawn Colberg of St. John's School of Theology and Seminary, who is hopeful for the future as he notes that the overarching goal of theological study is growth in love for God and others. Listen as he considers study in relation to spirituality and contemplation in relation to action, reflecting as well on intersections between Franciscan, Benedictine, and Dominican traditions.

Shawn describes his surprise that "the Christian life is one of greater tension and newness then I probably want it to be....I now realize that things are ever ancient, ever new, and there's always a newness that's gonna require some death to other things, some dying away from the way I assume things had to be or should be."

"They call him [Bonaventure] the Seraphic doctor. I love thinking about him as someone who is all about building up desire and love for God and for others. Theology should be an exercise which inflames in us a love for God and for others."

"One of the great values I draw from folks like Francis and Clare and Bonaventure is that mendicancy ought not to be a burden, but an opportunity...or a pathway into a fuller realization of who we are as children of God  So often what keeps us from communion with God and others, is our self-interest, our distraction with stuff, our worry about honor or affirmation. The beauty of the mendicant way, the beauty of the Franciscan Wisdom is that it tells us...if you're willing to let go of these things, you create new space in yourself and in the world for deeper communion with God, for deeper communion with sisters and brothers. I do think that it's the heart of the gospel of Jesus' own self-revelation. But then it's one of the most enduring gifts of Franciscanism. Poverty isn't merely about not having stuff. It's about how do I create a space in myself through self-emptying that can be filled with a love and a desire and a joy and a peacefulness that I wouldn't otherwise have space for."

"The beauty of the Franciscan and the Dominican [mendicants], is that they're committed to both [action and contemplation]. It's always a both/and." Bonaventure gives admonitions in the Prologues to his writings where he gives guidance, such as "prefer Wisdom to knowledge, simplicity to curiosity, devotion to investigation."

References:

Darwin twine ball—learn more: https://www.darwintwineball.com/twineball.html

Mendicancy: "for Franciscan women and men, mendicancy, which is in some ways, very different from [Benedictine] stability, creates the condition for daily conversion and growth into something new." A readable essay: https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/march-april-2017/'begging-without-shame'-medieval-mendicant-orders-relied-on-contributions.

Shawn Colberg's book about Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure:  https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-wayfarers-end-colberg/.

Studium generales founded by Thomas Aquinas who wandered around setting up little schools for beginning Dominicans.

Saint Bonaventure: an introduction: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-bonaventure-a-franciscan-heart; a more detailed exploration:  https://www.franciscan-archive.org/bonaventura/

Libers: Shawn states that Bonaventure writes "these spiritual works, helping his fellow Franciscans try to rediscover the charism of Francis. And to do that, he draws upon all these different books. He sometimes calls them libers: the book of nature, the book of scripture, the book of Jesus and the book of Francis, to name just a few." They include writings such as the Legenda Maior (Major Legend biography of Saint Francis; the Itinerarium mentis in Deum (Journey of the Soul into God); the Lignum Vitae (the Tree of Life, a journey through the Scriptural story of Jesus). Shawn goes on to say that these "journeys that he puts us on are meant to be journeys that build that flame or that desire inside us. I really love that about, him and about the mendicant life."

Conversatio morum ("daily conversion of death to some things and birth to new things") and stability ("the condition of the possibility for the tension and transformation") in the Benedictine tradition; see: https://abbeyvocations.org/monastic-glossary and for more on Conversatio morum, see: http://idahomonks.org/manual_sections/sect805.html.

"Vestigia" or footprint: listen for the story (found at 27:56) regarding nothing going to waste, and what was found among the used file folders at the Monastery!

How study translates to everyday spiritual life: "That's really what theology is about is engaging modern women and men's questions about themselves and about God's presence in the world.... the work of study is the work of building up the intellect, of building up the mind. Not so much with facts and figures or content, but with Wisdom. It's to help the mind grow wise by studying the scriptures, by engaging the tradition, by listening to the stories of women and men, particularly women and men at the margins of our world and letting us become wise....growth in Wisdom allows us to use our love to will things and desire things in the right direction....The goal of contemplative theology is to give us a space in which to take those questions and form them. In other words, shape them into a direction that builds up the kingdom of God."

Join Sister Ruth Lentner who sees the Franciscan way as a joyful and hope-filled path into God. Together we explore the soul's journey with persons, creation, contemplative prayer, and poetry as companions on the way.

Ruth highlights that "Nature is a place that calls me into God in very deep and profound ways. And from my earliest days on retreat, I needed some way to express myself. Because it's like this bundle, burst of energy is inside of me that wants to say something. Wants to write something down. And so I started trying poetry to see if that would be a way that I could express that inner relationship happening with God through the creative world."

"What I found from writing is that poetry is a really healthy way of interacting with yourself and the earth. It helps you understand some days when things are difficult, you put it down in a poem. Boy, it sure feels better. You got it out. Or you just need to express what you're seeing, where in your soul is being moved and touched by this beautiful creation."

References:

Rosary: https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-rosary or https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary.

Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN: A monastic community of women who seek God in their daily lives according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. See: https://sbm.osb.org/.

Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN: Catholic women religious who follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ and walk in the footsteps of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. We live a poor, simple and prayerful community life, a ministry of presence and witness. See: www.fslf.org.

The Soul's Journey into God, by St. Bonaventure: a beautiful descriptive article about this writing: http://franciscanseculars.com/the-souls-journey-into-god/. A readable translation of this work: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Into-God-St-Bonaventure/dp/1619560119.

Amish: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amish

Little Falls Garden to School Initiative: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ship/reports/docs/districtsheets/nine.pdf.

Contemplative Prayer: see: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2709-2719: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm. Also the Show Notes from Episodes 3 and 8.

Hoarfrost: this video describes various types of frost, including hoarfrost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q9GhTDDRjk.

Julian of Norwich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich.

Care of the Earth: a good reference to this is Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home. This text is animated by Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun; see: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/saint-francis-and-his-canticle.

Join Sister Ruth Lentner who sees the Franciscan way as a joyful and hope-filled path into God. Together we explore the soul's journey with persons, creation, contemplative prayer, and poetry as companions on the way.

Ruth highlights that "Nature is a place that calls me into God in very deep and profound ways. And from my earliest days on retreat, I needed some way to express myself. Because it's like this bundle, burst of energy is inside of me that wants to say something. Wants to write something down. And so I started trying poetry to see if that would be a way that I could express that inner relationship happening with God through the creative world."

"What I found from writing is that poetry is a really healthy way of interacting with yourself and the earth. It helps you understand some days when things are difficult, you put it down in a poem. Boy, it sure feels better. You got it out. Or you just need to express what you're seeing, where in your soul is being moved and touched by this beautiful creation."

References:

Rosary: https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-rosary or https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary.

Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN: A monastic community of women who seek God in their daily lives according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. See: https://sbm.osb.org/.

Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN:  Catholic women religious who follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ and walk in the footsteps of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. We live a poor, simple and prayerful community life, a ministry of presence and witness. See: www.fslf.org.

The Soul's Journey into God, by St. Bonaventure: a beautiful descriptive article about this writing: http://franciscanseculars.com/the-souls-journey-into-god/. A readable translation of this work: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Into-God-St-Bonaventure/dp/1619560119.

Amish: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amish

Little Falls Garden to School Initiative: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ship/reports/docs/districtsheets/nine.pdf.  

Contemplative Prayer: see: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2709-2719: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm. Also the Show Notes from Episodes 3 and 8.

Hoarfrost: this video describes various types of frost, including hoarfrost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q9GhTDDRjk.

Julian of Norwich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich.

Care of the Earth: a good reference to this is Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home. This text is animated by Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun; see: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/saint-francis-and-his-canticle.

Join our guest, Franciscan Associate Brianda Cediel, as she tells the inspiring story of what she has learned, and in turn teaches, from her childhood in Colombia to co-founding Hands Across the World in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.

Brianda notes that "we are all unique. We are beautiful pieces of art from God. Everyone. ...This is the beauty of our Franciscan values. ...We are open to everyone. We fit, we all fit, under our Franciscan values."

"We all can practice our faith, but we all have one God in common. This is the commonality that we have, we have only one God. This is the beauty that I see working with all of them. I'm open always to all people."

"I love when we sit down around the table, people of different faiths, just praying together, learning from each other. We believe there is only one God. And our prayers from the different faiths, we all have so many things in common. I see we are all the same."

"As Franciscans we like to put our words in action with justice. We are always looking for the needs of the people and make sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, and there is justice. ...We are always looking and identifying for new leaders. We need to be servant to the others so the others can learn about serving. They learn that the power is not only on one person. It's about the people. It's about everyone."

References:

ESOL, English as a Second Language: for a description of ESOL:

https://www.wallstreetenglish.com/blog/what-is-esol/.

Peace Prayer, attributed to Saint Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/a-closer-look-at-the-peace-prayer-of-st-francis.

Hands Across the World: Co-founded by Franciscans Associate Brianda Cediel and Sister Tonie Rausch in 2003; S. Tonie died in June 2017. Staff and volunteers continue growing this amazing non-profit: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/.

Engaging Franc Spirituality program: sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls https://fslf.org/FranciscanSpiritualityProgram.

Saint Francis as Alter Christus: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/04/st--francis-of-assisi--founder-of-the-franciscan--order--patron-.html;.

Interfaith Prayer for Peace: see https://catholicoutlook.org/pope-participates-in-moment-of-prayer-for-peace/ and https://ofm.org/blog/pope-francis-in-assisi-for-world-day-of-prayer-for-peace/.

Greater MN Workers Center: a non-profit whose mission it is to organize, advocate and empower low wage workers in greater Minnesota; see: https://www.mygmwc.org/?page_id=5.

Christian Muslim Dialogue: see https://csbsju.edu/news/jay-phillips-march-28-2019; and https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-minnesota-christian-muslim-dialogue-turns-strangers-into-neighbors-45635; and https://apnews.com/article/f6621f7f15d048098c3779bcad75c947.

Saint Cloud Community Policing Agreement with communities of color: https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/14904/St-Cloud-Community-Policing-Agreement?bidId=.

Catholic Social Teachings: https://www.usccb.org/offices/justice-peace-human-development/catholic-social-teaching; see also Show Notes of Episodes 5 and 6.

Join our guest, Franciscan Associate Brianda Cediel, as she tells the inspiring story of what she has learned, and in turn teaches, from her childhood in Colombia to co-founding Hands Across the World in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.

Brianda notes that "we are all unique. We are beautiful pieces of art from God. Everyone. ...This is the beauty of our Franciscan values. ...We are open to everyone. We fit, we all fit, under our Franciscan values."

"We all can practice our faith, but we all have one God in common. This is the commonality that we have, we have only one God. This is the beauty that I see working with all of them. I'm open always to all people."

"I love when we sit down around the table, people of different faiths, just praying together, learning from each other. We believe there is only one God. And our prayers from the different faiths, we all have so many things in common. I see we are all the same."

"As Franciscans we like to put our words in action with justice. We are always looking for the needs of the people and make sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, and there is justice. ...We are always looking and identifying for new leaders. We need to be servant to the others so the others can learn about serving. They learn that the power is not only on one person. It's about the people. It's about everyone."

References:

ESOL, English as a Second Language: for a description of ESOL:

https://www.wallstreetenglish.com/blog/what-is-esol/.

Peace Prayer, attributed to Saint Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/a-closer-look-at-the-peace-prayer-of-st-francis.

Hands Across the World: Co-founded by Franciscans Associate Brianda Cediel and Sister Tonie Rausch in 2003; S. Tonie died in June 2017. Staff and volunteers continue growing this amazing non-profit: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/.

Engaging Franc Spirituality program: sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls https://fslf.org/FranciscanSpiritualityProgram.

Saint Francis as Alter Christus: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/04/st--francis-of-assisi--founder-of-the-franciscan--order--patron-.html;.

Interfaith Prayer for Peace: see https://catholicoutlook.org/pope-participates-in-moment-of-prayer-for-peace/ and  https://ofm.org/blog/pope-francis-in-assisi-for-world-day-of-prayer-for-peace/.

Greater MN Workers Center: a non-profit whose mission it is to organize, advocate and empower low wage workers in greater Minnesota; see: https://www.mygmwc.org/?page_id=5.

Christian Muslim Dialogue: see https://csbsju.edu/news/jay-phillips-march-28-2019; and https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-minnesota-christian-muslim-dialogue-turns-strangers-into-neighbors-45635; and  https://apnews.com/article/f6621f7f15d048098c3779bcad75c947.

Saint Cloud Community Policing Agreement with communities of color: https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/14904/St-Cloud-Community-Policing-Agreement?bidId=.

Catholic Social Teachings: https://www.usccb.org/offices/justice-peace-human-development/catholic-social-teaching; see also Show Notes of Episodes 5 and 6.

Join our guest, Father Joe Herzing, as he ponders the gift and call for us to be sisters and brothers, the invitation to simple living, and the beauty of Saints Francis and Clare living the Gospel and mirroring to us Jesus' message of freedom and wholeness of life.

Father Joe says: "To simply live with people in some joy, in some real sharing of brotherhood and sisterhood is a beautiful blessing. In that, I try to not have too much stuff, to live a life where there is greater freedom for prayer, greater freedom for love, greater freedom to serve."

"(Saint) Francis, a person of means, decided not to be a person of means in order to share the life of others. Who do we want to have as part of our life in our brother, sister relationships?... I think Francis definitely shapes a way of looking for the dispossessed in the world. I try to make that a mark of my preaching and of my way of life. I feel that whomever we're trying to relate with, that we have the hope of a true brother and sister relationship with them, even with people outside the Christian community."

"I am struck by the beauty of the words of Pope Francis' Fratelli Tutti and the brotherhood and sisterhood of all humankind....Saint Francis and Pope Francis continue to give me hope and enliven me in ministry, even in a world where seemingly you have to be strong and almost angry in order to make your mark. Francis gives us this great opposite of that, counter to the dominant culture, mirroring Jesus' message to us for freedom and for wholeness of life. It truly is the Gospel. It points out a part of the Gospel that we seem to be losing."

References:

Saint Dominic: Get to know Dominic, a contemporary of St. Francis, https://www.dominicancenter.org/feast-of-saint-dominic-2/.

Dominicans: The Dominican Order has four branches, https://domlife.org/BeingDominican/WhoWeAre/BeingDominicanIndex.htm.

NET / National Evangelization Team: for further information, see https://netusa.org/.

Story of Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: Read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485. A contemporary exploration of this story in light of care of creation: Befriending the Wolf: Blessing all God's Creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHbgnAdaVk.

Assisi, Italy: Saints Francis and Clare's home town https://sacredsites.com/europe/italy/assisi.html.

Franciscan University of Steubenville, formerly the College of Steubenville https://franciscan.edu/about/.

Saint Clare: a short biography about Saint Clare https://stclare.ca/patron-saints/st-clare/.

George Floyd: The May 25, 2020 death at the hands of police of this African American man prompted protests in Minneapolis and beyond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd.

Saint Francis' visit to the Sultan: a 2016 film based on the true story of Saint Francis and Sultan al Kamil's encounter during the 5th Crusade https://www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com/about-the-film/ (available on Amazon Prime). See also Show Notes from Episodes 6 and 9.

Francesco: Hermano del Universo / Francis: Brother of the Universe: read about this Marvel Comic book superhero initiative that has reached over 15 million readers in eight languages: https://hnp.org/last-marvel-st-francis-comic-books-available/. No longer in print, although used copies may be available.

Fratelli Tutti, by Pope Francis, 1-2: Fr Joe quoted from this document: "Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate, and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives....this saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy,...fraternity and social friendship." See: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html.

Pope Francis' New Year's Eve text: see article with excerpts at: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/12/pope-indirectly-sends-new-years-message-of-hope-amid-crisis/.

Join our guest, Father Joe Herzing, as he ponders the gift and call for us to be sisters and brothers, the invitation to simple living, and the beauty of Saints Francis and Clare living the Gospel and mirroring to us Jesus' message of freedom and wholeness of life.

Father Joe says: "To simply live with people in some joy, in some real sharing of brotherhood and sisterhood is a beautiful blessing. In that, I try to not have too much stuff, to live a life where there is greater freedom for prayer, greater freedom for love, greater freedom to serve."

"(Saint) Francis, a person of means, decided not to be a person of means in order to share the life of others. Who do we want to have as part of our life in our brother, sister relationships?... I think Francis definitely shapes a way of looking for the dispossessed in the world. I try to make that a mark of my preaching and of my way of life. I feel that whomever we're trying to relate with, that we have the hope of a true brother and sister relationship with them, even with people outside the Christian community."

"I am struck by the beauty of the words of Pope Francis' Fratelli Tutti and the brotherhood and sisterhood of all humankind....Saint Francis and Pope Francis continue to give me hope and enliven me in ministry, even in a world where seemingly you have to be strong and almost angry in order to make your mark. Francis gives us this great opposite of that, counter to the dominant culture, mirroring Jesus' message to us for freedom and for wholeness of life. It truly is the Gospel. It points out a part of the Gospel that we seem to be losing."

References:

Saint Dominic:  Get to know Dominic, a contemporary of St. Francis, https://www.dominicancenter.org/feast-of-saint-dominic-2/.

Dominicans: The Dominican Order has four branches, https://domlife.org/BeingDominican/WhoWeAre/BeingDominicanIndex.htm.

NET / National Evangelization Team: for further information, see https://netusa.org/.

Story of Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio: Read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485. A contemporary exploration of this story in light of care of creation: Befriending the Wolf: Blessing all God's Creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHbgnAdaVk.

Assisi, Italy: Saints Francis and Clare's home town https://sacredsites.com/europe/italy/assisi.html.

Franciscan University of Steubenville, formerly the College of Steubenville https://franciscan.edu/about/.

Saint Clare: a short biography about Saint Clare https://stclare.ca/patron-saints/st-clare/.

George Floyd: The May 25, 2020 death at the hands of police of this African American man prompted protests in Minneapolis and beyond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd.

Saint Francis' visit to the Sultan: a 2016 film based on the true story of Saint Francis and Sultan al Kamil's encounter during the 5th Crusade https://www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com/about-the-film/ (available on Amazon Prime). See also Show Notes from Episodes 6 and 9.

Francesco: Hermano del Universo / Francis: Brother of the Universe: read about this Marvel Comic book superhero initiative that has reached over 15 million readers in eight languages:  https://hnp.org/last-marvel-st-francis-comic-books-available/. No longer in print, although used copies may be available.

Fratelli Tutti, by Pope Francis, 1-2: Fr Joe quoted from this document: "Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate, and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives....this saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy,...fraternity and social friendship." See:  http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html.  

Pope Francis' New Year's Eve text: see article with excerpts at: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/12/pope-indirectly-sends-new-years-message-of-hope-amid-crisis/.

Join our guest, Sister Clara Stang, as she tells of her roots on the family farm flowering into wings of experiences ranging from rural communities in Tennessee to dialogue across religious traditions.

Sister Clara notes: "I want to celebrate the goodness that God has given us and to invite more people to see that beauty and to become part of it.... Look for the good, look for the beauty. Sometimes I think those things that divide get too much attention and they kind of eat up who we are eventually or take first place. And that's not the way God would like it to be. God created the world as good, created all people as good. We need to ask God to help us to see and to be grateful for that."

References:

What was Vatican II? See five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. Sixteen documents were promulgated: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/16-documents-of-the-second-vatican-council-1509. See also Episode 6.

Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi: Co-founders of the Franciscan family: https://www.fslf.org/OurHistory/#FrancisofAssisiandtheFranciscanFirstOrder.

English as a second language and more: Hands Across the World: Sister Tonie Rausch and Brianda Cediel co-founded this initiative where Sister Clara volunteered: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/copy-of-contact-1. Brianda will be our guest in Episode 11.

My Neighbor is Muslim: This program has been used in various communities in Minnesota and has served to build bridges of understanding among Christian and Muslim neighbors: https://www.lssmn.org/get-involved/church-partnerships/resources/studies/my-neighbor-is-muslim.

Saint Francis and the Sultan: For informative articles in honor of the 800th Anniversary of this visit, see: https://ofm.org/blog/st-francis-and-the-sultan-1219-2019-a-commemorative-booklet/. See also Episode 6.

Nostra Aetate, Inter-faith relations document from Vatican II. The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect

Join our guest, Sister Clara Stang, as she tells of her roots on the family farm flowering into wings of experiences ranging from rural communities in Tennessee to dialogue across religious traditions.

Sister Clara notes: "I want to celebrate the goodness that God has given us and to invite more people to see that beauty and to become part of it.... Look for the good, look for the beauty. Sometimes I think those things that divide get too much attention and they kind of eat up who we are eventually or take first place. And that's not the way God would like it to be. God created the world as good, created all people as good. We need to ask God to help us to see and to be grateful for that."

References:

What was Vatican II? See five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. Sixteen documents were promulgated: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/16-documents-of-the-second-vatican-council-1509. See also Episode 6.

Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi: Co-founders of the Franciscan family: https://www.fslf.org/OurHistory/#FrancisofAssisiandtheFranciscanFirstOrder.

English as a second language and more: Hands Across the World: Sister Tonie Rausch and Brianda Cediel co-founded this initiative where Sister Clara volunteered: https://www.handsacrosstheworldmn.org/copy-of-contact-1. Brianda will be our guest in Episode 11.

My Neighbor is Muslim: This program has been used in various communities in Minnesota and has served to build bridges of understanding among Christian and Muslim neighbors: https://www.lssmn.org/get-involved/church-partnerships/resources/studies/my-neighbor-is-muslim.

Saint Francis and the Sultan: For informative articles in honor of the 800th Anniversary of this visit, see: https://ofm.org/blog/st-francis-and-the-sultan-1219-2019-a-commemorative-booklet/. See also Episode 6.

Nostra Aetate, Inter-faith relations document from Vatican II. The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect