A Franciscan Renaissance would be ecological, nonviolent, economic, and inclusive. —Brian McLaren and Patrick Carolan
CAC teacher Brian McLaren joins with Catholic activist Patrick Carolan to call for a renewal of the Franciscan way in Christianity:
We have a proposal that addresses both the crises in the world at large and the crises in the Christian church: the possibility of a Franciscan Renaissance….
First, at this time of ecological crisis, the Franciscan legacy is powerfully ecological…. We need a spiritual vision that integrates love for God and love for our neighbor with love for the earth….
The ecological vision of Francis was about … the interconnectedness of all creation, so that we see every creature as sister or brother.…
Second, in this time of violence, this time of school shootings and war in Europe, this time when many politicians seem to believe that the more guns we have the safer we’ll be, or the more bombs we have the safer we’ll be, we need St. Francis’ message and example of nonviolence as never before….
Over the centuries, many forms of Christianity have become religions of fear. But Christianity wasn’t always like that. It began as a nonviolent peace movement, a community known for love, a community gathered around a table of fellowship and reconciliation, a people armed with the basin and towel of service, not the bomb and gun of violence. A Franciscan Renaissance would invite us to become, in the language of St. Clare, not violent warriors, but nonviolent mirrors of Christ for others to see and follow.
Third … the Franciscan vision is deeply economic. Today, a larger and larger percentage of wealth is being concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer individuals and families…. St. Francis arose in the early stages of modern capitalism, and he saw its potential dangers. He exemplified an alternative value system where the poor, the leper, and the outcast matter more than money, luxury, and power. Our current economic model places no intrinsic value on creation, except as a source for raw materials that we consume…. A Franciscan Renaissance would help us “redeem”—which means to re-assess and revalue—everything, so we rediscover the priceless beauty of the earth and its creatures, including our neighbors and ourselves.
Fourth, we live in a time of exclusion, division, classism, racism, and religious prejudice. We need the example of St. Francis and St. Clare, who clearly modeled deep inclusiveness and solidarity…. In this spirit of solidarity, I see that my life and your life are interconnected. I refuse to settle for my own happiness, because my life is in solidarity with yours as my neighbor.
The relationship between Francis and Clare modeled this: we’re all equal—male and female, rich and poor, healthy and sick, well-clothed and clothed in rags, Pope and Bishop and lay person. Francis even teaches us to refuse to discriminate between Christian and Muslim, Jew and Atheist, for we all are beloved by God.
_________________________________________________
Jesus Gets Us
Jesus Let His Hair Down Too
Jesus was no stranger to joy. He went to weddings. He shared lively meals with his friends. He drank with them. He had so much fun and acted so freely around the dinner table that the uptight religious leaders called him a glutton and a drunkard. Jesus was joyful. But what does that mean?
These days it’s very easy to conflate joy and happiness, but Jesus hardly ever used the word happiness (or at least the Aramaic equivalent), and he frequently used the word we translate as joy. That word? In Greek, it’s “chara,” and it means a feeling of inner gladness, delight, or rejoicing. You see, the joy Jesus talked about and lived out isn’t dependent on circumstances, and it isn’t a reactionary feeling — it’s a lasting emotion, a deep-seated assurance, and a way of life.
That gives a different perspective to the picture of Jesus eating and drinking with friends and strangers. It wasn’t the food, drink, or company that brought Jesus joy — he already had it. It’s actually the other way around. It was his joy that gave him the freedom to hang out with people that others thought were shady. It was his joy that allowed him to be uninhibited in his pursuit of compassion. It was his joy that let him throw worry about his reputation to the side as he lived life to the full. And it was that same joy, that deep-seated emotion that works inside out, that allowed him to forgive his captors on the cross.
In good times and bad, Jesus was joyful, and he wanted the same for the people who would listen to him. During his last meal with his disciples, Jesus shared plenty of wisdom. After a good chunk of it, he was sure to explain that he was sharing it all “so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” And then, without pause, he continued: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” If you’re looking for the secret to Jesus’ joy, try starting there. He knew what he was doing.
Scripture References:
John 2:1-11,
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and [a]manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Matthew 11:19, The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.
John 15:11-12; I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
