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The Sisters of St. Francis of Clinton, Iowa are members of the Franciscan Action Network: a grassroots organization amplifying the justice efforts of Franciscans and Franciscan-hearted people around the country.

As such, the Clinton Franciscans are regular contributors to the Franciscan Action Network blog: Acting Franciscan.

Our blog postings are listed below.

The twelfth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

A Voice of Active Nonviolence

 by Sr. Nancy Miller, OSF

The eleventh in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

"I feel really sad for the guy; he was a father with two kids – a two year old and a 10 month old. He’s dead, and now they’re without a dad.” These were the sentiments expressed by my sister as she learned the identity of a 21 year-old man who was shot and killed on her driveway. Jonathon was initially stopped for a traffic violation, took off running, was pursued by the police and then shot and killed. The extenuating circumstances of this death are not entirely known, but I wonder if the police could have secured and curtailed him in some non-violent way. It is one more death, one more person of the 3200 that are killed annually by gun violence. As an antidote to the seemingly endless incidents of gun violence, the voice of active nonviolence is needed now more than ever.

In considering how that voice of active nonviolence might be amplified to a wider audience, I’m reminded of a popular TV show called The Voice. Four coaches select young vocal artists from blind auditions to be members of their teams. The coaches mentor their team members throughout the season, and the artists have the opportunity to hone their talents and sing with a variety of other performers. After numerous performances and voting processes, a winner is selected and receives big money and a recording contract. Although only one person is selected as the winner, it is a win-win situation for all the artists who become known worldwide, improve their talent, and create beautiful music with others.

I think we could use The Voice as one metaphor for spreading active non-violence to our global audience. Let’s invite everyone to join us in raising our voices to promote peace and active nonviolence. Let’s coach, mentor, and companion one another as we hone our own skills and build community in the process. Let’s broadcast our songs on the daily news throughout social media. Let’s invite everyone to sing along, creating a new song with multiple harmonies of active non-violence. In the process, we will build up communities, promote dialogue and celebrate diversity, giving expression to hope, compassion, mercy, and harmony– values that are immensely needed in our world.

Reflecting back on my conversation with my sister, I was touched by her expression of compassion and concern for this young man, for his family and for the police involved. Her words echoed a voice of active nonviolence and concern for community. Each of us can add our own VOICE to create a more peaceful world. We can make a difference.

Living with a Nonviolent Heart

by Maria Zeimen, OSF

The tenth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

On a cold January day in 2007 an attorney who works on immigrant cases and two of his friends braved a snowstorm to pray outside the deportation center in Broadview, IL. The attorney believed that all things are possible in God; some of his cases were proving to be impossible. Nine years later anywhere from 30 – 50 people join him, I being one of them, every Friday morning at 7:15am to pray. At that time some of our immigrant brothers and sisters are being bused to O’Hare airport to be deported. On occasions up to 100 people gather, people from many religious traditions: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islam and perhaps some from no tradition. The late Cardinal Francis George and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin joined us at times.

Faithfulness to this prayer has led us to start three other programs: pastoral care for our brothers and sisters being detained in jails; court watch to assure that our brothers and sisters are treated with respect; and providing homes for those being released from jail with nowhere to go.

I’m one of 75 volunteers who have the privilege to visit face to face, one on one with people detained in jail waiting for their court cases. This is heart-wrenching ministry. We hear stories of men being taken from their homes and jobs leaving behind families without financial or emotional support; women torn from their homes leaving small children without their mother; people who have been in this country since childhood with no family or friends in the country to which they will be deported. During many visits rather than hearing complaints about their situation, I hear:

"I’ve had time to think about my past life. I’ve not lived right. I’m going to live differently when I get out.”
"Because of you volunteers, I know God and God’s mercy better. I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
"I’m growing in gratitude for small everyday things – grateful for fresh air now that I don’t have any; grateful that my children can argue and laugh now that I don’t hear them.”
"My cell mate and I pray together every morning. I didn’t use to take time to pray. I want to continue that when I get out.”
"I’ve grown in my trust of God, so much so, that I can sleep peacefully at night.”
"Every night I go over the decisions I’ve made during the day and think about what I could have done better. I’ve never taken time to do that before.”

Can we learn from these faith-filled brothers and sisters how to use every opportunity, no matter how painful, to live more fully and with a nonviolent heart?

The Power of Beauty

by Marjorie Wisor, OSF

The ninth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

For a long time I have wondered about the quote "Beauty will save the world.” It originally came from the Russian novel THE IDIOT by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The character who uttered this unforgettable line was an epileptic Russian nobleman, whose vision of beauty was intensified by his own disability.

On a morning shortly after the attacks in Paris, I heard the report of a piano being brought to the center of the Paris Gare du Nord (Northern train station), and anyone who wished was invited to come and play it.

It seems that the people of Paris, the beautiful City of Light, intuitively knew that through the beauty of music, they could find healing and the strength to reclaim their souls, freeing them from hatred and the desire for revenge. Would that our own national leaders could experience this power to remove them from their prison of fear and desire for revenge!

Pope Benedict XVI, quoting again from Dostoevsky, emphasizes how we must put beauty at the center of our desire to affect our world.

"Man can live without science, he can live without bread, but without beauty he could not longer live, because there would no longer be anything to do to the world. The whole secret is here; the whole of history is here.”

We note that Pope Benedict says "there would no longer be anything to do TO the world.” It must be that the world really is able to be changed through this means. All that we would like to be transformed: violence, hatred, revenge, injustice, refusal to share God’s gifts equally—all this can be rectified when our sights are fixed on the transcendent vestige of God so evident to us: the beauty we see in creation, the harmony we hear in human music and that of the cosmos, and the beauty we glimpse in the goodness of people around us.

In fact, the words of Pope John Paul II in "The Saving Power of Beauty” taken from his Letter to Artists, seem to be addressed to us now, in the immediacy of the Paris tragedy and the San Bernardino shooting.

"People of today and tomorrow need this enthusiasm (of wonder) if they are to meet and master the crucial challenges which stand before us. Thanks to this enthusiasm, humanity, every time it loses its way, will be able to lift itself up and set out again on the right path. In this sense it has been said with profound insight that "beauty will save the world.”

Listening – Can You Hear Me Now?

by Sister Nancy Miller, OSF

The eighth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

"Can you hear me now?” was a catchy question that gained celebrity status in a commercial by the Verizon Wireless test man. The commercial illustrated that even with a cell phone, one does not always have a clear line of communication. This simple truth catches my imagination about how I communicate and how I listen to others and to myself. It caused to me to reflect on my own life as a Franciscan Sister embracing a life of active nonviolence and peacemaking.

Admittedly, I often have to work hard to truly listen to another. I often make judgments about others without being open to listening to their perspective – their truth – their reality. I am often formulating my own thoughts and words and not taking the time or making the effort to really listen to certain individuals. Another aspect of listening that I sometimes find even more important is the need to listen to myself – to be in touch with and grounded in how I view God, the world, and others.   Both of these components are challenging, and yet, they are at the heart of active nonviolent listening.

To illustrate, I share with you a personal story from my own experience. I was living in the inner city of Chicago among people who were economically poor. During a period of time, our house (convent) was being repeatedly broken into causing us great concern for our safety, especially for the safety of an elderly Sister. One afternoon, another Sister and I came home from work early and found two young men, obviously members of a local gang, trespassing in our house. We did not know if they were armed but suspected they were. We were all surprised at encountering each other face to face. In a moment of grace, I introduced myself, asked their names and asked if we could help them. I can only guess that our questions and demeanor caught them off guard, and we carried on a conversation. As I spoke with them, the other Sister left the room to call the police. I cannot recall all that was said, but I do remember their faces and their voices.

The police eventually arrived and escorted the two young men out, but we chose not to press charges. In my exchange with them, I experienced an array of emotions, but I realize that I acted out of a core value of active nonviolence. I was able to get past my anger at their brazen actions, and listen to the deeper truth; these young men were two of God’s children and needed to be treated with respect.

Over the years, I’ve learned that I need to continually practice listening to myself and others in order to truly hear. So ponder your response to "Can you hear me now?”

Idealism and the Things We Can’t Un-See

by Emily Brabham

Novice with the Sisters of St. Francis of Clinton, Iowa

The seventh in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,
Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

 

"All life is inter-related – We are brother and sister to all…” This principle of active nonviolence is the natural opposite to the "isms” we experience in everyday life. Racism and sexism are harmful in obvious ways. However, even idealism, striving for noble principles and the highest good, is harmful because it separates us. These "isms” prevent us from being brother and sister to all. Capitalism, socialism, economic structure "isms,” separate rather than unify. These "isms” prevent us from seeing the other as brother or sister. 

Have you ever seen something you can’t un-see? That image then haunts you and calls you to action, even if you don’t exactly know what that action is. Part of the haunting is trying to discern what that action is. I’ve encountered this several times in my life. Sometimes it’s at a wake and I wish the casket had been closed so that the last image of the person would be one I would recognize.
 
On September 2, 2015, I saw an article about 11,000 Icelanders opening their homes to Syrian refugees after learning that only 50 asylum seekers would be welcomed to Iceland. That truly is recognizing the inter-relatedness of life and committing to be brother and sister to all. This was so encouraging to me when the news cycle regarding Syria has been completely heart breaking.
 
Later on that day, scrolling through Facebook, I saw an infant face-planted at the beach. This being Facebook, I thought it was a joke or the newest meme. I’ve seen many a toddler face-plant. When I looked closer, I realized this wasn’t a simple fall; it was the tiniest body of the latest casualty of war. When someone dies while fleeing a war, they are casualties of that war. That tiny, precious child is something I can’t un-see. It’s something we all can’t un-see.
 
Perhaps this is the turning point in this conflict, where the global community will embrace refugees, welcome them as brothers and sisters, and help them rebuild fractured lives. Perhaps I can check my American exceptionalism at the door, along with all the "isms” that separate me from the other, and follow the Icelanders’ example. The invitation to live active nonviolence continues. This is the invitation to be brother and sister to all. How do I respond to the things I can’t un-see? By seeing the un-seeable as brother and sister,

Teaching Children in Schools an Alternative to Fighting

by Jayne Connors, Sojourner with the Clinton Franciscans

The sixth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

I am a fourth-grade teacher at a school where 99.9 % of the population receives free or reduced lunch. In over twenty years of teaching, I have found that one of the biggest deterrents to learning is a negative classroom environment where needless time is spent on redirecting behavior.   My students seemed to respond to negativity with negativity, often resulting in physical confrontation. When corrected, they often explained, "My parents told me if someone hits you…. You hit them back!” If they didn’t hit back, they were sometimes picked on and bullied. I realized it wasn’t enough for me to simply stop the behavior; I needed to offer an alternative way for them to respond.

Sometime later, I attended a weekend with the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, about Francis and Clare and ways to pursue a nonviolent life. So much of the information was inspiring, but the talk on alternatives to violence was especially moving for me. It seemed like I had found a way to promote non-violent actions to replace "Flight or Fight” techniques.

The next fall when school resumed, I decided to teach my students to use the "two hands of nonviolence” approach if another student insulted or hurt them. I printed a hand signaling "Stop!” on construction paper and also an open hand signaling an offer of friendship. I put these around the room along with sayings such asNonviolence Begins Here, Peace to All Who Enter, and Safety Room. When my students arrived, we immediately began an open discussion about how we like to feel at school, how we react when someone says or does something violent to us, and how we could deal with hurtful actions besides fighting back. We followed up with role playing activities using the two hands of nonviolence. Students were then asked to practice the technique with each other and to create artifacts to put around the room to remind them of their new "learned behavior.

”That year was a pilot year for the program, and it went incredibly well. Other teachers and administrators began to notice how it promoted a more peaceful and respectful environment. Colleagues often ask my students to model the technique for their own students.

I often remind my students that the only behavior they can change is their own, but that has the power to change the whole world!  

The Two Hands of Active Nonviolence

by Marilyn Shea, OSF

The fifth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com) 

As I try to practice active nonviolence in my daily life, one image I find helpful is the image of the two hands of nonviolence.   The first hand is firmly held up, palm facing forward, to say STOP and the second hand is outstretched, palm up, in a gesture of friendship. This simple action images perfectly the attitude of a person who practices active nonviolence. It reminds me that I should speak up against violence or injustice instead of avoiding it. At the same time, I should focus on the unjust act, not the person responsible for it. I need to respect the other person and not treat him or her as an enemy.   I need to seek understanding and reconciliation with those who may have ideas or values that differ from mine.

St. Francis would suggest that we look to Jesus for an example of how He dealt with potential conflict and violence. In John 8:1-11, we read that a group of men brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. The men reminded him that the law said such women should be stoned. Knowing that Jesus preached mercy and forgiveness, the men asked him what he had to say about the case. Would Jesus speak against the law, or would he agree that the woman should be stoned? Jesus did neither. Instead, He offered a nonviolent response.   Writing on the ground, He invited anyone without sin to throw the first stone. When the men went away, Jesus told the woman that she, too, could go, but to avoid this sin in the future.

Notice how Jesus modeled the attitude of the two hands of nonviolence in this story. I think it is interesting to note that Jesus stopped the violence of stoning without condoning the adultery.  He also didn’t condemn either the woman or the men, but invited them to examine their own actions.

Consider how you usually express your feelings in reaction to violence or conflict? Would the two hands approach make a difference in the outcome? We invite you to share your experiences dealing with conflict.

From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace

by Marilyn Shea, OSF

The fourth in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

As reports of gun violence, including mass killings, hate crimes, domestic assaults, and other violent crimes in our country increase, the number of people who are turning to guns as a way of protecting themselves in also increasing. Statistics show a dramatic rise in the number of states enacting Stand your Groundlaws and the number of permits to carry guns. Understandably, people are tired of being afraid of attackers or intruders. What disturbs me, however, is their willingness to counteract violence with violence, perhaps even deadly violence.

If we want to move from a culture of violence to a culture of peace, I propose that we arm ourselves, not with guns, but with the skills of active nonviolence. Being skilled in active nonviolence prepares us to resist all forms of violence and injustice but never by using violence ourselves.   Believing that God created people in God’s image and likeness and are thus basically good, we are called to seek reconciliation and understanding of the apparent enemy,rather than seeking retaliation or revenge. Because responding nonviolently can sometimes seem impossible, I keep looking for models to follow.

St. Francis provided an example of active nonviolence during the Fifth Crusade. He did not participate in the fighting, but instead did what could be considered a very dangerous and foolish thing. Knowing he could be killed, Francis walked unarmed into the enemy camp and asked to be taken to Sultan Malek-al-Kamil.Sources tell us that the two men spent several days together and their conversations resulted in a mutual respect for differences and a fraternal relationship. Although Francis entered the camp as an enemy, he left as a friend.

I am also impressed by the story of Antoinette Tuff who successfully disarmed a disturbed young man after he entered a Georgia school with an assault rifle and threats to kill. Antoinette had no weapons except her words and manner. Because she was calm and respectful and because she connected with the man emotionally, she was able to provide him with a reason to have hope, to believe in his own inherent goodness.  http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/us/tuff-survivor-gunman/

What parts of these stories resonate with you and with our world today?   What stories can you share regarding the power of non-violent peacemaking? What do we need to risk to shift from a culture of violence toward a culture of peace?

Called to Peace

by Sister Nancy Miller, OSF

The third in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com) 

"Lord, make me a channel of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow your love.” These heartfelt words from the popular prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi have widespread appeal to people everywhere.* "May the Lord give you Peace!” was the greeting Francis extended to everyone and to every creature that he encountered.  What a wonderful gift to give to another person, to another creature, and to our world!  In his own Testament 23, Francis was clear that it was God who gifted him and revealed to him a "greeting of peace.” He, in turn, beckoned his followers topay it forward!  Francis desired to live out Jesus’ often repeated message of "Peace be with you” in the turbulent times in which he lived.  We too, are called to live this Gospel of Peace in our time and place – our current social location – wherever we find ourselves.

The real work of peace engages us in active nonviolent ways.  It causes us to open our hearts to a spirit of peace that in turn spews outward.  It is purposeful and deliberate activity.  It engages our heart and whole being to look at our relationships at all levels.  As Francis wrote in his Canticle of the Creatures, we are sister and brother to all and we are connected.

Inspired by Francis and his followers, I propose another verse to the Peace Prayer.  "Make us a channel of your peace; open our hearts to active nonviolence. May the spirit of Peace fill our hearts and may our world be united as one.”  Although these are lofty thoughts, they call me to ponder how different our world would look if we followed Jesus’ and Francis’ lead in extending a greeting of peace to each other.  And then I realized their greeting and their lives of peace have already changed the world!!

I have been trying to extend a greeting of peace to everyone I meet (not just in church).  It has been met with mixed reviews and with many surprising responses, and it has changed me. Join with me to pay it forward. Try it, and let me know how it goes for you.

* The prayer’s origin is traced back to 1912 and was found in France.  The author is unknown.  It was widely distributed in English in the U.S. during and after WWII.

All Life Is Interrelated

by Sister William McCue, OSF

The second in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

Underlying the concept of active nonviolence is our belief that all life is interrelated in goodness from our Creator. This knowledge of our connectedness is to be transformed into loving action. Building relationship is essential to Christian living as exemplified in the Gospel and lived faithfully in the life of St. Francis.   Both Jesus and St. Francis modeled extending relationships especially with the marginalized of their societies.

Jesus welcomed the little children and invited the blind beggar to approach him. He cured the daughter of the Canaanite woman, dined at the house of Zacchaeus, and conversed with the Samaritan woman. He welcomed sinners and ate with them.

St. Francis, in his zeal to follow Jesus, tried to overcome his aversion to lepers. In The Legend of the Three Companions we read that one day Francis was riding his horse near Assisi, when he met a leper, and even though he usually shuddered at lepers, he made himself dismount and gave the leper a coin, kissing his hand. After he accepted a kiss of peace from the leper, Francis remounted and continued on his way. Francis later exclaimed that this action changed what was once bitterness to sweetness. This simple conversion act, a kiss, brought Francis a totally new understanding, a new knowledge and a new realization that would ground his gospel of peace.

Like Francis, a young couple I taught had the experience ofbitterness turning to sweetness. I received a phone call from them announcing the birth of their autistic son. The mother cried, "Why us?” Her husband queried, "Why not us?” Suddenly, they experienced an inner peace and overflowing joy for the gift of their son, Evan. In the years since his birth, Evan has brought inexpressible sweetness into their lives.

Who/what are the lepers within and outside you? What barriers keep you from relating to certain persons or groups? Reflect on an experience which turned bitterness into sweetness for you.

The Goodness of God Reflected in All Creation

by Sister William McCue, OSF

The first in a series on active nonviolence from the Sisters of St. Francis,

Clinton, Iowa (www.ClintonFranciscans.com)

The goodness and love of God permeate all of creation! God is good! In his Earlier Rule, St. Francis wrote, "Let us refer everything to God and confess that everything good is His, and thank Him for everything, for all good comes from Him.”

All of creation participates in the outpouring and reflection of God’s goodness. Realizing that goodness and love are gifts continually given to all creation, Francis loved even the tiniest of creatures. For example, he saw that bees were given honey in winter lest they die from cold. "He admired those industrious workers so greatly that he would often spend whole days watching and praising them.” (1Celano 80)

To truly see every person or element of creation as a reflection of God’s goodness is a blessing. This insight helps me to speak well of others, to smile and to express gratitude even when I am faced with a negative criticism. Basking in the energy of goodness from every pore of our being, we acclaim the words of the Creator, "It is good! It is very good! In you I take delight!”

To ponder the meaning of our experiences is one of the challenges of life. To ponder implies that we hold, carry, and transform tensions in our lives rather than react to them negatively. Sometimes we avoid contact with those who are different from ourselves rather than pondering their inherent goodness and seeking ways to bond with them. Jesus lovingly welcomed the stranger, the foreigner, and the unaccepted. Jesus invites us to widen and deepen our relationships through loving actions. Following in Jesus’ footsteps as exemplified by Francis who lovingly embraced the leper, we, too, can find sweetness where before there was bitterness.

John, a prisoner with whom I corresponded, provided for me an example of how this transformation can come about. Pondering in prison, John had the courage to confront the violence happening around him as a gift because, through this experience, he came to know God and matured in faith.

How consciously and frequently do we celebrate God’s goodness in our daily lives? Do our actions breathe out loving goodness towards ourselves and others, especially the marginalized?