Listening to Saint Francis this 9/11 Anniversary

(The oldest known icon of St Francis of Assisi, ca. 1230 (Church of San Fransesco, Pescia)

The community I serve among, Word Made Flesh, is considered part of the New Friar’s mission movement. Two books, written and edited by Scott Bessenecker, share the history, background, and distinctives of the New Friars, if you want to read more.
- The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving the World's Poor (2006) 
- Living Mission: The Vision and Voices of New Friars (2010)

Last week I shared my desire to dive back into the life of Saint Francis and Franciscan spirituality in preparation for Saint Francis’ Feast Day on October 4. This week I have done just that. It turns out it was perfect timing to listen and learn from Saint Francis and Franciscan spirituality to grow in my perspective on this 10th anniversary of 9/11. Saint Francis was about peacemaking and the Franciscans today continue to live these principles of peace. My focus on St. Francis this week began with the below Franciscan responses and reflections in light of this 9/11 anniversary.
- American Franciscan Response to Anniversary of 9/11
- Franciscan Voices on 9/11 [Kindle Edition]

I found these words from Patricia Normile, S.F.O. in her contribution to the Franciscan Voices on 9/11 book (“Making Peace a Verb”) to sum up well the posture and priority of peace we learn from Saint Francis...
“I now tend to think of peace as a verb rather than a noun. It moves, it empowers, it inspires, it sacrifices, it challenges. Peace urges us to reach beyond our own comfort, beyond our security, beyond our righteousness, to gain understanding of the “others” in our world. Peace asks us to respect their “otherness.” Peace refuses to allow us to remain in one place too long; it encourages us to move toward greater understanding. Peace seeks to discover new realms in need of healing in ourselves, our country, our world.”

Here are some other Saint Francis resources I have discovered and plan to read and utilize this month ahead. More to come!
- Video – “Who Cares About the Saints? (St. Francis)” featuring Fr. Jim Martin , S.J.
- The St. Francis Prayer Book: A Guide to Deepen Your Spiritual Life by Jon Sweeny
- The Road To Assisi: The Essential Biography of St. Francis by Paul Sabatier (Edited by Jon Sweeny)