The Felician Sisters honor the dignity of every person and champion ministries that foster inclusion and respect.
Reflection: How can we embrace and celebrate God’s gifts in every culture and community?
We live in a world rich with the diversity God has created within our human family. Our Franciscan roots of conversion and humility call us to examine and transcend the ideas that have shaped our thinking about people who may be perceived as different from us.
As women of the Gospel concerned for the salvation of all, we strive to “discover the image of the Lord in the hearts of others” (Response to Love, 57). In our corporate stand affirmed in 2023, From Othering to Reverencing All, we proclaim the mandate to reverence all human beings and all creation.
Practical Actions for This Month:
- Reflectively pray the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis each day this month.
- Listen to others with the ear of the Gospel, or the Peace Prayer, and speak out when needed to stand with those mistreated solely because of the color of their skin.
- View this 6-minute YouTube video of Martin Luther King on overcoming fear.
- Educate yourself and your family about the nonviolent methods promoted by Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 1950s and the 1960s, and about the impact of nonviolent direct action on civil rights legislation. Explore the webpage for the King Center Institute.
- Read at least one book, even a children’s book, this month about one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States.
May we all “catch ourselves” when we find ourselves othering, and not reverencing, any human being.
