Month: March 2016
Letting Go and Following the Risen Christ
Editor’s Note: On this joyous day of salvation, we are reminded of the promise that lies behind Jesus’ invitation to follow him and walk in his footsteps. Alleluia, He has risen! After these 40 days of sacrifice and waiting, today is one of the most joyous days in the Church year. On this day, we…
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Letting Go and Waiting
Editor’s Note: Holy Saturday teaches us to let go of past hurts and look ahead with hope, even in times of greatest uncertainty. Holy Saturday is a unique day in the Church year. There is no celebration of daily Mass. Until the celebration of the Easter vigil tonight, this day acts as a kind of…
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Letting Go of Desensitization
Editor’s Note: Missioner Jeff Sved reflects on the implications of the cross and its significance in today’s world. Today, Christians worldwide remember the death of Jesus. But let us not remove this execution from its context. Have we become so used to the “glorified crucifixion” that we fail to remember that Jesus was historically the most-famous…
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Letting Go of the Need to Understand
Editor’s Note: On this Holy Thursday, the recounting of the Last Supper reminds us that, like the disciples, we typically do not understand God’s plan at the time of its unfolding. These times of uncertainty offer incredible invitations to trust. If asked to summarize the way that God usually works in our lives in one sentence…
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Letting Go and Finding God in the Silence
Editor’s Note: Former Salesian volunteer Matthew Beben shares how time spent on a silent retreat during his year of service in Ethiopia showed him how to slow down, re-center, and simply “be.” It wouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me to hear that it took me twenty-four years to attend a silent retreat. I’m definitely not someone…
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San Damiano Servant Leadership Award Winner Announced
Editor’s Note: Franciscan Mission Service is very pleased to name St. John’s University senior Brandon Turner the winner of this year’s San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. After looking at St. John’s University senior Brandon Turner’s resume, one might wonder, “When does he have time to sleep?” Brandon is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma…
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A Prayer for Letting Go
Editor’s Note: Franciscan Sister of the Allegany Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF, reflects on letting go of difficult decisions and situations and placing them into God’s hands. A number of years ago I was faced with a very important DECISION. I had the freedom to choose between two equally good opportunities that I will call X…
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But When Do I Let Go?
Editor’s Note: Communications Manager Bridget Higginbotham reflects on how she found peace with the question: how do we know when it is time to hold on and when it is time to let go? My appreciation for “letting go” has recently come from reading works by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, and Al-Anon, which all emphasize…
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Letting Go and Having Total Trust in God
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Josh Maxey reflects on the fact that if we focus too much on what the world wants of us, it will be harder to discern what God wants of us. Philippians 4:6-7, NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him…
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Letting Go and Accepting God’s Timing For a Call
Editor’s Note: Missioner Janice Smullen reflects on some of the the conversations she had before she left for Jamaica when she explained to others what she was going to do. Often, the response she received was, “I would like to do what you are doing, but…” After these conversations, Janice reflected on the notion of…
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Letting Go and Letting the Door Close
Editor’s Note: Programs manager Emily Norton shares how her participation in the FMS Re-entry Retreat for Class 29 led to the realization that she never fully let go of her own mission experience. For 2.5 weeks in January, I had the privilege and honor to journey with our Class 29 missioners (Val, Hady, Mary, and…
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Letting Go and Seeking the Truth
Editor’s Note: The image of the cross is incredibly unique in that it simultaneously offers one of the most powerful symbols of suffering but also love and salvation. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the people, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you…
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Letting Go of Our Independence
Editor’s Note: Transitional Deacon and Capuchin Franciscan Friar Br. Albert Carver reflects on his first trip to Papa New Guinea where he was struck by the importance of community and by the the strength that often comes from admitting our own limitations. As someone who was born and raised in the United States the biggest obstacle…
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Letting Go of Bitterness
Editor’s Note: DC Service Corps member Lizzy Balboa shares how a major shift in the expected trajectory of her life led her to reevaluate her priorities and value relationships over a sense of achievement. When a relationship central to my identity dissolved without warning, I became incredibly disoriented. Why was something so good and joyous…
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Letting Go as St. Francis Taught Us
Editor’s Note: In the well known Franciscan Peace Prayer, each line contains an invitation to let go of a particular stumbling block in order to receive the grace offered in its absence. For Franciscans and non-Franciscans alike, the Peace Prayer is often a source of comfort. It’s a prayer for the strength to become an…
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Letting Go of Balto
Editor’s Note: Communications associate Maria Beben reflects on letting go of feeling wronged when, as it so often does, life took a very different turn than what she expected after college. Sometimes, the greatest adventure lies not in traveling far distances, but in looking at the familiar with new eyes. This time last year, I…
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Letting Go of Everyday Life: A Video Reflection
Editor’s Note: In this video reflection, returned missioner Valerie Ellis shares how during her experiences on mission in Bolivia as well as her transition back to the US, she’s had to let go of what she thinks everyday life should look like. [su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbMnhpTwcjA&feature=youtu.be”] Reading this in an email? Watch the video here. Reflection Question: What opportunities are…
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Letting Go of the Race
Editor’s Note: Franciscan Friar Fr. Jason Welle, OFM, reflects on the idea of Lent as a race in which God is running towards us and we must not lose sight of God in the midst of all the other factors that we often focus on. I run as a hobby. Eleven years ago, my brother…
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Letting Go of Material Possessions
Editor’s Note: Programs associate Katie Rotterman shares how a commitment to pass along unused possessions led to a deeper sense of simplicity and intentionality in all areas of her life. I’ve been on a mission to simplify my life for about a year and a half now. A key factor of simplifying my life has been the challenge…
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Letting Go of the Past
Editor’s Note: President of the FMS Board of Directors Fr. Tom Washburn, OFM, reflects on the temptation to become so fixated and caught up in the past that we lose sight of the present and cannot move forward in our lives. Every now and then, you come across a quotation, a thought, or a statement that…
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Letting Go of Biases and Assumptions
Editor’s Note: Missioner Jeff Sved shares how his views of the penal system have drastically changed since he first arrived in Bolivia and during his time involved with prison ministry. When I first entered a prison in the fall of 2011, I could not imagine the effect it would have on the next few (and…
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Letting Go or Giving Up
Editor’s Note: Board member Sister Cathy Cahill, OSF, reflects on the comparison of letting go” during Lent versus “giving up” and the connotations that each phrase carries. My dear Aunt Marie, a 93 year old Sister of Mercy, loves to remind me of my announcement at the beginning of my eighth Lent that I was…
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Letting Go Of The Black And White
Editor’s Note: Returned missioner Claire McGarry reflects on how her time on mission with FMS taught her to shift her perspective and have a better appreciation for experiences outside her comfort zone. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14 I was raised…
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Letting Go: Lent and Larry II
Editor’s Note: Missioner Brandon Newland reflects on letting go of feeling responsible to help others who do not yet want to be helped and learning how to meet people where they’re at instead of where we want them to be. It has been almost a year since we arrived here in Savannah la Mar and…
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Letting Go of Indifference
Editor’s Note: Animal protection attorney Akisha Townsend Eaton, OFS, reflects on Pope Francis’ proposed Lenten practice of giving up indifference and how she has witnessed this practice being lived out by two of her friends. I sometimes find it challenging to know what I’m being called to do during Lent. That’s why I was very excited…
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Letting Go For Lent
Editor’s Note: Franciscan priest Fr. Greg Friedman reflects on approaching Lent without pride in order to allow God to direct us towards the most beneficial practice during these 40 days. “Doing something” for Lent? Even though we are midway through Lent, it’s a valid question. Some years ago I marched in to see my spiritual…
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Letting Go: The Freedom to Dare
Editor’s Note: FMS returned missioner and board member Lee Lechtenberg reflects on how a time of great trust while on mission in Bolivia led to a time of great freedom. I lay in bed – falling. In a few days we would be boarding an 11 pm Miami flight south into the darkness. We had sold the house, stored our…
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