grace

Day 24: Gather

Editor’s Note: Fr. Jim Gardiner, SA is a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Based in Washington, DC at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, Fr. Jim has served on the FMS Board of the Directors and is a friend of the FMS community. In this blog, Fr. Jim encourages readers to…

Day 2: Unknown

Editor’s Note: In the second day of our Advent blog series, DCSC Volunteer Fede Wettstein embraces the Unknown, contemplating the beauty of God’s grace beyond our sight or knowledge. We find comfort in knowledge. As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” There are things that we are aware that we know, the known knowns, and…

Gangs, Gunshots and God’s Grace

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes expresses hope for the children she is serving in Jamaica after she reflects on a difficult experience in the classroom. On my first day in my new ministry as a Teacher’s Assistant at St. Francis’ Primary School, I gingerly walked into the classroom of 21 young boys (ages 8-10) not…

Beams of Love: A Personification of Grace

Editor’s Note: In the third installment of her four part series, missioner Amanda Ceraldi shares how bearing the beams of love for one person often extends beyond the bounds of what we think is possible and affects countless others in unforeseen ways. “We are put on earth for a little space that we might learn…

Millennial Lenten Reflections: A call to action

Editor’s Note: The following is part of Millennial Lenten Reflections, a blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Short reflections on the day’s readings, written by young adults from FMS and other organizations, will be posted everyday throughout Lent. The second reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians doesn’t always strike me…

Catholic Heroes — Can’t Get Enough of Them!

Missioner-in-training Hady Mendez comments on some of the media she has been exposed to during formation for mission. “There But For the Grace of God” was the name of a funk/disco song when I was growing up. I remember dancing to the song quite a bit yet never giving a second thought to what the…

Franciscan Friday: Spring Fugue

This Friday, guest blogger and Secular Franciscan Susan Burke, facing her garden, reflects on caring–or not caring–for things we care for. This morning I made myself a pot of coffee and thought I’d settle down with Morning Prayer. That’s what I thought—until I opened the door to the back porch and remembered I hadn’t watered…