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FAN will host a conference call on the Gulf Oil Disaster
on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 4:00-5:00 PM EDT.
The call will include prayer, updates on the status in the Gulf region, and suggested ways to respond. Space is limited. Please join us.
July 5, 2010 |
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America the Beautiful: Interdependence Day
Reflecting on the readings and reality
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island,
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
Independence Day challenges us this year. Woody Guthrie's lyrics remind us that when the conviction that "this land was made for you and me" leads us to exploitation rather than grateful care, both the Redwood Forest and now the Gulf Stream waters witness destruction. As we continue to watch the toxic mess unfold and brace ourselves for hurricane season, the event becomes more and more overwhelming. We do not know how to respond.
The readings for the 15th and 16th Sundays in this Ordinary Time offer guidance for facing life's challenges. Read more.
 Imitating both Martha's desire to serve and Mary's appreciation for prayer, we can respond to the oil disaster in the Gulf by sharing honestly and openly our questions and emotions at Christ's feet and then listening to discern what God can teach us through this event. As Moses explained, God's law is not distant and inscrutable but "is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out" (Dt. 13:14). The scholar who questioned Jesus about how the law leads to eternal life reminds us that what we have to carry out is total love of God and our neighbor (Lk. 10:27). Thankfully, the Scriptures also offer us models for living out this love. Read more.
In both cases, this extension of love leads to new life: the robbers' victim recovers from being "half-dead" (Lk. 10:30), and Sarah conceives and bears a son (Gn. 18:10). Abraham and Sarah find it difficult to believe the prediction that "about this time next year...Sarah will then have a son" (18:10). What do we imagine will have changed in the Gulf, in our lifestyles, and in our nation's collective approach to natural resources a year from now? What might be born in and through us if we seek the Creator's guidance to restore and renew Creation?
 We often hear the call for "energy independence." With gratitude for the ways in which petroleum has supported the human community and courage for penance in our relationship with it, let us embrace the hospitable and collaborative interdependence modeled in the Scriptures as we respond with love to the needs of all our neighbors. Then we can pray as we sing:
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Wonderful Witnesses: Praying with the Franciscan Fellowship
In addition to Independence Day, July 4th marks the memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, a Third Order Franciscan whose fidelity to the Divine Office testified to the importance of prayer and whom we call "the peacemaker" for her perseverance in reconciling family members. As we work collaboratively, St. Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us!
On July 10th, we remember St. Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchin Poor Clare whose vision of her heart of steel transformed her religious practice from dictatorial scrupulosity to compassionate devotion to the Cross. As we embrace the suffering of the Gulf, St. Veronica Giuliani, pray for us!
On July 15th, we celebrate St. Bonaventure, the great Franciscan Doctor who committed his scholastic gifts to the service of the Gospel and whose deeds manifested Divine Love. As we seek creative solutions to present challenges, St. Bonaventure, pray for us!
Resources for Resilience: responding to the Oil Spill Disaster
New resources are available on FAN's oil spill disaster webpage, including the following:
Reflection on the oil spill in light of policy recommendations by FAN Summer Intern Maria Balata:
 "However one chooses to contribute to relief efforts, one thing is certain: we are far more likely to find a solution if we join BP and the government in their efforts, rather than demonize those whom we feel have erred.... This is our opportunity to rise to the challenge before us and reconcile our lives with the realities that we face. Our resources are limited. Our earth is a precious gift. Our brothers and sisters in the Gulf States need our help. Now is the time to embrace the call to action." Read more from Maria.
Prayer service for the Gulf (June 9, 2010) from St. Camillus Franciscan Church in Silver Spring, MD and Religion and Ethics Newsweekly video of the service
Prayer service for the Gulf (June 21, 2010) program and script from All Saints Parish and the Sisters of St. Francis Neumann Communities in Syracuse, NY
Ways to Respond to the Gulf Oil Spill handout with action suggestions
Proclaiming Good News!: FAN members promote peace, care for creation in DRC
On June 24, the celebration of the birth of St. John the Baptist, FAN members in key States honored his witness as a voice crying out in the wilderness by urging their Senators to include the Congo conflict minerals amendment in the final Financial Reform bill. Franciscans are called to reverence the dignity of the human person and to approach natural resources with gratitude rather than greed. In the DRC, illegal exploitation of creation contributes to the violent abuse and even destruction of human life.
Learn more about conflict minerals in the Congo  The evening of June 24, the House-Senate Conference Committee reconciling the Financial Reform bill included the Congo conflict minerals provisions which FAN members support. The provisions require companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report annually whether the products they manufacture are "conflict free" in order to reduce the demand for minerals that are illicitly mined and sold on the international market by armed groups operating in Congo. The Conference Committee also included additional provisions that reach beyond Congo and require companies to disclose the payments they make to foreign governments for the natural resources they extract. Greater transparency will help local communities to hold their governments accountable for the stewardship of income generated by natural resources.
Christy Elliott
FAN Creation Action Fellow |
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
"CREATION AS THE BODY OF GOD" Conference, July 16-18
 The Center for Action and Contemplation invites FAN members to its summer conference, "Creation as the Body of God," at the Hotel Albuquerque from July 16 - 18, 2010. Speakers include two Franciscans, Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF; and Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM; as well as Pamela Wood, MA, Registered Art Therapist. Details are available at the CAC summer conference website. For every Regular registration of $175, the CAC will donate $10 to FAN. For every Concession rate of $99, the CAC will donate $6. Please use the code FAN-SU10 at checkout. A separate offer for groups of 10 or more is also available, which does not include a donation to FAN.
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We need your help to continue our educational and civic engagement activities to promote a Franciscan care for creation ethic. Please prayerfully consider a donation today. |
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