Gaining the Whole World     

The readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time share a common theme. Are we more  concerned with our own earthly wants then with our spiritual well-being? In the first reading we hear Jeremiah talking with God about his struggles. He complains about being laughed at and scorned. How easy it would have been for Jeremiah to be quiet, to not talk about God. He could have gone about his daily life, probably been very successful, and avoided the injustices all around him. But in the end we are told in Jeremiah 20: 9, "And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones." This burning desire of God's love would not allow Jeremiah to be quiet. In Romans 12:2 we are told: "Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." How often in our daily lives are we more concerned with our own wants and not focusing on the will of God?

In Sunday's Gospel we see this theme over and over. In Matthew 16: 23, when Jesus rebukes Peter telling him "you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Again in Matthew 16: 26, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" When we purchase products that are cheaply produced, in areas like the Congo, by the use of human trafficking and child and slave labor, are we exchanging our souls for a few dollars? When we do not welcome the stranger into our land do we have in mind the concerns of God or simply our own human concerns? When we support fracking, mountain-top mining and massive expansion of the tar sands operations, are we more interested in our own want for cheap energy than protecting God's beautiful creation? Every day we should ask ourselves the question: "Were our actions and our words used for the purpose benefiting ourselves at the expense of our souls"?

As we remember the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 22), we ask for her intercession to reign in all hearts and to guide us in mutual responsibility for the fate of the tar sands.

The State Department is considering whether to approve Keystone XL, a proposed pipeline from tar sands oil extraction in Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas. FAN members and other concerned citizens will gather before the White House from August 20 to September 3 in peaceful opposition to the pipeline. On August 29 in particular, FAN members will participate in an interfaith witness.

Sr. Dawn Nothwehr, OSF, professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, wrote a reflection on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline based on her knowledge of the Franciscan tradition and personal experience of the region. Sr. Dawn's reflection begins and ends with a quotation from Thomas of Celano regarding Francis' instructions: "When the brothers are cutting wood he forbids them to cut down the whole tree, so that it might have hope of sprouting again."
 
Sr. Dawn begins with the goodness of creation, evident both in the Scriptures, such as Genesis, and in the older Book of Creation, such as the beauty of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta Canada. She also acknowledges that "the whole creation has been groaning" (Rom 8:22) in this region, especially through the devastation of tar sands mining. To this contrast, Sr. Dawn adds the contrast of imperial versus kinship approaches to creation and genuine versus false hope.

Sr. Dawn proposes the love-oriented virtue ethics of St. Bonaventure, known as the imitatio Christi (imitation of Christ), for approaching the tar sands. She explores the central virtues of this process of external and internal transformation, namely humility, poverty, obedience, and love. Sr. Dawn illustrates how the application of these virtues to the tar sands suggests moral opposition to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The tradition of Francis and Bonaventure calls Franciscans in the U.S. to urge Secretary of State Hilary Clinton not to issue a presidential permit to the project.

You can sign up to participate on the Tar Sands Action website. If you sign up for the interfaith witness, please also email Rose Berger to ensure that you receive information related to that event.  

The following resources provide further information about the tar sands:  

- Four-page fact sheet   

- January 2009 pastoral letter from Bishop Luc Bouchard of the St. Paul Diocese, located in the tar sands area

- Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM and Fr. Erick Lopez, OFM explain why they are willing to risk arrest in peaceful opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline  - If you cannot participate in person, you can sign a petition online 

Signs of Hope: Another FAN Members Becomes GreenFaith Fellow 

 
FAN is pleased to announce that Dennis Testerman, OEF, who is featured in the DVD that accompanies FAN's C4C: Franciscan Care for Creation program, joins Sr. Jackie Keefe, CSSF in the next class of the GreenFaith Fellowship Program. As members of FAN, Sr. Jackie and Dennis receive scholarships towards their program tuition.

To learn more about the GreenFaith's Fellowship Program and the Certification Program, please visit the GreenFaith website. You can also participate in an informational webinar about the Certification Program on Monday, Sept. 19 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. EDT. E-mail Stacey Kennealy to register.

Almighty God,  

every good thing comes from you.

Fill our hearts with love for you,

increase our faith,

and by your constant care

protect the good you have given us.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus, and the example of saints Francis and Clare, the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) is a collective Franciscan voice seeking to transform U.S. public policy related to peacemaking, care for creation, poverty, and human rights.