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November 21, 2011
Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Give Us New Life
If we allow them to penetrate us, the readings for the First Sunday of Advent  (Lectionary Cycle B) help us prepare to receive the Lord. At the beginning and end of his lament over the consequences of human sinfulness, Isaiah recalls, "LORD, you are our father" (63:16, 64:7). In the face of our inability to redeem ourselves, we cry out with Isaiah, "our redeemer you are named forever" (63:16) and ask for God's masterful action to remake us: "we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands" (64:7). In Psalm 80, we reassure God: "give us new life, and we will call upon your name" (19).
In his words of thanksgiving following our celebration of this national holiday, Paul reassures us that "God is faithful" (1 Cor 1:9) and that we "are not lacking in any spiritual gift as [we] wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:7). Jesus reminds us that in this time of anticipation and our distance from God's fullness, we are "servants in charge, each with his own work," and we must "be on the watch" (Mk 13:34) for the master's return at an unknown hour.
As we acknowledge our limitations and failings as individuals, as a community, and as a society, let us not forget to call upon the Lord's name and rouse ourselves to cling to God (Is 64:6). Let us discern the work God has entrusted to us as preparation for Christ's coming and invite our leaders to work with us. Then we shall know the wonders of God's call "to fellowship with his Son" (1 Cor 1:9) and with one another.
Christy Elliott
FAN Director of Care for Creation
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Pray and Act for a Faithful Federal Budget
 1) Please pray for the Congressional "Super Committee" as they approach their goal of cutting $1.2 trillion from the federal budget by November 23. FAN Staff participated in a "Super Vigil" in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, November 20 in union with prayer vigils across the country. Watch a video of a local prayer service and learn more on the Faithful Budget website.  2) Please send a USCCB e-mail to House Members of the Deficit "Super Committee" to urge them to protect the poor and vulnerable in their budget considerations.
3) Please use this CRS resource to call or e-mail your Senators urging them to support the Senate Appropriations Committee bill and to vote against any damaging amendments which would cut funding from U.S. foreign assistance, which is already less than 1% of the federal budget. |
| Give Thanks to God on Your Account
If you are interested in practical steps to shift your family or community finances towards banking and investments consistent with Franciscan Values, check out the following resources from Green America:
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Further Reflection on Food Day
As we give thanks for many blessings in our lives, former FAN intern Ben Feuerherd (St. Francis College) reflects on his experience of a Food Day event last month which raised questions about hunger. Ben writes that "awareness about food issues needs to be spread ... more people need to recognize that blank stare on a stranger's face in the subway may be the stare of someone who does not know when his next meal will be."
Read more from Ben on the FAN blog
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Time for Safe Chemicals
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee met on November 17 for a hearing on the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011. Watch the webcast of the hearing online. There is still time to contact your Senators to encourage support of the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S. 847). Please call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-784-0527 to reach your Senators. You can also send an e-mail through FAN's Capwiz action alert system.
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A Franciscan Cosmology Awaits Your Retrieval
If you missed Br. Keith Warner, OFM's webinar on "Spirituality + Science = Care for Creation, Retrieving a Franciscan Cosmology for Climate Conservation" last week or want to share it with others, you can access a recording online. You can also access the visual component of the presentation on FAN's homepage or Br. Keith's Santa Clara University website.
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Proclaiming Good News: State Department Delays Keystone XL Pipeline Decision!
 | | FAN and friends at the November 6 Tar Sands Action at the White House. |
On November 10, the State Department issued a press release deferring a decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline until 2013 to allow for further study of alternative routes which would avoid the Sand Hills in Nebraska, an area of environmental concern.
FAN members participated in a November 6 rally and circle around the White House to demonstrate opposition to the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which would run from the tar sands of Canada to refineries in Texas.
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Human Trafficking Conference Educates Advocates
 | | FAN Executive Director Patrick Carolan (left) with Ambassador CdeBaca. |
The Franciscan Action Network cosponsored a conference on Human Trafficking: Epidemic Contemporary Slavery which was held at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. on October 26.
The conference was also cosponsored by Franciscans International, the Franciscan Federation, and the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at Catholic University. The keynote speaker, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, is the Director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Human Persons.
Also featured at the conference were a panel of survivors of human trafficking who presented testimonials regarding their journeys from Ethiopia to the United States, and a panel of advocacy and policy experts.
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All-powerful God,
increase our strength of will for doing good
that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming
and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven,
where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent)
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Mission Statement
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. |
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