May the Lord give you peace!
October is one of my favorite months. The weather starts to get a little
cooler, the leaves change color and begin to fall from the trees, the full moon
seems bigger and brighter when it makes its appearance, squirrels are busy
gathering acorns and making nests in the trees, and the daylight gets shorter by a
minute or so each day.
It’s the month of the rosary, Respect Life month, breast cancer awareness
month, and the month in which I was married 45 years ago.
As Franciscans, we celebrate the Transitus of St. Francis and his feast day,
coming together as family, grateful to be on this path of shared spirituality.
We Secular Franciscans are “called to make our own contribution, inspired by the person and message of St. Francis of Assisi, towards a civilization in which the dignity of the human person, shared responsibility, and love may be living realities” (General Constitutions, Art. 18.1).
Catholic social teaching focuses on the dignity of the human person in one of its foundational themes. Every person has value (dignity) because they are created in God’s image and likeness.
In our social environment today, it seems to me that we are seeing, hearing, and experiencing examples that do not value or dignify each and every person.
Our Trinitarian God is relational; and because we are created in God’s image, we, too, are
meant to be in relationship. Article 13 of our Rule guides us in our Franciscan way of relating to people. Two key points, I feel, are accepting people both as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ. It is quite a challenge to live and apply our Rule, in case you haven’t noticed since you began your Franciscan journey.
As this month of October continues, I ask you to reflect upon “Who are my brother and my sister?” and “What steps can I take to accept people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ?”
May God help us to grow and abound in love for Jesus and for one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you, dear brothers and sisters, for your prayers offered for my recovery from hip
replacement surgery; because of God’s will and your prayers, I’m doing very well. Thank you for re-electing me as your regional minister to serve you for a second term. I am humbled and grateful for your loving support. God bless you and keep you!
Peace and all good,
DorothyAnn
DorothyAnn Rowland, OFS, Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis Region’s minister, is a member of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Fraternity, Hilton Head Island, S.C.