St Francis and St Clare’s values of an inclusive respect for the dignity of every human person, peace-making, reconciliation and healing, simplicity, care for the most vulnerable and for creation continue to speak to the needs of our world today. As FMDM we strive to live by these values in this time and in the various cultural contexts and places in which we live and serve.
Dignity of the Human Person
St Francis and St Clare recognised the Divine imprint in every human person – created in the image and likeness of God. They expressed this deep insight by treating everyone they met with equal reverence and dignity. The saw the face of Christ in each person they encountered, whether a leper in the valley below Assisi, or the Pope himself.
Simplicity
This value is rooted in our Franciscan tradition. It continues to speak urgently to our world today, where excess abounds for the few and deprivation for the many and where so often people’s worth is measured in terms of what they have. St Francis and St Clare were committed to live “without anything of ones’ own” – this extends far beyond material things. They understood this as also living without judgement, criticism, anger, jealousy, prejudice or fear.
Reconciliation and Healing
Right relationship is central to the spirituality of St Francis and St Clare. The values of reconciliation and healing call us to make these relationships authentic and rooted in the Gospel of Christ. Our fractured and hurting world cries out for the healing that can only happen by embracing and living these challenging values.
Inclusiveness
Jesus, St Francis and St Clare modelled deep inclusiveness; there was no room for categorising or judging people on the basis of race, colour, socio-economic background, age, ethnicity or faith tradition. All were welcome. We are called to live from a place where we take seriously our shared reality as children of God.
Peacemaking
St Francis asked his brothers and sisters to greet people in the following way;
“The Lord give you peace” and he reminded them;
“The true peace makers are those who preserve peace of mind and body for the love of Christ despite what they suffer in this world. As the brothers and sisters announce peace with their lips, let them be careful to have it even more in their hearts.”
Respect and Care for Creation
Both St Francis and St Clare knew at a deep level that we are in profound relationship with all of creation. St Francis’ Canticle of Creation expressed the beauty of this reality as he calls the elements of creation his brothers and sisters. St Francis is the patron saint of ecology and the environment, and his vision and example speak powerfully to our current climate crisis and exploitation for our Mother Earth.
