By Michael Carsten OFS
A Pilgrimage of Faith and Justice
“I have done what is mine to do; may Christ teach you what is yours.” These words of St. Francis guide my journey as a Secular Franciscan. Bound by the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, I am called to “live the Gospel” (Article 4). I do this through humility, peace, and radical kinship with the marginalized. As an Ecumenical and Inter-religious Animator, I am tasked with building bridges across faiths. This mirrors Francis’s fearless meeting with Sultan Malik al-Kamil. Yet, in a world obsessed with political labels, I reject the false binaries of left and right. My ethic flows from a deeper well. Christ’s teachings and the Franciscan charism guide me. They demand a politics rooted not in ideology but in love, justice, and the sacredness of every life.
This is my creed—a way of being in the world that refuses to sever faith from action.
Foundations: Gospel and Franciscan Non-Negotiables
My convictions spring from two fonts: the Gospel and the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. They anchor four pillars of my ethic:
- Human Dignity as Divine Imprint
“Whoever harms the poor insults their Maker” (Proverbs 14:31). The secular Franciscan Rule commands me to “respect all people” (Article 13). I see Christ in the migrant, the prisoner, and the religious “other.” I oppose policies that dehumanize—xenophobic borders, exploitative labor, or environmental degradation that treats creation as disposable. Justice begins with reverence. - The Poor are the First Teachers
Jesus’ declaration is my litmus test for policy. “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Francis stripped himself of wealth to stand with outcasts. I support universal healthcare, living wages, and affordable housing not as partisan agendas but as moral imperatives. Charity soothes symptoms; justice dismantles systems that trap generations in poverty. - Subsidiarity is about Sacred Humility.
The secular Franciscan Rule encourages us to live by going from the Gospel to life. It also inspires us to bring life to the Gospel. Solutions must arise locally—in families, parishes, and neighborhoods—where human dignity outweighs ideology. While the government must protect rights, centralized power (corporate or bureaucratic) often stifles the Spirit’s work. Communities, guided by conscience, must lead. - Nonviolence as Prophetic Witness
“Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Francis confronted the Crusades’ brutality with dialogue, not swords. I reject rhetoric that demonizes opponents, militarism that sacrifices the vulnerable, and economics that plunder creation. Peacemaking, for me, demands restorative justice, climate reparations, and relentless dialogue.
Engaging Political Systems: Respect and Caution
My creed engages political frameworks without captivity:
- Social Democracy
Respect: Its fight against poverty and healthcare gaps aligns with Christ’s healing call.
Caution: Centralized programs risk sidelining local wisdom. Welfare should empower—not replace—parish food banks, worker co-ops, and interfaith clinics. - Capitalism
Respect: Innovation lifts communities when tempered by ethics.
Caution: Profit-driven systems commodify life. I demand fair wages, eco-stewardship, and businesses that honor workers as siblings, not labor costs. - Socialism
Respect: Its critique of exploitation echoes Amos’ cry: “Let justice roll like a river” (Amos 5:24).
Caution: Material equality alone risks reducing humans to economic units. True justice restores kinship—seeing the poor as brothers, not statistics. - Libertarianism
Respect: Its skepticism of state overreach aligns with subsidiarity.
Caution: Freedom without solidarity abandons the marginalized. “Personal responsibility” can’t absolve collective sin.
My Stance: No system is sinless. I borrow tools (policy, protest, partnership) to serve the Kingdom’s ends: dignity, kinship, and peace.
The Beatitudes: My Blueprint for Political Engagement
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) reframe politics as sacred service:
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit”: I reject consumerism’s lie that worth comes from wealth.
- “Blessed are the meek”: I advocate policies that uplift the vulnerable, not entrench the powerful.
- “Blessed are the peacemakers”: I labor for interfaith coalitions, knowing solidarity heals a fractured world.
For me, politics is not a battle for power but a pilgrimage of love.
The Tension of Witness
Living this ethic is a daily crucifixion:
- Misunderstood
Progressives question my faith; conservatives scorn my critique of greed. Francis was called a fool for kissing lepers. I embrace the title. - The Risk of Hypocrisy
I fail often. I cling to the Rule’s call to “continual conversion” (Article 7). - The Weight of Despair
Wars rage, forests burn, children starve. Yet Francis rebuilt the Church stone by stone. I choose stubborn hope.
Conclusion: An Invitation to Kinship
This is not a manifesto. It is my flawed attempt to live the Gospel without dilution. To those who share this hunger, I offer no program—only a challenge:
- See sacramentally: The Eucharist teaches that God dwells in the broken. So look for the divine in the “other”—the refugee, the rival, the ruined earth.
- Act incarnationally: Start small. Partner with a mosque to house the homeless. Join a union fighting for fair wages. Plant a parish garden to feed the hungry.
- Risk love: Francis kissed the leper. Who—or what—have we been taught to fear that God calls us to embrace?
St. Francis did not set out to change the world. He set out to live the Gospel, and the world changed around him. May we have the courage to do the same.
Pax et bonum.
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