Mahmoud Khalil

Demanding the Release of Mahmoud Khalil: A Call for Justice and Human Dignity

In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who tirelessly advocated for peace, justice, and the dignity of every human being, we raise our voices to demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil. As Franciscans, we are called to stand with the oppressed and to be a voice for those who are silenced. The unjust detention of Mahmoud Khalil is not merely an individual tragedy—it is a violation of human rights and a wound to the collective conscience of all who seek peace and justice.

The Cry for Justice

Mahmoud Khalil, like so many others who suffer from oppression, is more than just a name in a headline—he is a human being created in the image of God, endowed with dignity and deserving of justice. His detention represents the ongoing struggles faced by countless individuals who find themselves imprisoned for political, religious, or ideological reasons. As followers of Christ and inspired by the teachings of the Franciscan tradition, we cannot remain silent in the face of such injustice.

A Franciscan Response

St. Francis of Assisi teaches us to walk humbly with the poor and the persecuted. Our Rule as Secular Franciscans calls us to work toward justice and peace, not only through prayer but also through action. We must advocate for Mahmoud Khalil’s release, not just as an act of mercy but as an imperative of justice.

Pope Francis reminds us that “the dignity of each human person and the pursuit of the common good are concerns which ought to shape all economic and political decisions” (Laudato Si’, 156). To detain an individual unjustly is to trample on their dignity and deny their fundamental rights.

A Call to Action

We urge all people of goodwill—religious leaders, human rights advocates, and policymakers—to join in demanding the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. We must raise our voices in prayer, in protest, and in advocacy until justice is served.

Let us write to those in power, sign petitions, and spread awareness so that Mahmoud Khalil is not forgotten. Above all, let us keep him and all unjustly detained persons in our prayers, trusting that God, who is the source of all justice, will bring forth righteousness and peace.

May our actions be guided by the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:17)

“Prayer and Contemplation as the Soul of All We Are and Do”


A Franciscan Vision Rooted in Life, Love, and the OFS Rule

Scriptural Foundation: Sirach 38:24–34 (NABRE)

“They maintain the fabric of the world, and their prayer is in the practice of their trade. … Not so the one who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High; he sets his heart on rising early to seek the Lord who made him.”

The Rule’s Imperative: Prayer as the Soul of Secular Franciscan Life

The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (Article 8) declares:
“Let them [Secular Franciscans] participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist. Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church… Let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.”

This command is not a call to monastic rigor but an invitation to infuse every moment of life with the spirit of prayer. For laypeople immersed in the rhythms of family, community, and daily responsibilities, this means recognizing that prayer is not an activity to add to their day but the soul that animates their very being.

I. Sirach’s Wisdom and the Rule’s Vision

Sirach’s contrast between laborers and scholars is not a division but a harmony. The laborer’s life is prayer (38:34), while the scholar’s study seeks God (38:31). For Secular Franciscans, the Rule’s call to make prayer the “soul” of all they do means:

  • Life as Contemplation: The parent, the caregiver, or the volunteer prays through their actions when they serve with love.
  • Contemplation as Life: The intellectual or retiree engages through their mind when they study and intercede.

The Rule does not demand equal time for both but insists that all actions—physical, mental, or relational—be rooted in a contemplative heart.

II. Vatican II: Sanctifying the “Soul” of Daily Life

The Council’s teachings affirm the OFS Rule’s vision:

  • Lumen Gentium 34: “The laity… make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them it can become the salt of the earth.”
  • Gaudium et Spes 43: “Let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other.”

For Secular Franciscans, this means:

  • The “soul” of their life is the love and intentionality with which they live it.
  • The “soul” of their prayer is the awareness that God is present even in exhaustion, joy, or routine.

III. Reclaiming the Rule’s Flexibility

The Rule’s wording is deliberate: “Let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do” (Article 8). Key implications:

  1. “Soul” Over Schedule:
    Prayer is not a checklist but the animating principle of existence. A caregiver’s patience, a neighbor’s kindness, or a moment of rest becomes a “contemplative act” when offered to God.
  2. “All They Are and Do”:
    The Rule does not distinguish between “sacred” and “secular” moments. Cooking meals, commuting, or comforting a friend become prayer when done for love of God and neighbor.
  3. Liturgical Prayer as a Means, Not an End:
    The call to “join in liturgical prayer” (Article 8) is not a rigid law but a tool to deepen communion with God. When formal prayer is impossible, the liturgy of life itself becomes worship.

IV. A Franciscan Model: Life as Embodied Contemplation

St. Francis lived the Rule’s ideal long before it was written. His Earlier Rule (1221) states:
“Let all brothers, however, preach by their deeds.”

For Francis, life and prayer were inseparable. Secular Franciscans inherit this legacy:

  • Prayer is not confined to words but expressed in how we live: patiently, justly, and generously.
  • Contemplation is not withdrawal but seeing God in the ordinary: a shared meal, a walk in nature, a quiet moment of rest.

V. Practical Living of the Rule

For those overwhelmed by formal prayer obligations:

  1. Morning Offering:
    “Lord, let my life today be my prayer. Be the soul of all I am and do.”
  2. Micro-Moments of Awareness:
    • Pause before a task: “For You, Jesus.”
    • Offer frustration: “I unite this to Your Cross.”
  3. Family as Fraternity:
    Simple rituals like bedtime gratitude or a hug offered as a prayer sanctify daily life.
  4. Fraternity Support:
    Meetings should prioritize sharing how God is found in daily life over rigid recitations.

Conclusion: The Soul of Our Vocation

The OFS Rule’s call to make prayer the “soul” of all we are and do is not a burden but a liberation. It frees us to see our entire life as a liturgy of love:

When a parent listens patiently, they are contemplative.
When a friend forgives quickly, they are praying.
When a stranger is welcomed, they are chanting Vespers.

This is the “soul” St. Francis envisioned: a spirituality where prayer is not something we do but who we are.

Peace and all good!

Citations

  1. The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (1978), Article 8.
  2. The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE).
  3. Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church), Second Vatican Council (1964).
  4. Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), Second Vatican Council (1965).
  5. St. Francis of Assisi, The Earlier Rule (1221).

Bishops’ Partisan Politics: A Moral Crisis

The Catholic Bishops’ Selective Advocacy: A Franciscan Call for Consistent Moral Witness.

As a Franciscan, As a Catholic, As a US Citizen, I am compelled to speak truth to power with clarity and courage, even when it unsettles me. The U.S. Catholic bishops’ alignment with the Republican Party—prioritizing partisan agendas over the fullness of Catholic social teaching—demands scrutiny. Their selective advocacy risks reducing the Church’s prophetic voice to a political tool, abandoning the marginalized in favor of power.

The Fortnight for Freedom and Racialized Hypocrisy

From 2012 to 2018, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) organized the Fortnight for Freedom, a campaign decrying threats to religious liberty under President Obama, particularly the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. Yet, when the Trump administration slashed refugee admissions, separated families at the border, and gutted environmental protections, the bishops’ urgency vanished. The campaign dissolved in 2018, replaced by a muted “Religious Freedom Week.” This timing raises grave questions: Was the bishops’ fervor less about principle and more about opposing a Black Democratic president?

Black Catholic leaders have long challenged this hypocrisy. Fr. Bryan Massingale, a theologian and priest, critiques the Church’s “selective indignation,” noting its silence on systemic racism, poverty, and state violence disproportionately harming Black communities. While bishops rallied against contraception mandates, they offered no sustained outcry as Republican policies denied clean water to Flint’s Black residents, dismantled healthcare for the poor, or accelerated executions under Trump’s Attorney General William Barr—a man the bishops honored despite his defiance of Church teaching on the death penalty.

The Barr-Barron Nexus: Power Over Principle

In 2020, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB)—a gathering criticized for its ties to Republican elites—awarded William Barr the Christifideles Laici Award, even as he reinstated federal executions after a 17-year hiatus. Bishop Robert Barron, a prominent media figure, headlined the event. Barr, who oversaw the executions of 13 federal prisoners, received praise for his “public service,” while bishops ignored his violation of the Church’s clear teaching: “The death penalty is inadmissible” (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 2020).

This decision sparked outrage. The Catholic Mobilizing Network and Association of U.S. Catholic Priests condemned the award, calling it a “grave scandal” that undermined the Church’s pro-life stance. Yet Bishop Barron and the NCPB doubled down, reflecting a pattern: the bishops’ alignment with Republican power brokers often trumps moral consistency.

Cardinal Dolan and Republican Politics: A Case Study in Selective Engagement

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and a prominent figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, exemplifies the bishops’ fraught dance with partisan politics. While he has occasionally criticized Republican policies, his public persona and alliances often align more closely with conservative agendas, raising questions about the consistency of his moral witness.

Public Embraces and Political Theater

Dolan’s visibility in Republican circles is striking. In 2012, he delivered the closing benediction at the Republican National Convention (RNC), sharing a stage with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan—the latter a Catholic whose budget proposals slashed anti-poverty programs, drawing sharp rebukes from the USCCB for failing “to meet moral criteria” (America Magazine, 2012). Dolan later prayed at both the 2012 RNC and the Democratic National Convention, framing it as “apolitical,” yet his warmth toward Republican leaders has been notable. In 2016, he hosted a controversial “heroes’ welcome” for Donald Trump at St. Patrick’s Cathedral after the Access Hollywood tape scandal, a move critics called a “moral failure” that normalized misogyny and abuse (National Catholic Reporter, 2016).

Policy Alignments and Silences

  1. Affordable Care Act (ACA) Contraception Mandate:
    Dolan spearheaded the bishops’ opposition to the ACA’s contraception coverage requirement, framing it as a religious liberty issue. While the mandate raised legitimate concerns, Dolan’s rhetoric echoed Republican talking points, and he declined to celebrate the ACA’s expansion of healthcare to millions of low-income families. This mirrored the GOP’s prioritization of culture-war issues over systemic care for the vulnerable (USCCB, 2012).
  2. Immigration and Border Policies:
    Dolan has spoken compassionately about immigrants, calling for “humane reform.” Yet his criticism of Trump’s family separation policy was muted compared to his vocal campaigns against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. When New York expanded protections for undocumented immigrants in 2023, Dolan warned against “lawlessness,” echoing conservative rhetoric that conflates immigration with crime (Crux, 2023).
  3. Economic Justice:
    While Pope Francis condemns “economies that kill,” Dolan’s tenure has seen minimal emphasis on workers’ rights or wealth inequality. In 2020, he opposed New York’s proposed tax hikes on the ultra-wealthy to fund homeless services, citing fears of “driving out the affluent”—a stance at odds with Catholic teaching on distributive justice (National Catholic Reporter, 2020).

A Pattern of Partisan Silence

The bishops’ selective advocacy extends beyond individual figures:

  1. Environmental Justice: While Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ calls for “drastic action” to protect creation, the USCCB stayed silent as Trump withdrew from the Paris Accord and gutted the Clean Water Act, directly harming poor communities. In Flint, Michigan—where lead-poisoned water disproportionately affected Black Catholics—the bishops offered prayers but no national campaign for justice.
  2. Healthcare and Poverty: Catholic teaching declares healthcare a human right. Yet when Republicans slashed Medicaid, defended for-profit systems, and rejected living wage laws, the bishops’ response was tepid. Contrast this with their vigorous opposition to the ACA’s contraception mandate—a focus that Fr. Massingale argues “elevates pelvic issues over poverty.”
  3. School Choice: Trading Justice for Vouchers
    The bishops’ advocacy for school choice—framed as “empowering parents”—often aligns with Republican efforts to divert public funds to private (including Catholic) schools via vouchers. While Catholic teaching supports parental rights (Gravissimum Educationis), the bishops ignore the collateral damage:
    • Defunding Public Schools: Voucher programs drain taxpayer dollars from public systems that serve 90% of students, including marginalized communities. In Arizona and Florida, school choice expansions have worsened teacher shortages and underfunded rural districts (Chalkbeat, 2023).
    • Exclusionary Practices: Many voucher-funded private schools reject students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, or non-Catholics, perpetuating inequality. In Indiana, 70% of 2023 voucher recipients never attended public schools, subsidizing affluent families already in private education (Chalkbeat, 2023).
    • Moral Contradiction: To secure vouchers, the bishops tolerate Republican agendas that slash anti-poverty programs, healthcare, and workers’ rights. This transactional approach—sacrificing systemic justice for institutional gain—betrays the poor they claim to uplift.
  4. Death Penalty and Criminal Justice: Despite Pope Francis’ abolitionist stance, the USCCB has never mobilized a Fortnight campaign against capital punishment. Barr’s executions proceeded without meaningful episcopal resistance, even as Catholic prosecutors like Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner faced impeachment for defending life sentences over death.

The Franciscan Imperative: Reclaiming the Church’s Prophetic Voice

St. Francis rejected wealth and power to stand with the marginalized. Today, the bishops risk becoming the very “power” he confronted. Their alignment with a party that enacts policies harming the poor, immigrants, and the Earth betrays the Gospel’s radical call.

To reclaim moral credibility, the Church must:

  • Condemn All Threats to Life—from abortion to executions, poverty to pollution.
  • Reject Partisan Alliances that prioritize power over the common good.
  • Defend Public Goods, including fully funded public schools, rather than privatizing education for sectarian gain.
  • Amplify Marginalized Voices, including Black Catholics like Fr. Massingale, who challenge the Church’s complicity in systemic injustice.

Pope Francis’ Vision for the Church—A Radical Call to Conversion

Pope Francis envisions a Church that is “bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets” (Evangelii Gaudium, 2013), not one entangled in partisan alliances or institutional self-interest. His papacy has been a clarion call to reject clericalism, embrace the marginalized, and embody a consistent ethic of life that challenges all systems of exploitation and exclusion.

1. A Church of the Poor, for the Poor

Francis insists that the Church must prioritize the “peripheries,” condemning an economy that “kills” and discards the vulnerable (Evangelii Gaudium). He decries the “globalization of indifference” to refugees, the hungry, and the homeless—a rebuke to bishops who remain silent as Republican policies gut social safety nets or criminalize migrants. His vision directly contradicts the U.S. bishops’ transactional support for school vouchers that defund public education, asking instead: “How can we proclaim the Gospel if we are complicit in systems that abandon the poor?”

2. Integral Ecology: Rejecting Exploitation

In Laudato Si’ (2015), Francis demands “drastic action” to protect creation, linking environmental degradation to the “throwaway culture” of greed and consumerism. He condemns the poisoning of Flint’s water, the plunder of Indigenous lands, and policies that prioritize corporate profits over clean air and water. The U.S. bishops’ silence as Republican leaders dismantle environmental protections betrays this vision, trading the cry of the Earth and the poor for political convenience.

3. A Consistent Ethic of Life

Francis expands the Church’s pro-life witness beyond abortion to include opposition to the death penalty, nuclear weapons, poverty, and racism (Fratelli Tutti, 2020). He calls the death penalty “inadmissible” and urges Catholics to “see the faces” of those society discards. This directly challenges bishops who honor figures like William Barr, who reinstated federal executions, or who prioritize anti-abortion campaigns while ignoring Medicaid cuts that sentence the poor to preventable deaths.

4. Synodality: A Church That Listens

Francis’ synodal process demands a Church that “listens to the people of God,” including women, LGBTQ+ Catholics, and communities of color. This contrasts sharply with bishops who dismiss Black Catholics like Fr. Bryan Massingale when they critique systemic racism, or who host “LGBT Masses” while opposing civil rights for LGBTQ+ persons. Francis warns: “A Church that does not listen is a Church that cannot lead.”

5. Rejecting Clericalism and Partisan Idolatry

Francis condemns clericalism as a “perversion” of the Gospel, urging bishops to shed the trappings of power and privilege. He warns against alliances with political leaders who “instrumentalize the Church” for their agendas (Address to the U.S. Bishops, 2015). Cardinal Dolan’s embrace of Trump and Bishop Barron’s defense of Barr exemplify the very clericalism Francis decries—a willingness to court power rather than confront it.

Conclusion: The Choice Before the Bishops

Pope Francis’ vision is not a vague ideal—it is a mandate. He calls the Church to be a “field hospital” that heals wounds, not a fortress that protects its own interests. The U.S. bishops stand at a crossroads: Will they continue to align with a party that enacts policies antithetical to Catholic teaching, or will they embody Francis’ radical Gospel witness?

To follow Francis is to reject the GOP’s “Disaster Capitalism,” defend public goods like healthcare and education, and stand unambiguously with immigrants, workers, and the planet. It is to recognize that there can be no communion with Christ without communion with the least.

As Franciscans, we close with the words of St. Francis himself: “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” The bishops’ actions—not their alliances—will determine whether the Church remains a beacon of hope or a monument to compromise.

Sources

  1. America Magazine. (2012). “Cardinal Dolan and the GOP: A Complicated Relationship.”
  2. National Catholic Reporter. (2016). “Cardinal Dolan’s Legacy: A Mixed Record on Abuse, Outreach, and Politics.”
  3. Crux. (2023). “Dolan’s Balancing Act: Political Engagement and Catholic Teaching.”
  4. USCCB. (2012). Fortnight for Freedom Archives.
  5. Chalkbeat. (2023). “Indiana’s $240M Voucher Program Mostly Benefits Students Who Never Attended Public Schools.”
  6. Pope Francis. (2013). Evangelii Gaudium.
  7. Pope Francis. (2015). Laudato Si’.
  8. Pope Francis. (2020). Fratelli Tutti.
  9. Pope Francis. (2015). Address to U.S. Bishops.
  10. Fr. Bryan Massingale. (2010). Racial Justice and the Catholic Church.

In the footsteps of St. Francis and Pope Francis, let us choose the Gospel without exception.

Michael is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order and editor of Chasing the Wild Goose Blog. This article reflects his personal discernment and does not represent official OFS positions.

A Contemporary Canticle of the Creatures

For Sister Wind, who hums through turbines,
her breath a hymn of renewable grace,
turning steel arms in sacred dance,
she fuels our lights and lifts our gaze—
Praised be You, restless and uncontained,
in every gust that heals what we have strained.

For Brother Fire, both forge and flame,
who warms our homes and razes forests bare,
teach us to temper power with care,
to kindle justice, not despair—
Praised be You, spark of innovation,
ignite in us a truer transformation.

For Sister Water, life’s first cry,
now choked with plastic, acid, greed,
may we unlearn the sin of waste,
and let your currents run clean and free—
Praised be You, river, rain, and sea,
in every drop, the hope of equity.

For Brother Concrete, city-builder,
your grids and towers, dense and tall,
remind us: shelter is a right, not luck,
let no one sleep outside your walls—
Praised be You, but break our walls of fear,
until all roofs whisper, “You are welcome here.”

For Sister Web, the pulse unseen,
connecting voices across the void,
may your threads bind truth, not lies,
and mend the fractures we exploit—
Praised be You, digital and vast,
let no algorithm eclipse the outcast.

For the Stranger, the Queer, the Undocumented,
whose bodies bear the weight of scorn,
teach us to see our shared reflection—
no life profane, no breath “ill-born”—
Praised be You, mosaic of the whole,
in every face, the fingerprint of soul.

For Sister Silence, rarest gift,
drowned out by screens and endless noise,
unmute our hearts to hear the earth’s lament,
to pause, and choose, and breathe, and mend—
Praised be You, still and small,
where love begins, and systems fall.

And for Sister Death, who walks unseen,
her shadow cast by plague and war,
we plead: disarm her cruelest blows,
until your sting is feared no more—
Praised be You, though none embrace your call,
teach us to live so none are left to fall.

Let every creature, wired and wild,
code, carbon, dream, or DNA,
awaken us to sacred ties—
no thing, no them, only us, entwined.
Praise crescendos in the act of repair,
and grace is found in what we dare to share.

—Amen.

Canticle of the Creatures


by St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, and all blessing;
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
And no mortal lips are worthy to utter Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Sun,
Who brings the dawn and lights the day,
Radiant with splendor, a symbol of You, O Most High!

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars—
In heaven You formed them, bright, precious, and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
Through clouds and storms and every sky’s mood,
By whom You sustain all life in Your care.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So humble, so precious, so pure and alive,
A servant to all, Your goodness declaring.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Who dances at night with warmth and delight,
Strong and untamed, he kindles our hearts.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Earth,
Who nourishes us with fruits, herbs, and flowers,
And lends us her strength for life’s sacred worth.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who forgive
For love of Your name, who bear pain and trial—
Blessed are they who endure in Your peace;
By You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Bodily Death,
From whom no living soul can flee—
Woe to those who die in despair,
But blessed are they who answer Your call,
For Death shall not steal their light.

Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and adore,
With humble hearts, serve Him forevermore.

This canticle embodies St. Francis’s deep connection to creation as a reflection of divine love. Each element—sun, moon, wind, water, fire, earth—is personified as kin, illustrating the interconnectedness of all life. The closing lines emphasize acceptance of mortality and the call to live in harmony with God’s will.

The Crisis of Solidarity: Greed and Public Good

Opening Reflection
“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” —St. Francis of Assisi
Brothers and sisters, we live in a time when the bonds of solidarity—woven into the fabric of our society through programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and labor protections—are being unraveled. Project 2025, a conservative blueprint to dismantle federal agencies and privatize public goods, threatens the legacy of the New Deal and the common good. As Franciscans, we are called to confront this spiritual crisis: a failure to love our neighbor and steward God’s gifts justly. Let us shine light on this darkness.

Explaining the Issue

Who:

  • Key Actors: The Heritage Foundation, Republican lawmakers, corporate donors (e.g., Koch network), and lobbying groups like ALEC.
  • Impacted: The poor, elderly, disabled, working families, and future generations reliant on public programs.

What:
Project 2025 seeks to privatize Social Security, gut environmental protections, eliminate the Department of Education, and replace nonpartisan civil servants with political loyalists. This follows decades of “starve the beast” tax cuts (e.g., Reagan’s 1981 cuts, Trump’s 2017 law) that created deficits to justify slashing aid to the vulnerable.

When/Where:

  • Roots: Reaganomics in the 1980s, Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract with America,” and the 2017 Trump tax cuts.
  • Today: Project 2025 is a 920-page plan to reshape government in 2025, targeting agencies that uphold healthcare, labor rights, and climate action.

Why:
At its core, this is a crisis of greed (prioritizing wealth over human dignity), fear (scarcity narratives that pit neighbor against neighbor), and a neglect of subsidiarity (abandoning the federal role in protecting the marginalized).

Franciscan Values & Catholic Social Teaching

  1. Preferential Option for the Poor:
    Privatizing Social Security and Medicare would force the elderly and sick to gamble their safety on volatile markets—a direct betrayal of Christ’s command to “care for the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). St. Francis, who kissed the leper and gave his cloak to the poor, would weep at such indifference.
  2. Stewardship of Creation:
    Project 2025’s plan to gut the EPA ignores Pope Francis’ warning in Laudato Si’: “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth” (LS 21). Deregulating polluters harms both creation and the poor, who suffer most from toxic air and water.
  3. Ethical Economics in a Disenchanted World (David B. Couturier, OFM Cap):
    • Relational Economics: Couturier critiques modern economics for reducing human dignity to transactions and profit. He argues that economics must be re-enchanted—rooted in relationality rather than greed. The “starve the beast” strategy, which prioritizes wealth hoarding over communal well-being, exemplifies this disenchanted worldview. As Franciscans, we are called to reject systems that commodify human life and instead build economies where “the logic of gift and grace” replaces exploitation (Couturier, Economics in a Disenchanted World).
    • Commodification of the Common Good: Tax cuts that privatize Social Security or deregulate environmental protections treat public goods as market commodities. Couturier warns that this “commodification fractures solidarity,” turning neighbors into competitors for scarce resources.
  4. Solidarity & Subsidiarity:
    Catholic teaching calls for solutions at the appropriate level. The New Deal intervened federally during the Great Depression because states and towns could not. Project 2025, by contrast, centralizes power for corporations while fragmenting community safety nets.
  5. The Dignity of Work and Economic Justice:
    • Economics as a Moral Project: Couturier reminds us that economics is not neutral—it is a moral endeavor. The Second Vatican Council’s call for an economy that “serves people” (Gaudium et Spes 63) aligns with Couturier’s vision of economics grounded in ethical responsibility. Tax policies favoring corporations over workers violate this principle, reducing labor to a “disposable input” rather than honoring its sacred role in human flourishing.

Hope & Solutions

Stories of Resistance:

  • Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ (Missionaries of Jesus): A modern-day Franciscan-hearted leader, Sr. Norma directs Catholic Charities in the Rio Grande Valley, providing humanitarian aid to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Her work embodies the Franciscan call to “welcome the stranger” (Matthew 25:35) and confronts policies that dehumanize refugees. Pope Francis has praised her as a “woman of mercy” for her tireless advocacy.
  • St. Óscar Romero: Though not a Franciscan, the martyred Salvadoran archbishop’s fearless defense of the poor against oppressive regimes resonates with Franciscan values. His famous words—“A church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, is not the Gospel”—challenge us to resist systems that prioritize power over people.
  • Franciscan Action Network (FAN): Rooted in the spirit of St. Francis, FAN mobilizes Catholics and Franciscans nationwide to advocate for policies that protect the marginalized and care for creation. From lobbying for climate justice to defending immigrants’ rights, FAN embodies the Franciscan call to “rebuild the Church” through prophetic action. Their “Faithful Democracy” campaign challenges voter suppression and promotes policies that prioritize the common good over partisan power.
  • Modern Heroes: Parish food banks, worker-owned cooperatives, and groups like Network Lobby advocate tirelessly for policies that uplift the common good.

Practical Actions:

  • Pray: “Lord, stir in our leaders a hunger for justice, not power. Soften hearts hardened by greed.”
  • Advocate: Call legislators to oppose cuts to Social Security; support unions fighting for living wages.
  • Build Community: Partner with local Catholic Charities chapters to house refugees or fund climate resilience projects.
  • Embrace Franciscan Simplicity: Couturier advocates for an economics of enoughness—a countercultural embrace of simplicity that rejects consumerism. By living simply and advocating for progressive taxation, we challenge the myth of scarcity perpetuated by “starve the beast” policies. As Couturier writes, “Poverty is not a lack of resources but a failure of imagination.”

A Call to Conversion

This is not a distant political issue—it is a spiritual one. Do we cling to comforts while others starve? Do we ignore policies that harm the vulnerable because they don’t affect us yet? St. Francis abandoned wealth to embrace lepers; we too must examine our complicity in systems of exploitation.

Let us choose radical love over complacency. As Francis said, “For it is in giving that we receive.” When we fight for the common good, we rebuild the Church—not with bricks, but with justice.

Closing Prayer:
God of the marginalized,
stir in us the fire of St. Francis.
Guide us to defend the poor,
challenge the powerful,
and steward creation with reverence.
May we never confuse greed with liberty,
or cruelty with strength.
Amen.

Pax et bonum! 🌿

Citations:

  1. Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS Rule, Art. 13b).
  2. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Compendium, 182, 395).
  3. Laudato Si’ (LS 21).
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1883).
  5. Gaudium et Spes (GS 4, 63).
  6. David B. Couturier, OFM Cap, Economics in a Disenchanted World: Franciscan Pathways for Renewal (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2020).

Michael is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order and editor of Chasing the Wild Goose Blog. This article reflects his personal discernment and does not represent official OFS positions. Reach Mike at mikeofs@ofsmike.com

Encountering the Divine: Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and Lent

In the heart of every sacred tradition lies a hidden truth: the Divine is not distant, but intimately woven into the fabric of existence—and into the faces of those around us. Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and Lent, three pillars of Abrahamic faiths, are often seen as seasons of abstinence, repentance, or ritual. Yet through the lens of mysticism, they reveal a deeper invitation: to transcend the self and encounter God in the very act of loving, serving, and forgiving one another.

Ramadan: Fasting as a Mirror of the Heart

In Islam, Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, and Quranic reflection. Mystics like Rumi and Ibn Arabi remind us of the true fast. It is not merely abstaining from food and drink but freeing ourselves from the ego’s tyranny. When we empty our bodies, we create space for the Divine light to illuminate our souls. Hunger becomes a teacher, humbling us and awakening compassion for those who hunger every day.

The mystic’s Ramadan is not solitary. The nightly Taraweeh prayers recited in unison, dissolve individuality into a collective heartbeat. Breaking the fast (iftar) with others—strangers, neighbors, the marginalized—transforms a meal into a sacrament. “Whoever feeds a fasting person earns the same reward as them,” says the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this act, we glimpse the Divine in the shared bread, the laughter, the hands that serve. To fast is to see God in the faces of the hungry.

Yom Kippur: Atonement as Cosmic Reunion

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism, is a solemn fast of repentance. Yet Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) teaches that this day is not about punishment, but reunion. The Hebrew word teshuvah means “return”—a return to God, our true selves, and harmony with all creation.

The liturgy of Yom Kippur emphasizes that sins against others cannot be forgiven by God until we first seek forgiveness from those we’ve harmed. The mystical truth blazes here: God dwells in the “other.” When we repair relationships, we restore the shattered vessels of the Divine presence (Shekhinah). The Kol Nidre prayer, chanted at twilight, is a collective vow to release the bonds of ego. As we stand together in vulnerability, we become mirrors reflecting the Infinite One back to each other.

Lent: Sacrifice as an Embrace of the Wounded

In Christianity, Lent is a 40-day fasting, prayer, and almsgiving journey that mirrors Christ’s wilderness sojourn. Mystics like St. John of the Cross and Julian of Norwich saw Lent not as deprivation but as a path to divine union. By stripping away comforts, we confront our illusions and meet God in the desert of our hearts.

Yet Christ’s ultimate teaching—”Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40)—anchors Lent in community. When we give alms, we touch the hands of Christ in the poor. When we forgive, we meet God in the wounds of the broken. The Lenten fast is a doorway to solidarity, where the boundary between “I” and “you” dissolves. Meister Eckhart wrote, “The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me.”

The Thread That Binds: Love as the Ultimate Fast

Across these traditions, a common thread emerges: asceticism is not an end but a means to awaken love. Fasting from food, pride, or distractions clears the debris from our souls so we might finally see. When the ego diminishes, the Divine presence in others becomes unmistakable.

The Sufi poet Hafez writes, “I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through—listen to this music!” Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and Lent are each a flute, hollowed by sacrifice, through which the breath of the Divine flows. The music they create is the sound of humanity, remembering its sacred unity.

This year, as we observe these holy seasons, let us ask: How might my fast soften my heart to the stranger? How might my repentance heal a fractured relationship? How might my sacrifice become sustenance for another? For in the eyes of the one across from us—whether at the iftar table, the synagogue, or the soup kitchen—we meet the gaze of the Beloved.

La illaha illa Allah. Sh’ma Yisrael. Thy Kingdom come.
The names differ, but the call is one:
Encounter God here, now, in each other.

Michael Carsten OFS is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order and editor of Chasing the Wild Goose Blog. This article reflects his personal discernment and does not represent official OFS positions in Local, Regional, or National Fraternity. Contact Mike @ mikeofs@ofsmike.com

Living Louder: Lent’s Call to Action

Publication Date: February 25, 2025 Reflection Date: March 2, 2025 – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time With the beginning of Lent on Wednesday, March 5,…

Living Louder: Lent’s Call to Action

Defending Democracy Through Franciscan Values


As a Catholic and member of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS), I am called to embody the Gospel through the Triad of Sacramental Seeing, Incarnational Action, and Radical Love—values that mirror St. Francis’s vision of “rebuilding the Church” by living as a leaven of justice and tenderness in a fractured world (OFS Rule, Prologue). Recent political movements, embodied by triad figures like Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, and Vice President JD Vance, challenge these values. Their vision of centralized power and anti-democratic governance demands discernment through the lens of Catholic social teaching and the Franciscan charism of humility, solidarity, and prophetic witness (OFS Constitutions 13.1; 19.3).

1. A Fallacious Triad : Philosopher, Funder, and Politician

Curtis Yarvin (a.k.a. Mencius Moldbug):
Yarvin’s “neoreaction” philosophy rejects subsidiarity and human dignity, instead idolizing efficiency. His call to dismantle institutions (“The Cathedral”) includes the RAGE proposal (“Retire All Government Employees”), which advocates mass firings of civil servants to centralize power under corporate authoritarianism. This vision of governance as a purge contradicts the Franciscan commitment to incarnational engagement with broken systems. St. Francis did not abandon the Church in its corruption but knelt in its ruins to rebuild (Legend of the Three Companions, 13). The OFS Rule (Article 18) compels us to “reverence the least ones”—including workers whose livelihoods depend on stable institutions. RAGE’s disregard for their dignity echoes the “hardness of heart” Francis condemned in those who exploit the poor (Admonition XXVII).

Peter Thiel:
Thiel’s techno-libertarianism reduces governance to corporate control, clashing with the OFS commitment to “respect all people” and foster communities where power is shared (OFS Rule 13; Laudato Si’ 156). His fusion of wealth and anti-democratic ideals echoes the “spirit of the world” Francis renounced, reminding us that “riches suck the soul into confusion” (Admonition XII).

J.D. Vance:
Vance’s rhetoric of “de-Baathification” weaponizes cynicism, dismissing institutions as irredeemable. Yet, Franciscans are called to “work for justice, not in abstract terms, but through concrete choices” (OFS Constitutions 19.1). Like St. Clare of Assisi, who defended San Damiano from invaders, we defend democratic structures not because they are perfect but because they are vessels for protecting the vulnerable.

2. Key Policies Clashing with Catholic and Franciscan Values

A. Dismantling the Administrative State (Project 2025)
Franciscan Response:
Subsidiarity is not merely a principle—it is a practice of fraternity. Centralizing power strips communities of their God-given agency. The OFS Rule (Article 18) compels us to “reverence the least ones,” including refugees and the elderly, whose survival depends on functional institutions. Mass firings would fracture the “web of relationships” Pope Francis calls essential to human dignity (Fratelli Tutti 115).

B. Rejecting Democratic Norms
Franciscan Response:
St. Francis kissed the leper to confront fear with love. Today’s “lepers” include those seduced by authoritarianism. The OFS Constitutions (12.2) urge us to “meet others with humility,” disarming division through dialogue. Democracy, though fragile, aligns with Franciscan hope—a refusal to despair of humanity’s capacity for grace.

C. The “Cathedral” and Institutional Cynicism
Franciscan Response:
Yarvin’s scorn for institutions mirrors the despair Francis rejected when he heard Christ say, “Repair my house.” The OFS is called to “penetrate the world with Gospel radicalism” (Constitutions 6.3). Dorothy Day, a devotee of St. Francis, fed the hungry through Catholic Worker hospitality. We, too, must “act incarnationally”: parish gardens, credit unions, and interfaith coalitions are modern-day San Damianos—small, defiant acts of hope.

3. The Danger of Techno-Authoritarianism

Thiel’s “CEO governance” reduces persons to data points, violating the Franciscan reverence for creation as sacramental. The OFS Rule (Article 18) demands we “see nature as a gift” and resist systems that commodify life. Even in tech, we are called to sow seeds of encounter, transforming the “digital continent” into a space of solidarity (Pope Francis, Message for WCD 2024).

4. A Franciscan Call to Action: Rebuilding Amid Ruin

1. Pray for Leaders—and Become One
The OFS life begins in prayer (Constitutions 12.1). Like St. Francis, who prayed before acting, we discern paths for leaders to govern with virtue. Mentor youth in workplaces, embodying Francis’s admonition: “Preach the Gospel always; use words if necessary.”

2. Advocate with Franciscan Ferocity
Francis stripped naked to reject materialism. Today, “strip” systems of indifference:

  • Partner with mosques to house refugees, living the OFS pledge to “build a more fraternal world” (Rule 19).
  • Join worker cooperatives, resisting the “throwaway culture” (Laudato Si’ 22).

3. Engage in Dialogue as if Eternity Depends on It
Francis met the Sultan not to conquer but to converse. Serve on school boards, write op-eds, and volunteer—not to “win,” but to awaken hearts. The OFS Constitutions (15.1) remind us: “Our presence must be a seed of unity.”

Conclusion: Defending Democracy as a Sacred Duty
The rise of techno-authoritarianism is a spiritual crisis. To defend democracy is to honor the Franciscan vow of conversion—turning from fear to love, from cynicism to hope. As Pope Francis writes, “Let us dream of a new fraternity where no one is discarded” (Fratelli Tutti 8). Let us rebuild, as Francis did, with sacramental sight, incarnational courage, and a love so radical it startles the world.

St. Francis, guide us to be instruments of peace.
St. Clare, defend us in the hour of trial.
Amen.

A Personal Ethic of Kinship: Rooted in the Gospel and the secular Franciscan Rule

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. Misunderstood
    Progressives question my faith; conservatives scorn my critique of greed. Francis was called a fool for kissing lepers. I embrace the title.
  2. The Risk of Hypocrisy
    I fail often. I cling to the Rule’s call to “continual conversion” (Article 7).
  3. 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.

Secular Franciscan Order USA