Justice and Peace

Peace Made Flesh: A Franciscan Advent Reflection

Sponsored by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province

Advent certainly is a time when we are invited to consider what the coming of the Prince of Peace means for our world, how in the Incarnation "event," Peace is Made Flesh. Today's world is ravaged by war, ethnic violence, gang violence, crime, and the destruction of nature. With the rising economic crisis, we also are struck by the growing gap between rich and poor. All of these challenges require us to turn to prayer, to our Franciscan tradition, and to seek guidance for the New Year, so that we might truly foster peace in our world. 2009 will bring us a new President and a new Congress and, with them, a new opportunity to determine what course we should take as a nation and world. Clearly, Advent 2008 is a time for prayer, a time for waiting and a time for Gospel Peacemaking. Thank you for joining us in this journey.

Downloadable Guides

Instructions:
This four-week Advent Peacemaking guide includes Scripture readings, readings from the life of St. Francis and St. Clare, reflection questions, and peacemaking action suggestions. It reflects on three levels of Gospel Peacemaking: intrapersonal, interpersonal and social peacemaking. The program concludes by re-wrapping this experience in the context of the Incarnation.

At the beginning of each week's packet is an introduction page of instructions. This page includes an opening and closing prayer from the life of St. Francis or St. Clare that can be used each day to open and close your time of prayer and reflection. Also included are a number of personal peacefulness practice suggestions. With them, we want to introduce you to some simple practices that you can try in order to increase your ability to live in a more peace-filled manner. Please choose one or two from the week's list. Depending upon the practice, you can try to include it in your life daily or choose a day of the week to try it out. Peacemaking is an "incarnational" activity in that to make it more present in the world, we must join our actions to God's invitation to act. The personal peacemaking practices provide a small way to deepen this journey of Peace Made Flesh.

In addition to the prayer and personal peace practices, each week you will have three readings upon which to reflect: the Sunday gospel reading on Sunday and Monday, and two readings on the life of St. Francis and Clare (one to reflect on for Tuesday and Wednesday, and one to reflect on for Thursday and Friday). Saturday will serve as a day of integration for the week. The reading assignments are noted for each day. A reflection question on the readings is also provided daily. We encourage you to journal on this question. Journaling becomes another way to deepen and capture the reflective process.

We hope and pray that this guide may help you have a holy and joyful Advent Season. Many Blessings!

Using this process with small groups, friaries, convents or other groupings:
This process is designed as an individual prayer, reflection and practice for the season of Advent. However, it lends itself easily to small groups. The program can be shared in a variety of ways, and doing so can only make the Advent experience richer.

Each person should follow the process on their own. When gathering as a small group, the most fruitful action would be to take the integrative question(s) from the end of the week as a point of departure for discussion. In addition, we suggest that people initially share with one or two others and then, after a period of time, share any small group insights with the larger group. The facilitator for the process might formulate other particular questions for the week to further enhance the group's experience.

Sponsors for Peace Made Flesh
Peace Made Flesh is a joint project of the Franciscan friars of the Holy Name Province and Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service. Holy Name Province is located primarily on the east coast of the United States and represents the largest community of Franciscan friars in the U.S. Pace e Bene works to train people of faith and others of good will in the skills and practices of active nonviolence. The organization's roots come from the Franciscan friars and sisters of the west coast of the U.S.

Both organizations have worked together previously on a Franciscan Peacemaking Training Program.