Brother Michael Perry OFM explains what inspired the Franciscan Family to establish a presence at the United Nations.
Archives: Spiritual Reflections
Franciscan values dovetail closely with those enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In these publications, we explore the roots and spiritual dimensions of our work at the United Nations.
Lenten Reflections: The mandala of Saint Nicolas of Flue
These reflections are based on a “mandala” created in the 15th Century based on the insights of Saint Nicolas of Flue (1417-1487), who was canonized shortly after the Second World War and proclaimed Patron Saint of Peace.
The images of the mandala are sequenced according to the pleas of the “Our Father.” Its structure is that of a wheel which symbolizes the passing of time, and the history of the world and of humanity.
God, the Unmoved Mover, is the center of the wheel and at the same time takes part in the different scenes. Through God’s action, history of the world becomes that of salvation. However, humans are not just the “objects” of salvation. They take active part in salvation, as “subjects,” with their acts of mercy.
Just 70 years ago, after the horrific experiences of the First and Second World Wars, the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with the hope that this action would prevent such horrors from ever occurring again. Mercy and human rights are interdependent. Without the recognition of the rights of humanity, mercy can be humiliating.
Without mercy, rights can be loveless. Yet, both are rooted in human dignity which is unconditional and inalienable for each and every human being. When the respect of human rights and works of mercy go hand in hand, then history becomes that of salvation.
This reflection booklet looks beyond the original scenes of the mandala, at sisters and brothers of our time, who work together with Franciscans International to bring mercy and rights together in their Franciscan mission.
Let us now become one with them in prayer so that “God’s kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
The reflections are available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Thirty years at the United Nations
Lenten Reflections: Seven last words, seven acts
The Seven Last Words is a devotion that reflects on the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth as he was crucified. Traditionally prayed during Lent, the Seven Last Words allow the faithful a means of meditating on and identifying with Christ’s suffering and passion.
Franciscans International offers a contemporary take on this Lenten tradition, reflecting on Jesus’ last words through the lens of migration. Like Jesus of Nazareth, who endured dehumanizing cruelty, many migrants and refugees today experience dehumanization as a result of violence and poverty, unjust laws and inadequate immigration policies, xenophobia, racism, and a myriad of other causes. 2017 saw international migration at an all-time high, with an estimated 258 million people living in a country other than their country of birth (United Nations, Migration Report 2017).
Pope Francis, who has expressed “particular concern for the forced nature of many contemporary migratory movements,” has called for “a coordinated and effective response to these challenges” (Forum on Migration and Peace 2017). His vision, which can “be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate”, invites people of faith to respond to issue of migration in a just, compassionate, and comprehensive way.
Similarly, the United Nations has begun the process of crafting a Global Compact on Safe and Orderly Migration, which aims to be the first inter-governmental agreement that will address international migration. Various actors, including non-governmental organizations such as Franciscans International, are currently working to ensure that this Global Compact includes a holistic, rights-based approach to migration.
By meditating on the passion of Christ through the lens of migration, we can engage in a deep, spiritual reflection on the realities faced by so many of our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters and can begin to consider responses to this burning issue.
The Seven Acts proposed here, which are inspired by the Holy See’s statement, “Responding to Refugees and Migrants: Twenty Action Points, and Now and How, Ten Acts for the Global Compact,” from civil society, distills seven everyday actions that all people of faith and good will can to do to support and uphold the dignity and human rights of our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.