January 1. New Year’s Day. Mary Mother of God, Day of World Peace.  Taken from the booklet “LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMASTIME.”    5th Teaching of St Francis: Peace.   Interior peace is the awareness that God is and dwells in all of creation, and from that awareness flows concern for nature, justice for the poor, and commitment to society.

Pope Francis “Go, announce peace to all people; preach repentance for the remission of sins. Be patient in trials, watchful in prayer, and steadfast in weariness. Be modest in speech, responsible in your actions, and grateful to your benefactors. And in return an eternal kingdom is being made ready for you.” “An adequate understanding of spirituality consists in filling out what we mean by peace, which is much more than the absence of war.   Inner peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good reflected in a balanced lifestyle. LS225

Francis in Our Time As we live in a dynamic, expanding, evolving universe the purpose of creation for us is the same as it was for Francis and Bonaventure, to lead us to “love and praise God its Maker.” 800 years later however, the world is different.  Do we view creation as a sacred book?  Why are the pages torn and the imprints of God’s words erased?” Care of Creation  (p 12-13)  And yet God has created each of us and each family for a particular mission. Whatever our mission let us start of and sing as we go with St Francis and his namesake, Pope Francis:   PRAISE AND BLESS MY LORD, and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.  Canticle 10