Hope is a communal experience

Hope is a communal experience rather than being an individual one, calling us to fraternity and mutual support during challenging times. The Franciscan way entails fostering hope and healing through encounter, outreach and relationships.  

In the next installment in our Franciscan Wisdom series, Br. Murray Bodo, OFM, priest, author and poet, emphasizes that hope is a fundamental attitude that thrives in community, where individuals find strength and identity within the collective experience of fraternitas. He notes that fraternitas is a source of healing and mentions the concept of “working mercy” together. As exemplified by St. Francis, a reciprocal relationship that fosters hope and joy, even amid crisis, is thus created. This interaction can be a transformative force that invites others to join in a shared experience of love and support.

In the next installment of our Franciscan Wisdom series, Br. Thomas Nairn, OFM, an educator, author, moral theologian and expert in health care ethics, discusses the concepts of hope and solidarity as emphasized by modern popes, particularly in the context of a more interconnected world. He highlights the significance of community and mutual love as essential elements in fostering hope and solidarity among individuals, especially the marginalized. 

The Franciscan vision emphasizes familial language, portraying all creatures as siblings in God’s community, which encourages a more relatable understanding of solidarity. Reinforcing the importance of being present for one another, Br. Thomas encourages all of us to actively engage in showing solidarity and hope to those facing darkness and marginalization.