countercultural

Join Brother Mark Schroeder as he is interviewed by guest host Darleen Pryds. Mark explores the priority of living in community, in peace and mutual understanding while being passionate for justice and nonviolence advocacy.

For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/9oKMNktEKJI

 

From Brother Mark’s interview:

“As a Franciscan, early on, I was active in nonviolent demonstrations, many times ending up in jail. That's beyond the way I was raised and the way I operated when I was a kid. But through that, I really realized the importance of standing up for what you believe, the importance of taking risks. I would've never dreamt of that. And my whole spiritual quest is always, I believe God invites everybody. God invited me into each of these situations so I could learn and grow and see how I handled each one, based on nonviolence.”

 

“The first time I was ever arrested was Lawrence Livermore lab, which is outside of Oakland, where the nuclear weapons and other weaponry are being developed. It was a Good Friday celebration up there, and that was the first time I ever risked arrest and ended up, ironically, … in the Japanese concentration camps in Livermore. They still exist, but they still had the buildings and that's where we were, a gigantic number of people. And so I've always been involved with nuclear weapons, the abolition of them. I still am.”

 

“One has to always be aware of oneself, what's going on. And with that, the only way I can teach about being a Christian is you have be active. Do actions that promote justice and peace and non-violence. When I'm outta whack, then it's not gonna work. So that's why I continue to do the best I can to stay focused.”

 

“I believe anybody that lives in the United States is an addict. It comes in different forms. But if you live in our consumer culture there's addictions, compulsions. So I do my best to stay on top of that. I'm in a 12-step group.”

 

“Fraternity is the most important thing we have. I wanted that always in religious life, … I've grown to realize that I live with people, I choose to live with people. I choose to interact with them daily. … It can be hard sometimes because of different personalities and I'm sure it's hard for some other friar to live with me, but in reality, it's just the joy. … With it [fraternity], I don't have really a care in the world. It's really a spiritual blessing for me to live in community.”

 

“Prayer together is important, but prayer has to be enlivening, not just rote and not just cuz we have to do it. Prayer is important together because it's a countercultural way of relating to each other. Communication is really important. ... Since I've been guardian, we've been meeting every Wednesday at four o'clock and a person can verbalize whatever they wanna say. They don't have to talk about feelings if they're not in the mood. I use mutual invitation and that's where one person starts and then that person picks the next person. … The guys tell me that it's really made us a community and continues to. So there's that kind of communication. Also, the friar lifestyle, having meals together is important. … I encourage every friar to have a spiritual director and or therapist if that's needed. And I always tell 'em price is no object, but to be in religious life, you can't be making decisions on your own. You have to really keep discerning God's will not your will.  And the fruit of that for me, is happier, healthier guys living together.”

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.

 

References:  

“Jesuits in California”: https://www.jesuitswest.org/about-us/the-jesuits/

 

Discernment: There are many spiritual traditions of discernment; here is a video introduction to Ignatian (Jesuit) discernment: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/what-is-ignatian-spirituality/the-ignatian-way/what-is-discernment/ - here are some Franciscan discernment resources: https://osfphila.org/discernment-franciscan-style/

 

Franciscan Province of St Barbara: https://sbfranciscans.org/

 

Fraternity: a Franciscan perspective on fraternitas in a broader social context; also as related to Pope Francis’ writing in Fratelli Tutti: https://sacredheartfla.org/2022/05/13/fraternitas-friar-reflections-the-fifth-week-of-easter/

 

Social Justice involvements:

Franciscans for Justice: https://www.franciscansforjustice.org/

Nevada Desert Experience: http://nevadadesertexperience.org/

Example of Good Friday Protest at Lawrence Livermore Lab: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/04/25/18678001.php

https://www.santabarbaramission.org/

Join Franciscan Sister Carmen Barsody as she shares her learnings from life in a Nicaraguan barrio and in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. In conversation with guest host Darleen Pryds, Carmen invites us from fear into freedom to do what we feel called to do in the world, that all may have life and have it to the full.

 

For a video version of this episode, see:  https://youtu.be/zCxCvtnPtUo 

 

From Sister Carmen’s interview:

“When I moved to Nicaragua I came to work in an ecumenical setting, which was even more expansive and more exciting. It was our community's choice just to move into a Barrio and live amongst the people, with the people, and allow our life to evolve out of that. Rather than to move into a community with an idea of we were going to bring something to them.   And I was very enriched by living in Nicaragua and also even more enlightened. Learned a lot more because Nicaragua had had much more direct intervention by the United States and the Contra war had just finished. I was in a country that, at the time that we arrived, more than 50% of the people were under the age of 15, because so many had been killed in the war.  And so much of our work there was just bringing people together again as brothers and sisters.”

 

“We worked a lot with women who were struggling to find their own independence, their own freedom to not be enslaved by their domestic partners. We worked on many realms, but most of the day to day is very much like what I am here with Faithful Fools, much of the day gets directed by who might arrive at the door or what need arises and needs a response, as well as working with some more formal meetings and intentional conversations and classes and things like that.”

 

In San Francisco, California: “We wanted to create a kind of container, an invitation, for people to walk and work together. One of the first opening acts we call it, was our street retreats. We created a day long retreat, in which people come into the community not to volunteer, not to have a tour, but to come into the community of the Tenderloin with the spirit of a retreat, a day of reflection. The mantra that we often use is "what holds me separate, what keeps me separated, as I walk the streets, what connects me?” It's really a sense of bringing ourselves into relationship with a place, with people, that we are encouraged to stay away from, that we're encouraged to not come into the Tenderloin. It's that part of the city you're not supposed to come into. But I think also in founding the Fools that we call it a place of practice. People come from many walks of life, many faith commitments or social values that they're wanting to practice. So this really becomes a place to say, what does it look like in direct relationship with people, what does it look like to live it out.”

 

“One of the things that we know as human beings is some of what gets projected onto communities like the Tenderloin of substance abuse issues or violence or abandonment or whatever is not exclusive to communities like the Tenderloin. They are something that many, many people know. And I think for me, I'm actually, it's easier to work in a community where there's an honesty about that rather than in communities where it's hidden or there's a silence, or we don't talk about it.”

 

“Lewis Hyde in his book, “Trickster Makes This World”, speaks of how a fool or a trickster does not change in different environments. You know, like sometimes you go amongst the wealthier and all of a sudden you've got this kind of persona that is different than if I'm on the streets. And I think a strong interior sense of self brings forth a constancy, an integrity of being, that doesn't change or doesn't place greater value on one person than another. … To me, that's who (Saint) Francis was. Francis was a fool. Francis really, no matter whether he was speaking to the Bishop or speaking to the people on the streets or in the community or from house to house, was steady in his being and how he wanted to be, even in its imperfection.”

 

“It's a hard thing for some people when they come to Faithful Fools. I remember one person saying I paid a lot of money to have this title behind my name, because here I'm just Carmen and it's who I just wanna be is Carmen. And even if people come with their gifts or their talents or their skills, we are all just fools. And that takes a while for people to realize. I remember for myself just a visual I would do very consciously, and still do, is if I'm in conversation with somebody, I just do a self-check to see whether I really have myself at the same level. And if I realize I've got a little bit more air than I want to have, I image myself on one of these barber stools and just kinda turning myself down energetically till I feel like, okay, now I'm really here. Now I'm really with this person in the place that I wanna be.  And I feel like that's how Francis, where Francis was most comfortable.”

 

“Even if you feel fear, be fearless and feel free to do what you feel called to do in the world.”

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.

 

References:

Faithful Fools Street Ministry: see: https://www.faithfulfools.org/our-history

and https://www.faithfulfools.org/resources

Street Retreats: https://www.faithfulfools.org/about-street-retreats

 

Books:

St. Francis and the Foolishness of God by, Marie Dennis and Joseph Nangle

Trickster Makes This World, by Lewis Hyde

Foolish Wisdom: Stories, Activities, and Reflections, by Ken Feit, I.F. Joseph F. Martin (Editor): https://www.google.com/books/edition/Foolish_Wisdom/iqe3PQAACAAJ?hl=en  

 

Francis of Assisi: “We must never desire to be above others, but, instead, we must be servants and subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” (verse 47; see also: 1 Peter 2:13) https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/later-admonition-and-exhortation/63-fa-ed-1-page-48

 

Scripture reference: That all people may have life, and have it to the full (cf. John 10:10)

 

 Sisters Carmen Barsody and Michelle L’Allier with Heidi Mesa, 1997

Sister Carmen and Kay Jorgensen, with local companions

Carmen and Mercedes

 

 

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode of be the two podcast. This week’s guest is Chelsey DeMatteis, author of More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-Centered Life in a Me Centered World. Chelsey is sharing her story of redemption, the long road of sanctification and her passion for the church to live their lives to honor God. You’re going to be encouraged by this girl’s fire. Thank you for rating and leaving a review of how this episode encouraged you. We love reading how be the two is impacting your life.

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December 16, 2018; Third Sunday of Advent; Matthew 1:18-25  

For the text of this sermon, go to www.unionuniversitychurch.org and select "Sermons-Text" from the menu.

The world we live in today sends us all kinds of messages about what's important and how we should live our lives. Join us for a sermon series that explores the countercultural message of 1 Peter and find practical instructions for living God's way in a world that often misses the mark.